Choosing the best hair straightener for coarse and frizzy hair 

Let’s face it, your hair requires some after hours maintenance. Coarse and frizzy hair is always thought to be one of the most difficult hair types to manage and style. But in this day and age there’s nothing that can’t be done. With the right knowledge, that is. Let me show you how the pros pick their hair irons for this hair type. We’ll go together through all the steps and make this article as comprehensive as it can possibly be. Our ultimate goal here is teaching you how to choose the perfect hair straightener to make your hair more flattering than you could have imagined. Getting to know your hair There are two terms that need some explaining here:

•   “Coarse” hair
•   “Frizzy” hair

Coarse hair – It’s a term used to describe hair that’s rich in texture and extremely thick. It also tangles very easily and can feel pretty wiry more often than not. It’s tends to be dry in most cases since the natural oils have difficulties reaching all the way from the scalp to the ends. Aggressive chemical and heat treatments can leave your hair dried out even more. That’s precisely why making the right product choices with hair products and hair straighteners is not just a cliché, but a reality. Kinky hair often appears thick and strong but in real essence it is mostly thin and highly fragile and needs more care when handling it. It needs a hair straightener that can dish out some intense temperatures to be straightened while not causing damage to the strands.

Frizz – When we say, “frizz”, we mean that messy hair tangle sitting upon your head once in a while. It’s when your hair starts forming tight curls, fly-aways, knots or some other type of snag. Raised cuticle level is the usual suspect when it comes to frizz. People with curly hair tend to suffer more from it since curly hair generally has cuticles at every bend or twist of the strands. This makes the hair much drier than its straight counterpart. So, underneath it all, dehydration is something you should blame every time your hair frizzes out of control. Now, with that out of the way let’s see some vital steps in picking the hair straightener that will do miracles for your hair.

Which temperature setting should you use? The thing about hair straighteners adequate to deal with this hair type is that they’re the highest quality products in the industry. It’s no wonder, after all, we are talking about the hair type that’s most challenging to manage. Those hair straighteners are clearly capable of dishing out the heat necessary, so we just need to define it accurately. The temperature you need is between 320 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit depending on how thin or thick your strands are. You’ll need to play around a bit and discover your perfect temperature for your hair.

Which plate size? As you might imagine, hair irons appear in a wide array of different sizes and shapes. Smaller plates are perfect for people with shorter hair and also for taking care of spikes and bangs. For longer hair, we have bigger hair straighteners with wider plates that will cover more surface at once. Here are the recommended plate sizes for different lengths of coarse and frizzy hair: ü  If your hair length is above shoulders, you should opt for 1 to 1½ inch plates ü  1 to 2 inch plates are your best choice if your hair has shoulder length ü  1½ to 2 inch plates will satisfy your needs for hair falling below the shoulders It’s very important to pair your hair with an adequate hair iron. You’ll save time, and you won’t stress your scalp with all that prolonged and unnecessary tugging and pulling.

What material?

Coarse and frizzy hair can be successfully straightened using hair irons with plates made of following materials: ü  Ceramic ü  Titanium ü  Tourmaline Yes, these are basically the materials all high quality hair irons are made of, but let’s go through them and see which is the best choice when it comes to the kind of hair we are talking about here.

Ceramic – It’s by far the most popular type of plates. It offers a great price/quality ratio, making it the most budget-friendly, yet one of the most effective options. Ceramic plates will heat up very quickly, and constant temperature will be retained at all times. They will also spread the heat evenly across the plates. Note the difference between solid ceramic and ceramic coated plates. Plates with ceramic coating will heat up quickly but will not retain that heat all that well.

Tourmaline – It’s a crystalline mineral that’s infused into flat iron’s metal plates after being crushed into a powder. Tourmaline hair straighteners have a very high ionic output, much higher than titanium or ceramic ones. They also create very shiny and sleek hair.

Titanium – Arguably the best among all types of hair irons. It’s a great heat conductor, so it will heat up rather quickly, keep temperature variations to a minimum, therefore, minimizing heat damage. It has a faster heat transfer than ceramic, and its ionic output is very high. Professional hair stylists still like to stick to ceramic rather than titanium, since you have to be very careful while handling titanium hair iron. You really have to know what you’re doing since it gets hotter than ceramic, and it transfers heat more efficiently, threatening with hair damage if used recklessly. Here is the bottom line – titanium will yield best results with coarse hair but it also comes with a must know-how so that you don’t burn your hair. So, ideal scenario would be a titanium hair iron in the right hands. Those can be your hands if you take the time to learn what you’re doing.

One extra quick tip I can also share is valid only if your coarse hair is curly too. Steam function or flat iron with comb teeth built in will certainly help you set and tame those unruly tresses. Coarse and frizzy hair….. Check! All the relevant information on getting the perfect hair iron…. Check! Enjoy your new look —————————-

Mila Withley is the editor of hairstraightenerjudge.com. She lives in the UK and she is also a professional hair stylist and an ex hair styling judge.