Contrary to belief, ironing your hair doesn't involve an actual iron. My mother used to actually iron her hair on an ironing board when she was a teenager, and all she succeeded in doing was damaging it so much she had to cut it into a pixie cut.
Historically, there have been quite a few methods of hair straightening, many early ones involving abrasive chemicals being applied to the scalp and hair. These chemicals were incredibly harsh and damaging to the delicate skin on the scalp and the hair itself. Today, it is still possible to chemically straighten the hair, but with modern hair straightening implements, it's really not necessary to go to such an extreme.
Electrical hair straighteners temporarily straighten the hair, so there's no need to apply potentially harmful chemicals to your scalp every few months to keep your hair permanently straight. Now you can choose to have straight hair until the next time you wash it. There's no commitment, and very minimal possibility of lasting damage.
Electrical hair straighteners work by destroying the hydrogen bonds in the hair follicle. These hydrogen bonds are what causes hair to curl up as it dries, and straighteners will break these bonds down so that the hair no longer has any curl.
These days, most reliable hair straighteners are made with ceramic or tourmaline straightening plates. These types of plates cause the least damage to the hair follicle, because they are able to distribute their heat very evenly to the entire hair strand, rather than to just certain spots on the hair shaft.
The price of hair straighteners can vary greatly, but inevitably so will the quality. Cheaper straighteners will most likely not have ceramic or tourmaline plates, and will have the greatest potential to cause damage to the hair. The more expensive, better quality straighteners will be better for the hair in the long term, and in the case of hair straighteners, the old adage "less is more" is definitely not true. You will definitely get what you pay for, and a more expensive straightener will be well worth the investment in damage control to your precious locks!
Hair straighteners are extremely easy to use- simply plug them in, heat them up, and get to work straightening your hair in small sections. The results will last through your next washing. If you are using your straighteners every day, or long-term, make sure you use a high quality hair conditioner so your hair doesn't get too dry over time.
