Beauty Tips: How To Crimp Hair

With crimping irons, it's easy to go from straight hair, to crimped, and back to straight again, all within minutes. Learn how to get the look of this latest trend in hair by following these tips and easy techniques.

If there's an easier way to have long, beautiful hair without having to sleep in rollers and bobby pins, most women will try it. With the invention of curling irons, came crimping irons which give you luscious, crimped locks simply from squeezing a handle. Crimping irons are inexpensive and are sold at most department or beauty supply stores. They look like two paddles, hinged together on one end. After plugging it in, the grates on the inside of each paddle heat up and are shaped with ridges for pressing crimps in the hair. After allowing to heat for ten minutes, separate one strip of hair for crimping. Don't get a large amount of hair if you want a distinct crimping pattern. Comb or brush out the hair, then hold it with one hand while placing the crimping iron, hair between the grates, close to the scalp. Clamp the paddles shut by squeezing the handle tightly. Hold in place for a few seconds. While crimping close to the scalp, hold the crimping iron longer than when on the ends, to keep from burning them. For very thick hair, hold the paddles closed longer than for thin, wispy hair.

After crimping the first row, use a clip to hold it out of the way until you do the next strip, adding it to the clip when finished. After you've done each segment, check to see that the hair is crimped on the back side, below the crown, and crimped well up on top. Sometimes it's necessary to crimp the segments, then let the hair down, check to see if there's any where that needs more crimping, and redo that area. To keep from combing or brushing the crimping out, lean over, turn head upside-down and run your fingers through your hair, or use a hair pick.

There are different varieties of crimping irons. Some have narrow ridges, set close together for a very crimped look, whereas others have the ridges further apart, for more of a wavy look. And if you want to go from crimped to straight in a hurry, there's even crimping irons that have flat grates, for straightening the hair back out.

Another method for giving your hair a crimped look without the use of heat is to place tiny braids in the hair. Shampoo hair and let dry somewhat, but while still very damp, section out and braid the hair. Large braids will give a wavy look to the hair, small braids, more of a crimped look. Be sure and braid very close to the scalp and try to eliminate natural parts in the hair by grabbing some hair on each side of the part before braiding. Use tiny rubber bands to secure the braids, or group several of the braids together, then use rubber band on the ends. If you begin the braid too small, the hair will tend to be frizzy instead of crimped. Braiding the crimps into your hair gives your hair a lot of body and although the braids can be a little time consuming, the pattern will stay in the hair for a couple of days. If the hair is unevenly cut, it might be necessary to use a crimping iron to touch the ends that hang out from under the rubber bands. After removing the braids, use a pick to comb the crimped hair, or lean over, run fingers through the hair, then style.

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