On straightening and irons

So, I'm personally against straightening irons, but that's a combination of my:

1) Naturalist approach to hair (match your style to your hair, not the other way around)

2) Dislike for the amount of time straightening takes (to do it properly)

3) Various burn scars from irons (kidding, there are no visible scars, just painful memories)

4) Damaged hair

But I know that many of you will continue to straighten your hair to achieve "that look," so at the least, I will share my advice with you.

1. Never use full power / maximum temperature. You always want to be a little under. If your iron goes from 0 to 10, set it at 8. Higher heat will straighten your hair faster, but it's also more damaging. Instead, use a lower setting and take a little more time. If you have a fancy straightener with a digital temp. read, set it to no more than 95 degreees celsius.
2. I was never much for heat protectant spray, but from what I've heard they actually do a good job of protecting your hair, so you may want to give it a try if you straighten daily.
3. Know your equipment. A salon-quality straightener (~$200) will have full ceramic plates and heats up much more quickly, while a consumer level (~$30) will have ceramic-coated plates that are much less effective at heat distribution. When your ceramic coating starts to chip off, it's time for a new straightener. Stay away from anything else altogether (ie uncoated steel plates).
4. Do not straighten wet hair unless your straightener has steam vents. It will say on the box, "steam vents allow for usage on wet or dry hair" or something like it. If it doesn't have steam vents and you use it on wet hair, your hair will burn (due to the steam trapped between the plates... along with your hair).
5. Always wipe the plates down with a towel after use. Residue left on the plates after use (i.e. hair oils, product) will dry up and burn the next time you use your iron. This may burn your hair.
6. In general, it's best to straighten only freshly-washed hair. Since oil heats to a very high temperature (think deep-fryer), straightening dirty hair will superheat the oil in your hair and can damage it (your hair, that is).
7. If (and I don't recommend it) you choose to use your iron with product in your hair, please do not use a $200 iron. Use a $20 iron. It's overall safer for your hair and for your iron.

And now, a video tutorial! Not by me, but by a colleague over at style06.com

(But you should go here to watch the video, because my blog doesn't accommodate videos very well)