How To Make Waves In Hair With A Flat Iron

When I cut 10 inches of hair off and started to curl it again, it was like I had to relearn all over. I finally got the hang of it and was a die-hard wand user. I was getting the most perfect wave or curl if you will. But then I decided to go just a TAD shorter and then all of a sudden, I couldn’t curl my hair anymore.

I wasn’t getting the look I wanted and it just always felt more difficult than it should be. My hairstylist showed me a really easy trick to using a flat iron to curl my hair and create waves. Not only was this much faster, but I was able to get a beachy wave without struggling with my curling iron or wand.

The method is REALLY simple, but it does take a few tries to get the hang of it. It’s truly all in the wrist and you want to be as exaggerated as possible. And yes, you want to PULL HARD.

I’ve seen some people do these flat iron waves and just tap and sort of do a half circle up and a half circle down in different sections. It looks so time-consuming. This method is just doing a big S in your hair and pulling hard the whole way down. You never unclamp the hair straightener.

This is how I’ve been curling my hair for a while now. Plus, it’s SO much faster than curling. Watch the video below and scroll to read the tutorial!

How To Make Waves In Hair With Flat Iron

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Step One – Start With Dry Hair

I always start any styling with blow-dried hair. I usually use a flat Denman brush or a round brush. And if you remember, it’s smart to use a heat protectant since we’re about to put some serious heat on it. But you just want your hair to be fully dry and not be wet in any areas before putting a hot iron onto it.

Step Two – Section Off Your Hair

Start by sectioning off your hair so that you can start with the lower half. With my shorter hair, I typically don’t curl the very very bottom, not worth it.

Step Three – Take Small Sections And Start To Wave!

Take a section of hair (roughly 1-2 inches) and start at the root. You’ll basically be making a BIG S going down your section. Clamp the hair and pull up, then down, then up, then down until you get to the bottom.

Make sure the ends stay straight so you can just pull straight down once you get close to the end. This method is ALL in the wrist.

What Temp Should My Straightener Be?

I also have my flat iron set to around 400 degrees. Always start lower to see how your hair reacts. Mine is VERY thick, so it can handle the higher temperature.

If you have more fine hair or color treated hair, you’ll want to start at 325 degrees fahrenheit and then work your way up to 400 if your hair is able to handle it.

Step Four – Repeat And Do Your Entire Head

Continue the process around your whole head. Doesn’t need to be perfect. No need to keep things consistent either. Pull a little less hard in some places, angle sideways instead of up and down, mix it up.

Step Five – Add Beach Wave Spray + Texture Spray

This is a preference, but my hair needs to beach wave spray whenever I curl it. I like Kristin Ess’ and you can read more about my favorite products of hers here.

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Beach Wavy Hairstyles

Now that you’ve mastered a beach wave hairstyle, you can then use this as a base for easy up-dos. I like having a beach wave as a base to hairstyles as it adds texture and volume allowing the style to hold well. You can try a simple fish braid half up hairstyle, or unique yet easy to do ponytail styles, and it’s always the base hairstyle I do before I do a half top knot.

And if you want more of a curl, and not so much of a wave, try my tutorial on how to curl hair with a flat iron. A step by step guide for making curls with a flat iron, versus waves. I actually like to mix the two techniques, curls in the front, and waves and curls alternating around the rest of the head, for a lived in look.