Curling Iron Size for Short Hair
By Ashley Rubell Published
Slim 3/8" tourmaline ceramic barrel for tight curls and ringlets, with LCD display, nine
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A curl needs enough hair to wrap around the barrel at least once. That one fact decides most of this. On a 1.25" barrel, one full wrap takes almost 4 inches of hair, so a chin-length bob gets half a turn and a bend, not a curl. On short hair, smaller barrels are the ones that actually curl.
Barrel size by haircut
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| Haircut | Barrel to start with | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pixie, under about 3 in | Slim plates or a 3/8" barrel | Texture and lift, a few defined pieces |
| Ear to chin-length bob | 3/8" to 0.5" | Real curls rather than bends |
| Chin to shoulder bob | 0.5" to 1" | Curls at the ends, waves through the middle |
| Lob, at or just past the shoulders | 1" to 1.25" | Loose curls and beach waves |
These are starting points. Fine hair holds a smaller curl better, so go down a size if your curls drop out by lunch. Thick hair with a lot of body can usually go up one.
Pixie and very short cuts
On a pixie, a barrel is often too much. A slim flat iron is easier. The 0.3" Pencil Flat Iron and the Cool Curl Pencil 0.65" both have narrow plates that reach the short pieces near the hairline and at the nape. The Cool Curl Pencil also blows cool air through 104 vents, which Wavytalk built for short hair and root lift. Clamp near the base at the crown and lift up and out for volume, then flip or bend a few front pieces.
If you'd rather curl, a 3/8" barrel is the only size that will wrap pixie-length hair at all.
Chin-length bob
This is where the 3/8" Small Curling Iron earns its place. The barrel is about as small as curling irons get, and a short section wraps two or three times, which is what makes a curl hold. Use small sections, about as wide as the barrel, and hold for a few seconds. Let each curl cool in your hand before you let it go.
The 3/8" iron has nine settings from 260°F to 420°F, so you can keep fine hair at the low end. Turn on the temperature lock so you don't nudge the heat up mid-style.
For a softer bob, the 0.5" wand in the 5-in-1 Curling Wand Set gives a slightly looser curl with the same small-section approach.
Shoulder-length and lob
Now you have enough length for 1" barrels. The 5-in-1's tapered wand runs from 0.5" to 1". Keep the wide end at the top and the curls come out looser near the face and tighter at the ends, which suits a lob well. The 1" bubble wand in the same set gives a messier, textured bend if polished curls aren't the look.
Three short-hair habits
- Skip the last inch. Leaving the ends out of the barrel keeps a bob from looking too done up.
- Curl away from the face at the front, and alternate directions at the back.
- Brush out once it's cold. Short curls bounce up tight at first. Loosen them with your fingers, or a brush once they've cooled.
For every diameter beyond short hair, see the full curling iron barrel size guide, or browse Curling Wands.