Flat irons are an essential part of a girl’s life. Not only girls, but even boys use this gadget. Flat irons have saved us one too many times from looking horrendous in an event.
They have been our savior for years. Owning a good straightener is essential. Not owning a flat iron nowadays is a challenge. It is difficult to style hair for any event without a straightener.
Having one helps you to quickly sort out your hairstyle issues. If you suddenly need to attend an event, and your hair is all waved and permed, you can just take your flat iron and straighten your hair for the event.
The flat iron not only helps you to straighten your hair, but it also works as a curler from time to time.
There are 8 different types of flat irons available in the market, and you can choose whichever suits your hair the best.
In this article, you will read about the types of flat irons and how you can buy the best flat iron for yourself.
Contents
All About Flat Irons: 8 Popular Types Of Flat Irons
Women love to style their hair because it is the only part that can change your whole look.
Most women prefer shiny straight hair over wavy or curly hair because it looks healthy and well taken care of. But to achieve this, we must own a good flat iron that will not damage our hair and provide us with the best results.
Each straightener works differently on different hair types. It is your duty at this point to find out what suits you best. So, without further ado, go through the list of hair straighteners and their pros and cons mentioned below:
Ceramic Flat Iron
Ceramic flat irons are straighteners that have two ceramic-coated plates on each side.
This straightener is the best for fine and thin hair because the heat spreads evenly on both plates.
It is also a widely used straightener because of how cost-effective it is. The ceramic plates in this iron take some time to heat up, but once it has heated up, it straightens your hair perfectly.
If you have thick or coarse locks, this iron will be troublesome. because it does not heat up too much, it will result in multiple do-overs for your hair, and yet you will not notice a huge difference.
Below are the pros and cons of ceramic flat irons.
Pros:
- Ceramic is corrosion resistant
- Distributes heat evenly
- Cost-effective
Cons:
- Ceramic plates can get stained
- Coating may peel
- Not very helpful with thick hair
Titanium Flat Iron
Titanium flat iron is the fastest heating iron out in the market. It is a metal used in flat irons to straighten different hair types.
These metals produce extra negatively charged electrons that help them to heat up fast and spread over both plates as evenly as possible.
This flat iron is best for coarse and thick hair. Because this iron heats up quickly and has various heat settings, it is perfect for most hair types.
You can effortlessly straighten fine hair with this without the fear of damaging your hair like other straighteners.
This straightener has various pros and cons. Let us have a look at them:
Pros:
- Non-Toxic
- Various heating temperatures
- Non-corrosive
Cons:
- Expensive
- Glitches in extremely high temperature
- Makes hair frizzy when used in high temperature
Tourmaline Flat Iron
Tourmaline flat irons are best for frizzy, damaged, and unhealthy hair. These flat irons do not cause frizz on straightened hair and add shine to the hair that it irons.
It uses negative ions to spread heat evenly over the two attached plates. It requires comparatively less heat to do the job. The tourmaline plates are mainly made of tourmaline crystals.
It is basically dust spread over the ceramic plates. It is infused with ceramic and titanium, which leaves your hair looking glossy for a very long time.
This iron is superb for fine and medium hair, but it is ineffective for coarse hair. Although, it helps damaged hair and reduces the amount of time required to iron your hair.
The pros of cons of the tourmaline flat iron are mentioned below:
Pros:
- Good for damaged hair
- Controls frizz
- Can use everyday
- Long-lasting
Cons:
- Expensive
- Fragile
- Not effective on thick hair
Ionic Flat Iron
The ionic flat iron generates negative ions that cancel out the positive ions on dry and damaged hair. It also neutralizes the positively charged oxygen ions that shelter the heat from spreading evenly.
They use modern technology to leave your hair looking straight, smooth, and shiny. These flat irons are not only perfect for straightening normal hair, but they are also great for type 4 hair.
The ionic flat irons lock moisture and smoothness into your hair and prevent damage-prone hair from breakage. It is advised to use the ionic flat iron at low temperatures to keep your hair healthy.
