Hair iron

Hair iron
historical image of hair irons (top)

A hair iron or hair tong is a tool used to change the structure of the hair using heat. There are three general kinds: curling irons, used to make the hair curly, straightening irons, commonly called straighteners or flat irons, used to straighten the hair, and crimping irons, used to create crimps of the desired size in the hair. Most models have electric heating; cordless curling irons typically use butane.[1]

Contents

History

Simon Monroe patented a hair straightener in 1906 that comprised 7 metallic teeth that are combed through the hair,[2] while in 1909 Isaac K. Shero patented a hair straightener composed of two flat irons that are heated and pressed together.[3]

Types of hair irons

Curling iron

An electric curling iron.

Curling irons, also known as curling tongs, create waves or curls in the hair. 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 inches (1.3 cm) to 2 inches (5.1 cm). Smaller barrels typically create spiral curls or ringlets, and larger barrels are used to give shape and volume to a hairstyle.[4]

Curling irons are typically made of Teflon, ceramic, tourmaline, metal, or titanium, each of which has its pros and cons. The barrel's shape can either be a cylinder, cone, or reverse cone, and the iron can have brush attachments or double and triple barrels.[4]

The curling iron can also have either a spring-loaded, Marcel, or clipless handle. Spring-loaded handles are the most popular and use a spring to work the barrel's clamp. When using a Marcel handle, named after Marcel Grateau, one applies his or her own pressure to the clamp. Clipless wands have no clamp, and the user simply wraps hair around a rod. Most clipless curling irons come with a Kevlar glove to avoid burns.[4]

Straightening irons

Straightening irons, straighteners, or flat irons, not to be confused with clothing irons, work by breaking down the hair's hydrogen bonds found in the hair's cortex, which cause hair to 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. They can also use infrared technology.

Crimping irons

Main article: Hair crimping

Crimping irons or crimpers work by crimping hair in sawtooth style. The look is similar to the crimps left after taking out small braids.

See also

External Links

References

  1. ^ wiseGEEK: "What Is a Butane Curling Iron?"
  2. ^ Hair Straightener Patent Number 819444
  3. ^ Hair Straightener Patent Number
  4. ^ a b c "Curling Iron". Style-hair-magazine.com. http://www.style-hair-magazine.com/curling-iron.html. Retrieved 2009-09-15. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hair care — is an overall term for parts of hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair on the human head. Hair care will differ according to one s hair type and according to various processes that can be applied to hair. All hair is not the same; indeed,… …   Wikipedia

  • Hair straightening — is a hair styling technique which involves the flattening and straightening of hair in order to give it a smooth, streamlined and sleek appearance. It may be accomplished by using hair irons and hot combs, chemical relaxers, Japanese hair… …   Wikipedia

  • Iron (disambiguation) — Iron can refer to: * Iron, the chemical element * Iron (appliance), used to remove wrinkles from fabric * Iron (metaphor), a common adjective used in terms such as Iron Age and Iron Curtain * Iron (golf) * Iron (dialect), a dialect of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Hair analysis — is the chemical analysis of a hair sample. Hair may be considered for retrospective purposes when blood and urine are no longer expected to contain a particular contaminant, typically a year or less. [Eastern Research Group. [http://www.atsdr.cdc …   Wikipedia

  • Iron-Crutch Li — (铁拐李/鐵拐李, PY: Tiěguǎi Lǐ , WG: T ieh kuai Li , Japanese: Tekkai) is sometimes said to be the most ancient of the Eight Immortals of the Taoist pantheon. He is sometimes described irascible and ill tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick… …   Wikipedia

  • Hair crimping — is a method of styling usually straight, long hair so that it becomes wavy, often in a sawtooth fashion. This is usually achieved by treating the hair with heat from a crimping iron or by braiding the hair then undoing the braids.In 1972, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Hair (canción) — «Hair» Sencillo promocional de Lady Gaga Álbum Born This Way Publicación 16 de mayo de 2011 Grabación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Hair — (h[^a]r), n. [OE. her, heer, h[ae]r, AS. h[=ae]r; akin to OFries. h[=e]r, D. & G. haar, OHG. & Icel. h[=a]r, Dan. haar, Sw. h[*a]r; cf. Lith. kasa.] 1. The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming a covering …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hair bracket — Hair Hair (h[^a]r), n. [OE. her, heer, h[ae]r, AS. h[=ae]r; akin to OFries. h[=e]r, D. & G. haar, OHG. & Icel. h[=a]r, Dan. haar, Sw. h[*a]r; cf. Lith. kasa.] 1. The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hair cells — Hair Hair (h[^a]r), n. [OE. her, heer, h[ae]r, AS. h[=ae]r; akin to OFries. h[=e]r, D. & G. haar, OHG. & Icel. h[=a]r, Dan. haar, Sw. h[*a]r; cf. Lith. kasa.] 1. The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”