How to use a hair straightener?

Adviсe

• How does a hair straightener work?
• Hair straighteners: how to choose plate material?
• What is the best professional hair straightening iron?
• Selecting the temperature of the hair straightener: temperature control, ionization, indicators
• Additional nuances of choosing an iron
• Conclusion

If you are invited to an evening cocktail, a gala event or a business meeting, straight curls will create a charming and at the same time neat look. Moreover, it doesn’t matter how long they are – today they straighten any (except the extremely short ones).

Whatever you say, straight, shiny, well-groomed hair transforms any girl

A few decades ago, curling irons were the most popular hair styling product, but now there are gentle hair straightening irons. So, let's sort it out, which is the best hair straightening iron to choose?

How does a hair straightener work?

Knowledge of its structure and operating principles will help you understand the criteria for choosing an iron. When the curl is heated, the thermal effect begins on the cortex - the layer of hair under the cuticle that has a hydrogen bond. It dries out (gives up water) as the heating of its working surfaces increases. When moisture leaves the hair, any unevenness is smoothed out and the hair is straightened. In addition to its direct action, such a miracle iron for curls rehabilitates scales that have begun to flake off, smoothing them back to the “trunk” of the hair.

Not all representatives of the fair sex know what a hair straightener is for. It is worth noting the advantages of such a profitable and convenient device. Advantages of a straightening iron as a means of straightening hair:

• Can straighten any hair without exception, including naturally very curled hair.
• For temporary “curls” of your curls during humid, rainy weather, such a device will solve the problem of unruly curls.
• Quickly creates an elegant, formal or sophisticated romantic hairstyle.
• Saving money on going to the hairdresser to re-style your hair.
• Saving time, which a well-groomed aspiring business lady lacks.

The iron can straighten any hair without exception, including naturally very curled hair.
Unattractive aspects of using a straightener:

• Weakening the strength of curls.
• Hair thinning.
• Increased fragility.

Expensive and cheap irons, professional and amateur, have a number of criteria, the value of which determines the “class” and the preferred models. Parameters that distinguish a good device from an unworthy specimen :

1. heating power,
2. the presence of a heating temperature regulator and the number of divisions on it,
3. strength of fastening of parts to each other,
4. the presence of different types of attachments to change the styling style,
5. shape, size, material of the plates, their special properties (temperature, ionization, gap between them, additional accessories).

Beach waves

A very simple type of quick hair styling using a straightening iron:

• Take a strand of hair, twist it around two fingers, pull your fingers out of the resulting ring of hair - and clamp this ring of hair between the hot plates of the iron.
• Wait 15 seconds, then remove the strand from the plates. The result is a light and beautiful wave.
• Do the same manipulation with all other strands.
• Lightly scrunch your hair at the roots with your hands for more volume.

Adjust the volume of the wave by changing the diameter of the hair ring you roll up. This method will not allow you to get large curls; it is designed to create a wavy hair texture.

Hair straighteners: how to choose plate material?

A layer of metal or other substance covering the plates (the most important parts of the iron that directly touch the hairs) can be Teflon, tourmaline, metal, ceramic . How to choose a good hair straightening iron and which one is better?

Metal blades have proven themselves to be the most dangerous for hair health.

They are more likely to only cause harm, and have little benefit, although they do exist: the plates are difficult to scratch and difficult to break. Do not buy products containing metal plates, even though they are cheaper than other styling products. Steel and other metal plates in the iron are heated unevenly, to a temperature of less than two hundred degrees Celsius.

Which curling iron coating is better – titanium or ceramic? Similar questions interest many girls. It's worth looking into this.

• Ceramic models are recommended for consideration, because with uniform heating, the peculiarity of this material allows you to prevent excessive overheating, therefore, ceramics are more gentle on the structure of the curls. Stability of heating and duration of normal maintenance-free operation, easy sliding are its strengths.
• Tourmaline plates (coated with gem powder) are considered the best and most modern. They prevent the appearance and accumulation of static electric charge, which fluffs and lifts the hair.

Tourmaline plates (coated with gem powder) are considered the best and most modern

• Teflon plates are similar to ceramics in terms of heat-conducting properties, but among ceramic irons there is no professional equipment, and this indicates better straightening with the plates in question. Nothing sticks to Teflon: neither hair, nor protective products.
• Double straighteners of the “ceramics-marble” model cost a lot, but they combine the advantages of two different materials, connected and working together on the style: the second component is needed for emergency, instant cooling of the curl, ceramics – for heating and slipping.
• Titanium plates appeared in production recently - just a few years ago. With such a special coating, you can begin keratin hair straightening - a new step in the beauty and hair styling industry.

