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| Flat Iron Buying Guide by Dennis Huang, PhD, Director of Folica Product Testing Lab 1. I am very confused, what is all the fuss about Ceramic, Ionic, Tourmaline and Infrared? Ceramic or tourmaline is the coating material for the hot plates. Both materials produce negative ions when heated. 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 - There is really nothing special about it. All heated objects (including all flat irons) produce far infrared ray. You can safely ignore this claim. 2. Which is better, should I choose ceramic or tourmaline flat iron? Either will do. Both generate negative ions. We haven't seen any differences. 3. What size should I choose for my hair? It depends on your hair texture and hair length. Use the following table as a reference
If you have natural straight hair and you just want to smooth or de-frizz, choose small ones (1 to 1.5 inch). Small sizes are also recommended for hair that's already chemically straightened (by Japanese hair straightening, for example) Small sizes are lighter, easier to use and more versatile while bigger ones work faster and save time with long coarse hair, but they are not as user-friendly and generally on the heavy side. Most popular sizes are 1-1/4" and 1-1/2 inch. 4. What temperature should I use for my hair? Different hair texture requires different temperature. At Folica Product Testing Lab, we did a thorough test with various hair texture. Our findings are tabulated as follows:
It is very important to buy a flat iron with adjustable temperature. 5. How can I reduce the hair damage from flat iron? First of all, it is extremely important that you set the right temperature for your hair (see 4). Try a few settings starting from low to high until you find a setting that straighten your hair fast and well enough while not burning your hair. Use flat iron heat protection spray before each styling section. 6. Why should I invest in a Professional flat iron vs. a drugstore brand? Is it really worthy it? Consumer flat irons (available from drugstores or Wal-Mart) are generally made with cheap materials and poorly designed. Plate: Many consumer flat irons claim "ceramic" or "tourmaline". The truth is most of them are made with aluminum plates coated with regular paint. Coating usually comes off plates after a few uses and hair gets caught/broken between the plates. Some consumers complained that their hair becomes thinner and thinner after using cheap flat irons for extended period of time. Heating element: Maintaining constant temperature throughout the entire styling session is vital to the performance of a flat iron. Because consumer grade flat irons use cheap PTC heater that can not sustain a constant temperature, that's reason why you have to go thru your hair many times to get it straight, thus causing more hair damage. Performance: with consumer flat iron, curly hair reverts back quickly, your hair smell burning and is severely damaged after using it a while. At fifty to one hundred dollars per salon visit, a good professional iron will pay for itself over and over again in the following years. 7. What can I do to make my iron last longer? Unplug it right after use. Do not wrap power cords around the iron. Clean the plate with a styling iron cleaner after each styling session. Unplug it right after use (worth repeating).
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