Hair iron

Ahair ironorhair tongis a tool used to change the arrangement of the hair using heat. There are three general kinds:curling irons,used to make the haircurl;straightening irons,commonly calledstraightenersorflat irons,used tostraighten the hair;andcrimping irons,used to createcrimpsof the desired size in the hair.

historical image of hair irons (top)

Most models haveelectric heating;cordless curling irons or flat irons typically usebutane,and some flat irons use batteries that can last up to 30 minutes for straightening. Overuse of these tools can cause severe damage to hair.

Types of hair irons

Curling iron

An electric curling iron

A manual, 1920s curling iron

Curling irons,also known ascurling tongs,create waves or curls in hair using a variety of different methods. There are many different types of modern curling irons, which can vary by diameter, material, and shape of barrel and the type of handle. The barrel's diameter can be anywhere from.5 in (1.3 cm) to 2 in (5.1 cm). Smaller barrels typically create spiral curls or ringlets, and larger barrels are used to give shape and volume to ahairstyle.

Curling irons are typically made ofceramic,metal,Teflon,titanium,tourmaline.The barrel's shape can either be acone,reverse cone, orcylinder,and the iron can have brush attachments or double and triple barrels.

The curling iron can also have either a clipless, Marcel, or spring-loaded handle. Spring-loaded handles are the most popular and use aspringto work the barrel's clamp. When using a Marcel handle, one applies pressure to the clamp. Clipless wands have no clamp: the user simply wraps hair around a rod. Most clipless curling irons come with aKevlarglove to avoid burns.

Straightening irons

Main article:Hair straightening

Straightening irons,straighteners,orflat ironswork by breaking down the positive hydrogen bonds found in the hair's cortex, which cause hair to open, bend and become curly. Once the bonds are broken, hair is prevented from holding its original, natural form, though the hydrogen bonds can re-form if exposed to moisture.Straightening irons use mainlyceramicmaterial for their plates. Low-end straighteners use a single layer of ceramic coating on the plates, whereas high-end straighteners use multiple layers or even 100% ceramic material. Some straightening irons are fitted with an automatic shut off feature to prevent fire accidents.

Early hair straightening systems relied on harsh chemicals that tended to damage the hair. In the 1870s, the French hairdresserMarcel Grateauintroduced heated metal hair care implements such ashot combsto straighten hair.Madame C.J. Walkerused combs with wider teeth and popularized their use together with her system of chemical scalp preparation and straightening lotions.Her mentorAnnie Maloneis sometimes said to have patented the hot comb.Heated metal implements slide more easily through the hair, reducing damage and dryness. Women in the 1960s sometimes usedclothing ironsto straighten their hair.

In 1909, Isaac K. Shero patented the first hair straightener composed of two flat irons that are heated and pressed together.

Ceramic and electrical straighteners were introduced later, allowing adjustment of heat settings and straightener size. A ceramic hair straightener brush was patented in 2013.Sharon Rabi released the first straightening brush in 2015 under the DAFNI brand name. The ceramic straightening brush has a larger surface area than a traditional flat iron.

Crimping irons

Main article:Hair crimping

Crimping ironsorcrimperswork by crimping hair in sawtooth style. The look is similar to the crimps left after taking out smallbraids.Crimping irons come in different sizes with different sized ridges on the paddles. Larger ridges produce larger crimps in the hair and smaller ridges produce smaller crimps. Crimped hair was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s.

See also

• Hot comb
• Hair dryer
• Hair roller