First, to curl your hair with a flat iron, you will obviously need a flat iron. Investing in a quality flat iron such as a Chi hair straightener will give you better results. Comb or brush your hair free of all tangles, part it however you would like and section it off.   The size of your sections will depend on your hair type and the type of curls you want.

Next, start on the underside of all of your hair. Grasp a  piece of hair and clamp the hair straightener close to the roots, just as you would if you were going to straighten the hair.   When you begin to pull the flat iron down, turn it about 60 to 90 degrees, like you are twirling the hair around the flat iron, but do not twirl it all the way around (this would make it impossible to pull through).  Pull the flat iron slowly through your hair, keeping it at an angle – the slower the better to get the curl you want.

When you release the hair, before it is completely cooled, twist it around your fingers to solidify your shape. Allow the hair to cool before moving, it will have a very tight look, but it will fall later. You may want to spritz the section with a light, volumizing hair spray for better hold.

Repeat these steps for all the sections of hair on your head. After you’ve moved through all of your hair and have the amount of curls you want, gently comb through them with your fingers or pull apart the tightest curls to achieve the most natural look.

Curling your hair with a flat iron is easy and provides silky, shiny, fizz free curls all with one, versatile tool.

But many of these straightener obsessed consumers do not even realize the extensive capabilities of a straightener. They use it to calm the frizz or eliminate curls, but this versatile tool can also spiral curl hair, curls ends under or out and add volume.

To straighten the hair, a user can use her flat iron in the traditional manner.  Clamp a section of hair between the plates and move it slowly down the shaft of the hair.

To flip the hair under or out, she would follow a similar procedure but add another step to the end.  Clamp a piece of hair, close the to the roots, between the plates and more the iron down the shaft.  When she reaches the end, she should gently begin to twist the hair straightener a half turn away from her head to achieve a “flipped out” look.   To flip the hair under, follow the above directions but instead of making a half turn away from the head, she should make a half turn toward the hair about 1” from the tips of the hair.

To add volume, without look poofy, is very easy for a girl to do.  As she clamps each section of hair at the roots, instead of pulling the flat iron down, pull the straightener out or up to create a nice voluminous look.

The final capability of a traditional hair straightener is spiral curling.  This will work best with medium to long hair and a 1” plated flat iron on a high heat setting.  To do this, grab a small square section of hair, approximately 1” by 1”.  Clamp the hair about an inch from the roots to prevent burning the scalp.  Take the tail of hair hanging from the iron and wrap it forward around the straightener.  Then twist the hair straightener one full turn away from the head until the tail is once again sticking straight out from the iron.  Pull the tool gently downward, straight away from the head until the hair is naturally release.  Gently retwist the curl and spray it with hairspray to maintain the curl.  Continue this process, section by section, around the head until the style is complete.  This style takes a little bit of practice but will look great if you put in the effort.

Don’t sell your straightener short!  There are so many options and capabilities beyond just what the name implies.