Selecting the width of the plate and understanding the types of straightening

We recommend reading: Removing dye from hair, how to remove dye correctly?

Some girls believe that the longer the hair, the wider the straightener itself should be. Hairdressers who have been working in their industry for several years also agree with this assumption. Undoubtedly, there is a grain of truth in this. But remember that the wider the plate of your iron, the higher the likelihood that you will burn your hair. Very often girls who have not straightened their hair before come across this question. It is necessary to work with a curling iron with wide plates very quickly. It is for this reason that it is advisable to abandon non-standard options and purchase a plate with a width of about 3 centimeters.

As for hair straightening methods, now some are beginning to give the desired look to their hair even when the curls are wet. Is it possible to do this? Undoubtedly, many experts are inclined to believe that in this way you can greatly harm your hair. Moisture evaporates very quickly, which can lead to hair damage. But at the same time, remember that for straightening wet curls there are special irons with coated plates, which will protect you from negative manifestations. In addition, there are now special straighteners that are designed for wet hair.

What is the best professional hair straightening iron?

It is better to choose the width of the working parts more than 2.5 cm, although in this case more energy is spent on heating. In the case of particularly thick strands or too curled ones, a narrow model is suitable, although the execution procedure will take much longer.

Based on the grip width, straighteners are narrow (small) - 1.5 - 3 cm, wide - more than 3 cm. This parameter affects the width of the curl, the number of hairs grabbed immediately for straightening.

1. If you have short hair , choose a narrow iron up to 2.5 cm,
2. If the hair is below the shoulders - up to 3 cm,
3. For thick hair up to the shoulder blades and longer – 3-4 cm.
4. The widest model with a plate width of up to 8 cm straightens complex hair: thick and long .

Differences in the shape of the blades are visible in the sharpness of the angles: they are straight and rounded.

The secret of the rounded corners of the plate is that some irons can curl the hair if necessary

Styling the ends

If you have straight hair of short or medium length , add variety to your appearance by placing the ends of your hair towards your face.

This will give your hair a new shape:

• It is necessary to clamp the lower part of a small strand between the hot plates of the iron and smoothly pull out the hair, bending the ends towards the face.
• Try not to bend too much so that the styling still looks natural.
• Lay each strand this way. The main thing is that on each of them the bend is approximately the same, and looks towards the face.
• Finally, comb your hair with a fine-tooth comb to give your hair a more harmonious shape.

Selecting the temperature of the hair straightener: temperature control, ionization, indicators

The release of charged particles - ions - by the material - this function is added to “fashionable” models of irons . To carry out this healing effect, the surfaces of the product are factory-coated with special ion-forming materials. But what is ionization in a hair straightener? Tourmaline is one of these substances (it produces negative ions), and thanks to the spraying of a thin top layer on the blade, electrification of the hair does not occur. This is an indicative condition, mandatory for making the right choice.

The maximum heating temperature for titanium is 230 0C, for other plates, except metal, up to 210 0C. The heating range of irons is usually as follows: minimum - 140 0C, maximum - 230 0C (like titanium coating).

The choice of hair iron temperature depends on its structure

Some models have a convenient heating control function. The manipulation is carried out using a special slider or rotating handle. Adjustment of the temperature heating value should be with a large number of divisions (temperature options). If you have very curly or coarse hair, choose high heat; for more manageable, fine or less frizzy curls, allow yourself to reduce the temperature setting.

What heating value should girls with different hair types choose? Depending on the characteristics of the curls, turn on this temperature for:

• fragile, brittle, thin hair – 145 0С,
• painted – 150–155 0С,
• thin curls – 160–165 0С,
• hair of medium thickness – 170–175 0С,
• dense (thick) or hard – 180–190 0С,
• curly – 190–195 0С,
• “African” – 195–200 0С.

Remember: if the iron does not have a thermostat, it means that during production the temperature was set at 200 0C

When choosing hair straighteners, it is desirable, but not mandatory, to have an indicator on the device indicating that the device is turned on/off. What will it give? You will know if the device breaks down, what exactly has gone bad: the rectifier itself or the cord (contact).

