Curling Irons

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From the damsels of Babylon to the chic college going teenager, women have been enthralled by the curling iron, and the array of wisps, curls and waves that it could magically create on their hair.  A simple cylindrical device that uses heat to turn hair wrapped around it into a bundle of curls, the curling iron has come a long way. 

Although the curling iron can be traced back to the Babylonians, Egyptians and the Greek, history records Maurice Lentheric and Marcel Grateau as the inventors of the Marcel irons in 1870, a curling iron that had to be heated over a flame before use. This made hair curling quite dangerous, and fluctuating temperatures also made it hard to manipulate the hair.  The electrical curling iron was only invented in 1959 by the French company BaByliss which was later purchased by Conair to become the Conair Curling iron. 

The electrical curling iron of today comes in many forms and can be classified according to the material lining their barrels.  The lining determines how quickly the curling iron heats up and the evenness with which the hair curls. Metal or Chrome plated barrels are the least expensive curling irons.  However, this is only a good choice if you seldom style your hair, as these curling irons generate positive ions that cause hair drying and damage by coaxing the hair follicles to open.  Teflon coated barrels have a hair protecting mechanism, although you must ensure that you replace these curling irons once the lining chips away.  The Ceramic and Tourmaline plated barrels are considered the best although they are costlier.  It gets heated quickly and evenly, using negative ions to curl the hair repelling the positive ions occurring in the hair.  Thus the natural moisture and oil of the hair are preserved, preventing the damaging or splitting of hair.  The negative ions are also known to act as smoothing agents, good for even frizzy and chemically damaged hair.   The Conair curling iron with ceramic and tourmaline plated barrels is quite popular, and is known by the name Infiniti.

Curling irons can also be classified according to the kind of curls they produce.  Use small barrels (3/8 to 5/8 inches) for short hair and also to create wisps and bangs.  Medium sized barrels (3/4 to 1 inch) are great for medium length hair, and also to create medium curls, waves and tendrils. Larger barrels (1, 1 ? and 1 ? inches) are best for long hair and also to create large loose curls, waves and ringlets.  The choices in barrel sizes may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.  For example, the Conair Curling iron comes in the barrel sizes of 5/8, ?, 1, 1 ? and 1 ? inches.

Regardless of the type of curling irons you use, ensure that you take some basic precautions, especially if you style your hair frequently.  Always use some kind of thermal protection before you use the curling iron.  Try to minimize the use of curling irons if your hair is colored or chemically treated in some way, or else use a ceramic or tourmaline curling iron.  It is a good idea to invest in a curling iron which has multiple heat settings and a heat indicator, so that you can use the curling iron at low temperatures.  An automatic shutdown feature, like the one available in the Infiniti Conair curling iron, is a good safety feature, especially if you forget to turn the curling iron off. 

And above all, ensure that you have a great time giving yourself a whole new look!