Hair straighteners can make an enormous difference to your appearance, but selecting one that meets your individual needs is paramount to success. Avoid straighteners that are too hot or flat irons that are too cold.
The best hair straighteners feature adjustable heat settings, cordless styling and ceramic plates designed to smooth strands. Some even feature smoothing ionic technology to keep your locks free from frizz!
Ceramic
Ceramic plates work by slowly heating from within out, gently straightening thin or damaged hair from within out and evenly disbursing heat to prevent hot spots from damaging it further.
Ceramic irons are less likely to damage hair than uncoated metal irons, thanks to their ion-neutralizing technology known as “ionization”, which closes follicles for smooth, shiny results and produces negative ions that help reduce frizz and breakage.
Ceramic flat irons also boast the added advantage of being smooth-gliding through your hair without tugging, meaning less damage to your hair – an attractive benefit that makes ceramic irons popular among women seeking straight, shiny locks with healthy appearances.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline emits far-infrared heat which seals in moisture for smooth, frizz-free locks. Compared to ceramic and titanium, tourmaline produces more negative ions which bind more closely with hair cuticles to protect it against heat damage.
Tourmaline flat irons are perfect for straightening long or thick locks quickly and evenly, producing results faster and requiring fewer passes to achieve desired results.
Tourmaline flat irons also tame frizz and reduce static, as well as eliminating the need for blow-drying. Tourmaline irons can be used on wet or dry hair.
Titanium
Titanium irons are faster and more durable than ceramic plates, yet can heat the hair’s surface more rapidly, potentially causing damage to delicate or fine strands. They may also prove too hot for curly or coarse locks so make sure that you purchase one with wider plates for best results.
Titanium straighteners offer fast, quality hair styling without compromising speed or damage-prone ceramic flat irons. Titanium heats quickly and uniformly to help style hair quickly while less damaging effects than ceramic flat irons can occur.
Titanium’s durability also comes from not corroding or chipping like ceramic, so it will last longer in thick or coarse hair situations.
Titanium flat irons with ionic technology can reduce frizz and static, as well as provide beautiful shine to your locks. Perfect for fine or kinky locks prone to frizzing.
Wet to Dry
If you don’t have time to blow dry your hair before heading out the door, a wet to dry straightener could save time. These irons come equipped with wet/dry indicators which indicate when they can straighten damp hair; alternatively they can also be used on dry locks.
Wet-to-dry flat irons work similarly to regular straighteners, except they employ a special venting system to extract excess water from wet hair and turn it into steam for release through specially designed holes on their plates.
Be wary when using steam on wet hair as it can cause severe burns if applied directly, so be sure to blow-dry your locks to about 80% dry first before trying this method.
