Cardi B straightened her hair the old-fashioned way

It may be the year of Cardi B, but the current cover star of Rolling Stone magazine isn’t above using whatever means necessary to get her glam on.

The 25-year-old rapper has quickly become known for her amazing and transformative looks, gaining attention for her style during New York Fashion Week, for her nails by the Bronx’s Jenny Sui, and for her vastly changing hair looks, thanks to a seemingly endless trove of wigs. But above all, the Harlem native knows how to rock her long, straight locks like no other. And when she showed up to a hotel without a proper straightening iron on Tuesday night, that didn’t stop her from getting the look just right.

In a series of videos on her Instagram story, Cardi showed fans the familiar yet slightly questionable tool that she used to put the finishing touches on her long sleek ‘do: an iron. For clothes. “So I need to f***ing flat iron my hair, but I don’t have a flat iron, so we just gonna use this,” she said as her makeup artist Jazzmin Jordan ran the iron against the lengthy locks of Cardi’s wig.

Jordan is heard chuckling in the beginning of the clip, seemingly out of nervousness that she might ruin her client’s hair. When Cardi asks if they can turn the heat up on the iron, the stylist quickly says no, probably out of precaution. However, the technique isn’t new, and has in fact been used for centuries.

Before the straightening irons that we know today became regularly used in the 1990s, women would often turn to clothing irons to flatten their hair — a look that was sought after at the same time that curling hair was becoming popular.

While the curling iron was invented by Marcel Grateau in 1872, the straightening iron didn’t even appear in the form of a patent until 1893, from one Ada Harris. According to Racked, the woman from Indianapolis explained the purpose of her product within its patent, saying that she intended it as a “service to colored people in straightening their hair.” But in the 100 years until her idea fully came to fruition, women looking to try the straight style used the same technique as Cardi.

Luckily, the star doesn’t have to worry about damaging her actual hair here. For the rest of us, there are a number of tutorials out there that safely demonstrate the tried and true technique.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• The reason why Cardi B’s nail lady made her cry on her birthday

• Lupita Nyong’o’s hairstylist is selling an $18 bottle of water for your hair — and it’s not a gimmick

• Simone Biles straightens her boyfriend’s hair and it’s adorable

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