GHD, Chi, Dyson, and more

It’s time to part with your old hair straightener.

A wet-to-dry straightener (gulp) may have worked as your middle school flat iron. And your college flat iron may have gotten the job done for the past decade because it technically still works. But just like we learn that no, moisturizing once a week won’t prevent wrinkles (unless you’re Elizabeth Warren), blasting your locks with 400 degrees on the daily will come back to haunt you.

Bringing self-care to your hair routine means investing in a reliable straightener. Not only are hair tools a true “you get what you pay for” purchase, but they actually have an expiration date: After four years, the plates start to crack, lift, and heat unevenly, causing hot spots that can scorch one end of hair and leave the other wavy. If you’ve noticed your hair getting stuck in the wand, that it’s extra dry and scraggly, or that it’s taking longer than usual to finish a section, your outdated flat iron may be the culprit. 

Coming from someone who grew up with hair that wasn’t afraid to break a brush like Anne Hathaway’s character in The Princess Diaries, I can attest to the fact that finding a straightener that works and holds can feel unending. I recently went on a quest to replace my ancient Chi, and I learned some things.

Can you straighten hair without damaging it?

Ah, the age old question. At the end of the day, there’s no fool-proof way to put heat on your hair without feeling the effects eventually. Heat-free methods like meticulous air-drying are thrown around as alternatives, but totally advising against heat is as successful as abstinence-only sex ed. Luckily, there are tricks to hold off intensive heat damage.

If you listen to nothing else in this article, listen to this: Don’t rely on the hottest setting to get the job done faster. Like paper, hair burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Sure, hair won’t spontaneously combust, but regular exposure to high heat is the main cause of permanent damage. I talked to Jon Reyman, owner and master stylist at NYC salon Spoke & Weal, and learned something that I’ve definitely screwed up over the years: Extra high heat once is more damaging to hair than low heat in multiple passes.

Another line of defense comes in the form of thermal protectant sprays. These are often seen as an extra step if you have time, but that’s like chilling in the sun without sunscreen and saying “Hope it’s fine.” 

Creating tension from root to tip can decrease the number of passes needed to get a strand straight. Guiding the iron through the hair with a heat-resistant comb will also make the process much smoother. Reyman’s number one tip? Work quickly. 

“Think of heat protectant as an oven mitt,” Reyman says. “The mitt gets hotter than your hand, but if you are holding a very hot pan, your hand is going to burn eventually. Keep high heat contact to a minimum, and never rest an iron on your hair for long.”

Can split ends be repaired?

Despite what Pantene commercials say, healthy hair takes more than conditioner. Brace yourself, then Google “split ends under a microscope.” Those jagged edges are pieces of the outer layer of the cuticle that have literally snapped. At-home remedies ain’t bringing those back to life.

The American Association of Dermatology has even confirmed that you can’t 100% repair split ends. Strands can be sealed temporarily, but the only way to permanently get rid of split ends is by cutting them off. 

Which plate type is best for your hair?

When heat contact is minimized, it leads to less damage, so it’s more about which straightener has consistent heat settings that can smooth your texture with as few strokes as possible. Plate type is less important, but this interview describes how certain plate materials may be safer on different hair textures.

Let’s break things down:

• Ceramic is the default. It provides balanced heat, smooths frizz, and creates a smooth surface for any hair type to float over without snagging. Damaged hair can catch a break from the balanced heat and lower damage potential of a ceramic flat iron. This mild intensity also keeps processed hair more vibrant over time.

• Tourmaline is a semi-precious crystal that typically generates the most negative ions of the three. It’s an especially useful weapon against frizz or dull hair, but quickly turns damaging when too hot. It also corrodes easily and is a smarter purchase for occasional events that require really shiny hair.

• Titanium is similar to tourmaline but is a metal with a higher heat threshold. It gets super hot and does so within seconds, and the heat stays constant throughout the barrel. If your unruly tresses have you ready to give up, the fierce conduction of titanium could do the trick. This is clutch for thick hair, but will cause more harm than good on fine hair.

“Ionic” is buzzword you may hear a lot in hair care conversations. The heated plates on many flat irons produce negative ions that attach to your positively-charged hair, ultimately minimizing static and promoting shine. (Science!) Tourmaline and titanium emit negative ions at an exponentially higher rate than ceramic, but flat irons advertised as “ionic” are probably still one of these three.

Which hair straightener is best for each hair type?

After reaching out to stylists via Instagram, comparing online reviews, interviewing the owner of a salon, and watching a slew of beauty blogger reviews on YouTube, these are the nine straighteners that stand out: