Guest Post: The Best Hair Straightener for Your Hair Type

Hi Bellas,

Today's post is all about hair!  I'm not an expert so I'm glad one of my blogging buddies Mila from www.hairstraightenerjudge.com decided to pitch in with this great article about picking the right hair straightener for your hair type.  Many of us like to rock straight hair in the winter and this is how to do it while minimizing damage.  Check it out!

How to choose the best hair straightener for your hair type and minimize the damage

Let’s get one thing straight girls, one size will never fit all when it comes to your hair.

There are several factors you need to pay attention to when starting your straightening or curling journey, and I’m here to tell you exactly what they are. Every hair type has its own set of specific to be on the lookout for, and some are hair types are downright unruly and rebellious. If you don' know exactly what you are looking for in your hair straightener you can easily  end up with hair burnt beyond repair.

Good news is, there's no hair type can stay stubborn forever, but only if you know the set of rules I’m about to show you. There’s a different bag of tricks for every single one of them and once you master them, there will be nothing standing between you and that silky smooth, healthy looking hair you’ve always dreamed of.

I hope that’s enough to get us going here. If I managed to spark your interest, feel free to scroll your way down to a beautiful hair of your dreams.

What will we be talking about?

Let me just give you a little heads up about what’s to come:

ü  First we’ll explain what’s the deal with all the different hair types, so you can see which category you fall under

ü  Then we’ll pair all those hair types to the matching hair straightener that will yield you the best results

ü  Finally, I’ll give you a tip or two that will help you protect your hair from heat damage or that awful “I just did my hair” burnt smell. It will not be type-specific so much as damage prevention steps in general

Hope you’re excited for what’s to come and ready to tame that defiant hair once and for all.

Let’s talk hair types

As the title says, let’s identify your hair so we could proceed accordingly and bring you that coveted look I promised.

In order to avoid any possible confusion and making this little guide anything but little I’ll group some hair types together since they all benefit from the same hair straightening products. We want as much information as possible in as few words, and this will help us out there.

You just keep on reading until you find your match and let the article do the rest of the work for you.

Curly/coarse hair – Rich texture, very thick hair and at times somewhat wiry.

Sounds familiar?

It is also prone to tangling and can prove to be very unruly. What we want here is a professional-like hair iron that features advanced straightening technology and can dish out some pretty intense heat. There’s a good side to having this type of hair though as it can withstand some sharp bursts of high heat without sustaining or showing any signs of damage

 Normal hair/wavy/medium thickness – I use the term “normal” to denote the hair that’s somewhere in the middle. It’s neither here nor there. It’s not too oily or dry, not too thick, but thick none the less, it also may appear in wavy or straight iterations. Silver lining about this type of hair is that it doesn’t break easily, and it’s a fertile ground for pretty much any hair styling option

Fine/thin/naturally straight – You can do a pretty good job with pretty much any hair straightener out there. It’s a blessing in some ways. You’ll need a tool featuring an option for temperature control though.

The finer your hair is the lower you should go temperature wise. Most hair styling experts, I among them recommend that you start your temperature bar at 180 degrees. It’s pretty low, but you can work your way up, which is certainly preferable to the alternative. Frizz, dry ends or any sign of breakage are all indicators that you went too far and should tone it down a notch

Let’s play a matching game

Now that we know all about different hair types we can start making that match made in heaven.

Thick/coarse/curly hair:

ü  Plate size – For hair above shoulders plates between 1 and 1½” are the way to go. Go between 1-2” for shoulder length and 1½-2” if your hair goes bellow your shoulders

ü  Temperature – 380-410 degrees is your operating temperature. As I said, this type can take the heat

ü  Material – You can do a good job with ceramic, but this is the hair type that can also handle titanium without any substantial damage

Normal/wavy/medium thickness:

ü  Plate size – 1½- 1¼” for length above shoulders, 1-1½” for shoulder length and 1¼-2” for bellow shoulders

ü  Temperature – 360-380 degrees will yield optimal results

ü  Material – Ceramic coated tourmaline is your best option and if you opt-in for titanium, make sure that you know your way around the tool or it's the hands of an expert

Thin/fine hair:

ü  Plate size – Any size will do the trick. Less time will be spent if the plates are bigger, so keep that in mind

ü  Temperature – Start at 180 degrees and slowly work your way up

ü  Material – Ceramic coated with tourmaline - stay away from titanium

So, these are your guidelines, but let's take it a step further and look into what else you need to know to keep your hair safe.

Quick essential tips for avoiding hair damage

Let’s take a peek in my bag of tricks and make your hair look as healthy and beautiful as possible:

ü  Make sure your hair is completely dry before using a hair straightener – It’s a crucial tip, so keep it in your mind always! Bubble hair is just one of the possible outcomes, the worst one being irreversible damage to you hair strands (hair straighteners that can be used on wet hair are clearly labeled as such)

ü  Adjust the temperature accordingly – I already mentioned this a few times, but applying the right temperature is just that important to get back to it again. Underdo it and you won't get the results, overdo it and you'll burn your hair.

ü  Buy a good tool – I’m not saying you should spend a fortune, but do look for a product carrying a well-known brand that will fit your needs. Little extra cash goes a long way, trust me.

ü  Protect before styling – There’s a wide array of protection products that go with hair straighteners. My experience tells me that the ones that contain silicone and or/ Moroccan oil do the best job.

ü  Give your hair a break  – I know it’s impossible to do it every day, but once in a while give your hair a break and go natural

Well, there goes my digest guide on choosing the best hair straightener in the pursuit for that clean straight-hair look. The aim of this text is to give you the guidelines, but once you set your eyes on a specific product, it's essential that you do your own research, read customer reviews of that hair iron and only then, make an informed decision.

There is a clutter on information on the subject out there but they are rarely precise and clear. That's what I tried to do here - be as clear and simple as possible.

If it worked, it was time well spent.

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Check out my girl Mila on www.HairStraightenerJudge.com

Also, she did a fabulous interview on me, you can check it out here 

Atlanta Makeup Artist