It is time to part with your hair appliance.

It may have been possible to use a wet-to-dry straightener. It technically still works, so it may have been done for the past decade. We have to unlearn beauty routines all the time. If you blow your hair out with 200 degrees Celsius on a daily basis, you will come back to haunt you, just like we discovered that falling asleep in makeup can be bad for your skin.

Investing in a reliable straightener is one way to bring self-care to your hair routine. After four years, the plates start to crack, lift, and heat unevenly, causing hot spots that can scorch one end of hair. If you have noticed that your hair is getting stuck in the wand, that it is extra dry and scraggly, or that it is taking longer than usual to finish a section, your outdated straightener may be the culprit.

Can you straighten hair without damaging it?

Ah, the age-old question. There is no way to put heat on your hair without feeling the effects. Abstinence-only sex education is more successful than heat-free methods like air-drying. There are ways to hold off heat damage.

Don't rely on the hottest setting to get the job done faster, if you listen to nothing else in this article. Like paper, hair burns at a high temperature. The main cause of permanent damage is exposure to high heat. We talked to Jon Reyman, owner and master stylist at NYC salon, and he told us that high heat is more damaging to hair than low heat in multiple passes.

Thermal protectant sprays are a line of defense. If you have time, heat protectant is often downplayed as an extra step, like chilling in the sun without sunscreen.

Reyman says that heat protectant is similar to an oven mitt. Don't rest an iron on your hair for long, and keep high heat contact to a minimum.

The number of passes needed to get a strand straight can be decreased by creating tension from root to tip. The process will be much easier with the iron through the hair. Several TikTok users suggest that before each pass a comb be used to smooth the hair.

Can split ends be repaired?

It's not just damage-friendly conditioner that a healthy hair journey requires. The jagged edges are pieces of the outer layer of the cuticle that have snapped. There are at- home remedies that don't bring those back to life.

The American Association of Dermatologists has confirmed that you can not 100% repair split ends. The only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off.

Which plate type is best for your hair?

When heat contact is minimized, it leads to less damage, so it is more about which straightener has consistent heat settings that can smooth your texture with as few strokes as possible. The type of plate is more important than the material.

  • The default is ceramic. It creates a smooth surface for any hair type to float over. The balanced heat and lower damage potential of a ceramic straightener can cause damaged hair. Over time, this mild intensity keeps hair vibrant.

  • The most negative ion of the three is generated by the semi-precious crystal of tourmaline. It is an especially useful weapon against dull hair, but can be damaging when too hot. It's a good purchase for occasional events that require shiny hair.

  • A metal with a higher heat threshold is titanium. The heat stays constant throughout the barrel as it gets super hot within seconds. If you're ready to give up on your unruly tresses, titanium could be the solution. This will cause more harm than good on thick hair.

Ionic is a term you may hear a lot in hair care conversations. The heated plates on many straighteners cause negative ion to attach to your hair, which in turn causes static and promotes shine. Ceramic emits negative ion at a higher rate than titanium and tourmaline, but they are still advertised as ionic.

Are cordless hair straighteners worth it?

Straightners that don't plug in can have a short battery life. The massive batteries in some models make them heavier in your hand. Not all hair styles require more than half an hour to style, and not all hair styles require a corded straightener. Being able to touch up your hair without a plug is a plus for travelling.

What is the best hair straightener?

These are the straighteners that stand out the most after reaching out to a hairdresser, comparing online reviews, interviewing the owner of a salon, and watching beauty bloggers review them.