Choosing the Right Size Flat Iron For Your Hair Type

One of the things you need to decide when purchasing your flat iron is what plate size is best for your hair so that you get the best straightening performance possible with your new iron. Getting the right plate size for your hair type is important for the hair iron to optimally get the looks you are hoping for from your iron.

The best overall plate width for everyone is the one inch size. One inch plates are intended to straighten medium length hair but is a good catch all size for those looking for a versatile iron.

Of course if you have very thin hair you will want a smaller plate in order to best manage these thin locks. This smaller plate size is ideal also for very short hair since it makes getting those small amounts of hair easier to get into smaller half or three-quarter inch plates.

For those with really thick and very long hair larger plates can be used to straighten the hair. Hair of this type does not need the small minuet details from smaller plates and can be done quicker with the larger plates.

Getting the right size of plates for your hair will ensure that you have the right amount of hot plate to run down your hair but not so little that straightening your locks takes all day long.

Learning Flat Iron Stlying Tips For Best Results For Your Hair

For the most part using a flat iron to gorgeous smooth hair is relatively easy, it is not exactly rocket science to run your hair through the plates of a straightening iron to get the look you want. But getting salon quality results on that look is another story since the pros have some tips for getting hair absolutely smooth that someone just running the hair iron through their hair may not know. Of course anyone can learn these flat iron styling tips once they know what they are and put them into practice.

Knowing to ensure that your hair is completely tangle free and to use divide it off into sections using clips can greatly increase the effectiveness of your hair iron and help get the absolute smoothest results. Also make sure you are using the right temperature on your hair iron. Too low will not straighten effectively while too high will damage the hair and maybe even potentially burn the scalp. Plus using the right hair products from shampoos to conditioners and hair sprays can not only help the hair iron get better results but also to keep your hair healthy despite the styling demands you place on it.

The Advances In Modern Hair Straighteners

Women today have hair styling so easy and yet many do not realize just how good they have it with the modern styling tools and products available to them. As recently as the 60’s women were using styling tools that were still as primitive as the first models created before the turn of the century. These early tools were more like medieval torture devices that caused significantly more damage to the hair with one use than our modern hair tools cause in their lifetime.

A great example is the method women have used over the years to remove the excess curl from their hair. In the past everything has been used from harsh chemicals that caused severe burns to the scalp when used or even clothing irons to smooth out the body in the hair. Neither method was very effective and both were very dangerous and damaging to the user.

The modern professional flat iron is made with some of the best material available such as tourmaline and titanium so that they are not only effective at straightening the hair but also gentle to the hair and the user in the process. These modern hair straighteners and styling tools are so much farther advanced than tools of the past women of today should be very happy that they do not have to suffer to style their hair.

Exfoliating For A Healthy Scalp

We try and use the best hair products we can to look absolutely gorgeous but those products may actually be bringing our hair down instead of raising it to all new heights of volume and health. Yes, women do seek out the best rated flat iron to give their hair that sleek and smooth appearance but not taking care of your scalp can leave your hair flat, dry, and limp. This is because your scalp is an extension of your skin and should get the same care and attention as the skin on the rest of your body receives.

The hair products we use on a daily basis build up on our scalp creating a unhealthy foundation for your hair to grow in. By exfoliating your scalp you can energize the skin where your hair takes root to create a healthier environment that will grow healthier hair. Some studies have linked hair lose in women to an unhealthy scalp as well as slowed growth of hair. Once or twice a week every women should use a shampoo that contains glycolic or salicylic acid to remove that buildup of products and dead skin cells so that their scalp will be healthier for healthier hair.

Avoiding Crimp Marks When Using A Hair Straightening Iron

Sometimes hair straightening irons leave a bad impression with some women who feel that these hair styling tools are not all they are hyped to be. Really for most of these women the issue is not with the hair straightener but with how they are using it. Though these tools are really simple to use it is still easy to make some common mistakes and feel that the iron it to blame for the problem.

One complaint many women have is they end up with many horizontal crimp marks on their hair from the flat iron. The common problem here is the user knows they are supposed to slowly glide the iron down the length of their hair, but they end up actually going too slow. Moving too slowly results in the iron being in one spot too long creating these crimped marks that would not have been there had you moved the iron down the hair quick enough. Of course if the hair is not straightening that means that you are moving too quickly. It should be a nice slow glide that does not stay in one place for any period of time for best results.

