Medium length hair is suitable for creating all types of curls with an iron. You can choose your own hairstyle for each haircut, the main thing is to know the intricacies of choosing a straightener and working with it.
How to choose a curling straightener: types, models and manufacturers
When deciding on the manufacturer and model of the rectifier, you should first familiarize yourself with several parameters of the device. There are 5 of them, and they all affect the quality of styling, the condition of the hair and the pricing of the iron.
Plate material
The quality of the heating elements is the primary criterion for choosing a rectifier.
A comparison table will help you determine the type of plate you need:
| Type of material | Advantages | disadvantages |
| Metal | Low price | Uneven heating, detrimental effect on hair, prolonged cooling |
| Ceramics | Low price, uniform heating, optimal temperature, ease of use | Sticking of styling products to the plate, negative effect on hair |
| Titanium | Fast and strong heating | Suitable for professionals only |
| Teflon | Sparing effect on curls | Fragility, poor glide through the hair |
| Tourmaline | Excellent glide and shine | High price |
| Marble | Significant reduction of the negative impact on hair, giving the effect of lamination | High price |
| Jade | Used when working with wet hair | High price |
| Silver | Hair health effect | High price |
| Tungsten | Long-term styling, improved hair condition | High price |
The savings in materials are offset by an increase in the cost of restoring curls. Thermal exposure worsens the real condition of the hair, so choosing a high-quality plate material will help reduce the negative effects of the styler.
Shape and width of plates
Curls for medium hair with an iron can be done in different ways. The size of the curls is influenced by the width of the plate, so it is selected individually depending on the length, density and type of curls. To determine the exact dimension of the heating plate up to the shoulders, you need to collect the hair in a ponytail and measure its diameter.
If this indicator is less than 7 cm, then the width of the heating element will be 2–2.5 cm. A thickness of 7–9 cm requires a plate of 2.5–3 cm, and with a tail volume of 9–12 cm, you can purchase irons with working surface width over 3 cm.
Gap width between plates
By closing the heating blades of the styler, you can see a small space between the plates. For a quality device, the gap should be no more than 1 mm.
A larger gap makes working with the device uncomfortable, since additional efforts must be made. With such a defect, the strand will heat up unevenly, which will affect the number of effects of the iron on the hair. And this will inevitably increase the negative impact on the curls.
Thermostat
Each person has an individual hair structure, so styling should be done using different technologies. The iron should have at least three temperature settings for thick and dense, medium, thin hair. A heating indicator above 170 ° C is destructive for thinned strands, so you should know about the intended effect in advance in order to avoid consequences.
Important. You can purchase a device with manual temperature selection.
This will help to ideally select the parameter at which the strand will fit from one time and not deteriorate due to high temperatures.
Additional attachments
When choosing between a rectifier and a multistyler, you should give preference to the former. Half of the attachments on the device often collect dust on the shelves, and simply turning the strands with an iron in a certain way, you can get completely different curls. There are many manufacturers on the styling appliance market, among which the leading ones are BaByliss, Remington and Rowenta.
Departing from these brands in favor of others, it is worth choosing firms that work only with the segment of professional styling devices and hair cosmetics.
Top 3 brands have several rated rectifiers and multi-stylers in the lineup:
- BABYLISS BAB2654NTE Nano Titanium titanium coated 2.5 cm wide and 5 temperature settings;
- REMINGTON S8590 Keratin Therapy Pro with ceramic floating plates and fast heating;
- ROWENTA SF 3132 with a plate made of ceramics and tourmaline, as well as 11 temperature settings.
Having determined the necessary parameters for yourself, you should test the device in operation. A high-quality straightener should not cling to the strands when laying, and its plates should close without unnecessary effort. If the styler does not meet these criteria, then it will be impossible for them to curl curls.
How to create curls with an iron without damaging the strands?
Curls for medium hair with an iron are performed according to a single technology with a curling iron. In the process of performing such hairstyles, a temperature of over 150 ° C is applied, which leads to rupture of the strongest bonds inside the curl - disulfide, which are the binding components of the protein that makes up the hair.
It is impossible to restore these elements, just as such an effect on the strands cannot be completely excluded.
However, you can compensate or reduce the damage from curling using 3 methods:
- Thermal protection... In order to reduce the negative effect on the hair during styling, you must first apply a thermal spray to them. Alcohol in such products evaporates at high temperatures, removing some of the heat, and panthenol acts as a caring component. You cannot use thermal protection without hot styling: alcohol that does not evaporate will dry out your hair.
