Find the best curling iron or flat iron for you

Hot hair tools are getting more high-tech and sophisticated. You can spend $60 or $600 on a flat iron, but what’s right choice for your hair? With so many choices, including the material the tool is made from, it’s hard to know where to start. This guide will outline the benefits of ceramic, ionic, titanium and tourmaline hair tools so you can find the best curling iron or flat iron for you.

Ceramic

Ceramic is a clay composite. Unlike your grandmother’s teacups, this clay-composite material is used because it allows for even heat distribution and smoothing features. In the case of flat irons, It may heat up a little slower than its titanium counterparts but the benefit is that its infrared capability heats the hair from the inside out. This helps retain moisture and reduces the risk of burning. When it comes to blow dryers, the heating element in the dryer is coated in ceramic which helps to keep your hair protected. As a result, ceramic styling tools are ideal for those with fine, fragile or colour-treated hair. 

Titanium 

Titanium is lightweight, fast heating, durable and offers consistent heat throughout the flat iron or curling iron. Unlike ceramic styling tools, titanium heats the hair from the outside. Because of this feature, these tools tend to be fantastic for very coarse and naturally curly hair. While speed and long-lasting durability may be big benefits, titanium styling tools don’t offer the same level of moisture retention as the ceramic alternative. 

Ionic 

Ionic refers to the way the material affects the particles in your hair. Yes, it is about molecular technology. Essentially, ionic technology creates negatively charged ions which help to decrease frizz by battling the watery positively charged ions. Both ceramic and titanium flat irons can have ionic technology to help smooth hair, reducing any leftover moisture. With hairdryers, ionic technology can significantly reduce drying time even at a lower temperature. The big benefit here? If you have curly hair, you can use low heat, reduce frizz, keep your tendrils tight and not spend hours under the blow dryer. If you have thin, fine or heavily colour-treated hair, however, you’ll want to steer away from ionic hair dryers as they can over-dry your hair very quickly potentially leading to damage.

Tourmaline 

Tourmaline is a version of ionic. Tourmaline itself is a semi-precious mineral that creates way more charged ions than your standard ionic styling tool. From hair dryers to flat and curling irons, tourmaline is an option that steps up the impact of the technology. So if you have super frizzy or hard to manage hair, this can be a huge advantage. Just be wary of the intensity of the heat as it can seriously dry out those locks.

Finding the perfect styling tools means being mindful of the unique hair type it will be used on and keeping in mind the level of heat you think you need. A skilled hand will do super well with the high-speed heating of a titanium flat iron but for those seeking a more gentle and moisture-friendly option, ceramic might be the right choice for you.