Chi vs. Karmin

Some of the best straightening irons have long been held as the standard of quality when it comes to hair irons. But when it comes to choosing one over the other, which hair iron should you choose a Chi vs. Karmin? One of the biggest debates and frustrations is not narrowing down the hair iron from some of the cheaper, lower quality brands, but trying to decide between two high quality irons.

Let’s start with the Chi hair straightener. The Chi brand has held the status as one of the most popular hair straighteners with stylists and the general public for years. Chi has a number of different models of hair straighteners out, but its most basic iron the Original Chi Ceramic Hair Iron, is an example of the quality and simplicity that made Chi hair irons so successful. This iron utilizes the power of ceramic plates which provides an even temperature to the hair at all times, heating up quickly to begin styling right away. The ceramic plates also provide a moist heat which penetrates each hair, sealing the cuticle making your hair look shiner and healthier than it did before styling. The iron is versatile as well, making it easy to curl, flip and twist hair into a variety of styles.

One of the newest hair irons that Chi offers is the Chi Silver Nano Flat Iron. Not only does this hair straightener offer the top selling ceramic plate technology, but it also offers a very unique Nano Silver Technology that takes the long known power of silver and puts it to work on your hair eliminating a wide variety of bacteria and germs. This technology creates a healthier environment for your hair and environment while it’s doing an amazing job straightening your hair.

Taking a look now at the Karmin hair straighteners, you have another line of very high quality irons. The Karmin Titanium Hair Straightener, uses titanium plates instead of ceramic which also provide amazing straight hair, and some great benefits. The Titanium plates are as smooth as glass, but without all of the harmful properties that glass straighteners can have on your hair. Using negative ions and infrared heat, the Karmin hair irons, remove static from your hair creating a smooth, sleek look. The negative ions, penetrate every hair shaft, sealing in the natural oils and locking in color. The Karmin hair straightener, also uses a micro-porous technology that works also to lock in moisture so not only will your hair be beautiful, and straight but it will be healthier than ever before, radiating shine and glossiness.

When you are comparing the Chi vs. Karmin hair irons, you will find that both products work very well and will give you beautiful straight hair that will last all day. So if you are having a hard time deciding between those two excellent irons, it may simply come down to personal preference and you will not go wrong with either choice.

Best African American Flat Irons

No matter what type of hair you have, you will be able to straighten your hair with a flat iron. In fact, even if you have notoriously thick and coarse African American hair, you do not need to resort to harsh chemical straighteners that will damage your hair, perhaps permanently. Not too mention all of the harsh fumes and long wait times while the chemicals set. No way. All you need is to choose from the best African American flat irons and you are on your way to beautifully sexy, sleek hair.

The best flat irons for African American hair have a few things in common. The first is that they must have ceramic or titanium plates. These plates will be smooth and won’t tug or tear at the hair. Ceramic plates also offer moist heat which helps to straighten the hair from the inside of the hair, out. Moist heat is much gentler on tough, coarse hair.

Another very important feature that all of the best African American flat irons have in common is that they utilize the power of tourmaline. Tourmaline is a naturally occurring element that has been found to be an amazing source of negative ions. As the hair iron plates pass across the hair, the negative ions enter each individual hair shaft, sealing each hair cuticle. By sealing each hair cuticle, your hair retains its natural oils and shine, allowing it to be healthier than ever before. Also, because each hair cuticle is closed, the hair lays flat against the head instead of looking frizzy and standing up all over the place which is a common complaint for African American’s who straighten their hair. You want the end result to be sexy, sleek hair, not frizzy damaged looking hair. This is why tourmaline is so important in a hair straightener. The tourmaline keeps your hair looking straight, and it will also be softer and more manageable than ever before.

Another feature that you will need to look for when you are searching for the best flat irons for African American hair is temperature control. Do not choose an iron that only has one setting because this is not a one size fits all solution. It is much better for thick, coarse hair to be able to adjust the heat setting in order to get the highest temperature. Most African American hair needs a high heat setting, but before you crank up the temperature, start lower and work your way up because every person has different hair and you do not want to apply a high heat if you don’t have to.

