Ep 315: Flatiron Fundamentals: Choose the Perfect Tool for Your Hair

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Your tools matter just as much as your technique when it comes to hair styling. That $15 bargain flat iron might be the silent saboteur undoing all your careful hair care efforts, leaving you with dry, damaged strands despite using premium products.

Navigating the world of flat irons can feel overwhelming with countless options, confusing terminology, and misleading marketing claims. Should you choose ceramic, titanium, or tourmaline plates? Does plate size really matter? What temperature is safe for your specific hair type? As a salon owner and educator with years of experience, I've seen the devastating effects of using the wrong tools—and the transformative results that come from finding the perfect match.

Whether you're struggling with frizz, battling breakage, or simply looking to upgrade your styling routine, this episode will transform how you think about and use heat styling tools. Grab the free Flatiron 101 cheat sheet from the show notes to reference while shopping, and remember: when you know better, you do better. Your hair will thank you for listening!

YouTube Video: How to curl your hair with a flat iron.

Top Flatiron Picks for Every Budget:

• Under $25:
  Conair Double Ceramic Flat Iron – Great for beginners, even heat, li

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Did you know?
You can have the best haircutin the world, but if you're
using the wrong flat iron,you're working against yourself.
In today's episode, I'll walkyou through how to pick the
right straightener, based onyour hair type, budget and
lifestyle.
Plus, I'm sharing some of myfavorite stylist-approved tools
that won't fry your hair orbreak the bank.

(00:23):
That won't fry your hair orbreak the bank.
Welcome to All About Hair, wherewe talk, shop, share stories
and spill the secrets behindgreat hair and a great career.
I'm your host, Denise Kylitz, aformer salon owner, educator
and a lifelong hair crusader.
Whether you're a new stylist,building your book or just
someone who loves learning aboutall things hair, you're in the

(00:46):
right place.
Each week, we dive into realtechniques, honest career advice
and inspiration to help yougrow behind the chair or just
fall even more in love with theworld of hair, because around
here, it's not just aboutlooking good.
It's about learning, evolvingand having a little fun along

(01:06):
the way.
So grab your coffee, yourshears or your dry shampoo and
let's get into it.
Hey there, welcome back to AllAbout Hair.
I'm Denise and I just want tothank you for being here.
I'm super excited.
You guys.
I have worked for the last twoweeks.

(01:28):
I'm converting everything overto a new website.
I'm working on it right now.
I've got my brand new courseout there.
If you're a salon owner and youare struggling to onboard
stylists or train stylists orget your handbook together, I
have you covered.
I have a brand new course.

(01:49):
You probably just heard aboutit in the intro, but it's only
$97 and it actually walks youthrough, step-by-step, from the
day one that you hire a newstylist, what you need to go
over, how to set them up forsuccess from day one, and then
it'll unlock an exclusive offerthat you can get templates for
yes, my employee handbook, whichI actually used in my salon,

(02:14):
but, more importantly, theeducation notebook.
This is the exact template thatI used in my salons and I think
you're going to love it.
Anyway, I've got the links inthe show notes.
Just wanted to let you know howexcited I am.
I've worked pretty hard on this.
Hopefully you like it.

(02:34):
Let me know your thoughts Ifyou want to see a different
course.
I am actually working onanother course for a brand new
hairstylist for foundationalskill sets.
I'm really excited about thatone too.
Again, thank you so much forbeing here.
So let's get on with the episodeabout flat irons.
Look, I'll never forget thisone client.

(02:57):
She had the silkiest,healthiest hair when she came in
for her first visit, but sixmonths later she came back.
Her ends were dry, they werefried, they were breaking off.
Turns out she bought a $15no-name flat iron off a bargain
site online, using it daily onthe highest heat.
Oh, you know how I feel aboutno heat protected on your hair.

(03:19):
Oh, my goodness.
So she had no temperaturecontrol and no heat protected.
That moment taught me somethingpretty important your tools
matter just as much as yourtechnique.
The wrong flat iron can undoall the good you're doing in the
salon and at home.

(03:39):
You could be using the mostexpensive masks, most expensive
products, but if your flat ironis just frying your hair, ugh.
And I do get this question alot from people like what's the
difference in flat irons?
I mean, there's so many choicesout there.
So today we're going to walkyou through everything, and you

(04:01):
will want to make sure that youdownload my free PDF.
You can print it off, easypeasy.
Okay, here's the problem.
Too many people choose theirflat iron by price Number one.
I've done that in the pastmyself the brand name or they've
seen it on Instagram by aninfluencer, and most people

(04:23):
don't even know what they'reactually buying or what really
works for their hair type.
The wrong plate type or heatsetting can cause dryness,
breakage and long-term damage.
A one-size-fits-all tool it'sjust not realistic.
What works for coarse hair willruin fine hair strands.

