Hair straightener: which one to choose? Seeing our hair perfectly styled, smooth and shiny it always gives us a wonderful feeling. How can we choose the most suitable tool for our hair, without risking wrong purchases? We put numerous hair straighteners to the test to choose the ones more performing.
THE CHOICE OF THE HAIR STRAIGHTENER
To buy the right hair straightener it is essential to know our hair and have realistic expectations about results that we want to achieve. Probably, if we have a type 3 or 4 curl, in addition to an excellent straightening iron, we will also need good products for afro hair! To choose the best hair accessories and products and make targeted purchases we have selected the best hair straighteners currently on sale. For each one we took into consideration the characteristics, type of hair on which it works best, value for money and ease of use.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR HAIR STRAIGHTENER: FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES
Let’s find out together what they are characteristics to consider when we have to buy our new hair straightener, to create perfect hairstyles and styling!
COVERING
It is one of the most important elements when we have to choose the hair straightener. Among the most common coverings today we find the ceramic. This material is excellent because it heats quickly and evenly, gliding quickly on the hair and reducing styling times. Equally valid is the cladding tourmalinewhich minimizes frizz thanks to the a negative ions. Coatings for plates are also increasingly popular titanium And copper alloywhich combine lightness, speed and increasingly better hair care while reaching high temperatures.
SIZE OF THE PLATES
The size of the heating plates is a fundamental aspect, to avoid the risk of handling an uncomfortable instrument! It all depends on the haircuts. Who has the short hair you will be better off using smaller plates, with plates that do not go beyond the 2.5-3 cm in width. If instead we want to smooth very long hair, thickif not even wavy or curlywe opt for plates with even wide plates 5cmso as to obtain a satisfactory result.
TEMPERATURE REGULATION
Why is it so important to be able to regulate the temperature of the straightener? Because not all hair is the same! We choose hair straighteners with an adjustable temperature between 180° and 230°always taking care to set a heat suitable for our hair.
Let’s choose lower temperatures (180°-185°) if we have thin, fine or treated hair, so as not to risk burning them. Let’s limit the very high temperatures (above 200°) if we have thicker, wavy-curly hair or otherwise very frizzy.
TECHNOLOGY
There are different technologies for straightening hair. In addition to the classic hair straighteners that use the heat of the plates, we can opt for straightening straighteners steamvery useful for minimizing styling damage.
There are also plates with ionizer And infrared technology, designed to effectively counteract frizz (positive ions) by neutralizing it with negative ions. Most modern plates are equipped with sensors able to adapt the temperature and heat emission based on the treated hair, for hair that is not only smooth, but also healthy!
ACCESSORY FUNCTIONS
There are other features we need to consider before our shopping! If we never leave our straightener at home, we check that it has the universal voltage or, possibly, that it can also be used wirelessly. Let’s choose one that is equipped with automatic shutdown to avoid unnecessary consumption and, above all, with block of the plates once closed (preferably with a silicone cap to avoid accidental burns).
It can be very useful to choose a straightener with screen to always have the temperature under control. A useful, although not essential, option is the acoustic signal which alerts us when the straightener is at temperature, or is off.
USEFUL TIPS FOR USING THE HAIR STRAIGHTENER
Here are 5 tips fundamentals to make the best use of our straightener, without risking damaging your hair!
1. The hair must be perfectly dry: we are wary of anyone who suggests otherwise! Hair must be completely dry before using the straightener, to avoid major damage caused by heat.
2. We always apply a heat protectant: before straightening our hair we apply a product that protects it from heat. We can choose it as a spray, cream or oil. Let’s distribute it evenly over the lengths so that it forms a protective coating, then proceed with drying and styling.
3. We divide the hair into regular and never too thick sections: straightening irregular or too thick sections of hair hoping to speed up the process will not give us the desired results, on the contrary! We divide the hair into regular and large locks, in order to facilitate the sliding of the straightener without having to go over it several times.
4. We adjust the temperature: if we have particularly fragile or damaged hair we use the straightener trying not to exceed 180/185 degrees. Normal hair can tolerate temperatures up to a maximum of 200º. If the hair to be treated is very thick, wavy-curly or frizzy, we use the straightener at temperatures up to 220-230°.
5. We apply a fluid to seal the tips: once we finish our styling, we apply an oil or fluid to further seal and shine the ends, so that they don’t appear fluttery and electric!
THE BEST HAIR STRAIGHTENERS
It’s almost difficult to find your way around the multitude of hair straighteners available on the market today. The brands that produce styling tools and straighteners with good value for money there are many. Without forgetting the hair straighteners professionalwhich allow us to truly obtain the same results as a session at the hairdresser!
Our selection of the best hair straighteners takes into account both the test experiences carried out by our editorial team and the reviews read on Amazon and online. Consumer reviews and opinions are very important to find out which are the best hair straighteners to choose and buy. Here they are most appreciated by us and by consumers:
- best straightener for short hair: Imetec Bellissima B-Mini, with mini foils also ideal for fringes;
- best straightener for long hair: T3 SInglepass X Wide Plate, with maxi ceramic plates;
- best steam hair straightener: L’Oréal SteamPod 4, with larger plates for faster styling;
- best straightener for wavy or curly hair: Jean Louis David Steam Styler, with steam technology and XL plates;
- best cordless straightener: Beurer HS 20, small and ideal for those who do sports. Charging time: 30 minutes.
- best travel straightener: Gama Mini Tourmaline, with rapid heating tourmaline plates;
- best professional straightener: ghd Platinum+, with heat control and hair recognition technology;
- best straightener-hairdryer: Dyson Airstrait, dries and straightens at the same time using the power of heat alone, without heating plates;
- best straightener for waves and curls: Remington Curl & Straight Confidence, with curved styling plates for a double look.
We constantly update the list to also consider new straighteners on the market.
We hope you find these tips on how to choose the ideal hair straightener useful! Let us know which products you were happy with and which ones you would like to try!
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Tips and products for fabulous straight hair!