Below are some of the pros and cons of the ionic flat irons:
Pros:
- Neutralizing Ions
- Suitable for Type 4 hair
- Least time-consuming
Cons:
- Expensive
- Extreme heat can be bad for your hair
Wet To Dry Flat Iron
This flat iron is a combo of a blow dryer and a straightener. It is most beneficial to people who tend to have a busy schedule. With the wet-to-dry straightener, you can both blow-dry and straighten your hair. This straightener comes in handy when you have to hurry to an unannounced party.
To properly benefit from this straightener, you have to see that your hair is at least 70% dry. It can not be soaking because the hair straightener will not dry or straighten wet hair.
People with coarse and thick hair will benefit from this iron because it can simply straighten this type. This flat iron also helps if you are concerned about flyaways and frizz.
To know the pros and cons of this straightener, please read below:
Pros:
- Long-lasting
- Frizz control
- Quick
Cons:
- It can damage wet hair
- Expensive
- Damage can last for a long time
Salon Flat Iron
These flat irons have been selected after a lot of trial and error. They are amongst the best flat irons. The salon flat irons are used by professionals.
They are suitable for all hair types, from fine to coarse, straight to coily. Irrespective of your hair type, these straighteners will straighten your hair.
You will see these flat irons in beauty parlors and hair salons. The hairstylists and professionals use it for permanent hair straightening or rebonding your hair. These are top-class straighteners that are usually overpriced.
Even though professionals use these flat irons, they are the most damaging. These flat irons use immensely high temperatures on your hair.
Due to high temperatures, the hair thins out and tends to damage and break. Even though we have a drawback, these are still the best flat irons, and they give you the most long-lasting straight hair.
Below are some of the pros and cons of the Salon hair straighteners:
Pros:
- Long-lasting
- Best for all hair types
- Professional grade
Cons:
- Expensive
- Damaging
- Hair thins out
Brush Straightener
A brush straightener is what it sounds like. It is a two- in-one brush. This brush pans out to be a straightener and a brush. You can use it like a wet-to-dry straightener to dry your damp hair, or you can use it to straighten your hair.
The bristles of these brushes are made of ceramic. These ceramic brushes help to evenly spread the heat throughout the hair strands. These brushes do not reach intense temperatures. Hence, they are good for you.
It is advised to not use them on damp hair because that is the most vulnerable state of hair, and the damage can be pretty long-lasting.
These brushes have proven to work on all hair types. But these brushes flake when it comes to type 4 hair. For type 4 hair, hot combs and professional flat irons are the best options.
To get familiar with the pros and cons of brush straightener, you have to read below:
Pros:
- Convenient
- Easy to use
- Used on both damp and dry hair
Cons:
- Expensive
- Limited heating options
- Can damage damp hair
Steam Straightener
A steam straightener looks like your regular flat iron, but it uses steam to straighten your hair. The flat iron comes with a water compartment. The water from that compartment then turns into steam and straightens your hair.
This straightener is suitable for you if you don’t want to use too much heat on your hair, and if you want your hair to stay straight for just a few hours. This straightener is quite functional for fine hair to some extent, but it is a total waste of money if you have thick or coarse hair.
The straightener uses ceramic or tourmaline-infused plates to keep your hair frizz-free. The steam straightener has a low damaging effect on your hair, but it is not very long-lasting.
Below are some of the pros and cons of the steam straightener:
Pros:
- In-expensive
- Low hair damage
Cons:
- Not long-lasting
- Not worth the investment
- Time-consuming
Conclusion
It is essential to own a high-quality flat iron because you will need it in the long term. It is better to invest in something that will serve you for a long time rather than buying a flimsy product.
Cheap hair straighteners will not last more than a few weeks, and you will end up wasting your hard-earned money on garbage.
To buy a good straightener that will suit your hair type, I have curated this article for you to find your match and right swipe on it.
With all the beneficial information above, you should know by now what type of straightener will be best for you.
