Hair straighteners are the go-to tool to style your hair. Not only do they straighten your hair, but can curl too making it the perfect all rounder to have in your hair tool box.
Investing in a good straightener can save you lots of money long term and helps protect your hair from damage. But with so many on the market, how do you find the perfect one for your hair? Don’t worry, we’ve got your covered!
There are 2 types of hair straighteners, the popular one that’s been around the market for a while are flat irons. These are versatile and easy to use. The other one is straightener brushes, which have recently grown in popularity the past couple years, with more and more reaching the market.
If you don’t know where to start, we are here to help. All you need to do is, first, determine what kind of hair you have, then determine what features are best for you.
Choose a straightener for your hair type
To pick the best iron for your hair, you need to determine your hair’s thickness, texture, and condition.
- Fine, wavy, fragile hair: a ceramic plate straightener with a lower temperature is best.
- Thick, coarse, curly, coil hair: use titanium plates with high heat setting.
TOP TIP: Pick a straightener with large plates to save time.
- Frizzy or damaged hair: tourmaline plates, also called ionic plates, are good if you have damaged hair as they produce more negative ions than positive ions, designed to reduce static and result in less frizz.
Now let’s take a closer look at the features best suited for your hair type.
1. Plate types
Ceramic plates: slower to warm up than other materials, but they distribute heat more evenly and create a frizz-free result. This plate type tends to be more budget-friendly.
Titanium plates: heat up rapidly and can reach a higher temperature, ideal for getting an extra-smooth finish on natural hair, long-lasting and tends to be a bit pricier.
Graphite plates: extremely smooth surface for outstanding glide and reduced friction.
Tourmaline plate (or Ionic plates): generate negative irons that help to seal the hair cuticle and eliminate frizz. As tourmaline is a coating made from ground gemstone so would wear out over time.
Ceramic-coated plates: usually have a metal base topped with a ceramic layer. The weakness of this kind of plate is that the outer layer can chip and wear away over time.
Our favourites:
$292
- 25mm titanium infused plates for faster, smoother straightening
- Adjustable heat 110C - 230C to suit all hair types
- Touch screen on/off & temperature controls
- Instant heating element
- Advanced Surround Heat to create faster curls, flicks & waves
- Dual voltage for worldwide use
$122
- 25mm ceramic, friction-free floating plates
- Cool to touch tips
- Adjustable heat up to 230C to suit all hair types
- Advanced Surround Heat for faster curls, flicks and waves
- Dual voltage for worldwide use
$290
- 25mm; graphite upper plate, titanium lower plate
- Adjustable heat 140C -232C to suit all hair types
- Advanced ceramic heater for instant heat-up, stability & recovery
- Ionic generator for ultra-smooth, shiny & silky hair
- Dual voltage for worldwide use
2. Temperature
Looking for a straightener with adjustable heat settings. Finding the right temperature for your hair is very important as too hot or too low can both create damage to your hair i.e when the temperature is too low, you must pass the section several times to straighten.
In general, fine fragile hair prefers lower temperatures. Coarse and thick hair need higher temperatures to be effective. Our heat recommendations for you
- For fine, chemically treated, and damaged hair: less than 150⁰C
- Healthy and medium textured hair: 150⁰C - 180⁰C
- Thick, coarse, and curly hair: 180⁰C – 210⁰C
3. Plate size
Wide plates are very useful for those who have long and thick hair as it helps reduce styling time and give extra heat. While thin plates are suitable for short or fine hair.
Thin plates are also ideal for curling hair, but make sure the plates have rounded edges for smoother, refined curls.
4. Other features to look out for
Floating plates: helps distribute the heat evenly while straightening. Floating plates move to adjust the pressure on your hair. It also gives the straightener flexibility to adjust its angle bringing the 2 plates closer to each other to achieve better results.
Adjustable heat settings: this function is a must-have as it allows you to have full control of the temperature to suit the hair type you are styling.
Automatic shut off: Ever left the house and wondered… did I leave the straightener on? This function is for safety and peace of mind. It saves electricity and most importantly it prevents the risk of your house catching fire.
Our favourites:
$233
- 25mm friction-free, floating Titanium-infused plates
- 1 infrared heat strip (smooths hair the inside out)
- Adjustable heat 130C - 220C suited to all hair types
- Advanced Surround Heat for faster curls, flicks and waves
- Automatic cut off after 60 minutes
- Dual voltage for worldwide use
$245
- 25mm friction-free, floating ceramic & tourmaline plates
- Adjustable heat 80C - 230C to suit all hair types
- Gentle, variable far-infrared heat
- Cool to touch tips & spring-loaded handle
- Dual voltage for worldwide use
$280
- 2 sizes; 25mm & 37mm
- Ceramic/tourmaline plate surfaces - distributes heat quickly & evenly
- Ideal for medium to thick hair
- Adjustable heat dial 80C - 230C
- Automatic cut off after 60 minutes
- Cool to touch tips
- Dual voltage for worldwide use
Extra tips for you:
Only use a hair straightener on dry hair: you will risk damaging your hair to straighten your wet hair as hair is fragile the most when it’s wet.
Remember always use heat protection to protect your hair from the heat. Browse our Heat Protection products.
Clean your hair straightener after using: create a habit of cleaning your hair styler often with a damp cloth to get rid of any hair product residue. This prevents the hair product build-up on the hair straightener and delivers even heat to your hair for the next time use.
Image: HH Simonsen Heat Protection Spray 145ml.
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