Forget about expensive, messy and harmful chemical hair straighteners. You can get a better result, faster by using a high quality hair straightener. Plus, you will be doing your hair a favor because by using the best hair irons for African American hair, you can actually improve the look of your hair.

Hair Straighteners – 10 Quick Tips for Straightening Hair

Here the top 10 hair straightening tips to make sure you get the best results from your flat iron, every time!

1. Always make sure your flat iron plates are clean! Use a soft damp cloth on a cool iron to wipe away any residue.

2. Allow your flat iron to fully heat up to the set temperature before styling.

3. Blow dry hair straight before straightening hair and make sure hair is completely dry before hair straightening to avoid burning hair.

4. Use a heat protectant styling aid to keep hair healthy when using heated styling tools.

5. Section hair into layers so you can start with the back bottom layers of your hair and work your way up and around the head.

6. Straighten 1 inch sections of hair at a time.

7. Glide the iron SLOWLY down the section of hair for best results and to avoid having to go over the section of hair more than once.

8. If your hair is super curly, follow a comb with your flat iron down the section of hair during straightening to help smooth the hair.

9. Do not clamp the flat iron plates too tightly but do make sure you have a good grip on the hair as the pressure of the plates combined with the heat of the iron is what straightens the hair.

10. Make sure you are using a professional hair straightening iron! Checkout Choosing the Right Hair Straightener for You.

How to Create a Variety of Styles with your Flat Iron

How many people do you know that have a hair straightener but aren’t getting the full use out of it? You might be one of them. It’s okay, you can admit it. Most people who have a hair straightener use it for one thing only – straightening their hair. And sure, that’s what the tool was designed for sure. But there is so much more that you can do with your tool that if you are only using it to make your hair straight, you are wasting the potential of your tool.

 

The first thing you need to do is start using your imagination. Sure, straight hair is nice, but just like anything else, it can get boring if that’s all you do every day. Mix it up a bit. You can use your hair iron to add fun flips to your hair, and it’s really easy to do.

 

The first thing you should do is straighten your hair as you normally would if it’s quite curly. Once you have a good base style, you can start adding to it. Section your hair using clips to keep the rest of the hair out of the way. Start with a small section and run the iron down to the ends. To get your hair to flip out, twist the hair iron up. To achieve a hair under style, like a bob – twist the iron under and the ends will curl under.

 

Continue along your head, flipping your hair out or in as you desire. Do each section one at a time, do not try to do thick pieces of hair or you may get frustrated with the results. If you want to mix up the style a bit, you can actually mix up the flips that you do. Try to do the bottom layer of hair by flipping the ends under, while you do the top layer by flipping the hair out. This creates another fun style to try out. By only flipping out or in the ends of your hair you can create a few more fun styles than the same old straight look.

 

Another fun style to try with your hair iron is loose sexy curls. Again, you must start by sectioning your hair into manageable pieces. Depending on how much curl you want, you can start close to the root of your hair, or half way down. This is a matter of personal preference and may take some experimenting to decide what you like the best. Take the section that you are starting with and clamp the iron down at the top of your head (or halfway down depending on where you are starting). Twist the iron around the hair 180 degrees, pulling the iron down as you twist.

 

You can control the tightness of the curl by how fast you pull the iron down the hair. The faster you pull down, the looser the curl will be. If you go slowly the curl will be tighter. Also, if you use larger sections the result will be looser curls versus small, tighter curls by using small sections.

 

The style choices are limitless by using your hair iron for different styles. The key is to experiment a little bit and have fun. Use your imagination and you won’t have boring hair styles anymore.

Getting Out Of That Hairstyle Slump

Many women fall into a slump when it comes to styling their hair and continue to either curl it the same or straighten it the same each and every day and do not realize just how board they are with the look. But your hair does not have to be just curly or just straight you can do a style that is a mix between the two and you will only have to use your hair straightening iron to do it. Hair straighteners can be used to not only straighten hair but to give it volume and waves as well. By mixing up the motion you use your flat iron on your hair you can get new looks that will make you excited to get ready to go out again.

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