There are a lot of things we do for beauty. I spend time dressing up, accessorizing, plucking, applying, spritzing, straightening, and more. I like to look “put” together when I leave the house. I don’t spend nearly as much time on it as a lot of people I know, but I do at least make the effort to look like I thought about my appearance before I venture out into the world.
Aside from the rest of my look, my “crowning glory” is something I do spend a bit of time on and as you can see from the rest of my website, I’ve made it my life’s work the last few months to not only find more out about curling wands and irons, but to make sure I pass on the information I’ve found. For this page, I’m going to discuss heat and safety with these hair utensils.
If you aren’t sure how much heat you need, or you’re trying out a new style of iron for the first time EVERYONE should use the lowest heat setting possible. While it may not work well for you the first time around, it will at least stop you from putting an untold amount of stress on your locks.
If using the lowest heat doesn’t give the desired result, you can start to slowly crank it up until you find the heat setting that is right for you.
Sure, this may take more time (and time you don’t necessarily have) but trust me, you will be much happier with the results and your hair will thank you for it!
Not everyone needs the highest heat on their hair. In fact, most people don’t need anywhere close to it. If your hair falls anywhere from “fine” to “normal,” you are more than likely going to get away with very little heat on your hair from a curling iron or wand.
Normal to thick hair falls in the medium heat range which means most hair types qualify for this heat setting or below. There are not a lot of people who need full heat when they’re ironing. 350 to 375F should be more than enough heat on almost all hair types, and with a little patience it should be enough to get the curls you want for the whole day.
If you have coarse or difficult to manage hair you are part of the small population who will probably need the highest of heats to ensure you get the right amount of styling. Coarse and natural hair can be difficult to get a grip on if you don’t have the right amount of heat. You should always start with the lowest settings but even then, you will probably need to crank it up almost as high as it goes to get the right amount of control over your hair’s behavior.
Keeping yourself as well as your hair safe is of the utmost importance when using a hairstyling tool like this. There are products out there that can help you quite a bit when you’re trying to save your hair, face and hands from scorch marks. Consider some of the options I’ve outlined below:
Curling wands in particular tend to come with a glove that can be worn on the hand that isn’t holding it. They protect you from the heat if you’re wrapping your hair around the iron. Gloves are a good idea, but they can be kind of a pain because they are rarely sufficiently heat resistant.
That being said, it’s better to have something rather than nothing at all. At least with a glove, you’ll know things are getting a little “hot under the cuff” before you actually burn yourself!
Some irons come with built in rests that give them something to sit on while it’s heating up or while you’re using your hands for something else. This protects countertops and it ensures the only part of the iron that touches anything other than your hair is the cool tip.
Silicon is a friend when you’re looking for straightening or curling accessories. While you don’t really want it in your hairstyle or products, things like a silicon mat are really useful if you don’t have a rest.
This seems like a no brainer, but you have to remember that once the iron is plugged in it is HOT. It will burn you if you’re not careful. Keep irons away from where they can be pulled down by intrigued youngsters. The cords should be well contained and out of the way of small hands.
If you have an iron, you have to make sure to unplug it or you could burn a countertop or much worse. If you’re like me, and don’t always remember to turn the iron off when you’re done using it get one with an automatic off that will power down after a half to one hour of inactivity. It’s just one less thing to worry about once you’ve left the house.
You HAVE TO remember at all times that you are working with enough heat to bake cookies (and more)! Your safety is the most important thing no matter how important you feel it is to look like a rock star, so be sure to stay out of trouble and away from being burned by remembering the points above.