(04:44):
So let's talk about all theoptions, because there's a flood
of them out there.
There's confusing terms,misleading marketing and there's
also those influencers pushingtools they don't even use.
It is super easy to getoverwhelmed.
This is a question I get allthe time.
Ceramic, titanium, tourmalineplates what's the difference?

(05:08):
Do you even need to beconcerned about that?
Yes, you do.
First off, the plate materialCeramic.
This is really great for evenheat distribution and is gentle
on all hair types.
It's great for smoothing andfor shine.
Titanium heats up super fastand it stays hot.

(05:30):
This is ideal for thick, coarseor resistant hair.
And then you have tourmaline,which actually helps reduce
frizz with negative ions, andthis is best for frizzy hair or
damaged hair.
Here's a pro tip.
Don't want to forget this.
If your hair is fine, fragileor color treated, stick with

(05:51):
ceramic or tourmaline.
Titanium is way too aggressiveunless your hair can handle high
heat, and most fine, fragile,color treated hair cannot.
Something else you want to lookfor in a flat iron adjustable
heat settings.
This is essential forpreventing damage, because not
all hair needs 450 degrees.

(06:13):
I kid you not.
Most people turn on their flatirons and they turn it up hot
and high and that's just goingto fry your hair.
Thin, fine or color treatedhair.
Just keep it under 375.
You really don't need it anyhotter.
You're just going to fry yourhair.
You really don't need it anyhotter.
You're just going to fry yourhair.
Coarse or curly hair you can gohigher, but always, always,

(06:34):
always, use a heat protectant.
And here's another tip for youLook for a flat iron that has a
digital display, because youknow those ones that have the
numbers on them like turn up thenumbers one through 30 or
something.
It's like a little dial.
They aren't precise.
So the digital display willgive you a much more precise
gauge on your temperaturereadings.

(06:56):
What about the plate size?
Yeah, plate size matters.
The one inch plates those aretypically the ones you see out
there.
This is a one inch wide platesand those are perfect for most
hair lengths.
You can also style with them soyou can create curls or waves
or just straighten your hair.
The wider plates, that's aninch and a half or two inches.

(07:17):
That's better for your long,thick or coarse hair and it
really does cut down the stylingtime.
So if you are actually travelinga lot, you might want to
consider one of those littletiny flat irons or a dual
voltage flat iron with lockingfeatures so you don't
accidentally have it come on.

(07:39):
But they do have little miniflat irons for traveling.
In my opinion, I have foundthose don't get quite hot enough
.
They might be great for a bang,touch up or right around your
face, but to do your whole headwith a flat iron probably don't
want to do it with one of thosemini ones.
Another feature you want tolook for is automatic shut off.

(08:00):
This is a major peace of mindissue.
We've all left the housewondering if we've turned the
iron off, haven't you?
Yeah, it's a nightmare.
I've even driven back home tosee if I turned it off.
You don't want to burn down thehouse.
So this really does helpprevent accidents and it does

(08:21):
extend the life of your tool andit saves energy.
So bonus features to look forinfrared technology.
This actually heats the hairfrom the inside out, it reduces
surface damage and it preservesmoisture in your hair.
Now, those are going to be moreexpensive to buy, but if you

(08:41):
are, if you have dry hair, thatmight be something you might
want to consider.
If you've got frizzy hair, youmight want to consider ionic
technology.
This really does help tame thefrizz and it smooths the cuticle
for shine.
I'm going to leave some links inmy show notes for some of the
products I recommend and I willlink them over on my Amazon

(09:03):
storefront so you can go take alook.
And I have flat irons under $30mid range and, yeah, even the
more expensive.
But it's all up to you and yourbudget.
Now I want to take somequestions.
I will ask me a lot my clientsmostly, but some of the newer
stylists out there.
I do remember recalling themsaying well, what, what flat

(09:25):
iron should I buy?
Those are valid questions andum, and so I'm just going to
answer some of the questionsthat I get.
I put a little list togetherthat I thought might be good.
Are titanium plates bad for finehair?
Okay, not necessarily, butthey're too much for most fine
hair types, titanium plates.

(09:46):
They get hotter faster andretain heat longer, which is
great for thick or coarse hair.
But for fine, fragile orcolor-treated hair, titanium can
lead to unnecessary damage.
Your better options are ceramicand tourmaline plates.
They distribute heat moregently and evenly, making them

(10:06):
much safer.
All right, another question CanI use a flat iron to curl my
hair?
Absolutely, it works great.
It just takes a little bit ofpractice.
A one inch flat iron isprobably best for this.
Make sure your iron has roundededges and floating plates so it
glides without creating harshbends or creases.

