Flat Iron On Line Beauty Shop
Flat iron quality is all about the contents of the plates and the heating elements used.
Consumer flat irons are
generally made with cheap materials and are poorly designed. Plates: Many drug store flat irons
claim “Ceramic”
or “Tourmaline”. But in reality the majority of them are made with aluminum plates coated with regular
paint.
Coating usually comes off plates after a few uses and hair get caught between the plates.
Heating Element:Consumer flat irons uses PTC or Ceramic Coated heaters which are more inefficient and they
don’t regulate heat as efficiently, this causes 3 major problems.
- Heat is not distributed across the surface of the plates evenly causing
‘cold spots’
(temperature lower on the outer edges of the plates)
- Large 'recovery
time'
(The amount of time it takes the heater to get to its max temperature every time the iron passes
through the hair)
- Slow heat up times (The
time it takes the iron to get to its desired temperature)
All these Factors are
very important when a professional stylist is looking for the best flat
iron.
Maintaining constant temperature throughout the entire styling session is very important to the
performance of the flat iron. Having poor heating element means you have to go through your
hair many times to get it straight, thus causing more hair damage.
2. I am very confused, what is all the fuss about Ceramic, Ionic, Tourmaline, Titanium and
infrared?
Ceramic, Tourmaline and
Titanium is the coating material for the hot plates. All three of the
materials produce
negative ions when heated. But which one is better you asked, all three will do they all generate negative
ions.
We haven’t seen any differences but if you are into technology Ceramic flat
iron came out first followed by
Tourmaline flat iron and the newest right now is the Titanium flat iron.
What are the benefits of ions?
Your hair carries positive electrical charges caused by dry friction and
natural movement of the hair, it tends
to spread out and become difficult to style. The positive electrical
charges also cause hair cuticles to open,
resulting in dull, unhealthy hair. The negative ions cancel
positive electrical charges, thus smoothing, relaxing
and repairing your hair. Infrared Heat penetrates the hair shaft
from the inside, without damaging the outside.
However there is nothing really special about it. All heated object including all flat irons produce far
infrared ray.
You can safely ignore this claim.
3. What size plate should I choose for my hair?
Small sizes like (1”
inch) to (1-1/4” inch) are lighter and easier to use and are more versatile compared to
bigger ones. Bigger plates like (1-1/2” inch and greater) works faster and save time with long coarse
hair,
but they are not as user friendly and are more on the heavier side.
Most popular plate sizes are (1” inch and 1-1/4” inch)
4. What temperature should I use for my hair?
Different hair
texture should require a different temperature. It is very important to buy a
flat iron with adjustable
temperatures. Again, different individuals have different hair types, higher temperature speeds up your
process,
however be careful not to burn your hair. Use the chart below as a starting and slowly move up.
Today some of the best flat iron can heat up to 450°F
- Bleached, Fragile, Damaged or Fine
Hair: Below 360°F (180 °C Celsius)
- Normal Hair: 360 – 380 °F (180 °C - 190 °C Celsius)
- Very Course, Thick, Curly or Ethnic
Hair: 380 – 410 °F (190 °C - 210 °C Celsius)
5. What is Swivel Cord?
A cord that turns so you can spin an iron or dryer in a 360° Degree circle and the cord will not tangle up.
A nice added feature, it helps make your flat iron experience easier and more manageable.
6. Is there any thing I can use on my hair to reduce the damage caused by flat
iron?
Use Flat Iron Protection Spray before each styling session. Alot of
protecting spray also increases the shine
and the texture of your hair. Lastly it is extremely important that you
make sure you set the right temperature
on the flat iron for you hair, start out with a lower temperature then slowly increase it to see what
temperature
would be best to match your individual needs. Follow our #4 Guideline for
heat settings.
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