No, that's not a burn mark on my forehead...

Well, okay, maybe it is...
Sometimes, I feel like there should be a mandatory safety class that you have to take before you can purchase a heat appliance for your hair. I'd take it just so I could learn to stop burning my fingers & forehead! I can't be the only one who does this, right? I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been SO glad that I wear bangs! They'll hide a red mark the size of a mini Milky Way bar. Yes, I know this from experience - thanks for asking. Well, while perusing the Glamour website, I came across an article that seemed tailor-made for me - "How Not To Lightly Sear Your Fingers Whilst Curling Your Hair". First, I laughed at the title, then I felt relief that I wasn't alone, and finally, I settled down to read the article. It suggests wearing fitted heat-resistant gloves, like the Ove Glove, while styling your hair! Brilliant! Can I tape one to my forehead?

I decided to see what other gloves I could find, and it seems that they are quite plentiful! Who knew? 

The Enzo Milano heat-resistant glove, available through amazon.com for $10

 

The HAI Elite Heat-Resistant One-Size-Fits All Glove, also available from amazon.com for $30

The HAI Elite Iron Tips - they just cover the thumb & index finger - available at amazon.com for $14.99

The Pure Heat G-0103 3-Finger Iron Glove, available at amazon.com for $17

I think I'd probably require a glove for both hands as I tend to be a bit uncoordinated when working with a curling iron. I'm also wondering if heat-resistant gloves would be necessary or if just wearing a pair of tight-fitting cloth gloves would offer enough protection since you would feel the increased warmth and be able to move your fingers before they were burned.

Other than advice saying to place a comb between the forehead & the iron, I wasn't able to find much to prevent forehead burns. I'll be honest - I do the comb trick a time or two, and then I stop, because I think "Oh, I know I have to be careful - I won't burn myself again". And then one day, as I'm curling the front of my hair, my husband or one of the kids barges into the bathroom and either startles or distracts me. You see where I'm going with this - and yes, once again I give thanks for my bangs. This is one reason why I rarely use a curling iron. My forehead is pretty safe with a flat iron.

The glove article did mention another Glamour article - one about Ear Cuffies. Apparently, these are worn to protect your ears from burns. I'm not sure that I've ever burned my ears - if I did, it must not have been too bad or I'd remember it, right? But I can see how it might be a problem if your ears stick out. I'm not saying that if you've ever burned your ears with a curling iron you must have ears that stick out - just that it might be one reason why it happens to some people. Not you. Other people.