Crimp vs. Curl — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 20, 2024
Crimping involves pressing hair into small, sharp bends or zigzags using a crimping iron, while curling creates smooth, rounded loops with a curling iron.
Difference Between Crimp and Curl
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Crimping hair involves using a crimping iron that has serrated plates to create a series of bends or zigzags along the strands. Whereas, curling involves wrapping hair around a cylindrical barrel to produce spirals or waves.
The crimped style is characterized by its edgy, textured appearance, giving a voluminous look with more defined and angular forms. On the other hand, curled hair offers a soft, flowing appearance with smooth curves that enhance the hair’s natural volume and bounce.
Crimp irons are specifically designed with plates that press the hair into jagged, uniform patterns. Whereas, curling irons have smooth barrels that vary in diameter to achieve different types of curls, from tight ringlets to loose waves.
The techniques also differ significantly: crimping requires clamping the hair between the plates in sections and pressing firmly to imprint the pattern. In contrast, curling requires twisting the hair around the iron and holding it briefly to form curls.
While both methods apply heat to style hair, crimping often creates a more dramatic and bold look suitable for edgy or retro styles. Curling, on the other hand, is versatile for creating everything from casual beachy waves to elegant, formal hairstyles.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Tool Design
Serrated plates
Smooth cylindrical barrel
Hair Style
Zigzag patterns
Loops and spirals
Appearance
Edgy, voluminous
Soft, flowing
Technique
Pressing hair between plates
Wrapping hair around the barrel
Versatility
More dramatic, specific looks
Suitable for various occasions
Compare with Definitions
Crimp
To style hair by pressing it into zigzags or small waves.
She crimped her hair for the 80s theme party.
Curl
A technique to create loops or ringlets.
He used a curling iron to add bouncy curls to the ends of her hair.
Crimp
A method that involves bending hair into angular patterns.
Using the crimping iron, he added texture to his client's hairstyle.
Curl
Adaptable for both casual and formal looks.
She quickly curled her hair to enhance her evening attire.
Crimp
Creates a textured, voluminous effect.
Her crimped hairstyle added an edgy touch to her outfit.
Curl
Uses a heated rod or iron.
Using a thin curling wand, she created tight spirals.
Crimp
Often used for bold or dramatic hair designs.
The stylist crimped the hair along the crown to create more volume.
Curl
To style hair by winding it around a cylindrical tool.
She curled her hair softly for the wedding.
Crimp
Requires a special styling tool with serrated plates.
She bought a new crimping iron to achieve her desired look.
Curl
Produces soft, rounded forms.
Her curled hair framed her face beautifully.
Crimp
To press or pinch into small regular folds or ridges
Crimp a pie crust.
Curl
To twist (the hair, for example) into ringlets or coils.
Crimp
To bend or mold (leather) into shape.
Curl
To form into a coiled or spiral shape
Curled the ends of the ribbon.
Crimp
To cause (hair) to form tight curls or waves.
Curl
To decorate with coiled or spiral shapes.
Crimp
To have a hampering or obstructive effect on
Supplies of foreign oil were crimped by the embargo.
Curl
To raise and turn under (the upper lip), as in snarling or showing scorn.
Crimp
To procure (sailors or soldiers) by trickery or coercion.
Curl
(Sports) To lift (a weight) by performing a curl.
Crimp
The act of crimping.
Curl
To form ringlets or coils.
Crimp
Hair that has been tightly curled or waved.
Curl
To assume a spiral or curved shape.
Crimp
A series of curls, as of wool fibers.
Curl
To move in a curve or spiral
The wave curled over the surfer.
Crimp
A crease or bend.
Curl
(Sports) To engage in curling.
Crimp
An obstructing or hampering agent or force
Rising interest rates put a crimp in new home construction.
Curl
Something with a spiral or coiled shape.
Crimp
A person who tricks or coerces others into service as sailors or soldiers.
Curl
A coil or ringlet of hair.
Crimp
(obsolete) Easily crumbled; friable; brittle.
Curl
A treatment in which the hair is curled.
Crimp
(obsolete) Weak; inconsistent; contradictory.
Curl
The act of curling
The curl of a meandering river.
Crimp
A fastener or a fastening method that secures parts by bending metal around a joint and squeezing it together, often with a tool that adds indentations to capture the parts.
The strap was held together by a simple metal crimp.
