The first hair straightener. Coating and plate material

A hair straightener is a purely “feminine thing”. And very useful - a real woman always wants to look like a woman. Especially next to your man 🙂

You can straighten your hair very quickly with a flat iron. It is sometimes also called a "hair straightener" or "styler" (although stylers are a whole group of "female things" that include hair straighteners, curling irons and hair dryer brushes). It works very simply - under the influence of heat, excess moisture is removed from the hair and the hair is straightened. In addition, the iron “welds” the exfoliated hair scales at the micro level and the hair becomes more shiny and vibrant.

This is what hair straighteners might look like:

Hair straighteners are produced by specialized companies and firms engaged in the production of household appliances.

From specialized companies, good rectifiers are produced by BaByliss, Remington, Valera, Ga.Ma (Gama), Moser, Parlux, Harizma. The average price is about 2,300 - 2,500 rubles. These are mostly professional models. If finances allow, then it is possible and even desirable to use them.

Among firms producing household appliances, it is worth taking a closer look at the brands Braun, Philips, Rowenta, Bosch, Panasonic. The average price is from 700 to 1,600 rubles. These are household options that differ from professional ones in terms of hair health, workmanship and the number of additional “buns”.

What you need to pay attention to when choosing a hair straightener:

• Insert material
• Insert width
• Form and type of fastening of plates
• Gap between plates
• Maximum temperature and thermostat
• Additional nozzles
• Nice little things 🙂

Insert material

The surface can be:

• Metal
• Ceramics
• Tourmaline (ceramic-tourmaline)
• Teflon
• Titanium
• Two-piece (ceramic + marble)

What affects the material of the ironing plates?

Firstly, on the ease of use and the quality of the result. Secondly, on the health of your hair.

The minimum requirements for the material are quite simple:

• Uniform heating of plates. If the plates are unevenly heated (for example, the temperature is higher in the center and lower at the edges), then the hair can either simply be burned or not smoothed out.
• Good glide. With this, everything is clear - if the material is not slippery, then ironing is tormented to the full

The plate material may have additional useful properties. Today, however, only tourmaline plates can boast of this. The fact is that tourmaline plates contain the semi-precious mineral "tourmaline", which in translation from the Sinhala language means "multi-colored magic stone." Tourmaline, when heated, releases negatively charged particles and transfers them to the hair. And, I must say, this affects the health of the hair in the most excellent way - the hair becomes more obedient, shiny and alive, less electrified.

Plates made of some materials scratch very easily. This affects not only the appearance of the iron, but also the slip - the more scratches, the worse the iron will slide through the hair. Therefore, such materials are used only by professionals. Of course, you can use them at home, but then you will have to handle the iron very carefully.

Let's see the pros and cons of each material.

I will consider two-part plates separately. Such irons have on each surface not one plate, but two. The first plate is made of ceramics, the second is made of marble. The ceramic plate heats the hair, while the marble one cools it immediately. I must say that it is not only convenient, but also useful for hair - they keep heat less time and deteriorate less from it.

What material are the best plates?

If the budget is limited, then choose a hair straightener with ceramic plates. If the budget allows, then it is better to take with tourmaline or two-piece plates. Titanium and Teflon plates should be taken only if you have been using an iron for more than one year.

It is better to forget about irons with metal plates - you will ruin your hair in no time.

Insert width

According to the width of the plate, the hair iron is narrow (1.5-3 cm) and wide (more than 3 cm).

What affects the width of the ironing plates?

The length of a strand that you can iron. The longer and thicker the hair, the wider the plate should be.

What width is best?

It all depends on your hair. If the hair is shoulder length, then a flat iron 2-2.5 cm wide is enough. If the hair is shoulder-length and not very thick, then 2.5-3 cm; if thick, then already 3-4 cm. Accordingly, the thicker and longer the hair, the wider the iron. For very long and thick hair, you need a 7-8 cm iron.

Form and type of fastening of plates

The shape of the plate can be with straight and rounded corners.

According to the type of fastening, the plates are rigidly fixed and floating.

What does it affect?