(10:26):
And they do actually have a newkind of flat iron curling iron
device.
I actually made a video of thison how I curl my hair with it.
You might want to go take alook again.
I'll leave the link so youdon't have to go hunting for it.
All right, what's the differencebetween drugstore and salon
flat irons?
Okay, to tell you the truth, itjust really comes down to the

(10:48):
materials, the consistency andthe longevity.
Salon quality tools often arehigher grade ceramic or titanium
and they have better internalheaters and they offer more
precise temperature control.
The drugstore irons, on theother hand, they'll get the job
done for casual use, so ifyou're not using them every day.

(11:09):
Maybe you're on vacation, youjust need to pick one up at the
drugstore, but they often havecold spots, they're made out of
cheaper materials and they'reless durable.
So you get what you pay for.
That said, there are affordableoptions like what I have in my
show notes, the Remington PearlPro that actually perform pretty
well Pro that actually performpretty well.

(11:35):
Go check it out.
Here's a good question.
How do I clean my flat iron?
Yeah, over time, product canbuild up.
I've seen some gunky flat ironsand curling irons in my time.
So make sure you unplug it, letit cool completely, of course.
Then you want to just get acloth wet with a little bit not
wet damp with a little bit ofrubbing alcohol, or you can mix

(11:57):
up water and white vinegar 50-50.
And then you just gently wipethe plates, make sure you avoid
getting moisture in the edges orthe electronics of the flat
iron, and you definitely want todo this, probably monthly,
especially if you're using heatprotectants or styling with
sprays, which you should beusing heat protectants.

(12:20):
You sense a theme here.
Yes, you need to use heatprotectant.
And that leads me to my nextquestion Do I need a heat
protectant.
Every time I flat iron, what doyou think I'm going to say yes,
every single time, heatprotectants form a barrier

(12:40):
between your hair and the heat,reducing damage, breakage and
dryness.
Think of it like sunscreen, butfor your hair.
And plus some of theseprotectants, they actually add
shine, they reduce frizz andthey help your style last longer
.
So those are bonus things.
Here's another question.

(13:00):
Oh, my goodness, I actuallysomebody just asked me this the
other day why does my flat ironmake my hair smell like it's
burning?
Hmm, why do you think?
Hopefully you're not burningyour hair, but sometimes that's
what it is You're using too highof a heat setting for your hair
type and you're actuallyburning your hair.

(13:20):
It could be also the productresidue left on the plates of
your flat iron, and it alsocould be that you're holding the
flat iron on your hair too long.
So what do you do?
You lower the temperature, youclean the plates and you make
sure your hair's 100% dry andproduct protected before styling
.
You don't want to smell yourhair being burned.

(13:43):
Okay, another question why doesmy hair still get frizzy after
flat ironing?
Well, it comes to a couple ofthese reasons.
You didn't dry your haircompletely before you use your
flat iron.
And can I just say, when you dothat, when you put your flat
iron on any dampness on yourhair, you're causing it to

(14:04):
actually boil the water that'son your hair.
And what is that doing?
Destroying your cuticle of yourhair and breaking your hair.
Not good, not good.
You don't want that.
Another reason your hair mightstill be getting frizzy is
you're actually using too low ofa heat setting.
You're smoothing it, but you'renot sealing the cuticle.
Also, using a heat protectantor a smoothing serum will help

(14:27):
your hair from going frizzy.
I know it's springtime.
Well, it's summertime and thehumidity's up, especially here
in Virginia, and I mean I'vebeen wearing my hair curly,
curly and blow drying it with around brush.
Typically, I can keep my hairsmooth, but in the summertime,
if I really wanted my hair to besmooth, I have to use either a

(14:49):
curling iron or a flat iron justto smooth that cuticle down and
seal it.
Another reason it might befrizzy is your flat iron.
You might have a cheap flatiron and it's not distributing
the heat evenly.
That's what we call cold spotsand it just means that the
temperature fluctuates on yourplates.
So try using an ionic or aninfrared technology.

(15:12):
If you have frizzy hair, thiswill help smooth the cuticle and
lock in moisture for longerlasting results.
Hopefully, I've answered somequestions that you may have had.
These are just some questions Iput together that I could
remember people asking me.
So whether you're just learningto style your hair or you've
been straightening for years,the right flat iron can

(15:35):
completely change your results.
So don't forget to grab my freedownloadable Flatiron 101.
It's a cheat sheet and ispacked with everything we talked
about today, so just click thelink in the show notes, grab it
now and remember when you knowbetter, you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to allabout hair.
If you loved this episode, hit,subscribe, leave us a review

(15:58):
and share it with a fellowstylist or hair loving friend.
You want more tips, tools andbehind the scenes goodness?
Follow me on YouTube or head tomy website at denisekeilitzcom.
Yes, I know it's hard to spell,so don't worry, the link is in
the show notes.
Until next time, keep learning,keep creating and keep loving
what you do.