- Hair film creation... Cosmetics with silicones envelop the strands with a polymer shell, thereby creating a protective package on each curl. Such cosmetics better prevent the influence of any negative factors on the hair. It is important to individually select the combination of silicones for each type of strand.
- Cosmetics with keratin and protein... It is important that these components are present in the formulation of care products in a hydrolyzed form. In the composition of cosmetics, this fact is indicated. Keratin and protein fill the damaged areas in the hair shaft. But such products should not be used too often, since with active accumulation, they can break the hair from the inside. If, after the next application of such cosmetics, the strands become dull, then you should briefly change the care product to cosmetics with silicones.
The best alternative to styling with an iron or curling iron is a hair dryer or curlers. You should not try to restore hair with procedures in which beneficial substances are sealed into the hair with an iron or do permanent perm. The mechanism of action of all procedures is the same - high temperatures, aggressive chemical compounds destroy hair.
Features of medium length hair curling
Girls with medium hair length should prepare for the fact that curls after curling will lose a third of their length. It is worth focusing on the rule: the less the density and length of the strands, the narrower the width of the floating plates should be. The average length of curls lends itself well to styling with an iron, so do not keep the hair in contact with the heating plate for more than 5 seconds.
Additional fixation can be provided with pre-applied styling products, with the exception of varnish, which is used after heat treatment. You can increase the duration of wearing a curl by simply holding the curl in your hands until it cools completely.
By changing the angle of the straightener when curling, you can get different types of curls... For any perm for medium hair, the ends should be left straight.
Preparing hair for curling with an iron
Styling the strands requires adherence to some preparatory procedures that will help to complete the hairstyle with minimal harm to the hair, increase the durability and duration of wearing curls.
For instance:
- Strands must be completely dry before ironing.
- Before curling, conditioners and leave-in products should be applied to the length of the hair, not to the roots. Thermal protective sprays and gels are applied over the indelible products.
- You can get a more voluminous styling with a dry shampoo applied to the roots.
- It will be easier to curl your hair if you divide the strands into sectors and secure with clips. With the help of hairpins, you can fix the curls until they cool completely.
Important. For additional protection of the ends of the hair, you should get a special mousse or gel.
If there are none in the arsenal, you can use a regular hand cream. In the process of preparation, it is worth stocking up on the necessary tools in advance in order to reduce the time of working with the iron and avoid overheating.
Ways and types of winding. Step by step instructions
There are many hair styling methods, but all use a universal step-by-step instruction.
Upon completion of the preparation procedure, the following action plan is performed:
- You need to take a small strand from the sector and clamp it with a straightener.
- Smoothly moving the iron to the ends of the hair, you need to slowly turn the straightener.
- The styler should not be kept in one place for a long time to avoid overheating of hair and creases.
- The resulting curl should be fixed with varnish and left in this position until it cools.
- When the styling is completely cool, the curls need to be combed with your fingers.
The final styling option will depend on the method of turning the styler. Do not try to iron through your hair several times: this will not help you get a more expressive curl. For such purposes, clamps and clamps are used.
Zigzag
To get broken curls, you need foil. It is necessary to cut it into rectangles that will correspond in size to the length and thickness of the desired strands.
It:
- After dividing the hair into sectors, you need to take a curl and put it on foil.
- Fold the foil vertically, thereby wrapping the strand as in the dyeing procedure.
- Horizontally fold the curl in the foil with an accordion. The end result will be a short foil square.
- The folded strand must be pinched with a straightener and held in this position for about 5 seconds.
- Having finished processing all the curls, you can remove the foil from all parts of the head and fix the styling with varnish.
With this hairstyle, you need to preserve the texture of the strands, so they are taken apart by hand.
Steps
Curls for medium hair with an iron are performed in a similar pattern with zigzag curls to get stepped strands. This type of styling does not require foil, but it takes much longer.
The separated part of the hair is alternately pressed with an iron along the length from roots to ends.
In this case, the straightener must be held strictly horizontally, slightly changing the angle of the clamp either to the face, then from the face. The heating plates are closed by skipping hair sections of 1–2 cm, depending on the desired level of the step. To make the steps clearer, the curls can be collected in an invisible accordion while still hot and apply a fixing spray.
Careless curls
Light messy hairstyles do not lose their relevance. To make such curls, you must follow the standard curling procedure, but you need to hold the iron almost vertically or at an angle of 75-80 °. During curling, the straightener must be smoothly rotated around its axis.
