How To Curl Your Hair & 6 Different Ways To Do It

Breaking down six of the best ways to curl hair and how to curl hair with a flat iron, this step-by-step curl guide will show you how to use a curling iron or flat iron create everything from ribbon curls to S-waves, barrel, spiral curls and lazy curls.

SHOP IRONS | Scroll To Read

As seen in American Salon: The Art & Science of Trendspotting Reading How To Curl Your Hair & 6 Different Ways To Do It 13 minutes Next The Ultimate Guide To Blow Dry Hair Without Damage

By Andrew CarruthersJun 3, 2024

How To Curl Hair

The Top Tips for Curling Hair

We recommend practicing with the your curling iron or flat iron in the OFF position. This will allow you to practice these curling hair techniques without burning yourself or your client's hair. Once you feel confident then turn on the heat and curl the hair.
Always use a heat protectant spray when curling hair. Working with heat protection is vital to the health of your client's hair. This is because heat doesn’t just dry hair out, it can destroy the integrity of the inner structure of the hair, and even decrease the longevity of any hair color you've created.
392° F is the maximum temperature to use on your hot tools. This will keep hair color safe from dulling and fading. Instead, turn your irons down and be more deliberate with your speed (slowing down) to create better curls with less damage to the hair.

The Best Tools for Curling Hair:

A professional flat iron.
Spring-loaded curling iron or a marcel curling iron.
A long cutting comb or detangling brush.
A thermal heat spray to protect from heat damage.
A styling brush.

Shop The Tools:

Artist Series 2-in-1 Marcel Iron & Wand

Signature Series Professional Curling Iron

Sleekr Professional Flat Iron

How to Curl Hair With a Curling Iron

These first four hair curling techniques are designed to teach you how to create different types of curls using a curling iron.

You will learn how to create:

Loose curls by wrapping the hair around the barrel of the iron and then changing directions.
Tight curls by wrapping the hair around the barrel in a flat motion or twisting the hair before wrapping it around the barrel.
An elegant wave by combining two of these four techniques.

How To Flat Wrap Hair with a Curling Iron

The best tool for curling hair with a flat wrap technique is by using a 1” inch curling iron. And remember, before using a curling iron to curl the hair, always prep hair with a heat protectant spray.

The Details:

This flat wrap technique creates a wide curl with plenty of volume.
The tightness of the curl depends on the width and thickness of your sections.
For this technique we recommend using wider sections – about 1-½” - 2”.
The secret to this curl technique is keeping the hair wrapped flat against the curling iron barrel without twisting the section.
To keep the hair flat against the curling iron you’ll need to adjust your hands each time you go around the iron, otherwise the hair will naturally want to twist around the barrel.
If your client has fine hair and wants more volume, this is the perfect curl technique.

Keep reading to see the steps to the flat wrap curling technique.

The Steps:

Take a vertical section and mist with a thermal heat spray to protect the hair from the heat, then use a wide tooth comb to evenly distribute the product. Choose the direction you want the hair to curl, either toward the face or away from the face.
Focus on keeping the section flat while wrapping it around your curling iron. Remember, don’t twist the hair around the iron.
Continue to wrap the hair around the iron until you get to the ends. To create more natural looking curls, don't curl the last 2” or so.

HOT TIP: Taking smaller sections will create a tighter curl pattern and larger sections will create a looser curl pattern.

Experiment with the size of your sections until you find the perfect curl size for your client!

How To Create a Lazy Curl with a Curling Iron

This look resembles more of a wave finish and is ideal for creating an undone finish. The best tool for creating a lazy curl is a 1" spring-loaded curling iron.

The Details:

Using a 1” curling iron with this technique creates a loose wave.
Take your iron and wrap the hair around the iron, but only half way down and then switch wrapping directions for the remainder of the section.
By changing the direction of the curl and leaving the ends out, this will give the effect of a more relaxed wave.

The Steps:

On each section, mist with a thermal heat spray from at least 6” away to protect the hair. Gather the section and then elevate to 90 degrees with your thumb and index finger.
Place the curling iron in front of each section with the barrel of the iron behind the section. Holding the section, with your thumbnail face up, flat wrap around the iron (do not twist the hair around the barrel when doing a flat wrap). After you complete the flat wrap, hold the section and roll the iron and close near the scalp and allow the section to heat completely before moving on.
Holding the section, remove the barrel from the hair and turn it so the barrel is not in front of the section. Place the iron in the spot where your last curl was made and repeat the process, flat wrap, roll the iron and close.
Once to the end of the section, finger rake through the section to separate the curls.

HOT TIP: Check the temperature by placing your finger over the hair that is in the iron. Once your fingers are hot, release the section.

The end result will be a lazy curl that looks very natural. To keep it in place, finish with a flexible hold hairspray.

How To Create Spiral Curls with a Curling Iron

To create the best spiral curls, prep hair with a heat protectant and use a 1” curling iron.

The Details:

For best results, work in smaller sections similar to how you did with the flat wrap curl technique.
To get a spiral curl, the hair is first twisted from the top to the ends, then wrapping that twisted section around the curling iron to create that spiral effect.
The end result will be a tight spiral curl with added texture.

