I'm not particularly good with my hair; I can straighten, blow dry, braid and scrunch. That's pretty much the extent to which I can transform my combative hair.

Frizz, it's a problem.

About a year ago I purchased a proper hair straightener, but I haven't put it to good use. There's that conundrum of allocating myself with enough time to get ready in the morning -- sleep usually wins. This morning I went on a mission to find a quick tutorial on how to curl my hair with a flat iron; there are quite a few videos out there, you just need to know what to look for.

I watched two videos, but primarily followed the steps shown in this video:

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Aside from a good straightening iron, here's what else you'll need to make lovely curls..

Heat Protection Spray - I used a discontinued spray from KMS.
An alligator clip
A comb
Hairspray - I love L'Oreal's Elnett hairspray
Approximately 30 minutes; the more you practice, the less time it'll take!

Do you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share?

Video credit: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-curl-hair-with-straighteners-2

For a very long time I had long hair and then in 2001 I decided to give it the chop. For me, short hair hit just below my shoulders and that's about where my hair stayed through most of my 20's. There were a few occasions where I cut it even shorter, dyed it and even had it chemically straightened (stupid, I know). I'm on the verge of turning 30-years-old and am longing for the hair I once had 15 years ago! My hair is in a state of limbo while I wait for it to grow out.

The sun has been highlighting a lot of things lately, a concealer match gone wrong and spider plant-like split ends. I get my hair trimmed fairly regularly, but I fear daily hot styling and hair washing has taken it's toll on my naturally wavy/frizzy hair. So, I've decided to cut back on the frequency in which I wash my hair and style it in ways I've never imagined.

Those lovely girls over at the Beauty Department have given me an idea or two. However, with a bit more googling around for longer hairstyles, I happened upon AskSash88 via Youtube and fell in love with all of the random permutations she successfully attempted.

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If you want to try something like this, make sure your hair is slightly dirty (day old hair) and have the following items at the ready:

A comb or brush
Dry shampoo to help sop up excess oil at your roots before styling
One clear hair elastic
A clip, if necessary
At least four bobby pins; this amount will vary based on the length and thickness of your hair
Hairspray to set your style