Hair Styling Tools

It’s no secret that hair dryers can wreak havoc on your hair, but sometimes you simply have to get your hair dry quickly and a hair dryer is your only option. Personally, I let my hair dry naturally whenever I get the change, but on occasion, I do have to pull out the hair dryer. Here are a few tips to ensure your locks beat the heat:

~Always read the instruction manual to ensure you are being safe when using your hair dryer.

~Towel your hair off first to reduce the amount of time you use the dryer.

~Start on a low setting and only increase the heat if you need to.

~Dry from the roots to the ends and use a soft brush when you are combing out your hair.

For those of you who have got to that point in your life where you just don’t want to spend as much time on your hair as you used to, have you ever considered using a hot air brush?  While this won’t necessarily fit the bill for all, there are many of us who as we have gotten older, have continued to shorten our hair and opted for easier  hairstyles.

If you don’t have a ton of hair, and don’t need 1875 watts of power, hot air brushes just might be the answer for you. Using a hot air brush can eliminate the need for use of a round brush and a blow dryer if these are the two tools you are used to using when styling or straightening your hair and blow-drying.  Since the hot air brush is blowing air out from its core  through the bristles of this electric brush, you are essentially able to style and dry at the same time and are using only tool rather than two.  This can be ideal for those women who have arthritic issues and/or issues with holding anything up in the air for any extended period of time.  The hot air brush is lightweight and easy to maneuver.  While not every hot air brush in the marketplace comes with all of the following features, each has their own distinct features and depending on how much you want to spend and what features work best on your particular hair type, this will determine which one you may want to consider.

HOT AIR BRUSH FEATURES:

Barrel sizes that range from 3/4″ to 1 1/2″  (full bodied curls to full curls, waves, and body)

Ceramic, Titanium,  and Aluminum Thermal barrels (seals hair cuticle and eliminates frizz, even heat distribution and corrosion resistant to styling products, and holds heat for faster drying),

Ionic dryer (for stay moist hair cuticles resulting in less brittle hair and quicker drying times)

Tangle-free (easy release features whether it be retractable bristles or a rotating vented barrel)

High/Low or Adjustable heat settings

Range in wattage from 250 watts to a 1000 watts

Two different bristle types (nylon as with most round styling brushes or plastic/rubber with ball-tipped bristles)

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Most manufacturers of hot air brushes are continually updating and improving their features.  Hot Tools just recently came out with the CeramicTi® 1 1/4″ hot air brush.  This model has many of the bells and whistles people are looking for.  This particular brush has retractable bristles  for easy one step drying and styling.  The CeramicTi ® element produces far-infrared heat to seal the hair cuticle and eliminates frizz. Hair is soft, radiant and shiny.  The titanium element provides even heat distribution and durability and is corrosion resistant to styling products. It also has an ionic on/off switch to enable you to use the ionic heating capability.  It has ball-tipped bristles that gently grip the hair.  This hot air brush retails for approximately $35.00.

If you are in the market for professional hair dryers or flat irons, one of the top selling companies that offers their products at affordable prices is BaByliss.

The BaByliss company now in partnership with Conair,  has several lines of hair styling tools that offer a multitude of options for all of us to select from.  The tools include hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, specialty irons and hairsetters (hot rollers).  The product lines include BaByliss®PRO, BaBylissPRO TT® Tourmaline Series, Ceramic Tools™, GT Gold Titanium™, Nano Titanium™, and Porcelain Ceramic™.

BaByliss product lines have something unique to offer in each of their product categories and are reasonably priced.  You can buy BaByliss hair dryers for under $40.00.  In particular, the BaByliss Pro Ceramix Hair Dryer that falls in this price range gets reviews such as “Once you use this there is no way you would ever want one of the discount store ones.  With the Babyliss there is no frizzy or dried out hair”.  Their professional curling irons start at under $35.00 and flat irons (straightening irons) from under $25.00.  BaByliss’ hairsetters can be bought for under $25.00.  Naturally, these are the low end prices and each category of styling tools have ranges that are obviously higher depending on how many bells and whistles you want on your tool.  However, given the quality and also that many of their tools come with a 4 year warranty, you are not overpaying for these excellent hair styling tools.

So let me give you a brief rundown on each of the product lines:

The BaByliss®PRO line offers a complete line of appliances and salon essentials that are the most technologically advanced products on the market. Ionic hair dryers and hairsetters with ceramic cores keep the at home user and salons running at top speed.  Customer Review: A comment recently made on the web regarding this product stated, “Babyliss Pro works on all hair types and straightens even the thickest curly hair quickly.  It is an excellent product, all my friends love it as well, it’s big so it does more hair quicker and leaves my hair smooth.  It can get quite hot so use caution when using”.

BaBylissPRO TT® fuses pure tourmaline and ceramic technologies to promote smooth, shiny hair and eliminate frizz. Tourmaline produces far-infrared heat that delivers faster styling times and releases natural ions to combat static and frizz. Combined with ceramic technology that ensures maximum heat efficiency, these two innovations unite to deliver unprecedented styling performance in a beautifully styled tool. Customer Review: This PRO TT hairdryer is amazing, it takes me 10 minutes to do my hair now! All I have to do is toss my head upside down, or, if I make two sections, I don’t even have to use my flat iron, and my hair is spirally curly. I don’t use it on its highest setting either because it gets incredibly hot. I’ve also noticed that my hair is healthier and shinier and I never want to be without it”.