It depends on the shape of the plates whether you can curl your hair if necessary.

The type of attachment of the plates affects the ease of use of the iron. Rigidly fixed plates are built into the body and the harder you squeeze the handles of the iron, the more the plates are compressed. Floating plates are attached to the body with springs or rubber, and when moving along the strand, the hair can rise and fall.

What shape and type of attachment is best?

If you like straight hair more, then plates with right angles are your choice. If you like to twist the ends of your hair, then stop at the plates with rounded corners.

Floating plates are better, but you won't find them anywhere yet. If you found a flat iron with floating plates, then this will be a great choice 🙂

Gap between plates

The gap is the distance between the plates when they are compressed. There may or may not be a gap.

What does it affect?

On the consequences for the hair. If there is no gap, then the heat will be evenly distributed over the strand of hair. If there is a gap, then the hair that has fallen into the gap will be heated less and will have to be smoothed out additionally.

Which gap is better?

The ideal option is when there is no gap at all - when compressed, the plates fit very tightly to each other along the entire length of the iron. But sometimes there are irons with a gap and for them a gap of 1 millimeter is allowed for rigidly fixed plates and up to 2 millimeters for floating ones. At the same time, for floating plates with strong compression, the gap should disappear.

thermostat

May be mechanical or electronic.

What does it affect?

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

Professional irons on the thermostat usually have tips on what temperature to set for a particular type of hair. Sometimes such tips are also 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 should be a thermostat. Otherwise, the iron will always heat up to the maximum temperature. And if this maximum temperature is detrimental to your hair?

The type of thermostat is up to you. It does not affect the functions of the iron in any way. Unless an electronic thermostat without the “Remembering the preferred temperature” function will have to set degrees every time (read about this function in the “Useful little things” section).

Maximum temperature

The minimum temperature of all irons is usually 90-100 degrees. But the maximum ranges from 150 to 230 degrees.

What affects the maximum temperature and the type of thermostat?

The maximum temperature determines how thick and how frizzy the hair can be smoothed out. The thicker the hair, the higher the temperature should be. Thin hair at high temperatures is very easy to burn. The degree of curl affects the temperature less.

What is the maximum temperature required?

Usually a maximum temperature of 180 degrees is sufficient. If your hair is very thick and very difficult to style, then you need an iron with a maximum temperature of 200 degrees.

Heating time to maximum temperature

It can be from a few minutes to instantaneous.

What does it affect?

How quickly you can start straightening your hair. Professional hair irons heat up in a maximum of 5-10 seconds, often even instantly. Household irons can heat up for a long time. There are cases when the iron heated up for 15-20 minutes.

What is the best heating time?

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

Good 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. On good irons, they always indicate the heating time to the maximum temperature.

Additional nozzles

What nozzles are there?

Nozzles for irons are of 2 types - those that are installed in addition to the iron and those that are installed instead of the iron. In the second case, the iron itself acts as a nozzle.

Nozzles installed in addition to the iron:

• Removable (untangling) comb. Attaches to the side of the plate and combs the strand before it enters the iron

Nozzles installed instead of ironing:

• Curling iron attachment
• Spiral curler
• Nozzle for creating the effect of "corrugation". Serve to create a corrugated curl
• brush head

Which ironing attachments deserve attention?

A removable comb is very convenient - without it, the hair inside the strand can fall into the iron in a wave and remain so. The comb feeds untangled and straight hair into the iron.

Nozzles that are installed instead of ironing, choose to your taste - if you use them and there is nothing similar to the type of curling iron, then why not? Just keep in mind that professional irons with such nozzles are not produced.

