Important tips to choose the best hair straightener

For your shiny, straight and beautiful hair there’s no alternative than the right flat iron. Hair straightener is a styler every woman needs to have in her closet. A hair straightener can be doubled as a volumeser as well as a hair curler.

Count a good hair straightener as an investment. So buy something you’re going to use for a long time instead of buying something that you’re going to throw away after first few uses. The right hair straightener should quickly straighten your hair without any damage caused by heat, heats up pretty fast and includes convenient temperature control.

So how do you pick the right hair straightener? Without further ado let’s learn about the top five steps to follow so you can pick the best hair straightener today.

Choosing the right shape

A flat iron isn’t just flat, the edges of the blades includes to its versatility. If the hair straightener includes iron blades that are slightly rounded on the outer edge of the blades, it can be used as a hair curler. A flat iron that is sharp on the edges can give you more straight hair.

Width of the plates

Consider getting a wider plate if you want to spend less time straightening your hair. But if you plan to travel with your hair straightener you need straighteners with smaller plates. That’s because bigger straighteners take way more space. If the straightener you have in mind is a big one, consider getting a smaller travel ready hair straightener. Take the smaller hair straightener with you when you’re traveling.

Dual voltage capability for international travelers.

Try getting a hair straightener with dual voltage option if you’re planning to travel to Europe.

Selecting the right plates

Hair straighteners come with plates made with different metals and or other substances. You should consider the right type of material for your hair. Please find the types below with a description so you can pick the right hair straightener for you.

Titanium irons: They are great for evenly heating with higher temperature. These hair straighteners are pricy. The good news is you don’t need titanium plates unless you have very curly coarse hair.

Ceramic irons: Ceramics create the best value and most effective plates. Ceramics are famous for evenly heating. The biggest drawback of ceramic coated hair straightener is they wear down over time. Once the ceramic coating wears off you’re left with an iron that doesn’t distribute the heat evenly. May not even work at all.

Diamond Ceramic plates that include Teflon: These are the ultimate performance machine you would want to own. Amazing result is seen in one stroke. The technology enables the plates with high even heat across the plates and reduced hot spots. The smooth Teflon coating improves gliding ability. The diamond Ceramic plates also provide smoother glide.

Plates Coated with Ceramic and Teflon: Remington exclusively uses Teflon coating currently for some of their flat irons. Teflon ensures your hair glide through the iron, more precisely through the plates without snagging. Teflon prevents any residue buildup on the plates. Residue of styling products such as heat protection on the plates are known of snagging.

Tourmaline plates: Tourmaline is a blessing for damaged hair. They are also called as ionic plates. These plates produce more negative ions which reduces frizz and seals the hair shaft.

Tourmaline Ceramic plates: It’s a special technic that combines the benefits of ionic and infrared technology. The result is healthier and more manageable hair. The plates do generate negative ions. The ions then lock in moisture and improve hair condition. The tourmaline ceramic plates also removes static which makes sure your hair stays frizz free. The gentle infra-red heat provides you with high-shine finish.

Choosing the right temperature

High heat straightens your hair faster, improves the effectiveness of the straightener but not all hair types can withstand high temperature. High heat can damage your hair. You should definitely consider an iron that offers adjustable heat settings. Start with the lowest temperature setting and slowly up the temperature until you think is the highest safe temperature for your hair.

Low cost irons sometimes wont heat up evenly which causes uneven texture and may sometimes end up burning sections of your hair.

Warranty

This is a must check. Yes hair straightener irons may not have too many electronic components but they can easily be broken. So many things can go wrong with a hair straightener. So always pay attention to the warranty before buying. This is especially true for the expensive irons.

Many irons have 1 year warranty which is good but check out the terms as well. If they don’t cover over heating and burning caused by manufacturer defect, what is the warranty worth for?

Caring the hair straighteners

It may appear they won’t need much cleaning but the truth is they to need to be cleaned up. Residues or hair buildups left on the plates could reduce the effectiveness of the plates.

Try running a damp washcloth over the plates once you’re done using the iron. You may use liquid soap as well if only the debris isn’t easily cleaned.

Caution: Do not clean it while it is plugged in under any circumstances.

Choosing the right size

Straighteners come in a few different shapes. The most known types are:

• Normal hair straighteners
• Mini hair straighteners.

Get a regular sized straightener for your daily use. These are heavy duty irons and can be your daily driver. Choose mini irons when you need to travel. Mini ones are easy to pack and carry.

Features and Characteristics: You should also consider minor features and characteristics of a straightener before purchase. Let’s find out what else to consider:

Time to heat up: This is very important. It’s not only annoying if your iron takes time to heat up but it can as well mess with your hair. Heating up late may result low temperature when you think you gave it enough time to heat up which may cause less than satisfactory results.

Steam or wet: Steam irons are good for towel dried hair. They are usually made up of Ceramic. Steam is used to straighten hair without any direct contact of steel plates. This is good if you want less damage to your hair.

I hope this article helped you with arming the right knowledge so you can make an educated decision before purchasing the best flat iron.