A curling iron operable to protect a portion of the user's skin that is adjacent the heating element from incidental contact with the heating element. The curling iron further includes a handle that is integrally mounted to the heating element. A shield is slidably mounted to the handle and is configured to be deployed to substantially extend the length of the heating element. The shield is further configured to be rotatable about the circumference of the heating element so as to maintain a position such that the shield is intermediate the heating element and the user's skin.