curling irons & flat irons
 

I am in the market for a new curling iron-large barrel, and a decent flat iron. Any suggestions? I have grown my hair out long and want to curl the ends like you see all the models wearing now-(like the chick that hosts all the VH-1 stuff-what's her name??) but sometimes I want it really straight too.

Anyway- if you use something you really like-what is it and what size?(1 inch, 2 inch?) Where did you buy it?

Also, if there is a KILLER hair product you love-for shine or to hold curl-add that too. (FYI I have pretty thick, mostly straight hair. But not stick straight.If I don't straighten it-it just looks messy, but not really curly.)

I'd recommend any ceramic flat iron. They're the most expensive, but they're the best!

For curling irons I'd be sure to get one that lets you control the temperature-I had a friend burn off a piece of my hair because the curling iron was too hot! :)

When I worked at Sally's Beauty Supply we didn't sell any ceramic flat irons, but we sold the heck out of some Gold N Hot curling irons. They came in lots of different varieties & were really popular!

I'm also looking for a ceramic flat iron and will probably ask the woman who does my hair for a suggestion next week. If you sign up on the Trade Secret (if you have a store in your area) website, sometimes they'll send coupons to your email so you can save some money! Some of those irons are quite expensive. Sorry I don't have any one particular iron to suggest right now.

I agree with both posters who said to get a ceramic iron. I recommend getting a salon or professional brand. It's expensive but it's worth it. It takes less time to do your hair. I have a babyliss one and I love it.

I have long, thick, straight hair. I just bought a 2" ceramic curling iron at Ulta, and I LOVE it. It gives the best curls I've ever had. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name right now (I'm at work) but it has a purple barrel and a black handle. It was around $40-$50.

I have a Chi flat iron and I love it more than anything. I got it through my hairdresser. It was $150 but it has a lifetime warranty!

Gold N hot is a good brand! I still have my flat iron and curling iron I bought ages ago and it works well.

I don't use either one now because I have braids

Jil-Bere (I think that's how you spell it) is also a great brand for ceramic flat irons. It was around 40-50 and I have had it for 2 years already and it still works perfect after every day use. I would be a frizz ball without it!

check out www.folica.com
they have a ton of flat irons and all of that. they have a lot of customer reviews also. i have the sedu and like it alot. i've heard that the chis break a lot or something

The Maxi-glide is the BEST iron I have ever used. I can't rave enough about it. I don't care how think/curly your hair is, it will straighten it - and it will STAY straight!

I kicked my Gold-n-Hot and FHI to the curb for it.

Hot Tools is a good brand for ceramic irons and won't break your bank like the Chi. I went to buy a Chi at Trade Secret and the salesgirl actually talked me into the other one, because it is the one iron no one ever returns!

Get a couple of Conair curling irons with varying widths-- you'll want to get ones that have numbered heat settings rather than just "on" and "off."

I recommend using a salon quality smoothing serum. Use sparingly-- too much and your hair will look very greasy. Start with a dime sized amount on wet hair and work it through your roots on up-- too much on your scalp and it will look like grease city. Add more (little drops rubbed into the palms of your hand and worked through your hair) slowly. Dry your hair and then rub another dime sized amount into your palms and work through your hair. Now you are ready to straighten. When done, add another small amount of serum.

Paul Mitchell makes a great serum. So does Biosilk. You might want to hit a salon supply store and buy up a few different samplers of various brands to get the one you like best.

A pomade is good for holding texture-- again use sparingly to avoid the grease factor.

Seal curls with some hairspray.

Has anyone tried using their iron on wet hair and had any luck?

I read someplace on the internet (now I can't find it!), that some of the irons can be used on wet hair and then you don't have to dry your hair? I can't imagine this working, but just curious if anyone has tried.

Never tried that - sounds like it could end in frizziness.

i bought my chi for $100 (on sale) at trade secret! but then, my roommates and i went to the beach and she left it there. i went back later that day, and it was gone. now my short curly hair spends its days in ponytails, because i'm too poor to replace it. ;(

Ok, I need to ask this...why did your roommate bring a straightener to the beach?

LOL! everyone asks me that! i took it for the nights we went out. since my hair was short, it took me about thirty minutes and it would never frizz. then on the day we left, we all used it.

I can top that. I brought a straightener with me the one and only time I went camping!

i would have probably done that in a heartbeat! i wouldn't of figured out what i did wrong till i walked around looking for an outlet!

go for the CHI. sometimes you can find them on ebay, and you don't really have to worry about them being fake. Mine is the CHI Turbo and it heats up to over 300 degrees. My hair is never straighter than when I use that thing.

Chi = the secret to amazing hair

It is all about the Chi.

I have a great Conair curling iron though. Has 12 heat settings and replaceable barrels that come in different sizes. I <3 it.

My hair is naturally stick-straight and pretty fine, so the Chi doesn't do it for me. It makes my hair look pretty limp and takes all the body out of it. I bought a cheap-o flat iron at Walmart after my 2nd Chi broke, and my hair's never looked better!

This is probably a dumb question, but if you have really straight hair why are you using a flat iron?

My hair is fairly straight, but it does do this icky "flip" thing at the ends if I don't do anything with it (it's not a cute flip). I have to either straighten or curl my hair if I want it to look nice. Straigtening it also gets rid of some of the frizziness, and just gives it a really nice polished look.

Thanks for clearing that up. Nice to know lucky people with straight hair have problems too :) Just kidding! :)

Using a flat iron makes my hair lay just a little nicer in my opinion and smooth out any flyaways. Most people can't tell the difference though when I don't use one.

ok, this past weekend i almost bought a pink coriollis (sp?) for $130. but, i wanted an unbiased opinion about the difference between that and a chi??? any takers. both are now easily available at the mall, so it's not like they are hard to get.

*bump*

ULTA has almost all their irons on sale.

I recently bought a ceramic straightener at Sally's/ My hair dresser suggests the Curlmaster 1 1/2" one. I got it about two weeks ago, and it works great. She also used the straightening spray by Texture. She sparys right before she straightens a section. Works really well.

Here is a question for you...I have frizzies that show up about an hour after I straighten my hair. I know that it isn't split ends, since I have just gotten my hair cut. Gwen (hair stylist) says it is where my layers end. Any ideas what I can do to prevent them?

Anyone ever used the wet/dry flat iron from Sephora? It costs $200 but mom needs some gift ideas and will probably get it for me. I asked the salesgirl at Sephora about it and she said that she has never had someone bring it back. I have a Chi and love it but it is crapping out on me. I have had it about a year and half - I checked the warrenty and it is for a year, not lifetime. I have gotten alot of great use out of it so I'm not too bummed about it dying.

Bumping an old thread...

Holy crap, that folica site is INSANE. I found it while shopping for a flat iron that doesn't suck ass, and I swear I could read the customer reviews and look at the before-and-after photos for HOURS. WTF, but it's kind of awesome. I'd never even heard of Folica before.

trade secret is having a sale! i replaced my chi and got some chi products for free ($45 value)

so, i definitely left with a smile on my face