Curl
The state of being curled.
Crimp
The natural curliness of wool fibres.
Curl
(Sports) A weightlifting exercise using one or two hands, in which a weight held at the thigh or to the side of the body is raised to the chest or shoulder and then lowered without moving the upper arms, shoulders, or back.
Crimp
Hair that is shaped so it bends back and forth in many short kinks.
Curl
Any of various plant diseases in which the leaves roll up.
Crimp
(obsolete) A card game.
Curl
A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.
Crimp
(climbing) A small hold with little surface area.
Curl
A curved stroke or shape.
Crimp
(climbing) A grip on such a hold.
Curl
A spin making the trajectory of an object curve.
Crimp
An agent who procures seamen, soldiers, etc., especially by decoying, entrapping, impressing, or seducing them.
Curl
(curling) Movement of a moving rock away from a straight line.
Crimp
One who infringes sub-section 1 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1854, applied to a person other than the owner, master, etc., who engages seamen without a license from the Board of Trade.
Curl
(weightlifting) Any exercise performed by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially those that train the biceps.
Crimp
(obsolete) A keeper of a low lodging house where sailors and emigrants are entrapped and fleeced.
Curl
(calculus) The vector field denoting the rotationality of a given vector field.
The curl of the vector field is the vector field .
Crimp
To press into small ridges or folds, to pleat, to corrugate.
Cornish pasties are crimped during preparation.
Curl
The vector operator, denoted or , that generates this field.
Crimp
(electricity) To fasten by bending metal so that it squeezes around the parts to be fastened.
He crimped the wire in place.
Curl
(agriculture) Any of various diseases of plants causing the leaves or shoots to curl up; often specifically the potato curl.
Crimp
To pinch and hold; to seize.
Curl
The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the flame.
The one-piece back is of a medium curl.
Crimp
To style hair into a crimp, to form hair into tight curls, to make it kinky.
Curl
(American football) A pattern where the receiver appears to be running a fly pattern but after a set number of steps or yards quickly stops and turns around, looking for a pass.
Crimp
(climbing) to hold using a crimp
Curl
(transitive) To cause to move in a curve.
Crimp
(transitive) To impress (seamen or soldiers); to entrap, to decoy.
Curl
(transitive) To make into a curl or spiral.
Crimp
To fold or plait in regular undulation in such a way that the material will retain the shape intended; to give a wavy appearance to; as, to crimp the border of a cap; to crimp a ruffle. Cf. Crisp.
The comely hostess in a crimped cap.
Curl
(intransitive) To assume the shape of a curl or spiral.
Crimp
To pinch and hold; to seize.
Curl
(intransitive) To move in curves.
Crimp
To entrap into the military or naval service; as, to crimp seamen.
Coaxing and courting with intent to crimp him.
Curl
To take part in the sport of curling.
I curl at my local club every weekend.
Crimp
To cause to contract, or to render more crisp, as the flesh of a fish, by gashing it, when living, with a knife; as, to crimp skate, etc.
Curl
To exercise by bending the arm, wrist, or leg on the exertion against resistance, especially of the biceps.
Crimp
In cartridge making, to fold the edge of (a cartridge case) inward so as to close the mouth partly and confine the charge.
Curl
To twist or form (the hair, etc.) into ringlets.
Crimp
Easily crumbled; friable; brittle.
Now the fowler . . . treads the crimp earth.
Curl
To deck with, or as if with, curls; to ornament.
Crimp
Weak; inconsistent; contradictory.
The evidence is crimp; the witnesses swear backward and forward, and contradict themselves.
Curl
To raise in waves or undulations; to ripple.
Crimp
A coal broker.
Curl
(hat-making) To shape (the brim of a hat) into a curve.
Crimp
One who decoys or entraps men into the military or naval service.
Curl
To twist or form into ringlets; to crisp, as the hair.
But curl their locks with bodkins and with braid.
Crimp
A keeper of a low lodging house where sailors and emigrants are entrapped and fleeced.
Curl
To twist or make onto coils, as a serpent's body.
Of his tortuous train,Curled many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve.
Crimp
Hair which has been crimped; - usually in pl.
Curl
To deck with, or as with, curls; to ornament.
Thicker than the snaky locksThat curledMegæra.
Curling with metaphors a plain intention.
Crimp
A game at cards.
