A classic styling technique used by women with coarse, and wavy hair types to create a
smoother, flatter style is The Wrap. In this style, the hair is styled into a spiral around the scalp and dried smooth to the scalp, so
that when it is set (dries), the hair is combed to soften the styling product and styled into a flat, smooth, sleeker hairstyle.
The style is especially popular among African-American women because of the fact that it works
especially well for this hair type. You get especially sleek results from relaxed hair, and the smooth styling tends to be long lasting.
The style works well on short and medium-length hairstyles, since longer styles can become too
thickly layered to dry well and evenly. Generally, the short the hair is when wrapped, the more quickly it will dry and the better the
result. If you are a woman with short to mid-length hair that is coarse and wavy, give this style a try if you want to reduce the amount of volume in your hair.
What you need:
• Styling product (gel, or setting lotion)
• Combs and brushs in a range of sizes
• Tissue Paper Strips (can be obtained from beauty supply shops)
• Hair clips
• Curling Iron, or Flat iron for finishing
• Rollers (optional)
• Hair dryer (hooded or blow-dryer, optional)
Styling:
After the hair has been shampooed, conditioned and towel-dried, apply a liberal amount of your
favorite styling product. The product used should be selected based on the level of style hold you want.
As an option you can start in the crown section of the head and use rollers of the desired
size to add height to the style in the crown area. If you want the entire style to follow the scalp closely, then skip this step.
Comb the hair outward in a radial pattern from the crown of the head keeping the hair smoothed flat
to the skull. Once you’ve smoothed the hair completely around the scalp, continue around the head shifting the angle of the direction a
bit with each pass. As you make subsequent passes around the skull, increase the curve of the hair. The goal is to comb the hair smooth
all around the head with no bumps or ridges.
Once the hair is smoothly in place take a tissue paper strip and wrap it around the ends of
the hair at the perimeter of the hairline. This is to keep the ends of the hair flat to the head. Secure the paper strip in place using hair clips.
Allow the hair to dry, either by using a hair dryer or naturally. Once dry, use your wide
tooth comb to reverse the process of spiraling the hair. Use finer and finer grades of combs as the hair loosens. If needed, you can
dip the tips of your fingers into warm water and touch the hairs at the scalp to allow you to redirect them without losing the smoothing
effect. (Just try not to get them too wet.)
Finishing moves:
Once you’ve completed the comb-out process, you can style the hair as you desire. If you
included rollers at the crown, you should have a nice lift in that area. The hairstyle can be finished by using a flat iron to smooth
the ends to perfect straightness or a gentle curve, or by using a curling iron to add accent curl or to help direct the hair into an
under or outward flip. The possibilities are endless and limited only by your imagination and the length of the hair in question.
