How to Do Spiral Curls Using a Marcel Curling Iron
The Marcel curling iron was invented in 1875 by a French inventor named Marcel Grateau. Originally a system of irons that hair was wound around to create curly waves, the Marcel iron has come a long way since its original design. Today, the Marcel curling iron remains one of the many useful tools for creating spiral curls. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Test the heat of the iron on a dry towel by holding the iron on the towel for a few seconds. Marcel irons get hotter than typical curling irons. If the towel singes, the iron is too hot to use on hair, so allow it to cool before using it.
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2
Comb out a 2-inch wide section of dry hair about the thickness of a pencil using a fine-toothed comb. Pay attention to remove all kinks and knots from the hair. Using hair clips, hold hair that is not being worked on away from the area you are working with.
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3
Hold the section of hair taut and run the closed iron down the top of the hair to flatten any fly-away hairs. Clamp the tip of the hair into the base of the iron. Wrap the rest of the length of hair around the barrel of the iron, gradually going up the length of the barrel until you reach the scalp and hold for a few seconds.
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4
Release the hair by sliding the barrel away from the hair until you reach the clamped end of hair and open the clamp to release it. If the hair has achieved the desired level of curl, coil the hair and pin it against the scalp with a bobby pin. If not, rewrap the hair onto the iron and hold for a few seconds longer.
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5
Repeat combing, wrapping, releasing and coiling the hair until the entire head has been curled. Remove all of the bobby pins and style your hair as desired, using fingers to separate and tease the curls. Spray with hairspray to keep in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Marcel curling irons come in both wired electric models and non-wired models that are heated by placing them in a heating barrel to warm up.
Marcel curling irons do not have a plastic tip on the end like traditional curling irons, so take care to avoid the hot end of the iron while working.
References
- Photo Credit Thomas Northcut/Digital Vision/Getty Images
