When it comes to hair tools, one of the best investments you can make is in a hair straightening iron. They are extremely versatile tools and it doesn’t matter what type of hair you have-curly, wavy, damaged, thick, fine, or even naturally straight – you will be able to benefit from this amazing hair tool.
Hair straighteners offer a quick and easy way to tame frizzy, curly, or unruly hair. Heated plates glide along the hair follicles, straightening the hair as they go. As with any type of hot styling, straightening hair can cause damage. However, if a good quality straightener is used, the risk of damage decreases substantially and hair is left looking sleek, glossy, and healthy. Using a heat protection product, such as a spray or lotion, further protects hair against damage.
Buying the right hair straighteners depends on a number of features and product characteristics. Read on to know the tips to buying a hair straightener:
PLATE TYPE: Plate type make a great difference to your straightening experience. Know the types of plates and their effects before buying any hair straightener.
- Ceramic Coated: These heat up quickly as they’re excellent heat conductors. Low friction between plate and hair means there’s less hair damage. These smooth plates will give you ultra straight hair with added shine.
- Solid Ceramic: Solid ceramic plates retain heat at a constant temperature throughout the styling process and produce the smoothest and shiniest finish to hair. Ensures even heat across the plate, allowing for effective straightening in one go without having to go over an area twice.
- Ceramic & Teflon Coated Plates: Teflon non-stick coating is exclusive to Remington and ensures the hair glides through the plates without snagging. It also prevents the build-up of styling products such as heat protection on the plates of the straightener which is a known cause of snagging.
- Touramaline Ceramic Plates: Touramaline Ceramic Plates combine the benefits of ionic and infrared technology for healthier, more manageable hair. These plates generate negative ions to help lock in moisture and improve hair condition, whilst removing the static which causes frizz. They emit gentle infra-red heat as they glide through your hair for the ultimate high-shine finish.
- Ceramic Diamond Plates with Teflon: These give high performance in one stroke- Improved high even heat and reduced hot spots for better protection. This type of plate incorporates a smooth Teflon coating. Diamond improves the plates to give 75% smoother glide.
OTHER FEATUES AND CHARACTERISTICS: Understanding hair straightener features and characteristics simplifies the purchasing process and allows the buyer to make an informed decision.
- Heat up time: Time taken for the plates to heat up to the desired temperature describes initial heat up time and heat up time while in use. Better straighteners have a fast heat up time.
- Temperature: Straighteners with a high maximum temperature usually yield the best results but such a temperature setting is not suitable for all hair types. Most straighteners feature variable temperature settings. Flexibility allows users to choose the most appropriate setting for their hair. Straighteners with digital displays allow the highest level of accuracy
- Steam or Wet to straight: These kinds of straighteners can be used on towel dried hair and usually made up of ceramic. They straighten hair with steam and hence no dorect contact of steel plates involved. This ensures less hair damage.
- Ionic straightening: Plates generate negative ions to lock in moisture and remove static that causes frizz.
- Far infrared heat: in these kinds of straightener, hair is heated from the inside and hence less likely to damage the hair. Heat is distributed evenly, yielding faster results
- Plate width: The ideal size and width of the hair straightener’s plates depends on the buyer’s hair type and length. Slim plates are 2.5 to 3 centimetres wide and are best suited to straightening short hair. Medium plates are 3 to 4 centimetres wide and suitable for short to medium length hair. Wide plates are up to 6 centimetres wide and work best on long, thick hair. Buyers with fine hair can use hair straighteners with slim to medium plates, but those with thick hair should consider wide plates. As wide plates come into contact with more hair for every pass through, thick hair is straightened faster with straighteners with wide plates.
The perfect hair straightener depends on the budget as well as the buyer’s needs. For a basic, affordable hair straightener, choose a model with ceramic plates and variable temperature settings. If the focus is on choosing a model that is kind to the hair, then select a device with ionic straightening or far infrared heating. Buyers with frizzy hair should also consider these straighteners. Those who travel often should consider a hair straightener with worldwide voltage or, if packing space is a concern, a travel straightener.