Unique little you
We are all different, and rightly so! Life would be oh so boring if we were the same.
So here’s me with my shoulder to mid length hair, over processed through hair dye and thick just because it always has been – it is the way I was made. My hair tends to frizz and although I have no natural curl whatsoever, it ‘flicks’ at the ends when it dries. Trust me; it’s not a good look. In fact I would go so far to say that it’s frightening.
My favorite brand of straightener delivers consistent results, is easy to handle, and call me shallow, but it looks good and is a recognizable brand. These things matter to me.
The good news is, in terms of straightening, there is pretty much a straightener for everyone, and technique to get the best results.
Here’s our guide to superlative looking hair whether your natural hair is straight, curly, fine, thick, dry, prone to grease…yeah, I’ll get on with it…
Pixie it!
It’s a common misconception that short hair doesn’t need styling.
This is a simple concept to remember – short hair, short iron, or in other words, a smaller iron makes it easier to avoid burn and offers more versatile styling.
Think the Chi Air Expert ½ inch.
Bob’s your uncle! (It’s a saying, although Bob may be your uncle – I don’t know…)
Slim and Trim
Fine hair can be tricky to straighten as high heat can frazzle it up. So common sense says turn the heat down. This is no compromise on finish so a temperature of around 350 or even less will still get you ‘fine’ looking hair.
Choose a straightener that can deliver lower temperatures and if you can get one that is easily heat adjustable, even better. A digital readout means accurate temperature control and once you have found the best heat for you, store it in your memory and you’re good to go next time.
Think quality too as you need plates that have good heat control consistently without ‘hot spots’. Our reviews will say if there is an issue here.
Thicker and naturally coarse, of course!
Thick hair can take some straightening, but choosing the right straightener for you naturally makes it much less of a chore.
Choose a straightener that is up to the job of handling a tougher gig. Higher temperatures are likely to be necessary to make a difference and consistent temperature will avoid tell-tale ‘ridges’ where the heat simply didn’t do its work well enough.
We live in a straightening era of ceramic, titanium, tourmaline and silicon plates, with new technology always ready to hit the market, so do your research. Of course (of coarse) you could also let us do the hard work and read our reviews…why make life harder than it needs to be?
A few important points to remember…
HOT SPOTS should not be ignored – they can ruin the desired finished look with inconsistent results. Ceramic coated plates are prone to gradual wear so are a real ‘hot-spot- culprit’. Aim to get a straightener that is designed for excellent results without the need to get to know your straightening irons little ‘quirks’.
HAIR DAMAGE is synonymous with hair straightening. Get to know your hair type and on first use, tread carefully. You can increase heat but can not instantly reverse hair damage. It is usually a ‘cut-out’ the damage job which may be devastating if you’re growing your hair. Use products that protect and enhance – you want your hair to be your crowning glory.
HAIR TYPES must be respected – straightening irons are designed with different types of hair in mind but you need to control the heat and time you leave the irons on your hair. You’re paying for a gadget as you want great hair, so keep it that way.
