Women's Personal Care: Hair Care

If you can't depend on your mirror for help, you can use a few simple tips and techniques to still style your hair the way you like.

So, let's talk about curling and straightening. But before we get started on specifics, here is some hints that help with both. Find one easy to reach spot to lay down your curling iron or straightener. If you choose the same place every time, you won't have to hunt for it. And if it's been a while since you styled your own hair, it doesn't hurt to practice first with a cold appliance. Take your time and take it slow at first. If you use a heat protectant product, try spraying it on a brush and brushing it into your hair. That's easier than trying to see where you're spraying it on your head.

You might try styling by starting with your front and sides first. That way, if you miss a few spots in the back, it'll be harder for folks to tell. Your fingers will be really helpful as you feel to divide and separate your sections of hair. And when you've done that, use clips, bands, or whatever you're comfortable with to keep the sections you're not styling out of the way. Use those fingers again to feel for and find the ends of your hair at each section that you're wanting to style.

Finally, if you use styling products to hold your style, use your finger to locate the nozzle before you spray your head. Now onto curling. Hold your hair section at its end with one hand. You want to keep it held out fairly taught. With the other hand, grab your curling iron and use your thumb to press open its clamp.

Bring the curling iron up to your hair, and run the outer edge of the clamp down against your hair until you feel your hair section fall into place between the clamp and the iron. Move your iron up a bit, to make sure your hair is wedged in that space, and release your thumb. Your hair is now clamped in your curling iron, and you can let go of the ends. Slide the iron toward the end of the section, and then whine the iron up toward your head so your hair wraps around it.

As you do this, hold your free hand against your face right along your hairline, just to make sure your face is protected. Hold for a few seconds, then release the clamp and pull the iron away from you head. Your newly curled hair will slip off, and you're ready for the next section. You can keep track of your progress because your curled segments will be warm to the touch. Just to make sure you haven't missed a spot, use your fingers again to walk through your hair and double check.

Straightening hair involves a few of the same techniques. Just like curling, hold your hair section at the end with one hand, and gently pull this section out away from your head. You'll want to clamp your hair section with the straightening iron near your head.

To do this, slide the outside surface of the iron down across your hair section, until you feel your hair move over the top of the iron and into the gap between the two halves of the iron. Move the iron up your hair, and get it as close to your head as you feel safe. The heat from the iron will tell you how close you are, and then close the two halves together.

Let go of the section end, and hold that free hand against your face along your hair line, it's just an extra bit of protection. Glide the iron away from your head all the way to the end of the section, and keep going until your hair slides through and out of the closed iron, now it's straight. And just like with curling, you can track your progress by feeling your hair for cold segments and any missing spots. And that's it.

Whether you're straightening or curling, with a bit of practice, you'll find you don't need a mirror to know you're looking great. If you'd like to learn more about hair care tips and techniques, contact your Hadley learning expert.