Nice little things 🙂

• Uniform heat transfer throughout the strand when the iron moves from the roots to the ends of the hair. If the plates cool down during ironing, then at the ends the hair receives less heat than at the roots. And the closer to the ends, the worse they align.
• Supply of air conditioner through the plates. When smoothing, the hair is lubricated with conditioner. As a result, hair is less damaged and looks more vibrant and shiny. When buying a hair straightener with a conditioner supply, you need to pay attention to the possibility of replacing the conditioner cartridge and how many smoothings the cartridge will last
• Processing plates with silver. A very useful trifle for damaged and weakened hair. Heals hair with silver ions
• Cold blow. At the exit from the iron, the hair is blown with cold air and cools down. This little thing works in the same way as the two-piece inserts described in the Insert Materials section.
• Hot humidification. During straightening, the strand is covered with hot steam. This little thing is able to straighten any, even the most naughty hair.
• Memorizing the preferred temperature (only for digital temperature controllers). Remembers the last used temperature and immediately sets it the next time you turn on the iron
• Rotating cord. A very useful little thing. Doesn't kink the cord
• Loop for hanging. A useful little thing if you hang the iron, say, on a hook
• Heat resistant bag. A very useful little thing. You can put the iron in it immediately after use. Without it, the iron will have to be weighed or placed so that the plates do not touch any things. Otherwise, they may be damaged. For example, if you put a hot iron on a glass shelf, the shelf may crack due to the high temperature of the iron.

Probably, each of us is familiar with the feeling of comfort and self-confidence when we leave the beauty salon with a neatly and beautifully styled hairstyle. How do you want to see yourself so beautiful every day! There are many styling tools that allow any woman to look amazing without resorting to the services of stylists and hairdressers. One of these devices is a hair straightener or, as it is often called, a “flat iron”. This simple device has become truly multifunctional today, making the choice of ironing more complicated. Today we will try to take into account all the latest innovations and figure out how to choose a hair straightener, And what are the best hair straighteners presented on the modern market.

The principle of operation of a hair straightener

What is an iron for? With it, you can quickly cope with even the most naughty hair, style it beautifully and give it the desired shape, and this hairstyle will last for a long time. Your hair will be smooth, shiny, like satin.

Hair Straightener Benefits available: fast, efficient, convenient. But there is also the other side of the coin, because all irons are heated to a high temperature, and this, in turn, is very for the hair: they dry out, split and lose their attractiveness.

Under the influence of high temperature, the straightener frees the hair from excess moisture that is contained in them. Under the hair cuticle is a layer that contains hydrogen compounds and is called the cortex. It is responsible for the waviness of your hair and its ability to curl and form curls. If you are exposed to rain or just fog, then under the influence of moisture these hydrogen compounds become more active, which is why some people have hair that frizzes heavily in rain or snow.

The main task of the rectifier is the release of hair from excess moisture, which makes them naughty and makes them curl. Another remarkable ability is the “welding” of exfoliated hair scales, thanks to which the device revives the hair, as it were, making it more vibrant and shiny.

Plate coating

To choose the right iron First of all, attention should be paid to plate coating. It's not worth saving here. The quality of the coating of the ironing plates will help you reduce the risk of hair damage to a minimum.

To date, rectifiers are produced with such plate coating types:

1. metal;
2. ceramics;
3. tourmaline;
4. teflon.

metal plating

We often opt for inexpensive products without thinking about their negative effects. This also applies to rectifiers of this type. They are inexpensive, but do not rush to buy such irons, as these are the most harmful and destructive devices for your hair. It's all about the metal coating of the plates, which is considered the most dangerous for the hair structure. This is due to the uneven heating of the plates, because of this, at some points they overheat greatly, and this leads to the destruction of the hair structure and subsequently to their dehydration, brittleness and split ends.

Irons with such a coating are not suitable for daily use, and it is better not to use them occasionally.

Pros:

Small cost.

Minuses:

Severely damage the hair structure.

ceramic coating

One of the most common plate coatings is ceramic. Unlike metal, ceramics heats up evenly and retains the required temperature well. This iron is easy to use, it quickly and easily glides through the strands without burning the hair. The negative impact in such rectifiers is minimal.

Ceramic plates in some models such rectifiers have in their structure complexes of moisturizers, conditioners and vitamins. Thanks to this, the hair during styling also receives additional care.

But the ceramic coating has their shortcomings. If you additionally use various styling cosmetics, they will strongly stick to the plates. It is easy to deal with this small nuisance: it is enough to wipe the plates with a damp cloth after each use.

