So you have to check the flat iron you’re buying. Does it have enough power to go up to the heat needed?

Here are the recommended temperatures for different textures of hair:

• Fine hair; bleached, fragile or damaged hair – Below 360F/180C
• Normal hair – 360-380F/180-190C
• Coarse hair; Thick, curly or ethnic hair – 380-410F/190-210C

But what do you do if you’re sharing the flat iron with your sister? Get a flat iron with temperature control!

Temperature Control
Some flat irons come with temperature control where you can adjust the temperature as you like, but some come with fixed temperature. Adjustable temperature is great for sharing the flat iron among others who have different hair texture.

2. Ceramic or tourmaline?
All professional flat irons now have ceramic plates. Only the cheap flat irons have aluminum plates coated with paint to make it look ceramic.

Ceramic plates heat up fast and have constant heat to minimize damage to hair. Because the hard ceramic coatings are baked, the surface doesn’t wear off easily and won’t snag your hair.

Some flat irons infused tourmaline with ceramic to release negative ions which will eliminate frizz and smoothing out your hair. Of course, these come with a higher price tag.

For coarse and very curly or stubborn hair, ceramic plates with tourmaline technology will produce a much better result.

3. Plate Size
Plate size means the width of the plates where heat is released directly to your hair. Below is a table where you can check which plate size is suitable for your hair. Shorter hair will need narrower plates while wider plates work faster on longer and thicker hair.

1-inch flat iron

1.25-inch flat iron

1.5-inch flat iron

2-inch flat iron

4. Weight
Many people tell me that the difference between 1 pound and 1.5 pounds didn’t seem that big when they bought their flat irons, but after straightening hair section by section for half an hour, they wished they bought the lighter one.

If your hair is short and/or thin, a heavier iron shouldn’t be a burden; but if you have thick and/or long hair, definitely get a lightweight iron.

There are a couple of really lightweight flat irons out there weighing only about 10 ounces, like the Solia Professional Ceramic Flat Iron. Most of the others weigh around 1 to 2 pounds.

5. Price
To choose the best flat iron straightener, while price may be a good indicator of quality, it is not the ultimate pointer. Some of the users who’ve tried both cheap and expensive flat irons have claimed that their cheaper flat irons are better. Unless your budget is really tight, get a flat iron that costs $75 or above; that will have professional quality. The rest will depend on its features.

6. Brand and features
Unless you are a beginner or don’t plan to put much use to your flat iron, you should always pick a professional flat iron over a drugstore brand. Although it will cost more – above $75 – you will probably be glad that it lasts longer and produces more quality results.

Here are some features that you will be pleased to have with your flat iron:

1) Ergonomic design
- Much easier to grip and maneuver with when styling hair.

2) 360-degree swivel cord
- Doesn’t tangle up too easily when you work with your hair. You will hate to fight with the cord when in a hurry, I assure you.

 

3) Safe handles
- The handle part of the flat iron shouldn’t be hot while you iron your hair, or you will burn your hand! Most flat irons are safe to grip with one hand, but some people prefer to use both hands while using the flat iron. If you are one of them, you should find one which outer parts of the plates don’t get hot.

4) Auto shut-off
- Safety feature in case you leave your flat iron idle for too long.

5) Fast heating
- Heats up in a blink to let you get to work fast!

6) Slightly curved plate edges
- You can also create curls and waves with this kind of flat iron.

7) Warranty
- Most flat irons come with one year limited warranty, but check to make sure it does.

8 ) Wet to Dry
- Some flat irons can work on damp (just toweled-dry) hair or dry hair. This is because of steam vents on the flat iron that will release the excess moisture. This feature can save you quite a bit of time.

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First and foremost, you have to find out what kind of hair you have. Hair with short, medium to long length will react differently to different types of flat iron. The same can be said for hair thickness, and whether your hair is naturally curly or straight.

Types of Flat Iron:
A ceramic flat iron is high recommended for starters and professional hair stylist alike. Unlike cheaper consumer flat irons, a ceramic flat iron produces negative ions and far infrared heat which is much gentle on hair. In other words, it diffuses heat better and result in less damage.

A tourmaline flat iron or a titanium flat iron combines these elements with ceramic to increase the ionic output and shine. These types of irons work best for people with curly hair.

Size factor:
If you have natural straight hair and you just want to smooth or de-frizz, flat irons that come with plates that are 1” – 1.5” wide would be sufficient for you. This width is fine for most hair types, and works best with hair of short-medium length. For finer hair, a narrower plate is sufficient as smaller irons are lighter and easier to control.

If you have longer, thicker or curly hair, flat irons with 2” plates or larger would be a better choice as a small iron would make styling more tedious.

Temperature:
Flat iron with variable temperature settings provides more styling flexibility and control. However, you don’t need more heat than necessary when styling your hair.

