As an African-American woman, I’ve had my share of heat damage from styling tools. What I’ve learned over the years is that not all heat-styling tools are to blame, and there are some steps you need to take other than finding the best heat styling tool for your hair type. Below, we’ll discuss what the best flat iron for African American hair is, and the ways in which you should be using a flat iron on your hair for straight styles:
Best Flat Irons for African American Hair Types, Plus Tips for Usage
1. Prep Hair Before Ironing
First thing’s first: Before using any flat iron on your hair, you need a routine that helps arm your hair against heat styling. This means using a shampoo, conditioner and heat protectant that help strengthen, protect and prevent frizz. Our line of defense is Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner. After using this line, which helps keep hair frizz-free, we follow up with Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave-In Conditioner to protect hair while blow-drying.
2. Types of Flat Irons to Use
We’ve created a handy guide to help you figure out the best flat iron to use which helps explain the different types of plates out there. I prefer using a tourmaline flat iron on my 3C/4A hair and think it’s the best flat iron to use on African American hair types. I’ve used ceramic in the past; however, my straight hairstyle didn’t last at all. I barely made it a day before having my hair frizz up into a huge poof. When shopping around for your flat iron, keep in mind that you need to be able to control the heat settings on your styling tool. With most African American hair, some sections of your hair probably require a lower heat setting than others. For instance: If the front of your hair is thin, iron with a lower heat setting in that section. Why? The thinner the hair, the quicker it is for the heat to pass through strands. If the setting is too high, it can lead to immediate heat damage.
3. Tips on Heat Damage
I’d also like to point out that heat damage happens in stages. Just because your hair was able to snap back into its normal shape and form after washing doesn’t mean you ignore protecting it the next time around. Protect your hair no matter what flat iron you’ve found for your texture.
