The Art of the Curl

Iron Out the Basics

Temperature: To curl your hair without burning it, pay careful attention to the heat setting. General guideline: The thinner your hair, the lower the setting should be. For moderately thick hair, set iron at the middle setting; for very coarse hair use the highest one.

Barrel size: Size does matter! Generally, the smaller the barrel, the tighter the curl. Choose a 1-1/2-inch barrel (or bigger) if you want loose waves; anything 3/4 inch or smaller will create tight ringlets.

Barrel material: While metal barrels are the old reliables, many new irons come with ceramic barrels, which help heat penetrate the hair shaft more quickly and more evenly, resulting in curls that are more defined in less time.