How to Use the Wavytalk 0.3" Pencil Flat Iron: Six Short-Hair Jobs

A pencil iron earns its place on the hair a 1" iron can't get to: the crown of a pixie cut, a fringe, the short pieces behind your ears. Wavytalk lists its 0.3" Pencil Flat Iron for short hair, pixie cuts and bangs, and it says plainly that the tool isn't meant for long, thick hair. So this guide skips the one-size routine and goes job by job. Each card gives a starting heat, the moves, and the slip people tend to make.

Settings and steps come from Wavytalk's product details and its instruction manual for the 3/10" pencil iron, and the heat advice comes from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Before any job: power, heat and dry hair

Hold the power button until the lights come on, then use the + and - buttons to pick a setting. The manual says the lights blink while the plates heat and stay solid once they reach your setting. Wavytalk quotes about 15 seconds for its PTC heater to warm up.

Wavytalk matches its five settings to hair types:

Pick by your hair, not by the look you want. The AAD's advice is to use flat irons on dry hair at a low or medium setting, and no more often than every other day. It also notes that too much heat can damage any hair type. If you sit between two rows, start on the lower one and only go up if a pass doesn't hold.

Two more things before you start. Wavytalk says to use the iron only on completely dry hair with dry hands. And if the plates don't seem to meet, that's by design. The 3D floating plates leave a small gap, and Wavytalk says to press a little harder if you want full contact.

Job 1: Smoothing a pixie cut or short layers

Start at 300°F for fine hair, 340°F for medium.

1. Take a small section. The manual works in small sections for both straightening and curling.
2. Close the plates gently near the root.
3. Glide slowly down to the ends. The manual's instruction is root to tip at an even, slow pace, and a slow pass is what saves you from going over the same piece again.

The slip: working too close to the scalp in a hurry. The 3/10" plates can reach right to the roots, which is the point of them, so slow down there. The heat glove in the box is worth wearing for the crown and the back.

Job 2: Bangs and fringe

Start at 300°F, or 340°F if your hair is medium and the lower setting doesn't hold.

1. Lift the fringe up and away from your forehead with your free hand.
2. Clamp close to the root and glide down.
3. For a soft bend instead of a poker-straight line, turn your wrist slightly under as the plates reach the ends.

The slip: styling with the fringe flat against your skin. Hold it out so there's air between the plates and your forehead. The upgraded anti-pinch design guards your fingers, but it doesn't keep hot plates off your face.

Job 3: Small curls on short hair

Use the setting that matches your hair type from the table above.

1. Clamp a small section a little way from the root.
2. Rotate the iron while the section stays clamped.
3. Pull the iron slowly down to the ends, holding the turn as you go.

Wavytalk gives the pencil iron a curved body with rounded edges so curls come out without a crease. If you want curls bigger than a pencil can make, our curling iron barrel size guide shows which barrel matches which look. For curls on longer lengths, the 1" plates take over, and our guide to using the Titanium Flat Iron walks through the half-turn technique.

The slip: stopping halfway. The manual's instruction is to pull through gently while keeping the rotation, so keep the iron moving.

Job 4: Hairline, edges and baby hairs

Start at 300°F. Hair at the hairline is short and close to skin, so this is a low-heat job.

1. Comb the section in the direction you want it to lie.
2. Clamp just the hair, angled away from your skin, and glide once.
3. Set it with your comb or brush once it's cool.

Wavytalk says the thinner plates are what let you reach roots and edges that a regular straightener misses. That reach is useful, and it's also why the slip here is getting the plate too close to skin. Go slowly and keep the iron pointed away from you.

Job 5: Beard tidying

Wavytalk lists men's beards next to short hair and pixie cuts as a good fit for the small plates. Start at 300°F.

1. Make sure the beard is completely dry, then comb it straight.
2. Take a small section, clamp it a short way out from the skin, and glide toward the ends.

The slip: pressing the iron flat against your jaw. Angle the plates outward and let the comb do the close work.

Job 6: Packing it away

The last job is the one people skip. Wavytalk's care steps:

• Unplug by holding the plug itself, never by pulling the cord.
• Let the iron cool, then slide it into the heat-proof travel pouch that comes with it.
• Coil the cord loosely in a figure-8 rather than wrapping it tight around the handle.
• Store it somewhere dry, away from heat and moisture.

When the pencil iron is the wrong tool

If you're straightening long or thick hair, a 0.3" plate will take far too many passes, and Wavytalk says as much. The Titanium Flat Iron is the full-size option in the range. It has 1" titanium plates, an LCD-set range from about 170°F to 450°F, round-edge floating plates for straightening and curling, dual voltage from 100 to 240V, and a 60-minute auto shut-off.

If your hair is short but you want cool air to help set the shape, look at the Cool Curl Pencil 0.65". It pairs about 0.39" heating plates with cool airflow through 104 vents and has five settings from about 280°F to 430°F.

Every iron in the range sits on our Straighteners & Steam Smoothing page. For the whole lineup, from dryers to wands, start with our Wavytalk review.

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