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    1. Beauty
    2. Hair

    You can curl and wave your hair with a pencil… Apparently

    Don't have a curling wand? No problem!

    Natalie Lukaitis's avatar
    By Natalie Lukaitis
    Published 18 May 2016 In News

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    Don't have a curling wand? No problem!

    You know the drill. You clamp your GHD down on your hair, wrap it over the top and then try to twist it as you move down the length of your hair. 

    You manage to complete just one twist before it all falls out between the plates - and what you’re left with is more of a kink half way down rather than a curl or wave. Not very Gisele Bunchden now, is it?

    How to curl hair with hair straighteners

    So curling your hair can be a right pain in the arse. If you don’t balls it up with your first twist, chances are you end up with straight hair underneath, curly on top.

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    Enter the humble pencil.

    Yes, really.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

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    Best curly hairstyles

    Not just an apparatus to write with, this piece of stationery can also give you ringlets that would give Beyoncé a run for her money. Here’s how:

    Step 1

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    Separate your hair into four sections, pinning three of those sections out of the way with a hair clip, so you can focus on one area at a time. 

    Step 2 

    Take an inch of hair from the section you’re working with and wrap it around your pencil. You can either start with your pencil at the top and wrap your hair down the length of it, or start with your pencil at the bottom and twist it up so that your hair wraps around as you go.

    Step 3 

    Using your GHD (or any hair straightener), clamp down on your hair that’s wrapped around the pencil, only holding it closed for 2 seconds at a time. 

    Step 4 

    Keep clamping down on your hair until the full length of it is warm. Allow it to cool for 2 minutes and then release. 

    Step 5 

    Continue with the rest of your hair, working from section to section until you have beautiful bouncy curls. 

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    Natalie Lukaitis
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