Keratin hair straightener: which is better to choose and how to use?

Keratin hair straightening is a modern procedure that allows you to intensively restore even very damaged hair and protect them from the negative effects of environmental factors. But the implementation of this procedure is impossible without the use of a thermal rectifier, which must have certain characteristics. Therefore, before purchasing this or that model of the styler you like, you need to find out what an iron should be for use when performing keratin hair straightening.

Hair straightening and the use of keratin compounds helps restore and protect hair

What is keratin straightening, and under what conditions can it be performed?

When performing keratin hair straightening, after thoroughly cleaning the strands with shampoo, they are covered with a special composition, the main components of which are keratin itself and various types of silicones. They saturate the structure of each hair and envelop it with a protective film, which ensures their additional protection and restoration. In addition, the film, which after the procedure covers each core, makes them thicker, which means that the volume of curls increases significantly.

In addition to the main components, various aldehydes and substances that emit formaldehyde vapors, which include formalin, glyoxal, methanal and others, which contribute to hair straightening, are one of the main purposes of this process. But in order for this straightening of curls to become possible, it is necessary that the composition applied to the hair has been subjected to increased temperature, the value of which depends on the structure and condition of the hair. That is why an iron for keratin hair straightening must necessarily be heated to a predetermined temperature, the value of which must be set with an accuracy of one degree. Additional protection against ironing can provide protective spray for hair.

The effect of hair straightening using keratin compounds

Keratin Hair Straightener Options

Today in professional cosmetics stores you can find a large selection of special products for keratin hair restoration. At the same time, you can achieve an excellent result not only after visiting a beauty salon. Get the right straightening and protection will help and the home use of these cosmetics. However, if your hair is already damaged by frequent straightening, restore them will help infrared iron. In addition, very often, having passed the appropriate courses, young specialists begin to provide this procedure at home, which significantly affects the reduction of its cost. But in this case, the use of professional rectifiers is a prerequisite. Therefore, more and more people began to come to buy irons specifically for keratin hair straightening, the main parameters of which can be called:

• maximum heating temperature not less than 230 ⁰WITH;
• the presence of a temperature controller with an information display;
• high-quality coating of plates.

Maximum temperature and temperature controller

The maximum heating temperature of platinum, which must be supported by all hair straighteners for keratin hair straightening, must be at least 230 ⁰C, since otherwise the required action of the composition on hard and undamaged hair will not be provided. The procedure will be wasted and will not bring visible results. The same can be said about hair that is in less good condition, but only in this case the temperature will be slightly lower, namely:

• 210 ⁰C - for colored and normal hair;
• 180 ⁰C - for damaged or bleached hair.

Exceeding the exact temperature even by 5 degrees, you can get the exact opposite of the expected result. The strands will burn out, become dry, brittle and begin to split. That is why on the irons used for the procedure, you need a temperature controller with an information display on which its exact value will be displayed up to one degree.

Thermostat with digital display

Plate coating

In order for the hair to receive the care they need in the process of keratin recovery, it is necessary that the coating of the plates be made of high-quality materials. The use of conventional metal elements in a keratin repair iron that will have direct contact with the hair is strictly prohibited in this case. Best coverage options in this case, you can name:

• titanium. This coating of the plates provides uniform heating of the entire surface, and hence the same thermal effect at any point of contact with the hair. Coating with titanium will provide easy sliding of the rectifier along the strands, it does not catch on the hair and does not pull it out. The models of this option are one of the most expensive, but at the same time the safest for the hair structure;
• tourmaline coating (with ionization). It is not inferior in all properties to the titanium coating, but at the same time, when heated, tourmaline, which is a natural material, begins to emit negatively charged ions. They have a positive effect on the hair, removing static stress from them, and also do not allow the hair to dry out, sealing the necessary moisture in them (how choose the best tourmaline rectifierread in our article);
• ceramic. Irons with this coating are the most affordable, but at the same time they are almost as good as the more expensive options. The only drawback is the need for high-quality processing of the plates after each application, since adhering keratin composition remains on their surface.

In addition to the listed plate coating options, others no less suitable for performing this procedure have increasingly been used. These coatings include Teflon or silver. The Teflon coating provides uniform heating of the surface, does not cause adhesion of the composition and at the same time costs much cheaper than tourmaline or titanium, silver - additionally has an antibacterial effect.

Also on our site you can read how often you need to spend hair straightener (ironing).

Other options for keratin straightening

In addition to temperature, temperature control and plate coating, other parameters also influence the suitability and usability of the device, namely:

• power, a larger value of which indicates that the device is more quickly heated. An acceptable power value for irons with this purpose are values ​​in the range from 40 to 50 W, allowing the plates to acquire the required temperature after 30 seconds;
• light weight, since it will be difficult to hold the rectifier too heavy in the hand for a sufficiently long time, during which it is used to process strands.Determining the acceptability of weight can only be done empirically, that is, you need to take the rectifier in your hand and hold it a little;
• a long power cord of at least 3 meters with the possibility of its rotation around its axis by 360 ⁰C. This will make the master’s work more convenient, since during use you won’t have to constantly unravel the rectifier cord that wraps around the device or hand.

Cord rotating around its axis 360 ° С

Keratin straightener ironing

The applied cosmetic inevitably causes contamination of the device

In order for the keratin recovery procedure to be truly high-quality, you must constantly keep the device clean. This is especially true for ceramic coated irons, which inevitably get dirty during the procedure. In order to ensure the cleanliness of the device, after each use, you need to wipe it with warm water, soft cloth and cotton swabs to clean hard-to-reach spots. In order to better leave the keratin composition from the surface of the plates, before cleaning, the device needs to be slightly heated and turned off by removing the plug from the outlet. This will ensure safety during the work.

If after the performed actions there are still dirt on the surface of the plates or the case of the device, you can cope with them by wiping them with a soft cloth moistened with alcohol diluted with water. After it becomes clean, wipe it with a dry cloth and leave to dry. It is forbidden to straighten hair with an iron with residual moisture on the surface.

For the cleaning rectifier can be used warm water and a soft towel

The best models of keratin hair straighteners

To choose an iron for keratin hair restoration and alignment correctly, you can pay attention to some of the best professional models, namely:

• Rectifier Valera Digital Ionic 100.01 / I with a maximum heating temperature of 230 ⁰C, floating plates with a ceramic-tourmaline coating, a temperature controller with a display and an indicator showing the complete cooling of the device;

Valera Digital Ionic 100.01 / I

• rectifier GA.MA P21 ELEGANCE.LED with floating plates with tourmaline coating, temperature adjustable from 130 to 230 ⁰With and with a power of 46 watts. As an additional function, automatic shutdown after 60 minutes of being stationary;

GA.MA P21 ELEGANCE.LED

• BaByliss PRO Must Styler BAB2095E 44W Floating titanium coated plates and operating temperature range from 140 to 230 ⁰C, the exact value of which can be set using the push-button controller and digital display.

BaByliss PRO Must Styler BAB2095E

You can perform keratin coating of hair not only in a beauty salon, but also at home. The main thing is to have all the necessary cosmetic compositions and a suitable iron for thermal exposure to the strands. The main parameters when choosing an iron, in turn, can be called the presence of a temperature controller, the maximum temperature is at least 230 ⁰C and high-quality coating of plates, a convenient width of which in this case can be considered from 20 to 30 mm. How choose the best ironread in our article.

Optimum plate width from 20 to 30 mm