Hair Straighteners

OK so there are times where spending more money is worth it and times that it's a waste. When buying a flat iron it is never a waste. I once spent $80 on a straightener and thought I was spending big bucks (since you can walk into a drug store and buy one for $30). Ha, was I ever wrong. In three months time I had to return the straightener 3 times. Finally after the third time I sold it to a friend and decided to spend some real money on a worthy flat iron.

Not everyone has hair like mine. Imagine the worst possible hair you've ever seen. Coarse, wiry and completely unmanagable. And multiply that by 100. That's my hair. I often refer to it as "pubic hair on my head". Kinda gross but the best way to get my point across quickly. I can not air dry my hair and leave the house. It takes product and plenty of time to appear decent. If I don't have both then my hair is up in a pony tail. So why am I going on about my hair so much you ask? Well, my point it that I need a good quality flat iron. My hair was too much for the $80 one that was probably perfect fo someone with extremely fine hair. But for someone with thick-hard-to-control hair (and lots of it!) it's not even an option. YOU MUST SPEND THE MONEY! As I've said before I was what you call a late bloomer in the beauty world and I didn't learn how to work with what I had until I was nearly 20 years old. So it took me a long time and a lot of trail and error to get where I am.

Let's get into different flat irons. First and foremost it is important to find a straightener that will not kill your hair. Buy ceramic. ALWAYS! Flat irons are hard on everyones hair regardless but metal ones are a lot worse. Do you need the best? NO. But you certainly shouldn't even be conscidering bottom of the line either. My personal choice is obviously the one that I use. CHI. Costs a bundle but let me tell you that I've had mine for 4 years + and it still works great. (And my hair has the tendency to kill straighteners... they just can't keep up with me LOL.) But obviously I am not prejudiced and know that there are many other great brand out there too.

Here are my top choices:

CHI

T3 Tourmaline Wet-to-Dry Flat Iron

Solano Sapphire Collection 2.25″ Flat Iron

Paul Mitchell Pro Tools Express Ion Style Flat Iron

OK so how much are these things and where can you find them? Well take a deep breathe... ready? They cost a lot of money. Most of these are between $150-$250 each. The great news is that you put the money out once and you'll have a quality product that'll last you years (rather then spending a small amount of money on a cheap one and buying one every year). The Solano is the cheapest listed at about $100. Paul Mitchell is the most expensive at $250 (sorry people these are U.S. prices so if you are a fellow Canadian it'll be even more.) The good news is that some companies have mid grade flat iron (and some only have superior products). If you are just an occaisonal user then a mid grade iron should do the trick. But do some research first. Personally, I have had nothing but problems with BaByliss and some people swear by them as affordable quality products. Keep an eye out for sales too. You can get a $200 straightener for like $120 at a beauty supply store. Or shop online. That's where the best deals are. And a lot of companies are getting better about shipping across the border Finally realizing that no us Canadians are not half way across the world but yes indeed quite close and shouldn't have to pay and arm and a leg to get the merchandise shipped over. (But that's another story, another time.)

So splurge a little and take care of your hair. It'll thank you by looking it's best.