6 mistakes every woman makes

culled from:pulse.ng

Curling irons are a very important part of every woman's beauty arsenal. The usage is a whole different ball game anyway.

When wielding this powerful tool, you must be sure that you are using it correctly. Here are 6 things you need to know from the way you are curling to your cleansing habits.

No protection

You should apply protection on your hair, especially when curling. Using a curling iron can be damaging, so always spritz a heat protectant through your hair before touching it with a hot tool. The formula will coat your hair cuticle and protect it from heat damage, and some will even help your hair hold curl.

Wrong sized tools

The size of your curling iron may be to blame for curls that aren't as bouncy as we envisioned. Yes, it’s common sense that a bigger barrel will result in a bigger curl, but when it comes to creating waves, there’s a lot more gray area.

Over exhaustion

This isn’t exactly a curling iron mistake, but it’s something that will affect the way your hair curls. Basically, the way you’re blow-drying your hair might be affecting your curls.

Hairstylist, Matthew Fugate says that pulling your hair taut the way your hairstylist does when you go in for a blowout can actually over-exhaust your hair and keep it from curling the way you want.

You are not setting your hair

If you have fine hair that doesn’t hold curl, one go with a curling iron isn’t going to change anything. Instead, you should be setting each curl—just wrap the curled strand around the width of two fingers and clip it in place. Doing this will allow your hair cuticle to cool in a curled position, instead of hanging from your head, where gravity works against you.

You are not leaving out the ends

There’s really no need to clamp the ends of your hair and then roll the iron up your hair shaft, unless you’re going for super-curled glamour waves. Instead, wrap your hair around the barrel of your curling iron, leaving the ends hanging out for a fresh, modern look. If you insist on using a clamp, start at the lower third of your hair instead of the very bottom.

You don't clean your iron

Just like makeup brushes, your curling iron should be cleaned routinely, otherwise, the product buildup and residue can prevent the heat from distributing evenly when you try to use it.

The easiest way to clean your curling iron is to pour a bit of rubbing alcohol on a damp cloth or cotton ball and rub it gently over the barrel. If there’s stubborn buildup that isn’t budging, you can give it a swipe with a toothbrush, too.