Flat Irons: User Skill/Technique vs Quality of Tool

[Crackers Phinn]

I have read no less than a dozen 'which flat iron should I buy' threads here and elsewhere and there's always an element of thinking that instrument plays a part in leaving the hair 'soft and silky'.

after having bought and used a couple irons myself, I'm inclined to believe that if you've got the styling skill, then it's skill plus products (or lack of) that contribute to a 'good looking' result.

I don't doubt that ceramic vs Tourmaline vs whatever is in a $400 flat iron contributes to not excessively burning the hair and longevity of the iron, but I wonder how much the technology makes the users skill 'fool proof'.

I absolutely suck at flat ironing - avatar pic is salon/siggy pic is my own work. I think the difference in shiny-ness and wow factor is apparent. When I flat iron with a maxiglide/jibere titanium/ or the borrowed Chi my hair pretty much looks the same.

Anybody think that skill aside, the quality of the flat iron leads to a better looking result? Or am I just sippin on haterade cuz I gots no skillz?

Thoughts?

 

[nurseN98]

I think it's skill plus product. Before I bought my Maxiglide i used a GoldnHot ceramic flat iron (around $20-$25), Got2b serum (maybe$3 or 4) and I got great results that lasted about a week. At this time I was about 80% natural with about 2 inches of relaxed hair hanging off the end.

Now i use my fancy-shmancy stuff and get pretty much the same results. Just the PJ in me.

 

[Makenzie]

I definitely agree skill is needed. I have a Sedu and yeah I love it, but I need to learn how to use that Sedu to style my hair better instead of just getting it straight.

 

[loulou82]

I think it's skill. My stylist used a regular Revlon flat iron on my hair is is BLINGED and laid perfectly. I used CHI products and a Jilbere on my hair and it was a poof ball.

 

[joytimes10]

I have read no less than a dozen 'which flat iron should I buy' threads here and elsewhere and there's always an element of thinking that instrument plays a part in leaving the hair 'soft and silky'.

after having bought and used a couple irons myself, I'm inclined to believe that if you've got the styling skill, then it's skill plus products (or lack of) that contribute to a 'good looking' result.

I don't doubt that ceramic vs Tourmaline vs whatever is in a $400 flat iron contributes to not excessively burning the hair and longevity of the iron, but I wonder how much the technology makes the users skill 'fool proof'.

I absolutely suck at flat ironing - avatar pic is salon/siggy pic is my own work. I think the difference in shiny-ness and wow factor is apparent. When I flat iron with a maxiglide/jibere titanium/ or the borrowed Chi my hair pretty much looks the same.

Anybody think that skill aside, the quality of the flat iron leads to a better looking result? Or am I just sippin on haterade cuz I gots no skillz?

Thoughts?

Thanks for posting this. I hope many more chime in. I am horrible at doing anything to my hair except a bun. I can't flat iron (last night was a disaster), can't roller set, braidout, twistout, bantu knot, or anything else I see the ladies fluanting around here. Time will help but I'm just saying....

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

This is so interesting to me. I was wondering the same thing as I kept eyeballing higher priced flat irons.... I had to beat the PJ monster in me waaaaaaaay back. In reality, my flat iron works just fine. There's always apart of me looking for the next best thing. My skills are so so. I can get it straight with decent blingage BUT I'm on the heavy handed side with products so my fine hair won't hold curls for too long. Or maybe I'm using the wrong stuff erplexed

 

[unalteredone]

The quality of the iron matters to the extent that the plates fully come together, the heat is constant, and that the design of the plate allows you to get reasonably close to the roots. That being said, if you don't know how to use a flat iron, no matter how awesome it is...it's not gonna work. But i think that "skill" is the wrong word for the most basic aspect of flat ironing. Really the only way that i can see an otherwise competent person going wrong is that they are using sections that are too thick such that the heat does not penetrate the section and therefore doesn't straighten. I've tried to do this when i was feeling lazy and the result is always awful. As for the hair looking good, falling the correct way, and using styling tricks (such as curling the hair with a flat iron), those are the skilled parts of it IMO.

 

[imaccami]

Hmmm, this is a really interesting question. My first instinct is to say that high quality tools make all the difference because I remember being in high school trying to do my hair with the Conair and Revlon tools from Rite-aid and looking a mess. Then I got some professional tools and wow what a difference!

But, Unalteredone definitely makes a good point about the correct technique. It's true that to get it right the hair has to be divided into small sections and that's what makes it take so long. It takes me an hour to get results that I absolutely love. If I'm kinda in a rush, I can do it in 45 mins and no one will notice the difference but me. Anything less than 30 mins and I don't even bother wearing my hair down because I know it won't swing, won't shine, won't do anything but sit there and mock me all day.

So, I guess it's partly technique, partly tools, and partly patience. An hour isn't that bad, I just watch a show I've Tivo-ed and the hour flies by.

 

[LyndseyJK]

I agree that it is a combination of tools and products. I started doing my hair when I was in college. I had Gold-N-hot tools and my results were not that great. So much so that I quit doing it myself. The the whole Chi craze started I got that. My results were better but still not the 'press and curl' look I'm used to beeing from CA. So now that I had a quality flat iron I started experimenting with products. I called my stylist back home and had her give me a list of all the products she used in my hair--even that didnt work 100% (because she used real pressing combs and curling irons and I was using flat iron and plug in curling iron). The first couple of tries I looked like a grease monkey (infact I still have a jar of Mizani Pressing Oil/Grease---I should probable post it on the exchange board.......). I finally found a combination of products that make my flatironing look great (I cant name them because I am at work but its a combination of Mizani and Smooth-N-Shine; I've also listed the combination of products on the board before). I am a PJ (its in my blood) so now that I know a combination that works I am experimenting with other combinations so I always have a back up. Its all about trial and error and not giving up. And keep a list of what you have tried and what works and what doesnt. That way your not repurchasing something you have already tried.

Also, come to terms with the fact that it might take time to do your hair. I think start to finish is used to take me 3 hours. Now I'm down to about 2 hours. I just listen to a movie/tv show and text people...it makes the time fly.