Give Your Curling Irons A Little More Love (How to Clean a Curling Iron)


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How to Clean a Curling Iron

Your curling iron is one hardworking tool. It can help you create effortless curls. And it can make you look extra whenever wherever. So it saves you up on salon visits. And not to mention, you can create a myriad of styles.

But it’s also one of the most neglected beauty tools. Many girls don’t even clean their curling irons. Curling irons can accumulate a ton of product buildup and hair oils over time. It can result in brown or white gunk. And this can affect the performance of your curling iron. Thus, it can cling to your hair and make you look less than stellar.

How to clean a curling iron? We’re going to guide through very simple steps on how to keep your curling iron clean.

How Often Should You Clean Your Curling Iron?

When was the last time you cleaned your curling iron? If you answered three months ago, you better start cleaning them! Ideally, you should gunk your curling iron at least twice or once a month. 

The more you use it, the more frequent you need to clean it. Especially if you’re using hair products, you should never neglect cleaning your curling iron. 

Why You Should Clean your Curling Iron

Aside from the nasty gunk that can cling to your hair, an unclean curling iron is a nuisance.

  1. It can result in a burnt smell of the accumulated hair product residue. And this burnt smell can transfer to your hair.
  2. It’s going to be sticky and greasy, hence more difficult to get a good curl.
  3. Cleaning your hot tools can drastically improve its performance. It can help you create lovely curls after.
  4. The gunk on the barrels can result in overheating.

How to Clean Your Curling Iron

The good news, it’s quite easy to clean your curling iron. We’re going to list down several steps depending on the cleaning agent that you will use.

But before cleaning your hot tools, here are some important reminders:

  • Make sure the curling iron is unplugged from the power source
  • Clean the curler only when it has cooled down.
  • Before using your curler or any hot tools, make sure it’s completely dried first

Cleaning Your Curling Iron with a Professional Cleaner

You may use heavy-duty cleaning agents if your curler has serious product buildup oftentimes. Hairsprays are notorious for this one. So if you’ve been spritzing hair spray every time you curl, you might consider using a professional cleaner.

  1. Have everything you need in hand- your preferred cleaner, a damp cloth, and two cleaning cloths.
  1. Read the labels on the product first. And apply it to the curler as per instruction. Especially if you’re using a ceramic barrel, you have to make sure that you’re using a suitable cleaner. Otherwise, it can damage your ceramic barrels.
  1. Get a dollop of the cleaning agent using your cleaning cloth. And gently rub it against the barrel, removing the stains and product build-up.
  1. Wipe the barrel with a damp cloth to remove any cleaner residue.
  1. For the final touch up, wipe the barrel with the second cleaning cloth

You may also like: Best Automatic Curling Iron

How To Clean a Curling Iron Using Baking Soda

Baking soda is a kitchen staple that is widely used in baking. But it also has a lot of use for cleaning and deodorizing. It’s also cost-efficient and natural.

  1. Mix four parts water with 2 parts baking soda. 
  1. Dip your cleaning tool into the solution and wipe the barrel as you would with a cleaner.
  1. Baking soda is natural and gentle. So If you find it hard to remove stubborn residue, you may use a toothbrush

Cleaning Your Curling Iron with Ammonia

Ammonia is a great cleanser for grease, oil, and stubborn stains. If You have a lot of product buildup and hair oils on your curler, ammonia is a great option. 

  1. Get a cleaning pad and soak it into the ammonia
  1. Wipe the barrels with the soaked pad, removing all the signs and product build-up. Make sure no liquid drips on the internal part of the barrel.
  1. Let soak for 3 minutes. This will lift all the burnt hair products on the barrels. 
  1. But if you have a very stubborn stain, you may soak the barrel in ammonia solution for 10 minutes
  1. Repeat if there are still stains and residue left.
  1. Wipe off with a cleaning cloth and let dry.

How To Clean a Curling Iron with Alcohol

Alcohol can be used to remove light stains. And a 90% isopropyl alcohol will do the trick. Just take note though that the cleaning prowess of alcohol is not enough for heavy stains

  1. Soak a towel or cloth in alcohol.
  1. Rub the cleaning cloth on the barrel.
  1. Wipe to remove the stains and reissue.
  1. You may use a fine toothbrush to clean the barrels easier. You have to give more time for alcohol to do its work.
  1. With a clean cloth, wipe off the excess alcohol.
  1. Let dry completely.

Cleaning Your Curling Iron with Acetone

Acetone is perfect for removing stubborn buildups. It’s also quite accessible, especially if you’re doing your own nails.

  1. Soak a cloth in the acetone.
  1. Wipe the barrel but make sure that there isn’t any liquid dripping from the cloth. This may damage your hair iron.
  1. If there are stubborn stains, use a toothbrush to dislodge it from the barrel.
  1. Use a clean cloth to wipe off the excess acetone.
  1. Let dry completely. 

FAQs

How should you know when it’s time to clean your curling iron?

If you see visible brown or white gunk accumulating on the barrels, it’s time to clean it. Also, if it feels sticky or greasy, you need to de-gunk it. 

What is the safest way to clean ceramic barrels?

Ceramic barrels are more sensitive material compared to titanium barrels. So you have to be careful when using cleaning agents. Alcohol and baking soda are two of the safest and most effective cleaning against that you can use for your ceramic barrels.

What are the most stubborn hair products that can stain my curling iron?

Hair spray is quite notorious. So to avoid build-up, you have to clean your curling iron more often if you’re using hairspray. 

How to take hairspray off your curling iron?

Professional cleaners, ammonia, and acetone can remove stubborn stains. And hairsprays are notorious gunk builders. So a gentle solution like baking soda and alcohol might not suffice.

Conclusion

A dirty curling iron will not only ruin your hairstyle, but it can also show how much you take care of yourself. And since curling irons are made of different materials, you have to carefully choose your cleaning agent. Some professional cleaning agents may be too abrasive on ceramic, so you have to read the labels carefully.

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