Curling Tongs

A hair iron or hair tong is a tool used to change the structure of the hair with the help of heat. There are two general kinds: Straightening irons, used to straighten the hair, and curling irons, used to make the hair curly. more...

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Straightening irons may also be called flat irons, but not to be confused with clothes flat irons.

Hair Straighteners

Hair straighteners work by breaking the hydrogen molecules in the hair, which cause hair to bend and become curly, weakening the hair and preventing it from holding it's original form.

The first hair straightener was invented by Erica Feldman using chemicals of scalp preparation and lotions to straighten the hair. The use of this invention soon led to damaged, scorched hair from all the chemicals that were added. Years later, M. Marcel Grateau invented heated metal hair care implements such as hot metal combs. Using the metal hair care, the straightener slid easier through the hair, causing less damage and dryness as previously used techniques. After this invention, ceramic and electrical straighteners were introduced, allowing adjustment of heat settings and straightener size. Another method of hair straightening is Japanese Hair Straightening, which acts as a sort of \"anti-perm\" and is available at most salons.

Less expensive brands of hair straighteners do not have ceramic heating elements. Some may claim to have ceramic plates when in actuality they only have a paint like coating on the plates to give the appearance of a more expensive ceramic straightener. The cheaper models do more damage to the hair and are less effective. Higher quality irons, such as those used in salons, use true ceramic coated plates and ceramic heaters for full heat up in as little as 7 seconds. A new trend is the use of tourmaline being crushed into irons and other hair appliances since they generate many negative ions which have positive effects on hair.

A number of products may be used to stop the hair from drying out when it is straightened. Straightening may cause split ends and thinning of the hair. It may also make the hair appear damaged and unhealthy after long periods of use.

Hair straighteners should only be used on dry hair, unless they are specially made with vents to let the moisture out. These sort of \"special\" irons are usually called \"Wet Dry\" irons.

Read more at Wikipedia.org