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Flat Irons are a staple part of everyone’s hairstyling kit. Who doesn’t like sleek, smooth hair? The right types of flat iron can upgrade your hair and make you look stylish.
These easy-to-use hair tools can save us a trip to the salon and transform your hair situation. There are different types of flat irons that are composed of different materials.
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If you are noticing that your hair straightening results are not that great, maybe you are not using the straightener that is suitable for you.
It is important to know about these, so you can choose the right one that will style your hair perfectly.
Let us take an in-depth look into the different types of flat irons and their benefits. We have also listed some tips and tricks you can follow to maintain the quality of your hair straightener and ensure longevity.
Types of Flat Iron 2022
The major difference between flat irons depends on the types of hair straightener plates. Usually, the types of flat irons include tourmaline, ceramic and other materials.
But flat irons can also be divided based on their function such as professional or wet-to-dry straightening irons.
Titanium Flat Iron
Titanium hair straighteners are definitely the most effective and easy-to-use hair straighteners. They give you quick results and work on all types of hair.
The best part about titanium hair straighteners is that they conduct heat quickly, which means that there are little to no fluctuations in the temperature when you use them.
A lot of straighteners take some time to heat up and become hot enough to be used. If you are tired of waiting for this, you should go for a titanium flat iron.
These heat up almost immediately and save your time. When you use a titanium flat iron, your hair gets heated from the surface instead of getting heated from the inside out.
Sometimes, you can also find tourmaline-infused titanium flat irons in the market. This is the best option for those with frizzy hair.
When the metal is combined with titanium, it emits negative ions which cancels out the positive ions in the atmosphere. This makes your hair smooth and frizz-free.
You can also style your hair quickly with this one. Titanium flat irons are best suited for those with thick, curly, and stubborn hair that is usually difficult to straighten.
They are also corrosion-resistant so you can use them for a long time.
Ceramic Flat Irons
Ceramic is a non-metallic material that hardens up when it is exposed to heat.
Ceramic flat irons are one of the most commonly used flat irons. This is because it heats your hair from the inside out, causing minimal heat damage.
But they only heat up slowly and you will have to wait for a few minutes after turning on the straightener to start styling your hair.
Ceramic Irons are also some of the most affordable hair tools in the market. They are very flexible and usually have a lot of temperature settings.
If your hair has gone through chemical treatments or constant heat styling, it has likely become weak and fragile.
In this case, a ceramic flat iron is your best bet for styling your hair since it does not aggravate the hair damage.
Ceramic flat irons are also best suited for people with fine, soft, and thin hair. The heat is distributed evenly over the ceramic plates and the temperature remains consistent.
The ceramic plates also style your hair quickly which means that there is less exposure to heat. This helps in minimizing heat damage.
Ionic Flat Irons
If you want healthy-looking shiny hair, an Ionic flat iron will be perfect for you. A lot of people go for cheap flat irons but there are definitely a lot of benefits in investing in a good Ionic flat iron.
An ionic flat iron is the best option if you want to turn your frizzy hair into soft and sleek hair.
There are positive ions in the atmosphere that get absorbed into the hair through water and humidity. An ionic flat iron is best for people who struggle with maintaining their hair in humid weather.
An Ionic flat iron releases negative ions that neutralize the positive ions to seal your style and make your hair smooth and frizz-free. This also helps in bringing down breakage and damage to your hair.
They also help the locking moisture into your hair which contributes to the shine and smoothness. These straighteners are also suitable for people with dry and damaged hair.
Wet to Dry Flat Iron
When you have a busy schedule, you can’t really dry your hair and then use a flat iron on it.
A wet-to-dry flat iron can really save your time while straightening your hair with minimal damages.
There is a common misconception that if you use a straightener on your wet hair, it can lead to a lot of damage.
But these straighteners are specifically formulated for wet hair that can work really well without the added damages.
A wet-to-dry flat iron is also perfect for people with thick and coarse hair that is difficult to straighten.
The straightener extracts the moisture from your hair and converts it into steam that is released through the holes that are present in the plates.
This definitely doesn’t mean that there is no damage caused, you will still experience the side effects caused by straighteners.
If you find it difficult to use a hair dryer, you can resort to wet to dry flat irons. These are usually lighter and easy to handle than a blow dryer.
If you are looking for a straightener that can make you shiny, you should not go for these types of straighteners.
These straighteners provide a lot of advantages. The biggest one is of course it saves a lot of time. You do not have to spend time drying your hair before styling.
Their results are also relatively long-lasting. But if you have dry hair, it is not recommended to use a wet-to-dry straightener. Overusing these straighteners can also cause serious damage to your hair.
Tourmaline Flat Irons
If you think that your hair looks dull and lifeless, a tourmaline flat iron can really help in adding that much-needed shine to your hair.
Tourmaline flat irons are infused with tourmaline crystals that are infused into other materials like ceramic or titanium.
These flat irons can trap moisture into your hair to bring out that shine and smoothness. They are a little on the pricier side but the investment is worth it.
Professional Flat Irons
Professional flat irons, like the name denotes, are the flat irons that are used and recommended by hair professionals. These flat irons are very powerful and work on almost all types of hair.
They also give you long-lasting results. One drawback of these straighteners is that they might cause more hair damage than their counterparts.
They are also built to last long and work for a long time. Some of the professional hair tool brands like Karmin G3, Babyliss flat iron, etc.
How to maintain the different types of flat irons
Flat irons need regular maintenance to ensure that it lasts longer and gives you high-quality performance.
There is a common notion that a hair straightener does not need cleaning.
But it is important to routinely clean and store your hair straightener regularly, no matter how often you use it.
Plug in your flat iron- The first step in cleaning your flat iron is to plug it into an electricity source and turn it on.
There will be a lot of residues like hair styling products, oil, and dirt that are stuck on the plates.
When the plates get heated, it loosens up and detaches these residues from the plates and makes it easier to clean the flat iron.
After the device has heated up, unplug it and let it rest on a heat-resistant surface like a bathroom counter or a piece of cloth for about five minutes.
Although there are a lot of flat irons in the market, it is important to use a heat protectant spray or a cream before using any of these tools.
These products can be applied to wet or dry hair before using a flat iron. One can never be completely safe with hair straightening tools and some amount of damage is bound to happen.
When your hair gets exposed to too much heat, it will lead to thinning and breakage. These products will go a long way in protecting your hair and you can see visible results.
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