4 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do With A Flat Iron

When it comes to hot tools, the names pretty much give away what they're meant to do. In the case of flat irons, the end goal is typically straight, silky hair. But, there are a few things that you can do with your flat iron that don't involve the expected pin-straight strands.

For example, curls and waves are surprisingly easy to achieve with a flat iron. Two of our favorites? Pin curls and s-shape waves. For the first one, all you do is roll your hair into a loop, and then clamp your iron over the hair. Then, pin it to your head, allow it to cool, and when you take your hair down, you'll have gorgeous, glorious curls.

For s-shaped waves, you literally make an s-shape with your hair. Then, as with the pin curls, you use your flat iron to set that shape. The bent, zig-zag shapes create a more dynamic, unexpected wave that we can't get enough of.

A backstage tip we always see is creating French braids throughout the hair and then clamping them with an iron for an easy, relaxed, beachy wave. It really couldn't be easier.

Remember the crimped hair you thought looked totally rad in your middle school photos? Well, according to Cosmopolitan, you don't need a fancy crimper to pull 'em off anymore. Instead, as you're dragging your flat iron down the section of your hair, rock the iron forward and backward. It will create those cool, kinky waves we all know and love.

Our last tip actually has nothing to do with your hair, and is pretty clutch for those moments when you're stuck without a clothes iron. While your flat iron is cool, clean the plates with a warm washcloth and dry them completely. Then, put your iron on a low-to-medium heat and run it over your clothing until the wrinkles come out. Voilà — on-the-go ironing!

Tell us — do you have any tips or tricks for using your flat iron?