- 1). Start with clean hair. Always shampoo and condition your hair to achieve the best results. To begin, make sure your hair is completely dry. Use hair clips to pin your hair up into at least 6 to 8 sections. If it is short, you can just section the hair off without using any hair clips. Each section will contain a small amount of hair. Doing this will allow you to work with only one section at a time without the other hair getting in your way.
- 2). Remove one of the hair clips at the very back of the head. The back of the hair is always the best place to start, because it will allow you to see the progress. Comb out all the tangles. Take the flat iron, open it and insert the hair closest to the scalp and close the flat iron on the hair while applying a bit of pressure. Pull downwards, sliding the flat iron through to the ends of the hair. If the hair doesn't appear straight enough, then repeat that step again. Ethnic hair takes a bit longer to straighten, so you may have to repeat this step once or twice more, just until the hair appears straight.
- 3). Press only small sections at a time because the of the thickness of ethnic hair. Continue to flat iron each section of the hair from that hair clip until you've straightened it all. Now, you can move on to the next hair clip at the very back. Keep working your way up until you have pressed all of your hair. Now you are ready to curl the hair.
- 4). Clip all the hair up once again in six to eight sections as before. Remove one clip furthest to the back as before. Take a small section of the hair, place it between the curling iron. Pull down from the scalp through to the ends of the hair. This will help to straighten the hair once more. Ethnic hair has more of a natural curl, so this will help to keep it as straight as possible. After reaching the end of the hair, roll the curling iron up until you get close to the scalp. Be very careful not to burn yourself. Hold it for about 10 to 15 seconds, then release the hair from the barrel by simply opening up the curling iron. You now have your first curl! Repeat the process until all the hair is curled.
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