Let your electric assistant have an equalizer that shows the temperature and perhaps some other parameters. This improvement increases the price, but so does your comfort.

Briefly about popular brands

At the moment, the leading positions in the production of hair straighteners are occupied by 4 concerns, the purchase of whose products will not make you regret wasted money:

• ROWENTA.

The products of this company are of high quality, ease of use and reasonable cost. Various models of irons have precise heating temperature settings, optimal cord length and a number of additional functions.

• Remington.

The company specializes in the production of professional equipment. The cost of straighteners is high, but this is compensated by long-term use with minimal maintenance. The irons are characterized by their fast heating time and ability to handle even the most unruly hair.

• GAMA.

GAMA straighteners have an excellent reputation. The quality of the irons evokes rave reviews from consumers all over the world. The company produces models with different plate coatings and regularly improves existing products.

• Moser.

The product range includes both budget rectifier models and their more expensive analogues. Most straightening irons are easy to use, have floating plates, a temperature regulator and different coatings on the working surfaces, which help reduce the negative impact on curls.

Additional nuances of choosing an iron

Carefully inspect all fasteners, nuts, rivets - they must be clearly screwed in and all in their places. The fit of the plates to each other is an extremely important point. Before choosing a good hair straightener, check this point before purchasing, because you need comfortable and proper operation of the straightening device for a long time. When closed, the heating surfaces fit tightly; if this is not the case, choose a different iron.

You can’t ignore the cord when choosing an iron: the distance of the socket from the mirror or your dressing table sometimes plays a big role. After all, you won’t stand at the outlet, but run to the other end of the room to see the result?

When closed, the heating surfaces of the iron should fit snugly against each other.

Are you a girl who constantly changes her style and image? Then buy a straightener with rounded corners , this will allow you to do not only straightening, but also curling your curls. The handles of a good device are non-slippery, rubberized or made of a special non-slip material. This moment does not seem so important at first glance, but imagine what will happen to your hands after a few minutes: they will heat up and sweat from tension and high temperature. If you applied gels, mousses or other special styling products to your hair, this will add slippage, and when working with electric heating devices, you need to avoid such dangerous moments.

What other additional functions are included in the package of irons :

• Touch control. An interesting feature is that the miracle device automatically determines the type of hair that is sandwiched between the planes. After determining the thickness and structure of the curl, the desired heating mode is turned on.
• Automatic shutdown. Necessary for business ladies who are always under time pressure. If in a hurry a girl forgets to unplug the iron from the outlet, nothing bad will happen, since the “smart” device will turn off itself.
• Infrared radiation. IR radiation acts on your curls like a conditioner: smoothes, softens the hair, prolonging the straightening effect.

Thermostat

May be mechanical or electronic.

What does it affect?

The presence of a thermostat allows you to regulate the heating temperature.

Experts recommend the following temperatures:

Professional straightening irons usually have hints on the thermostat about what temperature to set for a certain hair type. Sometimes such tips are found in household irons.

The convenience of operation depends on the type of thermostat. On a mechanical thermostat you cannot set the temperature to a degree, but only, for example, “between 150 and 160”, but it is cheaper. You can set the exact temperature on the electronic thermostat, but you will have to set it every time you turn on the iron.

Which type is better?

The most important thing is that there must be a thermostat. Otherwise, the iron will always heat up to maximum temperature. What if this maximum temperature is harmful to your hair?

The type of thermostat is up to your taste. This does not affect the function of the iron in any way. Unless an electronic thermostat without the “Memorize the preferred temperature” function will have to set the degrees each time (read about this function in the “Useful little things” section).

Heating time to maximum temperature

Can be from a few minutes to instant.

What does it affect?

How quickly you can start smoothing your hair. Professional hair straighteners heat up in a maximum of 5-10 seconds, often instantly. Household irons can take a long time to heat up. There are cases when the iron took 15-20 minutes to heat up.

What is the best heating time?

The sooner the better, especially considering the frantic pace of life and the need to get what you want “here and now.”

Good flat irons usually have a heat-up time of 10 to 30 seconds. If the time is more than a minute, think about whether you can wait that long?

Important!

The heating time directly depends on the power of the iron. But you need to understand that it is useless to look only at power, because... Irons almost always indicate the initial power, which increases when heated. So, an iron with a specified power of 50 watts, when heated, can increase the power to 500 watts. Therefore, power is a useless parameter. Good irons always indicate the heating time to maximum temperature.