Walk into any high-end salon, and you’ll see it. That weird-looking iron with the two handles and no spring. It’s the Marcel. While most of us are at home struggling with those spring-loaded clamps that leave a nasty "crimp" in our hair, the pros are using something that looks like it belongs in a museum.
Honestly, the marcel curling iron curls you see on celebrities aren't some trade secret. It's just a tool that most people are terrified to touch.
Invented by a French stylist named Marcel Grateau back in the 1870s, this iron was originally heated over a gas stove. Grateau was basically a rockstar of the Belle Époque, charging 500 francs for a single "Marcel Wave" when other stylists were charging ten. He kept his technique secret for 15 years, curling the hair of royalty and actresses in a locked room. Today, the tool is electric, but the manual control remains exactly the same.
The Brutal Reality of the Learning Curve
If you buy a Marcel iron and expect to look like a Pinterest board on day one, you’re gonna have a bad time. You've probably spent your whole life using your thumb to open a spring-loaded clamp. With a Marcel, your pinky and ring finger do the heavy lifting.
✨ Don't miss: Why 90s straight leg jeans are the only pants you actually need in your closet
It's awkward. Kinda like trying to write with your non-dominant hand while someone watches you.
The handle rotates independently. The clamp—often called the "shell"—is entirely manual. This means if you let go, it doesn't snap shut. If you squeeze too hard, you’ll smell burning hair. But that lack of a spring is exactly why the curls look better. Without that constant, aggressive spring tension, you don’t get those "fishhooks" at the ends or the dent where the clamp sat.
Why Your Hairdresser Prefers It
Most stylists swear by the Marcel because of "the flick." Since the barrel and the handle can spin separately, they can feed hair into the iron with a clicking motion. This keeps the hair flat against the barrel.
- No Tension Dents: You control the pressure, not a piece of coiled metal.
- Even Heat: Modern irons from brands like Hot Tools or BaBylissPRO use gold or titanium that holds a consistent temperature.
- Zero Tugging: Because the barrel is slick and the clamp is loose, the hair glides through like silk.
Mastering Marcel Curling Iron Curls Without the Burns
Let’s talk safety. The Marcel iron doesn't have a "cool tip." That’s the little plastic nub on the end of your regular iron that you hold while you curl. On a Marcel, that part is 400°F. If you touch it, you’re going to have a bad week.
Actually, the first thing any beauty student learns is the "click" without the heat. You should spend at least two nights sitting on your couch, watching Netflix, clicking a cold iron. You need to build the muscle memory in your fingers so that opening and closing the shell becomes a reflex.
The Real Technique (Step-by-Stepish)
- The Prep: Do not skimp on heat protectant. Paul Mitchell’s "Hot Off The Press" is a classic for a reason. You need a barrier because Marcel irons can get much hotter than consumer-grade tools.
- The Grip: Hold the iron with your palm facing down. Your pinky and ring finger should be inside the handle to manipulate the shell.
- The Feed: Start near the root. Don't just clamp the ends and roll up. That’s how you get flat roots and fried tips. Clamp near the base, rotate the iron, and "click" the shell to feed the mid-lengths and ends through.
- The Direction: For that modern, lived-in look, curl away from your face.
- The Cooling: This is the part everyone messes up. After you slide the iron out, catch the curl in your hand. Let it cool for three seconds before dropping it. If you drop it while it's still piping hot, gravity will pull that curl straight before it even sets.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think a Marcel iron is just "harder to use." That's not the point. The point is versatility.
You can use a 1-inch Marcel to create Hollywood waves, beachy textures, or tight spiral curls. Because you can control the tension, you can use the iron like a wand (wrapping hair over the closed shell) or like a traditional iron.
📖 Related: Metropolitan Funeral Home Obituaries: Why They Are Harder to Find Than You Think
If you have thick, coarse hair, the Marcel is a godsend. Traditional spring irons often don't have enough "grip" to hold a thick section, but with a Marcel, you can squeeze that handle to ensure every strand gets the heat it needs. Conversely, if you have fine hair, you can keep the clamp barely touching the hair so you don't crush the volume out of it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Holding it too tight: You only need enough pressure to keep the hair from sliding out.
- Wrong Temperature: Just because it goes to 450°F doesn't mean you should use it. For fine hair, stay around 300°F. For thick or "resistant" hair, 380°F is usually the sweet spot.
- Ignoring the "S" Shape: To get the classic Marcel wave, you have to alternate the direction of the iron—over and under—rather than just spinning it in circles.
Getting Started for Real
If you're ready to ditch the spring iron, don't just grab the most expensive one you find. The Hot Tools Pro Artist 24K Gold Marcel Iron is the industry standard. It’s affordable and the gold-plating helps with heat distribution.
If you're worried about hair health, the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium version is great because titanium is smoother and less likely to snag the cuticle.
✨ Don't miss: Pictures of Different Types of Bees: Why You’re Probably Misidentifying Your Garden Visitors
Next Steps for You:
- Buy a mannequin head. Seriously. Don't practice your first "live" Marcel curls on your own head. You will burn your ears.
- Practice the "Click." Spend 15 minutes a day clicking the cold iron until your fingers don't cramp.
- Watch the "Barrel Feed" technique. Look for videos by Sam Villa or Paul Mitchell educators. They show how to "walk" the hair down the barrel—that’s the secret to those long-lasting, uniform curls.
- Low and slow. Start at the lowest heat setting possible. You can always turn the heat up, but you can’t un-fry your hair.