Now about the cost. Devices with ceramic plates are much more expensive than their counterparts with metal plates, but we do not advise you to save money - the beauty and health of hair is much more expensive. Also, if you are looking for which iron to choose for permanent use, we advise you to stop on devices of this type.

Pros:

1. Maximum hair protection.
2. Easy glide.

Minuses:

1. Adhesion of cosmetic preparations on the plates.

Teflon coating

Think of your favorite Teflon-coated pan. How everything literally bounces off its surface, and cooking on it is a pleasure! The same principle applies to teflon coated rectifiers. This iron glides easily through the hair without pulling or tangling and prevents hair from sticking to the plate, even if you use different cosmetic preparations before styling. The plates heat up evenly and the risk of damaging the hair is minimal.

If you have soft and thin hair, then pay attention to devices with such a coating. Such irons are much more expensive, but if the budget allows, then it is better to stop at this option. The main disadvantage of such irons is that over time the Teflon coating is erased, which is not always possible to determine by eye. And, as a result of this, the device ceases to be safe for hair.

Pros:

1. Maximum protection.
2. Easy glide.
3. No sticky effect.
4. Ideal for thin soft hair.

Minuses:

1. Price.
2. Coating durability.

tourmaline coating

The most modern coating material, which releases negative ions when heated, and this contributes to the neutralization of static electricity. Thanks to this property, the hair scales close and retain moisture, so the hair is practically not damaged during styling.

Pros:

1. Neutralize static electricity.
2. Positively affect the structure of the hair.
3. Easily glide through the strands.
4. Plates heat up evenly.
5. The safest for hair.

Minuses:

1. Price.

The best hair straightener in terms of price and quality - a device with ceramic plates.

Ionization

A great feature, which, unfortunately, is not found in all rectifiers. The plates of the device are coated with a special ionic layer, which, when heated, releases a large amount of negatively charged ions. They literally envelop each hair, due to which their water balance is restored. Hair revives, becomes more healthy, shiny, obedient, besides it is not electrified.

Temperature regulator

Hair straighteners are two types: with and without thermostat. What is it for, and is it possible to do without it? Let's try to figure it out.

We are all different and have different hair types. For some, they are thick, hard and uncolored, for others, on the contrary, they are thin and soft, well, and some subjected their hair to experiments and often dyed it, and as a result they turned out to be overdried and brittle. To protect your hair as much as possible, you need a different heating mode for each type of hair.

As a rule, the plates are heated up to 100-230°C.

• For dyed, thin and split ends the temperature should not exceed 150 ° C, otherwise you risk severely damaging them.
• For normal and unpainted or colored but hard– up to 180°С.
• For uncolored and coarse hair you can allow temperatures up to 200 ° C and even a little higher. Or you can even take a chance and buy an iron without a thermostat.

The thermostat is located on the handle of the straightener, simple and easy to use. This is usually a two- or three-position switch with which you select the level of heating of the device: minimum, medium and maximum. But there are also more expensive irons with electronic thermostats, in which you can set the temperature to a degree, but you will have to set it up every time you turn on the device.

The conclusion is clear: temperature controller must be, otherwise the iron will heat up to maximum temperatures, and you can ruin your hair badly.

Maximum temperature

It has already been said that the minimum heating temperature of all rectifiers is about 100 ° C, but the maximum temperature in different devices ranges from 150 to 230 ° C. What is the maximum temperature?

The higher the temperature, the faster the straightening and curling of the hair, especially for thick and curly hair. But for thin and weakened hair, such a heating temperature will be fatal. The thicker the hair, the higher the temperature needed, and vice versa.

What is the maximum temperature required? On average, 180°C is sufficient. But if you have very thick or coarse hair that is difficult to style, then choose irons heated to 200 ° C and above.

Heating time up to maximum temperature

In different models of rectifiers, this indicator ranges from several minutes to a few seconds. Household appliances can heat up for a long time, but all professional straighteners heat up very quickly - from 5 to 10 seconds, and some even instantly.

