Ceramic irons VS. titanium irons, what’s best for you? First things first, and I can’t stress it enough you MUST use heat protection when using your iron and LOWER the temperature! When every hair has a white ball on the end or split ends galore- YOUR HOT TOOL IS DAMAGING YOUR HAIR. Possibly time to upgrade your tools? So which is best for you? There are many types of different plates but the two most popular are: ceramic and titanium. Metal plates are dated and an absolute NO, not stylist approved- trash it now. Ceramic plates heat the hair from the inside out while titanium plates heat the surface of the hair shaft. Ceramic irons may take a little longer to heat up, which is no big deal if you are doing your face routine first while letting the tool get hot. Ceramic irons are less damaging and great for all hair types but if you have fine hair or bleached hair, you especially want to use ceramic. Be aware: ceramic “coated” is a cheaper iron, these are not ceramic plates, they will heat up uneven and might break quickly because they’re lower quality. Titanium plates are great for stylists since they get really hot and heat up quickly. Titanium irons are great for more natural, coarse or curly hair when you’re trying to achieve the smoothest look possible. Keep in mind the more you use your flat iron, the more you damage your elasticity of the hair which will result in a STRAIGHTER curl pattern over time. “My hair used to be curlier but I use my straighter so much now it doesn’t curl”- sound familiar lol. Heat styling damaging is irreversible damage! If you find yourself needing a haircut every 4-6 weeks or you feel like your hair is not getting any longer but it’s still growing because you have roots your tool may be doing that damage to your ends and cause breakage. Or if you you don’t have color treated hair but your hair feels so DRY, it’s most likely your hot tool. Blonde hair turning gold? That’s because you’re burning it! Have you even put a hot iron on a white t-shirt too long? What happens- it turns this yellow, burntish color. Well, that’s what’s happening to your hair. Not only will the tool shift your lighter hue of blonde but you’ll be left with breakage. Simply TURN THE HEAT DOWNNN. Ideally 325°-385°, there is no need to have your tool over 385°. “Well it doesn’t get straight if I have it on a lower heat setting.” Yes it will- simply take SMALLER sections and go over each section SLOWER, you’ll only need to pass over each section one time. You will never see a stylist go over a piece of hair 7 times with the flat iron trying to make it straighter, it’s a big no no. Invest in a good tool- most professional grade tools have a warranty just read the fine print. A lot of times you can send them in for repair instead of having to replace them. I recommend brands of irons like GHD, CHI, FHI Heat, and Babyliss you just have to find what’s in your budget. For curlinging irons I recommend ceramic as well, Hot Tools, Conair or Kristen Ess from Target are great.
Here are some of my favorite heat protectors. I prefer a cream base for more even distribution and in sprays I find there is more alcohol content.
Holy grail:
kerastase $37. nectar thermique. Great for heat protection and intensely hydrates your hair! It’s wonderful!
Bumble and bumble straight blow out. This one is amazing if you want to difference or deep puff your hair but still have some volume. It’s my favorite scent, a must keep vanilla, and it’s my all-time favorite smoothing product with heat protection. A little goes a long way- just use a dime to nickle size of product.
