Rant & Rave: Flat Irons
Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Flat Irons!
my answer: I don’t use a flat iron regularly, but one thing I don’t like is when it is too easy to burn your fingers because of how certain things are placed or sized. I love that they’re pretty easy to use, though, and have an easy learning curve!
I love them, I’m glad they exist, and I happen to have 2 of them. That said, I don’t think they should be used on a daily basis, but I don’t feel any heat-styling tool should.
I also get irked at the huge price gap, even within brands, for what is essentially the exact same product. Any time heat is applied to the hair, there is a potential for damage, and whether you use a $15 tool, or get suckered in by the $200 tool, the results & risks are exactly the same.
I respectfully disagree to this generality. I use both my two ghd flat irons every day and my hair is in incredible shape. I think the deciding factor is your hair structure and current condition and the quality of the tool. I have coarse thick curly hair where heat does not easily damage it so my results with daily flat-ironing is fine. Someone with thin fine hair would probably have different results. I can also attest to the difference a quality flat iron made with my hair. One from Target v quality like the ghd products will NOT give you same the result as they lack the built-in overheat protection.
Pro: the glossy finish. It takes much less time to get it than if you were to use a hairdryer.
Con: it flattens pretty much everything. Unless you backcomb or curl afterwards, the hair looks pretty limp.
I don’t use a flat iron that often, because I prefer a 1 1/4 inch curling iron. However, I have a 1 inch GHD and I love everything about it. It heats up quickly, it turns off by itself, and it straightens my hair nicely.
The fact that it turns itself off is such a genius feature. My Sedu (which I love) doesn’t and I have definitely left it on the entire day multiple times. Luckily I haven’t set my house on fire. Yet.
I use flatiron once a week. I twist and pull and do all sorts of things to make my hair bouncy and wavy without looking flat. I love it. I use the Solia one.
I can’t think of anything I hate about flat irons.
i have noticed a difference between inexpensive flat irons and expensive flat irons. the more expensive one didn’t damage my hair as quickly or as much as drugstore but i havent used any heat tools on my hair in over 3-4 years, if you do use heat styling on a day to day basis never forget the heat protectant and treat your hair to heavy duty hair mask several times a week too.
I used to use a flat iron every day when I was still a teenager, and it fried my hair. I still have one, but I don’t use it often, just because I’m scared of the damage that it will do. I like the long sleek look though.
I was addicted to the flat iron, but it wound up killing my hair. I have very curly hair, but I rarely straight it now. When do I, I use a flat iron just because it’s easy.
I’m not a particularly adept or eager hair styler, plus I have pretty fine hair anyway, so it’s rare I’ll use a flatiron on my whole head, unless I’m really looking for a particular look for a night out. But I do have a tiny travel flatiron that I use on my bangs whenever I wear them down (at least every other day, other days I push them to the side). It’s a lifesaver because I have choppy, edgy bangs, and without the flatiron they bounce up and lose their cool factor 🙂
Oh, and I like it and all, but sometimes I don’t do a good job and it gets a crimp or at the least kind of cowlick in my bangs and I look like a duck.
I think that’s user error though.
I have wavy, thick, coarse, frizz-prone hair and my wonderful CHI flat iron has made the difference between an on-going losing battle with my hair (I’d spend ages blowing it dry and step out into the humidity and all my work would be undone) and having my hair look the way I’ve always wanted it to look – sleek, smooth, like a shiny little cap. I couldn’t have the hair cut I have now (a layered bob) without my flat iron. It takes me 5 to 10 minutes to get my hair looking the way I like. Before, I would have to spend half an hour to 45 minutes blow-drying my hair and the results were never what I wanted and never lasted either. Generally, I use mine twice a week (after I shampoo and let my hair air dry) but since taking up hot yoga, I have to touch up more often. What I don’t like is that I can’t get the same results my stylist gets because I can’t see the back clearly or get at the short bits at the back very easily (always the risk of burning my fingers, my ears or both). But if my flat iron conked out tomorrow, I’d replace it immediately.
Results r DEF NOT the same 4 me! LOVE my GHD 1″!! When u’ve had several neck surgeries–everything u do w/ur arms affects ur neck! B/c of this, my hair stylist let me test drive several at their salon–only have 2 make 1 pass thru per section of my hair w/the GHD-whereas- had to make 2-3 passes per section w/other brands. When u have chronic neck pain–every single pass makes a difference– b/c multiply THAT # by however many sections r on ur head & it adds up in a BAD way 4 me!
I can’t take anything with heat to my hair – not even normal blow drying. My hair just hates it! My sister uses something like this though, I believe…
Mind you, my hair is down to my backside now (thesis hair!), so if it has a wave or curl, the weight straightens it out already 😛
My sister keeps threatening to flat iron my hair just to see the length difference vs my normal waves. I don’t have the patience to use any heat tools on my hair at all. I’m sure I’d give up part-way through like the few times I tried to curl it all with an iron!
My hair gets frizzy very easily, and flat irons certainly help a lot with making it look better (not certainly make it better, though). I don’t use it regularly, though, and certainly a lot less than I used to. I’ve gotten a lot more secure with my natural hair texture and I found out that as long as I blow-dry my hair instead of air-drying it doesn’t get nearly as frizzy.
I find them to be too damaging so even though I own several flat irons I rarely use them. I use my blow dryer to straighten my hair. But I do like how my hair looks after flat ironing.
I’m in the process of growing my hair out so I stay away from heat and only flat iron maybe once or twice a year. I love how my hair looks straightened but I hate burning my fingers and it makes my arms hurt. I have so much hair I get tired lol
I need a flat iron to tame my hair, but the one that I’m using irritates me because it has this little clasp for when you close it where my hair always gets caught. I should probably get one with a better design.
Hi…can u plz do a review on the best n worst GHD flat irons?
Thanks for the suggestion!
I love that they can transform my hair from a frizzy thick mess to a sleek straight hair style 🙂
I hate how long they take to use, I have normal GHDs with normal sized plates and it takes me about half an hour!
Rave: Can’t live without mine. Well I could but I’d be extremely sad lol. I have very thick hair and straightening is the best way to make it manageable. Especially now, as I’ve cut it short, and if I don’t straighten it, it looks very plain!
Rant: They can FRY your hair. Heat protectant is an absolute necessity. I do personally think it’s worth it to fork out for the GHDs and Cloud Nines, (I’ve owned both), but I don’t like that you HAVE to pay a bucketload for a good product.
I love my flat iron! I use a Corioliss 1 inch iron with a rounded barrel and I love it! It gives me sleek, straight hair but I can also use it as a curling iron to get everything from loose soft waves to big bouncy curls!
I love them! I have two, one from Hot Tools (Free gift from ULTA, retails for about $95) and one from Plugged In. (Sally’s Beauty Supply, $30) The cheaper one actually straightens my hair better, but the more expensive one is easier to curl my hair with. I used to straighten my hair every day, now it’s only about 3 times a week. But I love my flat irons.
I couldn’t live without mine. My hair is this awful texture where it isn’t straight and isn’t curly. It has these terrible waves where I have to curl or straighten it. I flat iron after I wash my hair (2-3x a week) and do slight touch ups daily unless I am at home studying. I have little hairs around my face that curl slightly, and since I live in LA where I am always hot the hairs around my forehead can get a weird curl.
My Sedu iron with 1″ plates is awesome. The plates heat up evenly, they straighten my hair in ~10-20 minutes (I have hair down to my mid to upper lower back). However, even with heat protectant my hair can get split ends because I have some undiagnosed autoimmune problem :-/