If you’re looking to buy the best hair straighteners, I’m here to help! My name is Jennifer and I’ve been a hairstylist for over 10 years. In this post, I will share my favorite ways to use flat irons and how to choose the right one for your hair type.
What are Hair Straighteners?
Hair straighteners, or flat irons as they are also called, create sleek and straight styles by using heat to flatten the natural curls. There are two types of hair straighteners to choose from ceramic and tourmaline. Ceramic is a cheaper option but heats up quickly; Tourmaline has a more expensive price tag but lasts longer because it heats up slowly.
Hair straightening is a technique of hair styling used since the 1890s involving the flattening and straightening of hair in order to give it a smooth, streamlined, and sleek appearance, and to do this people use an electronic device called a hair straightener. More precisely we can say that it’s a device that is used for straightening curly or wavy hair types.
Types of Hair Straighteners
Different types of Hair Straightener Plates
- Ceramic Hair Straighteners
- Tourmaline Hair Straighteners
- Titanium Hair Straighteners
- Ionic Hair Straighteners
- Infrared Heat Hair Straightener
- Conair Pro Styler Flat Iron
what is a GHD Hair Straightener?
The GHD hair straightener is a popular tool for women. It has many features that make it an excellent choice including the fact that it heats up quickly, provides consistent heat throughout your styling session and can be used on all types of hair.
The GHD Hair Straighteners use a two inches wide ceramic plate and advanced heat technology. They make it easy to glide through your thick, long, or curly hair. The GHD hair straightener goes from 0 to 185°C in just 30 seconds. They are fast and superior flat irons.
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Advantages of Hair Straighteners
- Hair straighteners can make hair look shinier and healthier
- They are a good way to get rid of frizziness in the morning
- They also help with styling curly or wavy hair
- Straightening your hair is easier than ever before because modern straighteners heat up quickly
- Straightening your hair at home saves money on salon visits and salon products
- You can use them as a curling iron too!
Disadvantages of Hair Straighteners
- Hair straighteners can damage your hair by burning it
- It can cause split ends
- Straightening your hair with a flat iron every day can make it dry and brittle
- If you have curly hair, using an iron will flatten the curls making them look dull and lifeless
- Using a flat iron on wet hair means you are frying it which can lead to breakage and frizziness
- Flat irons only work well on a limited type of hairstyles
- The average person spends $150-$200 per year on expensive salon visits for getting their hair cut, colored, styled, blown-out, etc., all because they don’t want to use something that is damaging their locks in the first place!
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Methods of Hair Straightening
There are two methods of straightening the temporary methods using electronic devices and not using chemicals and the permanent methods using chemicals substances to straighten the hair.
Temporary Straightening
Hair irons and hot combs are designed to temporarily modify the shape/texture of hair. The straightened effect will usually be reversed by environmental factors, mainly contact with water from washing, rain, humidity, etc.
This includes water in styling products such as gels applied after straightening, although careful use of such treatments can still produce usable results not much different from if the user had naturally straight hair before applying the product.
Devices used for Temporary Hair Straightening
There are a few devices we can use for straightening. They are as follows-
- Straightening Comb or Hot Comb- It is a metal comb that is used to straighten moderate or coarse hairs and make it smother the hair textures. The hot comb is first heated and then combing from the roots of the hair.
- Hair iron or Flat iron– It applies heat directly to the hair. There are basically three types of flat iron- Straightening iron (used for straightening the hair), Curling iron (used for curling the hair), and Crimping iron (used for crimping the hair). For shorter hair, use a flat iron with heating plates that are around 0.5 to 1 inch wide; for longer hair, try wider hair irons.
- Hair Straightening Brushes-Hair straightening brushes run on electricity. The bristles produce heat that is then absorbed by the hair by steadily brushing it with the brush. The hair is required to penetrate deep into the brush for maximum effect.
Permanent Hair Straightening
Relaxers and the other methods permanently alter the structure of the hair, although new hair growth is not affected. The drug interferon alpha has been reported as being shown to modify hair follicles causing a permanent change in a person’s hair texture.
Chemical hair straightening uses chemical substances to break disulfide bonds, also called an S-S bond or disulfide bridge, in the hair shaft.
Types of Permanent Straightening-
Here are the three types of permanent straightening-
- Keratin/Brazilian treatment- Here the hair is first layered with keratin and then flat ironing. It stays for 2 to 6 months. It needs 2 to 4 hours to complete the treatment.
- Japanese/thermal reconditioning/yuko/rebonding – A non-coating treatment that makes the cysteine bonds in the hair loosened by application of a chemical for 15-20 minutes, and then heat is applied to restructure the bonds into a straight type.
- Relaxers/chemical straightening- Chemical relaxers break hair’s disulfide bonds. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide, while non-lye relaxers contain calcium hydroxide and can be used on more sensitive scalps.
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What is a Hair Straightening Brush?
A straightening brush is simply an electronic device that straightens hair. It combines the power of a flat iron with the gentle styling of a brush, perfect for any hair type and length. This brush simply gives perfectly straight, salon-quality results in just minutes, with no flat iron damage, no chemicals, and no hassle.
What is Flat iron?
A hair iron or hair tong is a tool used to change the structure of the hair using heat with a ceramic coating in it. Most models have electric heating; cordless curling irons or flat irons typically use butane, and some flat irons use batteries.
What is a Straightening Cream?
Straightening cream or more commonly known as relaxer is a chemical lotion used to straighten hairs. The lotion contains a strong alkaline solution and mostly uses ammonium thioglycolate (HSCH2CO2NH4) along with formaldehyde (CH2O). Do not use it as these chemicals are very harmful to hair and scalp.
Hair Straightener for Men-
A lot of guys use a flat iron to straighten their hairs and also to make their hair look shiny and smooth. Before using the flat iron use heat protection spray so that it can protect hair from intending heat of the flat iron. Nowadays there are also straighteners for beard so that you are beard look stylish.
How to use Hair Straightener at Home?
Modern technologies have come up with trendy flat iron straighteners that are user-friendly. No longer has a person had to visit a salon if you want straight hair. However, using a hair straightener may not be easy for someone who has not used it before. Though flat irons are simple to use, one needs to be aware of the associated factors to ensure safety. If you are a beginner, here is a simple guide on how to use hair straightener at home.
There are a few steps that we need to know before using Flat iron-
- Use smoothing or moisturizing shampoos and conditioners- These are specially formulated to create straight or sleek hair.
- Use your towel to remove water from your Pat your hair dry after getting out of the shower. Hair by gently squeezing your hair in sections rather than harshly ruffling it dry. Patting your hair dry helps prevent excess frizz from occurring after showering.
- Use a thermal protection serum or heat treatment while your hair is wet. You should apply it when your hair is wet because it allows you to evenly spread the serum around your hair without creating clumps. Comb your hair with a wide-toothed comb after applying.
- Blow-dry your hair. You want your hair to be as dry as possible when straightening. Not only will this allow your flat iron to work better, but it will also prevent your hair from any shocks by the heat and breaking off.
- While making the hair ready for straightening, divide the hair into sections so that you can straighten your hair uniformly on all sides.
Steps to Use Hair Straighteners or Flat Irons
- Set the correct temperature on the iron. It depends on the length of the hair. Refer to the manual for directions.
- Leave an inch from the root and start straightening your hair. Straighten one section of hair at a time. Repeat the method for each section.
- Enjoy looking at your sleek and straight hair in the mirror.
