03-03-2022, 07:03 AM
WIRED's Gear members have an array of curl types, needs, and hair-styling tricks, and we've all tried a lot of hair straighteners in our lifetimes. Some flat irons have left us with crispy ends and cramped hands, while others, like the ones listed here, gave us sleek hair. There's a dizzying number of options around, but hopefully our favorite titanium hair straightener can help narrow down your search.
Updated December 2021: We've added more of our favorite tourmaline hair straightener, including the Bio Ionic 3-in-1 tool, the L'ange iron that blows cool air, and two honorable mentions.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Modern technologies have come up with ceramic hair straightener that are user-friendly. You no longer have to visit a salon if you want straight hair. However, using a hair straightener may not be easy for someone who has not used it before. Though flat irons are simple to use, one needs to be aware of the associated factors to ensure safety. If you are a beginner, here is a simple guide on how to use hair straightener at home.
Before you straighten hair at home, you need to prep your hair. Pollution, grease, various styling products, and dirt make your hair frizzy and unmanageable (1). Therefore, you need to wash your hair before straightening it.
Attempts at beautification, mainly in women, especially involve the skin and its annexes 1. Personal image, as it relates to external beauty, has been the target of investment in the beauty industry, and in this context, the branch of capillary aesthetics has attracted much attention from the cosmetic industry because it is considered a leader in consumption in this area 2. As hair is one of the few physical features that can be easily modified to create a totally different style, be it in length, colour, or shape 3, there is a great diversity of products targeted for both the treatment and the beautification of hair; among them, hair relaxers and straighteners stand out. Generally, the term ‘relaxer’ refers to products intended for the treatment of kinky hair, while ‘straightener’ refers to products used for the treatment of curly hair – in this work, the term ‘straightener’ is used when referring to both products. The reasons for the use of hair dryer include beauty, social acceptance and ease of daily hair maintenance 1. However, these cosmetics affect only the hair shaft. As the newly developing hair will not be affected by these alterations, the new emerging hair will grow with its natural, original shape, and therefore, hair straightening needs to be repeated every 4–6 weeks 3. Thus, the emphasis in this cosmetic treatment should be only on new growth, as repeated treatments can lead to hair breakage 3, and scalp and hair disorders 4, among others 1, 4-6. Moreover, although the hair fibres are composed of dead epidermal cells, when they emerge from the scalp, there is huge variation in natural wave and the response to hair cosmetics 5. Consequently, for obtaining good results, it is essential to understand the mechanism of the process and other important information such as the composition of natural hair fibres, the composition of products and techniques available for hair straightening. Thus, this review aims to address a comprehensive summary of the morphology, chemical composition and molecular structure of hair fibres, as well as the products and techniques used for chemical hair straightening, their potential risk to hair fibre and to health and legal aspects of their use.