Curl
To raise in waves or undulations; to ripple.
Seas would be pools without the brushing airTo curl the waves.
Crimp
An angular or rounded shape made by folding;
A fold in the napkin
A crease in his trousers
A plication on her blouse
A flexure of the colon
A bend of his elbow
Curl
To shape (the brim) into a curve.
Crimp
Someone who tricks or coerces men into service as sailors or soldiers
Curl
To contract or bend into curls or ringlets, as hair; to grow in curls or spirals, as a vine; to be crinkled or contorted; to have a curly appearance; as, leaves lie curled on the ground.
Thou seest it [hair] will not curl by nature.
Crimp
A lock of hair that has been artificially waved or curled
Curl
To move in curves, spirals, or undulations; to contract in curving outlines; to bend in a curved form; to make a curl or curls.
Then round her slender waist he curled.
Curling smokes from village tops are seen.
Gayly curl the waves before each dashing prow.
He smiled a king of sickly smile, and curled up on the floor.
Crimp
Make ridges into by pinching together
Curl
To play at the game called curling.
Crimp
Curl tightly;
Crimp hair
Curl
A ringlet, especially of hair; anything of a spiral or winding form.
Under a coronet, his flowing hairIn curls on either cheek played.
Curl
An undulating or waving line or streak in any substance, as wood, glass, etc.; flexure; sinuosity.
If the glass of the prisms . . . be without those numberless waves or curls which usually arise from the sand holes.
Curl
A disease in potatoes, in which the leaves, at their first appearance, seem curled and shrunken.
Curl
A round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
Curl
American chemist who with Richard Smalley and Harold Kroto discovered fullerenes and opened a new branch of chemistry (born in 1933)
Curl
A strand or cluster of hair
Curl
Form a curl, curve, or kink;
The cigar smoke curled up at the ceiling
Curl
Shape one's body into a curl;
She curled farther down under the covers
She fell and drew in
Curl
Wind around something in coils or loops
Curl
Twist or roll into coils or ringlets;
Curl my hair, please
Curl
Play the Scottish game of curling
Common Curiosities
How long do crimped and curled styles typically last?
Both styles last until the next wash, though their longevity can depend on hair type, the strength of the product used, and environmental factors.
Which technique is better for thin hair?
Curling is generally better for thin hair as it adds volume without the harsh bends that crimping creates, which can emphasize thinness.
Is crimped hair currently in fashion?
Crimped hair cycles in and out of fashion, often appearing in bold or retro-inspired styles.
Can crimping cause more damage to hair than curling?
Both can cause damage if used excessively or without proper heat protection, but crimping might involve more direct heat application due to the pattern it imposes.
Are there alternative methods to achieve crimped or curled styles without heat?
Yes, braiding damp hair and leaving it to dry can create a crimped effect, while rollers or rags can be used for curls without heat.
How do I maintain crimped or curled hairstyles overnight?
Sleeping with hair loosely tied up and using a silk pillowcase can help maintain both styles.
What type of products enhance crimped or curled hairstyles?
Mousse or volumizing spray enhances crimped styles, while light hairspray or curl-enhancing products work well for curls.
Can crimped and curled hairstyles be combined?
Yes, combining the two styles can create a unique, textured look, especially for creative or avant-garde hairstyles.
What is the main tool difference between crimping and curling?
Crimping uses a tool with serrated plates, while curling is done with a smooth cylindrical barrel.
Is there a preferred hair length for crimping or curling?
Both techniques can be used on various hair lengths, but very short hair might be difficult to crimp or curl effectively.
Can the same results be achieved with straighteners?
Some straighteners can be used to curl hair, but specialized tools are recommended for best results in both crimping and curling.
What protective measures should be taken when using heated styling tools?
Always use a heat protectant spray, and ensure the hair is dry to prevent heat damage.
What are the best occasions to wear crimped or curled hairstyles?
Crimped hair suits edgy, thematic events, while curled hairstyles are versatile for both casual outings and formal gatherings.
Which is faster to style, crimping or curling?
Curling generally takes less time, especially with practice, as crimping requires precise placement to ensure the pattern is consistent.
Which hair type is less suited for crimping and curling?
Extremely fine or brittle hair should avoid both techniques, or use them sparingly with extensive protective measures, due to the risk of damage.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Business vs. Finance
Next Comparison
Cyborg vs. RobotAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
