The Knowhow
Ceramic Plates
If you can, use ceramic straighteners; they are less drying than older alloy or aluminium stylers and radiate heat through ionic infra red plates rather than conducting heat directly onto the hair.
If opting for ceramic, which many irons now are, the grade and quantity of ceramic coating will determine affect how well the heat distributes throughout the plates keeping it at the temperature selected with no hot spots.
Tourmaline - a precious stone - is also used by some manufacturers to coat the straightener plate and works by generating a vast number of negative ions when heating which reduce the risk of heat damage.
Adjustable setting:
Overheating your hair can breakdown the hair cuticle causing split ends and can even sometimes cause the hair to break off. It's a good idea to choose straightenrs with a controllable heat setting. If your hair is fine, a setting of around 250°F is ideal, 350°F for coarse hair.
Top tips to set you straight:
- Spray your hair with a heat protector spray before you start straightening
- Make sure your hair is completely dry before you start
- Do not use hairspray before straightening
- Straighten each section of hair for no more than 20 seconds.
- Allow your hair to cool down before going over a section again
- Never run hair straighteners up and down your hair to prevent split ends
- Avoid using straighteners every day to prevent dryness
- Moisture and condition your hair regularly
So that is the long and the short of hair straighteners - so there’s no need for a bad hair day ever again!
