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Curling implements have been used for many years by all those who have straight or fine hair. Although styles have fluctuated between straight and curly hair, generally women with straight have covert curls and women with curly hair desire a straight mane. Curling irons, curlers and other methods to create a wave to hair have been around a lot longer than its counterpart of straightening irons. Curls can be achieved temporarily through the use of steam or heated curlers, heated curling irons or you can get a longer lasting curly head by getting a permanent; referred to commonly as a perm.
Perms, as its name implies, are permanent since the chemicals used in the process change the bonds of your hair. You have to wait for new hair growth to go back to your regular texture. Choose wisely before you commit to this procedure and remember chemicals will, to some degree, damage your hair. I strongly recommend you go to a reputable salon for this instead of trying a do-it-yourself product. Remember after a perm if you are looking to have an up-do for special occasion that may require straight hair, it is going to be very difficult and time consuming. The good thing is though that you will have care free wavy or curly hair that is wash and go, cutting down on grooming time if you normally curled it everyday.
Hair curlers I find are probably the next easiest method to get the head of curls you desire. This entails applying curlers to your entire head or parts you want curled and leave in for desired time. Use smaller rollers on shorter hair and the larger ones on medium to long hair. Take them out and you are done. Best way to keep the curls all day is to lightly spray with holding product while curlers are still in and just gently finger comb.
Curling irons give to better control over where and how much curl you want. Also, if you are looking to keep up with the trends like crimping or spiral curls or the newer fancy styles you can get a special attachment. You can also get several different types of curling irons. From the older, most commonly used chrome-plated irons to gold-plated ones and of course the newest technology, ceramic. If you occasionally curl your hair the chrome plated ones should be fine. But if you have thick or coarse hair you may prefer the gold-plated ones as they can achieve a higher temperature. But I recommend you go with the new ceramic curling irons. They are now fairly reasonably priced and are far less damaging to your hair. The ceramic heats up more evenly and is gentler to your hair by helping preserve the natural moisture. It also results in shinier hair as it tends to glide through better.
Some things to look for in curling irons
Buy a curling iron with a power cord that rotates. You will not get all tangled up and your task will go much quicker.
Curling irons with rechargeable battery are great not just for travel but at home.
Look for a curling iron with a protective case that is heat resistant. I find this a great place to put my iron right after I am done even if it is still hot and I do not have to worry about my kids or me touching it.
If you have medium to long hair with bangs, purchase a curler with at least 2 different size attachments. Use the smaller barrel for shorter hair and the larger one for back and sides. With just a small curling barrel it will take you forever. Tips
If you get a perm you must keep you hair well moisturized. Use a conditioner every time you shampoo and even a leave-in condition is a good idea since curly hair tends to be dry. Use a deep conditioner or conditioning mask at least once a week.
Always use curling irons on dry and clean hair. The hot curling iron on damp hair opens the cuticle and damages the cortex.
Hold curling iron for about 10 seconds or as recommended and gently remove. Do not comb hair after but just use your fingers to loosen.
A natural way to get a head of soft waves is to braid your hair when wet and let it fully dry that way. Or you can braid your hair when dry and just leave the braids overnight. Undo braids and gently comb with your fingers and presto - gorgeous waves.