A decent flat iron with a temperature setting around 300 – 380 degrees F is good enough for normal hair.

For fine, damaged or chemically treated hair, a lower heat setting is preferable to cut down the damage. The opposite could be said for thick, coarse, extra curly and stubborn hair, which requires a higher heat setting (350 – 400 degrees F) to style.

Budget:
If price is an issue, don’t worry. Yes, you can splurge and spend upwards of $125 on your flat iron, but you can also get a comparable model with many of the same features for around $75. The models are cheaper if you don’t need the tourmaline technology. Good flat irons with only ceramic technology and variable heat setting can be obtained for $50.

Other notes to consider:
You may chose to invest in a professional flat iron or one with a small brand from a drugstore. However, it is important to keep in mind that most consumer flat irons are generally made with cheap materials, poorly designed, and are not intended for long usage.

Certain consumer flat irons claim to be “ceramic” or “tourmaline”. The ugly truth is, most of them are made with aluminum plates coated with regular paint. This coating usually comes off after a few uses, and as a result, hair gets caught and broken between the plates, which may lead to hair damage. Hence it is important to know if the flat iron you’re intending to buy is true to its claim.

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Solia Pink Limited Edition 1-Inch Flat Iron

Solia Pink Limited Edition 1-Inch Flat Iron has 1 inch ceramic plates, which are suitable for short or medium hair length. With the 1-inch slim ceramic plates, this flat iron is extremely handy for curling, straightening and twisting. All the users unanimously claimed that it is an utterly versatile flat iron that worth every penny they spent.

According to the reviews, the variable and controllable temperature of Solia Pink Limited Edition 1-Inch Flat Iron, which range from 140oF to 450oF, is one of the best features that captivated the users.

Besides, this product is equipped with Autosense technology, which enables even heat distributions throughout the ceramic plates and in turn leading to excellently straightened hair without undesired damages.

The Tourmaline technology in this Solia Pink Limited Edition 1-Inch Flat Iron will render you a lustrous and silky smooth hair as the abovementioned technology will generate gentle far infrared heat with 6 times more negative ions to protect your hair from heat damages.

Apart from that, this flat iron is fabricated with the Dynamic Alignment System that will offer a perfect contact between your hair and the plates and in turn ensuring you a perfectly frizz-free hair. In general, most of the users have asserted that this product works fabulously well on their hair day in and day out.

They also claimed that this flat iron is capable of reducing the time needed for all the styling or straightening processes.

Virtually, Solia Pink Limited Edition 1-Inch Flat Iron is suitable for all hair types. Regardless your hair is in dry or wet conditions, this flat iron constantly delivers good results that fit your requirements.

Better still, it has a 360o swivel power cord to avoid entangling and an excellent exterior design to give users a comfortable grip. Last but not least, Solia has offered a one-year limited warranty to ensure the integrity of this product.

The major drawback of this Solia Pink Limited Edition 1-Inch Flat Iron is the inconvertible current setting. This means that it is not suitable for travelling and it can only be used within USA or Canada.

I will not say that this product is flawless or perfect, but it does receive a great deal of good comments and reviews from the existing users. To sum up, it is a handy, versatile, and well-designed flat iron with affordable price.

Further information:

• Click here to read more about Solia Pink Limited Edition 1 Inch Flat Iron

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Hai Convertible 1 ¼-Inch Ceramic Flat Iron

Apart from its versatility, the reviews has shown that this hair-shaping appliance constantly working well on the users hair day in and day out. It will transform their hair from coarse, curly and frizzy to silky smooth and straight.

Besides, this Hai Convertible 1 ¼-Inch Ceramic Flat Iron is equipped with instant heat up capability. Better still, it has a variable or controllable temperature with a LED light that will blink when the preset temperature is reached.

The innovative lightweight ergonomic design of Hai Convertible 1 ¼-Inch Ceramic Flat Iron has made styling easy, fun and enjoyable for everyone, regardless it is for home-usage by you or professional-usage by hair stylists.

This particular flat iron saves time and reduces fatigue, asserted by one reviewer. In addition, its well-designed ceramic plates give a smooth contact between your hair and the plates. This means that no undesired hair-snagging or pulling will happen and in turn speed up the hair styling process.

Other than all the goodness this flat iron offers the users, it does have some drawbacks. Firstly, it does not suitable for travelers as it only operates at 110 Volts with the power of 50 Watts, which means that the Hai Convertible 1 ¼-Inch Ceramic Flat Iron can only be used in United States, Canada or Mexico.

Secondly, it has a vulnerable swivel cord connection. One user complained that the loosened swivel cord connection caused the flat iron to stop heating up again.