The question immediately arises: what is the optimal heating time of the device? Naturally, the sooner this happens, the better, since situations often occur when you need to put yourself in order very quickly. Choose high-quality irons, the heating time of which is from 10 to 30 seconds. If the device warms up for more than a minute, think carefully about whether it will be convenient for you to wait so long.

Insert width

When choosing an iron, you should pay special attention to the width of the plates, they are different:

• narrow (from 1.5 to 3 cm)
• wide (more than 3 cm).

What affects the width of the rectifier plates? For the length of the ironed strand: the longer and thicker the hair, the wider the plates of the device should be.

The ease of use of the device depends on the type of fastening of the plates. If plates are fixed and are built into the body of the device, the more you squeeze the rectifier handles, the more the plates are compressed. floating plates attached to the body with springs or elastic bands and can rise and fall as they move along the strands. The floating mounting of the plates is much more convenient, but it is quite difficult to find such irons on sale. But, if you are lucky and you have found such a device, take it without hesitation, this is a great choice.

If you are a fan of perfectly straight hair, then choose irons with right angles. If you like to curl the ends of your hair, then stop at the devices with rounded edges.

Gap between plates

The distance between the plates when they are compressed is called the gap. Some models have it, while others don't. If the plates are tightly pressed and no gap, then the heat is evenly distributed over the strand. If there is a distance between the plates, then some hair, falling into the gap, will warm up less and you will have to re-expose them to heat attack, and this is an additional load on the hair.

If you come across an iron with a gap, then pay attention to its size. For rigidly fixed plates, a gap of up to 1 ml is permissible, and for floating plates up to 2 ml (and with strong compression it should disappear altogether).

"It's time for me buy a hair straightener, read the reviews and make a choice,” you thought something like this when typing the phrase “the best hair straighteners reviews from real users” in a search engine. We are glad that you have come to our women's site "Beautiful and Successful". Our readers already know that we try to collect the most useful information, honest product reviews We analyze everything and only then we present the material to your attention.

After reading a few reviews about such a device as a hair straightener, you, an ordinary buyer, are faced with a number of questions like this:

• Which company to give preference when buying? Is it better to buy a proven brand or can you take a less popular, but cheaper one?
• What kind of coverage to choose a hair straightener? (reviews are required)
• How much does the best hair straightener cost? Reviews, who bought for how much.
• What is the width of the plate- narrow and wider - are they easy to use?
• Choose a professional hair straightener (reviews from those who use it) or a regular one?
• What are gama hair straighteners, reviews of which can most often be found on the Internet.

Well, are we right? Is this information of interest to you? Then you have come to the article, which contains the answers to all your questions.

How does a flat iron work on hair?

Hair straightener (reviews say that it is also called hair straightener, hair straighteners) is a perfect hair styling tool. It will also handle unruly frizzy curls, turning them into smooth hair, and make easy curls if you want to diversify your hair style.

About that, and, "Beautiful and Successful" told in detail.

Although the principle of operation of all irons is exactly the same - they release excess moisture that is contained in the hair, so to speak, they dehydrate the hair, because of which they become not so dry and not so voluminous - but choosing the best hair straightener (reviews once again prove this) is not so simple.

What is more harmful to hair: hair dryer or flat iron?

The opinions of experts on the effect of hair straighteners and hair dryers agree on one thing: the effect of ironing on the hair structure is not so dangerous like the effect of a hair dryer. Both the one and the other device dry the hair, but the air stream from the hair dryer still destroys the scales, and the straightener, on the contrary, presses them.

Modern hair straighteners, reviews will help you make a choice, thanks to a good coating of the working surface, they do not really harm your hair.

Therefore, the first characteristic that we will focus on in the review is covering forceps (plates).

All hair straighteners dry out hair - you cannot blindly trust advertising that this model cares for hair and does not dry it at all. This is the principle of operation of all rectifiers.- remove moisture to straighten hair. Here are just some models that do their job with minimal damage to the hair structure, while others burn them.

Therefore, when choosing an iron, you need to know some points and pay attention to them when buying.

