Guide to hair straightening

Think of a straightener. Any straightener. Chances are you thought of GHD's there? GHD's are probably the most well known straighteners on the market at the moment but what about all the other brands and types on the market? How do you choose between them all and how do you know which ones are right for your hair? Here's a brief guide to the best features to look out for.

To cord or not to cord? Where are you likely to be using your straightening irons? Just in the house? Camping? Festivals? on the Boat? in the Car? With a cordless straightener you can do all that and more. You charge it up and straighten anywhere, anytime so if you lead an adventurous lifestyle these may be the choice for you. They are great for popping in your bag too and as they don't have a cord they are easy to whip out in the changing rooms at work to redo your hair before a night out or that all important meeting.

For Healthy Hair and safe Straightening. T3 Tourmaline irons use the latest technology which protects the hair using negitive ions. This stops static and seals in the moisture which keeps the hair in good condition. T3 Tourmaline is the safest way to add heat to hair. The mini has adjustable heat settings with a maximum temperature of 210 degrees. Time is of the essence. Who has time to wait while their irons heat up? We all want everything as fast as possible nowadays and styling is no different. Anything around 20-30 seconds is a good guide.

How hot? Try to go for a hair straightener with several heat setting to allow for different hair types. Thick hair needs a higher temperature than fine and highly coloured hair so it is a good feature to be able to allow for this. Limit the damage with ceramic. Ceramic plates spread the heat evenly and therefore cause less damage to your hair and the ceramic also helps to speed up the heating process.

Does size matter? This is where you need to consider your hair type and length. Short hair requires a small plate to allow you to get right in where you need. With longer hair you can go for a bigger plate. Consider what you want to do with the straightener too as it's not just for poker straight hair, you can curl, flick and add volume with a little practice!

A few other things to look out for include: emergency shut off after 30mins, heat resistant handle, voltage capability. The GHD Ceramic Salon IV Styler offers automatic multi-voltage and can be used with ease around the globe!