In balance, despite the problematic swivel cord that needs extra care, I think Hai Convertible 1 ¼-Inch Ceramic Flat Iron is considered as a worthy product at this price range because it does work well as a flat iron and more importantly, it does preserve the health of one’s hair.

Further information:

• Click here for the Hai Convertible 1 ¼-Inch Ceramic Flat Iron

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Conair Flat Iron 2" Ceramic Straightener

Apart from that, the 30-second instant heat up capability of Conair 2-Inch Plates Professional Ceramic Straightener is one of the best features that has captivated the users.

Better still, this flat iron is equipped with indicating light, which will display different colors in accordance with the readiness of the equipment for usage.
Besides, it also features 25 variable heat settings to let users choose the appropriate amount of heat according to their preferences or requirements.

Most of the reviewers are satisfied with the results delivered by this flat iron as it turns their long, thick, wavy and unmanageable hair into lustrous, shiny and straight hair. They also claimed that by using this flat iron, the time they have to spend on tidying their hair is tremendously reduced.

The well-finished ceramic plates of this product enable the hair to glide through smoothly, without undesired snagging or pulling.

As an extra credit, Conair 2-Inch Plates Professional Ceramic Straightener is manufactured with an On/Off touch pad, automatically turn off function as well as the dual voltage choices.

Some of the owners complained that 2-inch ceramic plates are way too big for their short hair. However, they still asserted that this flat iron is continuously doing excellently well on their hair.

To sum up, Conair 2-Inch Plates Professional Ceramic Straightener is a simple flat iron that will straighten your hair into silky straight, with no fancy features. Though it is not as versatile as the other high-end flat irons, but I think it is a fabulous product within this price range!

Further information:

• Click here to see Conair 2-Inch Plates Professional Ceramic Straightener

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• Prepare your hair by deep conditioning it first. The product will have instructions as to how long you should let the conditioner sit before rinsing it out.
• After you’ve wash out all traces of the deep conditioner, wash your hair with a straightening shampoo, followed with a straightening conditioner.
• While your hair is damp, apply styling cream from mid-shaft down. Having trouble with curly, coarse hair? Use a straightening balm that will eliminate frizz while providing protection for your hair. Use a heat-protective spray to prevent hair damage caused by heat.
• Blow dry your hair section by section.
• Your hair should be thoroughly dry before you use your flat iron on it. It is important to dry your hair completely as using a flat iron on wet hair isn’t successful. Be sure that your hair is fully dry, from the tips to the roots.
• Heat up the flat iron at the right temperature. Usually, a lower temperature is used for fine hair that requires just a bit of touch up; a higher temperature is used for thick, curly hair that is stubborn to tame.
• An instruction manual is normally included with your flat iron to help you decide which temperature is more suitable for you.
• If you are not sure what temperature is right, it is important to not put the flat iron on the highest setting when you start using it on your hair. Start at a low setting and gradually increase until you get the right temperature.
• Starting at the back of the head, part your hair horizontally and pin up hair for ease of working.
• Take a one or two-inch wide section of hair each time and clamp the iron down near the scalp, but not too near till it causes burning the scalp. Move the flat iron steadily towards the tip of your hair. Curve the iron ever so slightly near the end for a more natural look. Repeat until your hair has been straightened.
• When all hair is straightened, rub a bit of serum gloss between your hands and palm it over hair to get rid of any remaining frizz and for extra shine.

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Farouk CHI Turbo Regular Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener

As its name implies, it deploys Ceramic Technology, which enables smooth contacts between your hair and the plates. Hence, undesired hair-pulling or hair-snagging can be avoided.

With its far infrared technology, the health of your hair can be preserved. In short, this particular flat iron is capable of sealing your hair cuticle, preserving moisture, repelling humidity, locking in color as well as maintaining the shines of your hair.

Most of the users claimed that it has the capability of turning the extremely curly or wavy hair into silky smooth straight hair in a few minutes. The reviews also convey that this flat iron is even able to work well on the very thick, curly and unmanageable hair of African American.

Apart from that, Chi Farouk Turbo Regular 2 Inch Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener is versatile. It is good at straightening, but it can be used for curling process as well. It also allows you to flip and style your hair. With one flat iron, you can have different hair styles in accordance with your preferences.

On the other hand, it is equipped with the heating elements that will speedily heat up to the desired temperature and distribute the heat evenly over the ceramic plates. Most reviewers asserted that they love these features as the annoying waiting time can be tremendously cut short.

Besides, the owner of this product also conveyed that the variable temperature control, from 176oF to 356oF, is one of their favorite features as this renders them the total control of the temperature for all their hair styling needs.

The ergonomic lightweight design, 10-foot heavy duty electrical cord, and the 360-degree swivel connection that prevent unnecessary tangling are some of the best features in Chi Farouk Turbo Regular 2 Inch Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener.

