Are you looking to shop for the best, most reliable flat iron or straightener this winter? The only reason you would want to invest in a flat iron, that’s high-quality, is to achieve best results with less hair damage. High-quality or professional flat irons work faster, leaving your hair feeling smooth. In addition, they cause less heat damage to your precious locks as compared to their low-quality counterparts.  Let’s look at the factors to consider when shopping for a flat iron that’s best for your hair type.    

Ceramic Flat Irons/Straighteners:

• Are best for fine, straight hair that is frizz prone.
• They have super-smooth plates and low heat output making them perfect for thin hair.
• They come in a variety of functions. If you choose one with more functionality, it will also be more expensive.
• Ceramic flat irons are popular because they are less lightly to burn the hair shaft as they straighten hair.
• They are great for eliminating frizz, smoothing hair and locking in moisture and by far are the most popular material used in flat irons.
• Most ceramic straighteners have a temperature below 360° and some ceramic flat irons have an ionic technology.

Styling tools with ionic technology release negative ions that neutralise the charge of positive ions responsible for dry, brittle and damaged hair due to an open hair shaft. When the shaft neutralises it produces a closed hair shaft resulting in a smoother hair texture generating negative ions.  

Titanium Flat Irons/Straighteners:

• Are ideal for normal to medium curly hair.
• You can expect silky and shiny straight hair from titanium plates as you would from ceramic plates.
• The temperature settings range from 360° to 380°.
• They are the only flat irons with metal material you should ever consider buying. No other metal can achieve the same level of flatness titanium straighteners do.
• Expect to pay much more for titanium straighteners than ceramic ones. They were designed for salon use and for individuals who require more heat and at the same time who want less frizz.
• In order for titanium straighteners to better straighten thick hair over a larger area and speed up the styling process, they have wider plates.  

Tourmaline Flat Irons/Straighteners:

• Work on thick, coarse and curly hair.
• The temperature setting on tourmaline plates ranges between 380° and 410° - very high temperature.
• Tourmaline is naturally ionised and as you straighten hair, the material actually seals the hair closed and sealing in much-needed moisture to fight dry, frizzy and unmanageable hair.
• The amount of heat that can be applied to hair is vastly increased by tourmaline crystals while creating a smoother surface that reduces the tugging and pulling of hair.
• The high heat output perfectly straightens hair from a single pass with no need for more passes. Leaving hair perfectly smooth, silky and shiny per pass.  

Remember to always use a heat protectant on your hair before and after applying heat as an extra protection against damage. The width of the flat irons tell you what hair length they work well with - long and thin plates are ideal for short, fine hair. While long and wide plates are best for long, thick hair that is harder to straighten. With this information, you should be able to find a flat iron that suits your specific hair needs. Visit HHWH for a vast selection of hair straighteners to choose from.