Metal coated work surface

Ruthlessly burn hair, destroy their structure irons for hair with a metal coating - reviews once again confirm this. The whole reason is that the metal conducts heat unevenly: in one place the plate will be very hot, in another it will heat up weaker.

The action of such rectifiers identical to the operation of a conventional iron. Only you iron them not clothes, by the way, for which a certain temperature is needed, but burn your hair.

Therefore, models with a metal coating are very cheap - the site does not recommend buying them for those who intend to often use a hair straightener (reviews about the first models are only negative).

These were the first swallows on the market and they can still be found on the shelves, especially on sales and promotions. They attract buyers with a low price.

But before you straighten your hair with an iron with metal plates, be sure to apply special cosmetics for hair care. Use the iron no more than 3 times a month. Otherwise, you'll just burn your hair.

If everything is clear with the choice here - a metal iron is not suitable for frequent use, then figuring out which plate coating to prefer when choosing the best hair straighteners, reviews of which you will read below, is a little more difficult.

Modern plate coatings

Today you can find rectifiers with such coverage of the working area:

• Ceramic coating. These irons are the most popular because they are relatively inexpensive and gently straighten hair.
• Teflon plates. Irons with this coating are recommended for straightening soft hair.
• Marble coating. For weak hair prone to damage (often broken, split).
• Tourmaline finish. The most frequent choice of users who decide to buy a professional iron. It combines the qualities of Teflon and marble coating.
• Ionic coating. Particles of discharged ions treat hair.

Let us dwell briefly on the characteristics of the materials, so that those of you who are looking for information on what is the best hair straightener, reviews take into account, can choose the right tool for themselves.

Ceramics

After irons with metal plates, more thoughtful models appeared on the market, the plates of which were made of a different material - ceramics. This coating evenly distributes heat over the entire area of ​​the work surface.

It is easy to straighten hair with tongs with a ceramic surface - the iron quickly glides over the strands, the uniform temperature does not burn them, that is, the negative impact is minimal.

Remember: ceramics is the main material in all irons, which heats the working plates, which, in fact, is the main task of the rectifier.

Here is a fragment of one of the reviews of a professional stylist who advises buying only ceramic irons.

• "Remember that one of the best types of dishes is ceramic. It is exposed to high temperatures, while the dishes are durable and reliable. This once again proves that ceramic plates are safe. Marianne"

Hair straighteners: reviews of modern new coatings

Teflon, marble, tourmaline are additional materials that are applied above on a ceramic base. All of them only have a positive impact on hair.

About whether you need to pay money for newfangled coatings of the best hair straighteners, you will not find a definite answer in the reviews. We will briefly tell you about what is useful in those additional materials that are applied to the ceramic coating.

Teflon

If you have soft hair, pay attention to the ceramic-teflon coating. Teflon provides soft sliding, does not pull out hair, prevents them from sticking to the working plate.

Also, if you use cosmetic products that you apply to your hair before using a hair straightener, teflon will not let them stick to the plates.

Marble

The marble particles that coat the ceramic base provide cooling effect on the hair - neutralize the hot temperature that they are exposed to due to the ceramic coating. Therefore, for those whose hair is easily injured, you can pay attention to ceramics with marble.

Tourmaline

The negative ions that tourmaline produces have a good effect on the structure of the hair - they smooth the scales, remove static electricity.

• “The first flat iron was from Moser, the second from Gama. The moser has ceramic plates, the din has ceramic plates with tourmaline. To the touch the plates are the same, but I have something to compare. Such a cool slide, like Gam with a tourmaline coating, was not even in the new Moser. Vika"
  

Laser ionization

The latest models of professional hair straighteners have a special ion coating. The plates emit ions that have a negative charge, which do not release moisture from the hair.

It is believed that ion straighteners do not dry hair at all, retain moisture, and therefore do not have the slightest negative effect on them. Theoretically it should be, but Whether this is so has not yet been proven in practice.