However, there are quite a number of users claimed that the electrical cord with the swivel connection is vulnerable and tending to spoil within one year time. The 2-inch ceramic plates are suitable for some users, but this product is also available in different sizes such as 0.7 inch and 1 inch.

In my opinion, despite the complaints about the fragile electrical cord, Chi Farouk Turbo Regular 2 Inch Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener is a top-notch flat iron in terms of its capability of straightening, curling, and styling. It offers you a lustrous, silky smooth and healthy hair!

Further information:

• Click here to read more reviews on Farouk CHI GF1539 Turbo Big 2 Inch Ceramic Flat Iron

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• Take this as a word of advice – UNPLUG your flat iron immediately after use to ensure your own safety.
• Your hair or hair-styling products that you apply on your hair will build up undesired residue on the plates of your flat iron over time. This residue will make the plates become sticky and the flat iron no longer can glide smoothly through your hair. Hair-pulling or snagging will happen then, unless you clean your flat iron plates regularly.
• In order to make sure that your flat iron won’t die on you like a bolt from the blue, take a few minutes to cleanse it after each usage.
• The plates of the flat iron will remain hot for a several minutes even after you have turned it off. Hence, it is important to place it on a heatproof mat and let it cool off before any cleansing process.
• When the flat iron is almost cooled down, use a damp, soft cloth to wipe the surfaces of the plates. Any new residue will be removed.
• For stubborn buildup, you can use a professional spray solution to loosen it before wiping it off.
• For the purpose of protecting the surfaces of the plates, never use any sharp, harsh or abrasive cleaner or cloth to do the cleaning. The dirt at any crevices or creases on the handles can be easily clean up by using a cotton swab.
• One very important note – Never ever wrap the electrical cord around your flat iron! This will loosen or damage the electrical connection of the power cord. Just loosely bundle up the wires, taking care not to bend the wire too much near the connection part with the flat iron.
• Some simple fixing like tightening the screws of the plates to maintain the hair-gripping ability after months of usage is a must in prolonging the life cycle of the flat iron. If you are afraid of damaging the flat iron, ask a favor from the hair stylists, they will be able to tighten your flat iron at ease.

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Andis Ceramic Clamp Flat Iron 1"

Besides, with the tight clamp style of this iron and the high temperature of 375 degrees, you are able to style your hair quickly and easily. Some users have pointed out that the hair styles that created by this flat iron can last for days.

Although Andis 1 Inch Ceramic Clamp Flat Iron is designed to straighten hair, some users have used it for curling their hair and the results are incredibly good. Better still, it provides 20 different heat settings. In order to ensure the safety of the users, it is equipped with an automatically turn off feature.

However there are users who claimed that the heating indicator light is not accurate as it shows “still-heating” even when the iron is hot. This is probably why some other users think the iron takes a long time to heat up. Some reviewers pointed out that their iron plate coating wore off after a few uses.

For about one quarter or one third of the price of a professional brand flat iron, Andis 1 Inch Ceramic Clamp Flat Iron is considered a good budget flat iron if you plan to use it only once in a while. It also comes in the 2 Inch version.

Further information:

• Click here to read more about Andis 1-Inch Ceramic Clamp Flat Iron

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ghd Professional Advanced Ceramic Heat-Styler

First and foremost, this flat iron is not only capable of straightening, but it is capable of curling and creating wavy hair-style. GHD Advanced 1 Inch Ceramic Heat-styler has a rounded or curved barrel, which is particularly helpful in any kinds of styling processes to produce a good hair-style. Greater still, for the purpose of ensuring optimum usage of the functions that provided by this flat iron, an instructional DVD that includes various methods of styling one’s hair is included.

GHD Advanced 1 Inch Ceramic Heat-styler uses advanced ceramic heat aluminum plates that will render you a static-free shiny hair by sealing the cuticle during straightening, curling or styling process. To further protect your hair from any heat damages, this flat iron is designed to emit a perfect amount of infrared heat with plenty of negative ions, which are crucial in giving you a silky smooth, healthy, frizz-free and shiny hair.

GHD Advanced 1 Inch Ceramic Heat-styler is suitable for worldwide travelers as it offers a universal voltage of 110V to 230V. As an extra feature, GHD Advanced 1 Inch Ceramic Heat-styler is also incorporated with a Sleep Mode safety function that will turn this flat iron off if it is left unattended for 30 minutes. Last but not least, this product is equipped with flash quick heating capability that enables the flat iron to gain heat and ready to be used in less than 15 seconds.

Although priced a little higher than other popular brands, GHD Advanced 1 Inch Ceramic Heat-styler is a worthy and practical hair-styling flat iron as it receives thumbs up from nearly all of the users!

Further information:

• Click here to read more reviews on GHD Advanced 1 Inch Ceramic Heat-styler

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