Curling irons are truly a staple for creating some of today’s most popular looks. From tight coils and rolling barrel curls to loose, frizz-free waves, there is literally a tool for every need.
When shopping for these tools, you can go for a general purpose iron that will allow you to create a multitude of styles, but you should also be aware that there are certain irons for specific uses. The trick is to know which tool is best to use for your hair length and the curl or wave effect that you oh-so desire.
Types of Curling Appliances
Let’s start with the types of curling appliances that are available. In addition to flat irons (some people call them straighteners), which can be used to smooth, as well as curl hair, there are Marcel irons, spring irons, and curling wands or rods.
Marcel irons are named for Francois Marcel Grateau, a 19th century French hairdresser, who invented the process of waving hair using a heated iron. In addition to heated barrels, current versions of these irons have a clamp that is manually controlled by the user. These appliances take a fair amount of dexterity and experience to maneuver and therefore are most often used by salon professionals.
A spring iron makes use of the same barrels as a Marcel iron but they have a spring mechanism on the clamp that holds it tight to the barrel surface. This spring feature makes them easier to use, so they have become a preferred tool for most women when styling at home. There’s even been a shift of newer salon professionals opting for spring irons over Marcels. They both essentially do the same thing, so at this point it comes down to preference of the user.
A recent invention is the curling wand or rod, which is essentially a curling iron without the clamp. It’s a quick way for adding volume and movement through hair or creating looser, beachy waves that are usually seen with the signature piece-y ends. Curling rods come in a variety of widths just like curling irons, but there are also tapered versions, which allow the user to produce transitional curls, where they span from one width to another, or a variety of curl tightness through various sections of hair just by using different parts of the same iron.
Barrel Sizes
Curling irons and rods have barrel widths that range from 3/8-inch to 2 inches, each capable of producing a multitude of looks. Although you do need to take your hair length into consideration, knowing the type of curl or wave that you want to achieve will help you decide which iron is best for your needs.
In general terms, the smaller the iron barrel, the tighter the curl it will produce. If you want very small ringlets, opt for an iron that is on the smaller side such as a 3/8-inch to ¾-inch width. Stay with a 3/8-inch iron for short hair and a ¾-inch for longer hair lengths. On the other side of the spectrum, the larger the curling iron barrel, the larger the curl, with the largest ones being so loose that they produce waves.
For general use on most hair lengths, a 1-inch curling iron is a great all-purpose use tool. It will allow you to create medium curls or tighter waves on your medium to longer length hair. In this case, simply take smaller sections of hair to add curls and larger sections for waves.
Curling irons with super large (usually 2-inch) barrels, known sometimes as bumper irons, are specialty irons designed for creating large bends or smooth rolls in your hair. These are great for adding a flare outward to layers around your face, big bends through the length or even subtly rolling ends up, out or under.
While on the subject of specialty irons, there are also irons available with different shaped barrels, such as oval or triangular. These will produce curls or waves that mimic the shape of that specific barrel and can be fun to mix things up once in a while. Other specialty tools include curling rods with notched spiral or even bubble shaped that are designed to help with spacing of the curls.
Multi-Use Irons
Another trend for curling appliances includes 2-in-1 irons that go from curling iron to curling rod by just removing the clamp and interchangeable barrel irons where you use one handle and replace the barrel based on the size you want to use at the time.
Auto-Wrapping Curling Irons
These handy curling irons can save you time from wrapping your hair around the barrel. You simply take a small section, clamp your hair with the iron and push the button. The iron barrel automatically turns, rolling the hair up the length of the iron.
Cordless Irons
Cordless curling irons work with a battery, which you can typically recharge. They are rather easy to travel with as they take up little room in your bag. Simply pull them out and use them as needed. Just be sure the iron is completely cooled before packing it away.
What to Look for in an Iron
In addition to finding an appliance that works best for your styling needs, also consider what goes into the iron. These days, most curling appliances use ceramic technology, which involves both ceramic coated barrels and ceramic heaters. This combination utilizes far infrared heat to create negative ions that seal in moisture, versus traditional heaters and non-coated barrels, which tend to dry out hair.
As far as features to look for in your iron, one of the most important is having variable heat settings. When it comes to thermal tools, a one-temperature-fits-all approach is not suggested. Higher heat works well for thick, coarse hair but can be damaging to fine, thin hair, especially if it’s been over-processed.
Other features would include the feel of the grip in your hand, the length of the cord, the ability of the cord to easily swivel, and a service warrenty to ensure that your iron will continue working at its best. Everything else from there is just icing on the cake, so to speak. It simply comes down to user preference.