One thing is clear - it will not be worse for hair from ions. But if you are in doubt whether to give money for an iron with ions or buy with a thermostat at an identical price, then choosing the second function will be better. More on this later.

Temperature regulator - is it necessary in a hair straightener?

To begin with, many users believe that thermostat- a thing for a rectifier is unnecessary.

• “I have the easiest First Austria Trista hair straightener. I am very satisfied with its quality, and even for such money! Only 450 rubles! It doesn't have any bells and whistles, like a temperature controller. There is one ON/OFF button. This is enough for ironing. Turned on - heated and straightened. Why else set different temperatures? Ritulya"

And here is another review, after reading which it will become clearer, Why is there a thermostat in the iron?

• "My hair is very thin and naughty. A flat iron set to 160 degrees straightens it gently, and my daughter has thick hair. Only 200 degrees can handle it. Mara

It becomes clear that the temperature controller is a necessary function in a hair straightener.

It is not true that the higher the temperature, the better for the hair - it will straighten faster. They will straighten up, of course, but the high temperature will harm their health. All stylists speak about it with one voice.

Temperature is needed to choose optimal heating option, depending on the structure and type of hair, their damage. Experts recommend that you adhere to the following parameters

• 200 degrees African hair
• 190 - 195 - curly hair
• 180 - 185 - thick and thick
• 170 - 175 - medium density hair
• Up to 165 - thin hair
• Up to 155 - dyed hair
• Up to 145 - brittle damaged

That's why you need a thermostat. In irons, where there is no thermostat, temperature is automatically set to 200 degrees. Manufacturers and users do not take this into account, mistakenly believing that only the speed with which you straighten your hair depends on temperature: the higher, the faster.

Of course, the price of an iron with a thermostat is higher than that of a straightener without this function, but you need a thermostat.

Often, the latest models are equipped with an LCD screen, which displays the temperature to which the iron has heated up - this is certainly a convenient feature, but you can do without it in everyday life, but a professional needs it.

Insert width

Depending on the thickness and density of the hair, irons with different plate widths are selected.

• “Gama hair irons, reviews of which inspired me to buy exactly the iron of this company, as a rule, have narrow plate widths. More often 23 mm. It's comfortable. I straighten the hair along the entire length, and gently twist the ends, just turning the iron. The main thing is not how much you grab at a time, but how you smooth the strand. And one moment - bangs with wide plates are generally inconvenient to straighten, but narrow - please. Krista"

Wide plates from 40 to 60 mm are more often used in hairdressing salons, and such flat irons are also suitable for those who who has thick hair.

For home use and for those who have normal hair, the option with narrow plates is more acceptable - (15 - 25 mm).

Professional hair straighteners or household?

Leading home appliance companies specialize in low cost household hair straighteners. You can buy them at any hardware store and use them successfully at home.

But it should be remembered that with frequent use cheapironing you will notice that the hair may become less healthy over time.

Such irons heat up longer than professional ones, they do not always have enough power to quickly straighten hair. Therefore, if you plan to use a hair straightener often, it is better to buy professional hair straighteners,

What is a hair straightener? In simple terms, this is a device that, through thermal action on the hair, allows you to give them the necessary shape. In other words, this is a home mini-stylist. To understand how to choose the right hair straightening device, you should know how it works and what functions it can perform.

The principle of operation of the device

The hair cuticle contains a layer called the cortex. It contains hydrogen compounds that affect the waviness of the hair. Heating up to a certain temperature, the straightener acts on the hair like an iron on a damp cloth: in contact with them, it removes moisture from the hair, thereby making it even.

In addition, straighteners have one feature: they smooth out the “naughty” scales of our hair. This makes them look smooth and silky.

But there is also harm from the use of irons. Although flat irons can easily straighten hair, frequent use of them can lead to “dehydration” and overheating of the hair: it will become stiff, split, unattractive.

In order for the choice of ironing to be optimal, you should pay attention to some of its characteristics. Let's consider them in more detail.

