Whether you fancy a sleek, shiny mane or soft, face-framing curls, a straighter helps you ace every look without the hassle of a salon visit. Versatile and low-maintenance, this styling tool wields immense power to elevate your attire, making for a beauty investment worth making. The best part? Although this multitasker wand is responsible for several pro-level hairstyles, it is easy to use and safe – catering to beauty beginners and skilled enthusiasts alike. The question remains: how should one pick the perfect hair straightener for your hair type?
The market for straighteners is saturated, presenting one with options across price points, temperature settings, width of the plates, and more. However, if you’re a first-time buyer, this excess information can baffle you easily. So, to help narrow this hunt, here’s a list of factors you need to consider before parting ways with your money. Scroll further!
How to Pick a Straightener for Your Hair Type
1. Fine Hair: If you have fine hair, opt for a hair straightener with distinct heat settings. For all beauty novices, fine hair is more prone to heat-induced damage. Direct heat can fry the cuticles, making your mane brittle. To counter this problem, use a ceramic straightener that facilitates the equal distribution of heat for gorgeous, shiny locks.
2. Thick Hair: If you have dense hair, pick a titanium hair straightener. Titanium plates heat up faster, allowing you to achieve the desired look in a limited time — whether you wish to don soft waves or turn heads with a poker-straight mane.
3. Damaged Hair: If you have damaged hair, try to avoid heat-based styling. But if you must pick a tool, use a titanium hair straightener bearing multiple temperature settings. For the unversed, titanium plates work instantly, heating the mane’s surface from the outside. When used in a controlled fashion, you can ace the envisioned hairstyle with minimal damage.
Factors to Consider Before Buying a Straightener
Here’s a guide on everything you need to consider before buying a hair straightener.
- Good Grip: Test the grip of a straightener before you invest in it. Steer clear of products that are too heavy or slip when you close the paddle together, as it gives rise to a safety concern during styling. Always remember safety first.
- Size of Plates: If you have a voluminous mane with thick strands, look for a hair straightener with a set of wide plates. These plates expand faster (due to quick heating) and expedite the styling process. On the other hand, for fine hair strands, try a hair straightener with comparatively narrow plates.
- Plate Make: There are broadly two types of hair straightener plates available in the market-titanium and ceramic. Ceramic plates take a wee bit longer to heat up and work on the stands from the inside out. Titanium plates expand immediately and style on the surface level.
- Temperature Settings: More heat doesn’t guarantee better styling, not even in the slightest. If you have fine strands, intense heat application with the hair straightener plates can fry your cuticles, causing irreversible damage. So, before you take the plunge, check the tool for conspicuous temperature settings.
- An Investment Not an Expense: Cheap straighteners don’t do justice to styling and can even cause permanent damage to your hair’s health. Invest in a premium offering because your hair deserves only the best. With proper maintenance and upkeep, a good quality hair straightener will get you through a couple of years. Easy.
How to Maintain Your Hair Straightener
Now that you have invested in a hair straightener, follow these tips to add to the tool’s longevity. Scroll ahead.
- Clean the Plates Regularly: Regular use of the hair straightener leads to an unwarranted build-up of hair product on the plates. This impacts the efficacy of your heating tool – with the plates taking longer to expand and style. To prevent this problem, use a damp cotton pad to wipe down the plates after every use.
- Store Properly: Wait for the straightener to cool before putting it away in its designated case or your vanity. Don’t wrangle the plates with the cable at any cost. Additionally, don’t hang the hair straightener on the hook with its cable.
- Avoid Using in Damp Places: Avoid using your hair straightener in the bathroom, as there is a risk of damage due to contact with water. Use it on your dresser instead.
How to Make the Best of Your Hair Straightener
Follow these steps to optimize your styling process and enjoy flip-worthy hair.
- Ensure Your Hair Is Clean Before Styling: Use a potent shampoo with a hydrating conditioner before whipping out your straightener. If your hair strands have dust and grime, it will cause irksome friction while styling.
- Never Style Wet Hair: Never use your hair straightener on wet hair. Use a microfiber towel to dry your tresses, followed by a blow dryer (if at all) to reduce episodes of irksome frizz and flyaways.
- Detangle First: It is essential to detangle the tresses before using your styling tool. If your hair is rough and unruly, use a wide-toothed comb to release all the knots – starting from the roots to the ends.
- Heat Protectant Is Non-negotiable: Lather a generous amount of heat protectant before styling your hair. This potent formulation forms a protective barrier on the cuticles, preventing irreversible damage from continued heat exposure. For all the beauty beginners, unregulated heat application dries out the strands, making them more prone to breakage and damage.
- Divide and Conquer: For an easy-breezy styling process, make smaller sections of your mane with clips. Once through, use your hair straightener to tackle one segment at a time with a swipe or two.
- Get, Set, Straighten: Keep the paddles 5 centimeters away from your roots while straightening. This eliminates the risk of damage to the roots, ensuring a salon-like hair makeover.
- Put Your Style on Lock: Once you’re through the volume, spritz a potent finishing spray on your tresses. This little move will add to your style’s longevity, resisting the heat and pollution every step of the way.
Conclusion
If you want to ace salon-like hair makeovers at home, a straightener should be on your shopping list. Also known as a flat iron, this styling tool is versatile, low-maintenance, and easy to use. So, even if you’re a beauty beginner, you can easily maneuver the wand and attain the hair of your dreams.
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