How to get the perfect curls using your kitchen strainer

The boundary between the kitchen to the bathroom is becoming increasingly blurred – especially for many social media users, always in search of the most foolproof and original tip to turn every step of the beauty routine into a viral trend.

This has been seen in recent months with the fork technique, turning an everyday cutlery item into an essential tool for makeup, not to mention the use of peanut butter to create a tasty manicure, or the use of fruit as makeup. So it’s hardly surprising to see TikTokers now turning to all kinds of kitchen utensils to perfect their haircare routine.

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A strainer as a diffuser to create the perfect curls

This new beauty tip was created by a user called Liz Fox Roseberry. This young woman – whose profile declares that she is “trying and sharing random creative things” – is neither a makeup artist nor a professional hairdresser, but her latest find has nevertheless been a hit with more than 17 million views to date.

This undoubtedly has something to do with the original utensil she chooses to define her curls and make them buoyant and bouncy. In fact, in her video, the TikToker claims that a simple kitchen strainer gives her even more beautiful curls than a diffuser – despite the latter being designed specifically for the purpose.

@foxcraftcustom I can’t tell the difference between genius and crazy anymore lol #wavyhairtips #hairhacks #plopping #hairproblems #diffusecurlyhair #foxcraftcustom ♬ original sound – Taylor Dean

The now viral post lasts just five seconds, making it difficult to understand the ins and outs of this unusual method. But in light of the video’s success, Liz Fox Roseberry had the excellent idea of making a longer tutorial, thus allowing as many people as possible to master the art of the strainer technique.

“Just learned that my pasta strainer is better at diffusing my waves than my diffuser,” she simply captioned the video. So, to your strainers, beauty fans! It won’t take you more than a few minutes to get curls worthy of the Met Gala red carpet.

A bowl, a haircare product, a hair dryer and a strainer. That’s all you need to get to grips with this foolproof technique.

It starts with what the user calls the “plop method”, which involves dipping hair into a bowl of water, applying a conditioner, then scrunching the strands to create waves, before applying more product. Once this first step is complete, all that’s left to do is wrap your mane in a T-shirt to remove the excess water, and place your hair in the strainer to blow-dry it. And hey presto, it’s done!

@foxcraftcustom Replying to @maggieod915 #stitch with @foxcraftcustom here’s how to diffuse your hair with a strainer (Turned out even better this time!) #wavyhairtips #hairhacks #plopping #hairproblems #foxcraftcustom #wavyhairtutorial ♬ original sound – Liz Fox Roseberry

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Better than a soda can?

Surprisingly, instead of being flooded with ironic or mocking comments, most of the user reactions are complimentary and grateful. Many users say they want to try this amazing technique, while others say they have been doing it for years. Incredible, but true. However, this is not the Chinese social network’s only trick for getting perfect curls.

In September, users were seduced by another method, this time involving a soda can, to create bouncy curls and waves. All these tricks might leave you perplexed, but they do have the merit of being accessible and safe for everyone to try. In the worst case, you can always use your diffuser as a fall-back solution.