What to Look for in Buying a Flat Iron

Flat irons have become a popular choice of styling tool because of its versatility. It can make hair straight or add waves. There are many different choices of flat irons available, making it difficult to know which one to buy. Everyone’s hair is different in texture, length, or even hair goal needs. All these things need to be considered when in the market for a flat iron. I’ll go over different types of flat irons to help in the decision-making process.

Flat Iron Buying Guide

Ceramic flat irons - It is ideal for those with wavy or moderately curly hair. The ceramic plates take about 30 to 60 seconds to heat up and provide an even distribution of heat to minimize hair damage. Ceramic flat irons transmit heat using deep infrared, which is more gentle on the hair. It is generally safe for those with fine hair. Look for pure ceramic plates rather than ceramic coated flat irons.

Ionic flat irons - These type of flat irons generate negative ions which neutralizes positive ions that causes frizziness, damage, and breakage for smoother hair. Ionic flat irons are best for frizzy, dry, breakage-prone, curly, or coarse hair. Fine hair can use ionic flat irons but at a lower temperature.

Tourmaline ceramic flat irons - The concept behind tourmaline flat irons is similar to ionic flat irons, where it uses negative ions to neutralize positive ions. Tourmaline is a crystal ground into a fine powder and is baked into the ceramic plates during the manufacturing process. It aids in the smoothing process by generating 20 times more moisture-locking ions for hair. Ceramic tourmaline provides you the gentleness of ceramic while counteracting positive ions responsible for frizzy and damaged hair for smoother and silkier hair.

Titanium flat irons - Titanium is a metallic element known for its strength, durability, low weight, and superheat conductivity. It is similar to tourmaline using infrared heat and negative ion to seal in moisture and eliminate frizz. Titanium heats up fast and can reach extremely high temperatures. Thick and coarse hair can achieve good results with titanium flat irons.