How to Get Crimped Hair Without a Crimper

Like many hair styling tools, crimping irons work great but can damage your hair through overheating. Learning to crimp your hair without a crimper not only prevents hair damage, but eliminates one more styling product you have to buy. The steps below work best on wet hair. Just be sure to add one hour extra to your normal hair styling routine.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Combing cream
• Comb
• Hair pins or barrettes
• Hair ties

1. Shampoo hair as usual. Apply a wash-out conditioner. Wait 3 minutes. Rinse hair completely.

2. Wrap hair in a towel for several minutes. Then unwrap and comb through hair to remove tangles. Rub combing cream through hair, beginning with roots. Apply extra combing cream to ends.

3. Use a comb to separate hair into 4 or 5 sections. Place barrettes or hair pins to hold the other sections in place. Work with one section at a time.

4. Take small portions of hair between your fingers. The size of the portions depends on how tight you want the crimping to look. Use about 1-inch portions for larger crimping and 1/2-inch portions for smaller crimping.

5. Hold the hair portion at the end. Twist the hair into a tight coil, extending up to the roots. Secure the hair coil with a small hair tie at the end.

6. Repeat portioning and coiling hair in every remaining hair section. Try to portion the same amount of hair and coil with the same degree of tightness each time so that finished hair maintains an even look.

7. Allow hair to air dry completely. Gently remove all hair ties. With fingers, loosen the hair coils into the desired style.