Staying home during the coronavirus pandemic has inspired many of us to learn a new skill. I, for example, taught myself how to moonwalk, and you’re just going to have to take my word for it because I’m not posting a video of it. Many celebrities, however, have been learning how to cut their hair, and several, like Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, have turned to stylist and Nine Zero One salon co-owner Riawna Capri for long-distance guidance live on Instagram. The latest DIY haircutting class was broadcast by Nina Dobrev, but it was actually the styling session that followed the trim that made for some truly relatable (and informative) beauty content.
After more than an hour of Capri walking Dobrev through trimming and her hair and dusting her ends, it was time to teach the actor how to use a curling iron. “You guys, she doesn’t curl her hair, I’m telling you,” Capri tells IGTV viewers.
“I jump in the shower and let it air dry normally,” Dobrev says, getting acquainted with the 1.25-inch curling iron both she and Capri use in the video. And luckily, while Dobrev learns the basics of using a curling iron to add some volume and waviness to her straight hair, we can all benefit from the tips Capri gives the styling novice.
Capri advises Dobrev to part her hair in the middle and section each side into three pieces, keeping the as-yet-uncurled hair in front of her shoulders. “We’re going to start in the back, and as soon as we’re done curling it, we’re going to put it back there and get it out of our way,” she says. “I’m going to go up high, and I’m going to twist. Never stop rotating your curling iron. Twist and click, click, click, click,” she demonstrates, lightly opening and closing the clamp on the barrel. “Click, click, click all the way ’til it’s at the bottom.”
Dobrev doesn’t feel totally comfortable using the curling iron, but Capri is the best cheerleader. “Now twist, and don’t stop twisting. Keep twisting, keep twisting, keep twisting. Click, click, click, click, click, click, click. Good job. Good job. You got this, you got this. Keep clicking. Click, click, click, click, click, click. Good job. Good job. Slide down. Slide down, directly down through your length. Perfect,” she encourages Dobrev. Then she shares a fantastic tip: “Twist it while it’s still warm and put it behind your back. Perfect. Now that twisting while you’re still warm is key because that’s setting the hair.”