Long ultra-straight hair never gets out of fashion. In fact, you can rock this look with any outfit at any season. When having a professional hairstylist isn’t always possible, using hair straighteners will save the day. Using the right hair tools create magic to your hair. They help you easily manage a bad hair day. You can transform frizzy hair into a stunningly straight hair with a hair flat iron.
What are the Best Types of Hair Straighteners?
Picking the right type of hair straightener is the first step towards having a good hair straightening experience. The plates of a hair straightener typically vary with the material. Which one suits you and your hair best? Find out from this rundown of the different types of hair straighteners.
Ceramic
Designed to Do: Hair flat irons made of ceramic material are chosen to provide hair and even heat distribution. It is one of the best materials for hair straighteners because it is less likely to burn your hair. They typically have a smooth and non-glossy surface. Choose a ceramic-plated hair flat iron instead of ceramic-coated one. It works better due to several reasons. While ceramic-coated straighteners heat-up more quickly due to the metal plates beneath, they don’t stay as hot as a pure ceramic plate.
Best Feature: Uniform heat distribution
Perfect For: Fine and thin hair with straight to wavy texture
Titanium
Designed to Do: This type of material works faster compared with ceramic plates. If you are in need of a faster way to straighten your hair then select a flat iron that is made from Titanium materials. Titanium retains heat for a longer time because it is more compact. Although it may cost a little higher than ceramic options, the major advantage for you is durability. Titanium hair straighteners can last for many years before you even need to replace it.
Best Feature: Quickly heats-up and is very lightweight
Perfect For: Thick, coarse hair
Tourmaline
Designed to Do: The most luxurious type of a hair flat iron features tourmaline-covered plates. This kind of material for hair flat iron works in making sure that the result for the hair is shiny and smooth. Why a high price? Tourmaline is actually a rare gemstone used to cover the plates of iron. It makes the plates smoother to protect hair from damage. It makes the plates sturdy and produces consistent heat when used. This technology also releases negative ions that make hair look more healthy and shiny.
Best Feature: Super smooth surface and high durability of plates
Perfect For: Fine, tightly coiled hair
Other Options
Metal or glass plates are some of the cheaper options (you shouldn’t go for). They are popular for all the wrong reasons. These plates are simply not good for your hair. They take too long to heat up, and the give off inconsistent heat. It will create hot spots that could burn your hair.
There are other less-known coverings for plates like silicon or rubber. You can find numerous articles about these types of hair straighteners that say these are the most affordable ones. That’s just about it. Everything else is not satisfactory especially when it comes to efficiency in taming your frizz.
Beware of low-quality hair straighteners that can burn, damage, and break hair easily.
Getting the Right Hair Straightener Size
Hair straighteners come in different forms, styles, and sizes. Various brands may offer different types of different features. But, choosing the perfect size of hair flat iron is determined by your hair length and cut. For pixie cuts, a mini flat iron will do. But, if you have thick curls and longer hair, then getting a bigger hair iron is the best option. Choose 2-inch width flat iron for extra-long and thick hair.
Hair straighteners with narrower plates are lighter and easier to use. On the other hand, wider plates can cover a larger area of hair for quicker straightening.
What is the Best Temperature Setting for Your Hair?
Having a temperature adjustment is very important because not all hair is the same. Go for hair straighteners with either buttons, dials, or switches for adjusting the temperature. Different hair textures require different temperatures for ironing. Remember this simple guide:
- Normal hair needs a temperature setting between 356 °F to 374 °F (180 °C to 190 °C).
- Damaged, very fine, and colored hair will need a temperature setting of below 356 °F (180 °C) only. Excessive heat may damage these hair types.
- Very thick, coarse or curly hair will need a higher setting of 374 °F to 410 °F (190 °C to 210 °C).
Heat Protectant Spray
When it comes to heat styling tools, Healthy Hair Lifestyle’s number one focus is hair protection. Make sure to get the size of iron plate suitable for your hair. Keep in mind the appropriate temperature settings to avoid destroying your hair.
A proper hair care should always include hair protection products to maintain hair’s health. Heat from hair straighteners can seriously damage your hair and take away all its benefits. To prevent damage, invest in a good quality heat protectant spray. Other heat protection products come in serums or leave-on forms.
Using hair treatment products are also your best fallback. Getting the right hair treatment not only saves a severely damaged hair. It can also protect and strengthen the strands of hair from within. Choose natural hair treatments like essential oils that are deeply nourishing to keep hair healthy.
7 Steps to Straight Hair
Here’s how a typical hair straightening session should go:
- Wash your hair first with a nourishing shampoo and conditioner
- Dry your hair with a towel or use a hair dryer in low setting (Remember: This is only to dry your hair; you’re not going for a blowout)
- Comb the hair to remove tangles
- Apply heat protection spray
- Divide the hair into layers and sections
- Turn on the hair iron and set into correct temperature
- Straighten the hair one layer at a time, beginning with the bottom layer. Leave an inch from the roots to avoid burning your scalp.