With the official start of summer finally here, beachy effortless curls or waves might be part of your at-home glam routine in the coming weeks.
Curling your hair with a flat iron to achieve that look, however, can feel impossible without the right technique or tools.
MORE: Linen dresses, pants, tops and more to shop ahead of summerThere are several different techniques depending on the type of curl you want to achieve. To help give you a few step by step instructions and make the experience a little easier, "Good Morning America" tapped celebrity hair stylist Marissa Stissi to share her pro tips and tool shop.
"Curling your hair with a flat iron can create full and bouncy curls. It is so easy, and once you get the technique down, with a little practice, your hair will look red carpet ready," Stissi said.
Scroll on to check out her step-by-step breakdown of how to get a salon look at home.
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"Make sure to start with completely clean and dry hair. Wet hair won't curl at all and damp hair won't curl as well. If you're blow-drying your hair first, use mousse. The extra volume will keep your hair from looking too flat as you curl it."
Applying a heat protectant or a thermal spray creates a protective barrier between the hair and the iron so that the hair doesn't "frizzle" and burn. Spray all over your hair -- no need to comb, as it should mist on and dry quickly.
If you have thick hair, Stissi recommends spraying it on each section before you tackle it -- if you just spray it on the top of all your hair, it won't hit the bottom layers. She also advised combing out any tangles in your hair after applying the protectant and before using the iron.
"Your straightener should be about 1 to 2 inches in width from plate to handle and have rounded edges, otherwise, it won't form smooth curls," Stissi said. "A flat, paddle-style iron also won't do curls. It'll be much harder to hold and wrap if you have this kind of straightener and the hair won't want to stay in the right place."
"Flicks and curls are simply two slightly different ways to curl your hair with a flat iron," she said. "Try both to see what you like."
Flicks: Start halfway down the length of hair, clamp the iron closed and turn it back on itself in a half turn. You should now have created a U-shape with the hair and the iron. Keeping the iron on that half-turn angle, slowly move it down the hair shaft to the end of the hair. The faster you move the iron, the less pronounced the curl/flick will be. If you like big soft flicks, slow down your iron.
Curls: Starting fairly close to the scalp but not close enough to accidentally burn it, clamp the iron closed and turn it back on itself a half turn -- the same as with flicks. Run the iron slowly down the hair shaft to the end. Again, the slower you move the iron, the tighter the curl. The faster you move the iron, the gentler the wave.
"If your hair doesn't curl easily or doesn’t hold a curl, put hairspray on sections immediately before you curl them," Stissi said. "If you want your curls to hold their shape just how they immediately fall from the straightener, spritz a tiny bit of hairspray on the hair right before you curl it."
Stissi suggested using a non-aerosol working spray for this and not to use too much. She explained that the hair then becomes stiff and crunchy, which is not the look you're aiming for.
"You can leave your hair as-is when you're finished curling, or you can add an additional touch to wrap up the style you want."
When sectioning off the hair you want to curl, Stissi suggested a few extra pointers.
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