When it comes to styling your hair, there are few simpler options than rocking some curls via a curling iron.
For people with straight hair, sometimes it’s better to shake things up and rock curly hair for a dinner date, wedding or even just because you feel like it that day!
The best way to achieve that curly hair look without going out and getting expensive hair treatments, like perms that can damage your hair, is a simple and easy one.
Grab yourself a curling iron!
One of the best curling irons on the market, the Conair ¾ Inch Instant Heat Curling Iron, is a great pick for the job.
You can easily pick up a Conair Iron at retailers like Walgreens, Walmart, Ulta, CVS and Bed, Bath and Beyond, along with online retailers like Amazon.
Once you pick one up, however, you might have some questions as to how to use it. Well, good thing this article has your back.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Key Features
Consistently ranked and rated with some of the best spiral curlers on the market, the Conair spiral curler has some features that set it apart from other hair curlers out there.
For example, it’s ¾ inch diameter spiral barrel is great for long hair, giving you tons of surface area to curl and wrap around, giving you 3 to 4 more inches than other curlers.
Paired with its super-quick 30-second heat-up process, this is the go-to option for those who are looking for quick, quality results.
The curler itself has a built-in uniform heat recovery system to give you the most even, consistent curls. Along with a unique Turbo Heat boost feature that increases the barrel by nearly 40 degrees, this is a hair styling product packed with the most innovative tech around.
Reaching a maximum of 350 degrees, as well as the added heat boost, this curler has the power needed to get the job done. Along with its power, it has built-in safety features like an auto-off function, a safety stand and a power light indicator, making sure you know what’s up while you’re curling your hair.
An Amazon Choice product under the spiral curling iron category and reviewed at 4.5 stars, it’s clear how highly customers value this curling iron for all of their styling needs.
Now that you know why you should be using the Conair Instant Heat Spiral Curling Iron, let’s break down how to use one.
1. Prep Your Hair Properly
Before you start curling your hair, you’ll want to make sure you have your hair ready. After all, even the best tools can give you sloppy work if you don’t put in the proper prep.
You’ll want to make sure your hair is clean, shampooed, conditioned and ready to be styled.
You’ll also want to make sure your hair is totally dry before using a spiral curling iron. You should also consider applying a heat protectant product on your hair to prevent any heat-based accidental damage while you’re straightening it.
Lastly, you should separate your hair into smaller sections, possibly in three or four sections, each to be curled one at a time. This is especially important for those with thick and long hair. Even if you have thinner hair, often this is still a step that makes things easier in the long run.
This helps to keep the hair you’re working on organized and contained while keeping the hair you’re not working with separated and out of the way.
2. Get Started And Making Sure Those Curls Set Properly
Once you have your hair broken down into smaller sections, the harder part of the job starts.
To start with, pinch the tip of your hair in the clamp on the end of the spiral curling iron, then carefully twist your hair onto the surface of the iron until it’s as close to your head as possible. Make sure you’re careful with how close you go, however, you don’t want to burn your scalp. That’s no fun at all.
Your hair should lie in the spirals around the iron, like the divots on a screw. Once your hair is laid on the iron comfortably, you’ll need to make sure you hold things steady for long enough for that curl to set.
Depending on your hair type and length, this could take anywhere between 7 to 10 seconds.
Be super careful to not go for longer than those 10 seconds or you might burn your hair. The same can happen if you have things wrapped up way too tightly.
After you make each curl, release the clamp and let your hair go free from the curling iron.
You should start with the lower portions of your hair and move all the way up to the top slowly, meticulously and carefully. Once you get to the top of that section, feel free to move on to the next second and do the same thing.
3. Don’t Brush or Rush Your Hair
After you get through each and every portion of your hair, you then come to a very important step in this process.
You’ll need to let your hair go, cool and settle in.
I know it sounds wild, but you’ll need to leave your hair alone after you have put all of that hard work into it. If you start messing with those newly set curls too early, you’ll ruin all the hard work you put in.
Spiral curling irons tend to produce really well-defined, bouncy curls so it would be a real shame if you lost some of them because you couldn’t be patient.
Another important thing is that you absolutely shouldn’t brush your hair after you curl your hair. While that might sound super obvious, it’s important. The most you can do is run your fingers lightly through those newly formed curls and shake things up a bit.
After you get through with the curling process, feel free to spray those new curls with hairspray to make sure everything settles in nicely.
That said, you’ll want to make sure you don’t over-do it with the spray. A little bit goes a long way, something along the lines of a light mist will do the trick.
If you do everything right, those curls should hold steady for a day or so without too much trouble at all. If you have any curls come loose, just retouch things to give your curls some needed definition.
You do that by doing the same thing you did in the first place, touching them up with a quick twist of your trusty curling iron.
Related Questions
1. Do you use a curling iron on wet or dry hair?
It depends on the iron, to be frank. There are some made that can handle wet hair, but for the most part, you’ll want your hair to be as dry as possible before you curl things up.
Again, depending on the brand, there are certain irons that you can get away with curling hair that might be somewhat damp, so you can save some time in the morning.
In short, if you’re looking to curl your hair a certain way, there’s a product you can buy that will get the job done. You just might need to seek it out a bit.
2. Are Curling Wands Better Than Curling Irons?
While the two might look similar and achieve the same results, there are a couple of subtle differences between the two that set them apart from one another.
For example, the clips, spiral patterns or lack thereof on the iron itself, the amount of heat they put off and the taper, all vary from wands and irons.
Of course, certain brands will have features you’ll either like or dislike more than the others, so keep that in mind while you’re comparing the two.
3. How Hot Should Your Curling Iron Be?
Depending on your hair’s features, like thickness, length and coarseness, you’ll need an iron that gives you differing levels of heat.
So each person, depending on their needs, will be looking for something different.
As a general rule, however, you want to make sure your iron temperature comes in somewhere between 200 and 300 degrees, but never exceeding 400 degrees.
That 200 to 300 percent range is good to go for most peoples hair, just hot enough to effectively curl and hold, but not hot enough to damage your hair in the long run.