Coating material

The material from which the ironing plates are made largely determines the condition of your hair in the future. Currently, manufacturers produce devices with such a coating:

• Metallic. The most budget option is irons with metal plates. But do not rush to rejoice. After all, a low price is often followed by an identical quality. If we are talking about metal plates, then we can characterize their effect on hair in one word: iron. They simply burn the hair, because the metal heats up unevenly. Consequently, in some places the hair will be very overheated. And we don't need straw on our heads. Therefore, it is worth thinking twice before choosing such material. However, you can still see such devices on the shelves, they are also often sold at a discount or fall into the category of "promotional" goods.

• Ceramic. After metal ones, ceramic plates appeared in rectifiers on the market of stylers. They are much higher in price than the first ones, but also more “kind” to your hair. Firstly, ceramics heats up evenly, which greatly reduces the likelihood of damage to the hairs. Ceramic plates slide easily and smoothly along the strands, minimizing the negative impact. Very often, ceramic plates contain moisturizers and conditioners in their composition, which makes it possible to simultaneously take care of the hair when modeling hairstyles. Ceramic plates have, perhaps, the only significant drawback: when using cosmetic hair products during styling with the device, some of them will remain on the plates.

Advice. To maintain the original appearance of the ceramic plates and make the installation process as pleasant as during the first use, wipe the ceramic surface with a damp cloth. Thus, you will clean it from the remnants of any cosmetics.

• Teflon. The action of Teflon plates is similar to the first type: they also glide over the strands of hair without overheating them, and at the same time they are not afraid of hair styling products. A Teflon-coated flat iron is the best option for those with fine hair. But it is somewhat superior to ceramic in cost and at the same time Teflon is subject to destruction, and this makes such straighteners unsafe for hair over time.
• Tourmaline. One of the most modern materials used in rectifiers. When heated, tourmaline releases particles that neutralize static in the hair and close the scales, thereby retaining moisture. This almost completely eliminates the negative impact. Such plates also easily slide along the strands and do not overheat them. But, as you may have guessed, this option is the most expensive of all presented.

thermostat

Irons are equipped with a temperature regulator, and may not have it. Is it needed at all, and if so, why? The fact is that hair, due to their different condition, requires a certain temperature effect. So, if we are talking about weak thin or dyed hair, then the maximum temperature that they can “withstand” without consequences is about 160 degrees.

For thick, as well as uncolored hair, a higher temperature regime is acceptable - up to 180 degrees. And very hard hair can withstand temperatures of 200 degrees. The described temperature gradation is typical only for rectifiers with thermostats.

Manufacturers of irons without a thermostat by default set the heating mode around 200 degrees. And this is a reason to think. And which iron will you choose?

Insert width

The plates are both narrow (about 1.5-2 cm) and wide (more than 3 cm). Choosing a suitable iron, based on this characteristic, should be, given the length of the hair:

• for short hair or shoulder length, plates up to 2.5 cm wide are perfect;
• medium length hair (shoulder area) - about 3 cm;
• hair of medium length, but thick, it is most convenient to style when the plates are 3-4 cm wide;
• for long hair, the best option would be straighteners with plates more than 6 cm wide.

Plate fixing

Plates for rectifiers can be either with sharp corners or slightly rounded. They are usually fixed either rigidly or "float". Accordingly, the functions performed by it will depend on the type of device chosen.

So, if your goal is not only to straighten your hair, but also to create luxurious curls, then give preference to plates with rounded edges. The fixed plates are "tightly" built into the body of the device, which means that the more you squeeze the parts of the iron, the tighter they will shrink.

The floating elements are attached with springs and can move up/down the strands. They are quite convenient, but such products are rarely found on store shelves.

Top 5 irons according to consumer reviews

It's also a good idea to read the reviews. After all, often the products of even the most famous brands are far from the best quality. We offer you a top list of manufacturers of hair styling devices, compiled according to the reviews of the fair sex:

Advice. Although reviews help form an opinion about a product, remember that reviews are subjective.

We have provided you with detailed instructions on how to choose the best hair straightener. Of course, the best option is hair given by nature, but if it doesn't match your desires, try choosing a flat iron using our tips. Good luck!

How to choose a hair straightener: video