The Steps:

Begin by taking a small section and mist with a heat protectant spray from at least 6” away to protect the hair. Twist the entire section from base to ends. Instead of twisting you can also braid the section of hair.
The key here is to twist the section and wrap it around the curling iron all in the same direction. If you want to curl away from the face, twist and wrap in the outward direction, away from the face.
Wrap the entire twisted section around your curling iron and let it heat up.
Remove your curling iron and allow the curl to cool. Once your entire head is curled, shake the curls out with your fingers to loosen and add more volume.

HOT TIP: Allow your spiral curls to really set! Spiral curls collapse because they either didn’t get enough heat or they didn’t cool long enough to set the style!

How To Create Red Carpet Waves with a Curling Iron

For defined waves, a curling iron paired with a styling brush for a smooth finish is best used for the red carpet wave technique.

The Details:

This curling iron technique is more difficult but the end result is a soft and very dramatic wave.
The trick is to begin this curl like you would with the flat wrap technique, but as you wrap the hair around the iron, twist the section like you do in with spiral curl technique.

The Steps:

Prep the hair by misting with a heat protection spray from at least 6” away to protect the hair. Then, gather each section and elevate to 90 degrees with thumb and index finger and over direct to the corner of the client's eye. Place the curling iron in front of the section with the barrel of the iron behind the section.
Being sure to keep the hair close to the barrel at all times, hold the section, with your thumbnail facing up and then twist the hair so thumbnail is facing the floor, slide down and wrap. Slide the hair up the barrel making sure to keep thumbnail close to the barrel without closing the blade. This is because, closing the blades of the barrel will produce lines of demarcation inside the crest.
Repeat the motions until the end of the section: Wrap, twist, thumbnail up, thumbnail down, wrap, twist, thumbnail up, thumbnail, down, wrap. Once you reach the end of the section, drop the elbow of the arm that is holding the curling iron, keeping hold of the section. While holding the end of the section with the thumbnail, turn the curling iron in the opposite direction for more tension, allowing the heat to do its job. This creates the tension in the twists. Think of the twist as the crest and the flat wrap as the valley.
Release the thumb and place the palm of hand underneath the barrel of the curling iron. Catch the hair in your palm when released from the barrel. If the hair is dropped without catching it, the section will stretch and become loose, losing a lot of definition. With the section in palm, spray two shots of a firm hold hairspray. Pancake and compress the section in both palms Caution - the hair will be very hot! Allow the hair to cool and be patient. Then, release the section from palm.
From here, take your Sam Villa Styling Brush and comb through the section to the ends, holding the hair at the bottom for a few seconds to relax the waves.
Release the section and your loose waves appear. Add some light oil serum to help tame any frizz and for extra shine.

How to Curl Hair With a Flat Iron

In the next two techniques we are going to introduce two different ways to curl hair with a flat iron.

The ribbon curl is a tight flat iron curl that is created from tension and just one small twist motion at the beginning.
The push wave creates a loose and organic finish by creating an s-shape with the hair and only tapping the flat iron down the section.

How To Create a Ribbon Curl with a Flat Iron

The ribbon curl is similar to a ringlet curl. It is a tight curl with more bounce that's created with a flat iron.

For best results you'll place the iron diagonally into the section and as you pinch the iron close you will slowly rotate half a turn and slide the flat iron down the section of the hair. The half turn and tension is what creates the tight ribbon curl.
The ribbon curl lasts for days and gradually softens to turn into a beach wave type of curl.

The Steps:

Take a medium size section 1" in length and ½" in width and prep with a heat protectant spray. With the section in one hand and your flat iron in the other, hold the iron vertical with your palm facing the head.
Pinch each section at the base and as you pinch, fold your hand so your palm faces you while still holding the section with left hand. Slowly slide the flat iron down to the end of the hair shaft and release hair, this will allow the hair to spring into a ribbon curl.
Using your hands to shake the curls out and finish with a flexible hold hairspray to keep the curls in place.
Then, take your Sam Villa Styling Brush and comb through the section to the ends, holding the hair at the bottom for a few seconds to relax the waves.
Release the section and your loose waves will appear. Add a light oil or serum to help tame any frizz and add extra shine.

How To Create Push Waves With a Flat Iron (S-Waves)

The push wave also known as the S-wave has a very organic type of finish. For this curling technique use a flat iron for best results.

The Details:

By creating an S type figure with the hair and using your flat iron to tap over the waves, this creates what we call the push wave.

The Steps:

Take horizontal sections and prep the hair with a heat protectant spray.
Begin near the scalp, pinching the section with your index finger and thumb.
Insert the flat iron above your pinch and begin to tap over the section, pushing the hair in the same direction until the section is completely heated.
Move your "pinch" down and tap, tap, tap the section again, this time pulling the hair in the opposite direction from the previous section.
Focus on creating an 'S' pattern.
Repeat this push and pull pattern until you reach the ends of your hair.
The end result is beautiful loose, organic waves that have a different texture than you can create with a curling iron.

The Takeaways:

Remember to work with small sections for best results. And just like anything you want to be great at, practice is necessary!
Don’t rush these curling iron and flat iron techniques, take your time learning them before attempting them yourself.
Most important, don't forget your heat protectant spray!
Once you get the hang of these curling iron and flat iron techniques, you can get creative and combine different techniques! It’s time to get curling!

Want more Flat Iron tips? Check out how to create perfect beach waves using your flat iron!