Spiral | Barrel | Curls | Curling | Iron

There are two different types of curl that are most common in curling iron styling -
barrel curls and spiral curls. Both are useful for adding volume and/or interest to
various hairstyles. In addition, curling iron styling lets you target curls specifically where
you want them with ease. In order to help you understand how to achieve the proper
results with these curls, we performed a demonstration on a manikin.

We begin our demonstration using a manikin that has been shampooed,
conditioned with a rinse-through conditioner, and treated with a leave-in conditioner to
protect the hair from heat-styling damage. The manikin's hair was then thoroughly
dried with a blow dryer, and brushed thoroughly to remove any tangles. Now, we can
begin creating the curls.

Barrel Curls:

Barrel curls are the type of curl you get from standard roller sets,
but with a curling iron, you can get the same effect in a fraction of the
time. To begin creating barrel curls, we divided our manikin's hair
along the center parting, and sectioned off a panel of hair on the
right side just before the ear. The panel was made to be just a little
narrower than the length of our curling iron's barrel.

We then proceeded to divide the panel into segments about as
thick as our curling iron and clip them up out of the way. Once this
was completed, we began creating the curls. Starting with the bottom-
most segment of the panel, we combed the hair to make sure it

was free of tangles then lightly misted the hair with hairspray.

       At this point we took the curling iron in hand and inserted the
segment of hair between the clamp and barrel of the iron, sliding the
iron down to the ends of the hair so that the clamp covered them.
Then, we turned the iron to roll the hair onto the barrel, stopping just
short of the scalp. You can use a comb laid flat against the head to
prevent resting the iron on the scalp and accidentally burning
yourself.

       We held the iron in place for a few seconds, until the heat
thoroughly penetrated the hair, then carefully unwound the iron in place and slid the
iron from the curl.

       Note: You should always test your curling iron before you place it against the hair, unless
you are certain of the temperature of the iron. To test your iron, lightly moisten a piece of
tissue paper with water (it should only be slightly damp, not wet) and place it between the
clamp and barrel of the iron. A little steam is okay, but if there is any smoke, scorching or
discoloration, your iron is too hot and the temperature should be adjusted downward to prevent
burning your hair.

       For our demonstration, we continued with the other segments of the panel, and
also curled half of the bangs on the manikin with a barrel curl. You can see the results
in the photo. After completing the curls, we made sure to allow them to cool completely
to set the curls fully.

       Once cool, barrel curls can be combed or brushed out and styled as desired.

Spiral Curls:

After finishing the barrel curls, we turn to the left side of the
manikin and prepare to create the spiral curls. Once again, we
separated a panel of hair to work with, and further divide the panel
into segments. For spiral curls, we continue by dividing the horizontal
segments into slices of about one-half to three-quarters of an inch
square.

As with the segments for the barrel curl, we applied a small
amount of hairspray and slid the segment into the curling iron. The
difference is that we positioned the segment so that it was at the
base of the iron, and we rolled the iron so that the hair wound at an
angle, overlapping slightly until we reached the scalp.

Once more, we held the iron in place for a few seconds, and
then unwound the iron in place a bit, enabling us to slide the iron out
the end of the curl. We continued with the next slice of the bottom
segment, and repeated the process, segment by segment, until we'd
fully curled the entire panel in layers of spiral curls. In addition, we
divided the right half of the bangs on the manikin into spiral curls as well.

You can see the spiral curl results in the photo. After allowing the curls to cool, you
can finish the style as you wish, or simply use a pick or large-tooth comb to carefully
separate the curls in to thinner strips of curl. Lastly, another misting of hairspray and
some gentle scrunching will define the curls and help the style last all night.

©hairfinder.com

Barrel Curls & Spiral Curls

Curling Iron Styling Demonstation of the Techniques