To add carelessness to your hairstyle, you can additionally apply styling wax to your hands before separating the strands.... For styling, mousse is suitable, as well as a special hair spray with salt, which is best applied after hot exposure.
Large curls
To make large curls, in addition to a styler, you will need an additional effect on the hair, as well as a fixing spray. It is imperative to divide the strands into sections, since large curls will quickly lose their shape with a random styling method. The iron is placed horizontally.
With the straightener plate at the base of the hair, the strand is wrapped once around the plate. Then, moving to the ends, the curl is constantly pressed with springy, vibrating movements. When the curls have cooled down, they need to be fluffed up.
To do this, hold the strand with your fingers on the inner bend of the wave, and with the other hand gently pull up the hair on the outside of the curls.
In the form of harnesses
When styling with harnesses, you need to stock up on foil. Sections of hair are twisted into buns, and then wrapped in foil. For each component of such a hairstyle, they pass the iron several times, pressing the flagella with plates. Then the hair is disassembled, tousled with hands and fixed with a spray.
Important. To get more curly hair, you should make smaller buns.
Light curls with foil
This styling is analogous to curlers. You can easily adjust the amount of curls, as well as pause while doing your hair. A strand of hair is taken and twisted by two fingers to the roots. The resulting ring is tightly wrapped in foil so that the shape of the curls is preserved inside. A strand in foil is shaped like a pancake.
Each such element must be pressed several times with a rectifier for 10-15 minutes. After the hair is processed, the foil is unfolded and the hair is shaped.
Large curls from hair roots
Curls for medium hair with an iron are easy to do, even if you need to get volume at the roots without washing and using styling products. It is enough just to make a fleece at the roots on the strands and lightly press it several times with a straightener. Part of tousled hair can be pressed with a comb and the volume intensity can be adjusted.
To get large curls for fleece, you need to use the standard method of curling large curls, and then secure them in a ring using invisible clips or clips. When the hair treatment in one section is finished, you can comb the hair a little from the roots, adjust the volume, fluff the curls and fix the result.
Important: do not overuse the amount of varnish in order to maintain the dynamism of the hairstyle.
Beach Curls Technique
The trendy beach curl hairstyle is easy to pull off. The method consists in twisting the hair into a tight tourniquet and holding it several times with a straightener. This method is suitable for those with short or thin hair. A curl from a tourniquet can be made more magnificent and secure the styling.
Beautiful "California" curls
The method of obtaining Californian curls is based on turning the iron around its axis. The straightener is placed at an angle of 75 ° and a curl is wrapped around it, moving towards the ends of the hair.First, the curl is done from the face, but in the middle of the strand, the direction of the curl changes in the opposite direction. The tip of the curls remains straight.
The resulting hairstyle should be fixed with a salt spray. To simplify the process of obtaining a California wave, you can make a curl from the face to the middle of the strand, then perform the same action on the lower part of the curl in the opposite direction.
How to curl the ends of your hair
Curling the ends of the strands is suitable for those who have long hair or multi-layered haircuts. It is necessary to position the straightener vertically and grab a large curl. It is necessary to move smoothly down, and closer to the tip, pull the strand, slowly turning the iron along its axis.
The transition to curls is small and even, which is ideal for cascade and ladder haircuts. For long hair, you can curl with foil, only in this case the curls must be wrapped from the middle of the curl.
The best means for fixing curls: release forms of fixers, brands
The range of styling products consists of products that can be matched to different hair types and needs. These are sprays, foams, mousses, gels and even shampoos. The purpose of these funds is not only fixation. They care for hair, protect it and make curls visually shiny and dense.
Among the pre-applied products for fine hair, 3 products can be distinguished:
- Killer Curls, Kevin Murphy;
- More Inside, Davines;
- Frizz Ease Dream Curls, John Frieda.
For straighter and naturally thicker curls, you can use styling creams:
- Airstyle Flexible Finish Cream, Oribe;
- Lisap Fashion Curl Reviver, Lisap Milano;
- Styling Cream Satinique, Amway;
You can fix the result using sprays or varnishes:
- La Grase "Super Volume";
- Taft volume;
- Wellaflex.
Having a high-quality iron and having mastered all the intricacies of obtaining curls for medium-length hair, you can make styling with any type of curls.
If the methods for decorating the strands seem too complicated, you can use the universal rule: the closer to the horizontal the position of the iron, the finer and sharper the curls will be.
Article design: Anna Vinnitskaya
Video about creating curls with an iron
Curls for medium hair with an iron: