How to curl hair with a straightener

Have you had your hair curled with a flat iron at the salon, only to have it fall flat by the time you get home? Now, you can recreate this look yourself by following some simple steps: 

Make sure your hair is brushed through.

If you have a heat-protecting serum at home, place a small amount of it on your palm and apply to your hair, working from root to tip. This will help prevent heat from damaging the hair.

Clip up the top layers of your hair, and begin with the bottom. Remove a small section of hair that has been clipped up. Place the lower part of the sectioned hair between the plates, twist it over one of the plates, and close the straightener.

Slowly pull your hair through the straightener until all of it has passed between the two hot plates. The slower you pull, the more defined the curl will be.

Wrap the curled hair around your finger to help define the curl. After pulling your finger out of the curled hair, use a hair spray on the curls, so that the curl lasts.

— Contributed by Supriya R Pillai

Easy hacks to maintain curly hair

Curly hair is tough to manage. Apart from frizziness, other issues include dryness, tangled hair, split-ends, and many more. Here are a few simple.

No shampoo: 

Also known as the no-poo method, many swear by this. Instead of shampoo, use a conditioner to wash your hair.

Use a t-shirt: 

While drying your hair, switch your towel with a cotton t-shirt. It reduces breakage and frizzy hair.

Use a hairnet: 

For gentle curls, shower with a hairnet on. It cleans the hair while maintaining the hair.

Wash without a wash: 

Between hair washes, you can refresh your curls by just spraying a refresher. Mix equal amounts of leave-in conditioner and water. Spray it all over your hair and put a hairnet on to maintain curls, till your hair dry.