How to curl and wave hair with a 1" flat iron

Tap the curl or wave you want

Why plate width decides whether a flat iron can curl

A flat iron curls by wrapping the section around the outside of the closed plates and pulling it through under light tension. The narrower the head, the tighter the hair can wrap around it.

• 1" plates — like the 1" Titanium Classic — are narrow enough that half a turn makes a clean curl, and still press a 1.5" × 0.5" section smoothly.
• 2" plates are built for smoothing long, thick lengths in one glide. Turned, a 2"-deep head makes a wide bend rather than a curl.
• 0.3" plates are for short crops, pixie cuts, bangs and roots close to the scalp — see short hair, edges and beards.

Why flat-iron curls fall — and the cool-down rule

The curl was touched while it was still warm. Heat lets the hair's hydrogen bonds re-form in a new shape, but they only set as the hair cools. A warm curl hanging under its own weight, or brushed out straight away, is pulled straight before it sets. Hold each curl in your palm (or pin it) until it feels cool, and wait until the whole head has cooled before you run your fingers or a wide-tooth comb through.

The section was too thick, or the glide too fast. As with straightening, the hair in the middle of a thick section never gets enough heat. Use clean, completely dry hair in sections about 1.5" wide and 0.5" thick, and slow the glide down before you turn the heat up — a slower glide gives the hair more time against the plates.

Damp roots or humid air. Water breaks the same hydrogen bonds the heat just set, so moisture left in the hair — or humid air afterwards — relaxes the curl. Start on dry hair with a heat protectant.

Which way to turn the iron

• Around your face: turn the iron away from your face on both sides, so the curls sweep back from the cheekbones instead of falling into your eyes.
• The back and the middle: alternate — one section away from the face, the next towards it. Neighbouring curls then don't merge into one heavy coil, and the style keeps its movement.

The 360° swivel cord turns with the iron, so the cord doesn't wind around your wrist as you rotate through each section.

Where to set the temperature

Use the + and − buttons and start at the low end of your hair's range in the temperature chart; the LCD shows the setting. If a test curl drops even after it has cooled in your hand, slow your glide first, and raise the setting one step only if that isn't enough.

Quick checklist

• Hair completely dry, with a heat protectant.
• Sections about 1.5" wide × 0.5" thick.
• Away from the face at the front; alternate at the back.
• Slow glide, then let every curl cool before you touch it.

The 1" Titanium Classic has titanium plates, an LCD temperature display with +/− buttons, a 360° swivel cord and an ergonomic grip. Mostly straightening long, thick hair? Compare widths in which plate width fits your hair.