Cost of A Flat Iron

A good flat iron will be ceramic and have tourmaline technology in it.

You will not find a quality flat iron for less then $80.

One commonly known flat iron is the Chi. I would not reccomend this for anybody. The Chi markets itself as being the first fully ceramic flat iron when in fact all of their flat irons are only ceramic plated. Working in the beauty industry, I have heard dozens of horror stories of the Chi frying off girls hair in beauty school because it has only ONE temperature setting and that is 400 degrees. There are proper ways to use these flat irons and I would only reccomend them for those who are professionally trained.

My favorite flat iron right now is a brand called Turbo Ion which runs for about $150. It is actually fully ceramic and then coated with titanium. It's pretty and pink and actually keeps the hair straight even after the hair has become wet. It's an amazing product.

Definitely call your local beauty supply houses that retail to the public. Sally's, Ed Wyse, Karin's. Check out places like Sephora because they sell the professional brands such as GHD. Don't get something from the grocery store because I promise that you will get a product that is exactly what you pay for. Meaning it will be an offbrand like Con Air and Revlon, or it will be the retail knockoffs of the big brands like Tigi, Hair Art, Itely and even the Chi. Many times these do not have the same heating options, they don't heat as highly as their professional counterparts and they snag on the hair. Not always, but that is usually the case. However if you are willing to cheat yourself out of a quality product, then you could probably find one for about $30.

Many people go for the big paddles because they think that helps. That's not true. Consider it like this, you're supposed to run the iron down the hair, so it covers the entire strand. What difference will it make if the paddle covers more of the strand if it's just going to go down the hair anyway?

Things to look for: Is it ceramic? Is it tourmaline? Does it use ionic technology? Is it wet to dry?

Looking into thermal protectants or products to aid your styling endeavors. Thermafuse is an amazing line to check out because it actually HEALS the hair with the heat of the iron. Hope that helps! Good luck on the flat iron hunt!

XOXO
Swedyn