If you’re looking to invest in a new hair crimper, it’s high time to get cracking (and let this weird, transitional weather work in your favor!). Read on:
In Case You Forgot: How to Crimp Hair with a Crimper
1. Start with clean hair.
Start off with clean and conditioned hair before you start crimping your hair. We suggest using a nourishing shampoo and conditioner, such as TRESemmé Repair & Protect 7 Shampoo and Conditioner. This duo works to gently cleanse and condition your hair while repairing mechanical, heat, and chemical damage.
2. Dry hair.
To work with a hair crimper you absolutely need to start with dry hair. Any bit of moisture in your hair can fry on your strands and cause damage. You’ll also want your hair to be mostly straight, so people with curly or even wavy hair types, you’ll want to dry your hair straight with a round or paddle brush.
3. Comb hair to detangle.
To effectively crimp your hair, you’ll need to work in very small, workable sections. Brush and then comb your hair to make sure it’s totally knot- and tangle-free before starting.
4. Section it off!
You’ll need to work in sections, so getting the rest of your hair out of the way is critical. We suggest at least four to six sections if you have medium-to-long hair, or more if your hair is thick. Section off starting from the top of your head, working your way down so you can begin with the bottom layer of hair.
5. Clamp and Repeat
Now you can finally use your hair crimper! You’ll need to go section-by-section, focusing on the width of your crimper down the length of your hair. Clamp each thin section for a few seconds, lift to see if your crimps have set, and then you can keep going down your hair. Continue clamping and repeating until you finished crimping all of your hair or a few sections.
How to Crimp your Hair without a Crimper
And then there are those situations where you don’t have the tools, and that’s okay: You can still achieve cool crimped-looking hair with some overnight braids. Read on to check out how to crimp your hair, sans heat.
Step 1: Wash and condition hair.
As with your crimper, you still want to start out with a clean and freshly washed base.
Step 2: Air-dry.
Brush your hair and apply a leave-in product such as Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave-In Conditioner to keep your strands hydrated. Allow your hair to dry on its own until it’s at least 80% dry.
Step 3: Create Your Braids
Create a collection of classic three-strand braids throughout your head or a tight French braid. Tie the ends with a hair tie. Apply a light mist hairspray to your hair to hold onto your style.
Step 4: Sleep
We know you got this step! Sleep with your hair in your braids–this is where the crimping magic happens.
Step 5: Release Your Braids
The next day, carefully release your braid. Spray some hairspray throughout your looser crimped style. No matter how you choose to create your crimped style, be sure to share some photos with us over @AllThingsHairUS!