Ceramic Tools™ style with uncommon ease and commanding efficiency because it utilizes the advantages of ceramic technology. Barrels and plates heat evenly and quickly, while natural ions reduce static for frizz-free styling. Far-infrared heat allows faster styling time and reduces the stress on hair. Wrap up smooth, sexy curls or slide through the hair from root to tip for pin-straight styles.

These high-tech GT Gold Titanium™ tools offer quick, smart solutions to challenging hair. Combining 24k gold with high-performance titanium technology, this line provides bold, healthy styling possibilities for thick, brittle, coarse, and chemically treated hair. Both gold and titanium deliver superior heat conductivity while sustaining even temperatures. And titanium has the strength of steel but only 60% of the weight, creating the ideal lightweight styling tool.  One of the more interesting hair styling tools under this line is the specialty iron that is the GT Root Straight Iron/Comb.  This iron straightens the roots from the scalp while adding body and lift.  It is great for use on very curly, frizzy hair, and African-American hair.  Another newer product in this line is the GT mini crimper.  With a 5/8″ plate this crimper is excellent for travel and fits conveniently in your purse.

The Nano Titanium™ line fuses advanced technology, elite design, and powerful performance to create a truly groundbreaking set of products. Utilizing nano technology and harnessing the high-heat conductivity of titanium, the dryers dry hair quicker and the irons straighten faster, with longer-lasting results.  The temperature controls are well positioned and have a heat indicator that enables you to view the temperature setting before proceeding with styling your hair and adjust it during its use as needed.  Sleek, soft metallic-toned Ryton® housings withstand ultra-high temperatures, and the well-balanced, ergonomic design ensures sustained comfort while styling.  A comment made on one of the many other blogs on the internet somewhat tells you just exactly how the nano titanium products work:  ”Being a Woman of Color, the flat iron is my best friend and enemy. A frenemie if you will. I love love LOVE the results of a flat iron and could use it every single day. And herein lies the problem; flat irons essential tool/weapon is its heat factor. And we all know we aren’t supposed to use heat on our hair daily no matter who you are or what your hair type is. That is why it is so important to find a flat iron that is so good you don’t need to use it every day. And that’s where the BaByliss Pro Titanium comes in”.

Porcelain Ceramic™ is the innovative breakthrough fusing porcelain ceramic performance with ionic technology  that creates a set of tools equipped with unlimited styling advantages. Commercial-grade porcelain ceramic within the heating surfaces of the irons and dryers enhances heat distribution and optimizes far-infrared heat and ion production. This delivers extraordinary benefits to your clients’ hair, leaving it silky, shiny and healthy. Customer Review:  My normal curling iron is the Conair Instant Heat, which I LOVE but I have to say using the Babyliss Pro Porcelain Ceramic curling iron — my hair does feel a LOT softer and I have less frizz Yes, I would buy babyliss again, I’m waiting for my order of the 3/4″ & 1 ” curling iron to arrive

Obviously, if you are not already a customer of BaByliss products, I would definitely suggest that the next time you need a hair styling tool, check them out.

Did you ever think that there are actually do’s and don’ts to brushing your hair?  Well, in fact there are, and when it is so important that we do what we can to keep our hair looking healthy and attractive, I thought it would be newsworthy to share some tidbits of information with you.

Most of us have always been told to comb our hair after shampooing rather than brushing.  Several celebrity hairstylists are now saying that it is actually better to brush.  While I might beg to differ when it comes to certain combs that have been specifically designed for detangling freshly washed hair, I can agree that a brush that is a mix of natural boar and nylon bristles has more flexibility and will “give” when it’s time to brush out the tangles after shampooing.   One such brush that I would recommend is the Cricket Smoothing brush.  This brush is a great boar/nylon mixed bristle brush that is known for promoting shine. The cushioned oval pad is soft on the scalp, while the flared bristle pattern shapes and styles. This brush is designed with a sleek, ergonomically correct handle.  So, you could easily look at this as an all-around type brush.

If you have long hair, what is the best brush to use?  Most stylists will recommend that a hair brush that  has balls on the tips is best because these little balls actually keep the hair from splitting and help to prevent your scalp from being sore due to the tugging that would be happening if you weren’t using a ball-tipped brush.  Once again, Cricket is a good source for these ball-tipped type brushes.  The Cricket Cushion Brush #220 is ideal for heavy, thick and/or curly hair.  The metal bristles easily penetrate the hair.

What is the best type of brush to use when you are blow drying your hair?  The Spornette hairbrush comes to mind with this question because from an economical and well constructed brush for the money, their thermal styling brushes are some of the best in the marketplace.  Of course, there are many to choose from and it depends on your hair type, length, and the type of style you are going for as to which one to choose.  One of my personal favorites is the Spornette Ovation Round Thermal Styling brush. This brush has boar bristles that have tourmaline enhanced conditioning nylon.  The vents on this brush provide for quicker drying and styling.

It’s definitely travel season with school out and families planning or preparing for their summer vacation.  Most of the time if you are traveling to a destination where you will be staying in a hotel, hairdryers are usually provided.  However, if you are visiting friends or family, there may or may not be a hair dryer there for you to use, or more importantly, the dryer won’t be one that you like or will work well on your hair.

What are your options?  You can take your own hair dryer that you use at home, or you can purchase a smaller and sometimes more lightweight travel hair dryer.  This can be a very important factor in traveling these days with the airline weight restrictions.  The last thing you want to have happen is to get to the airport and have your luggage be overweight .

 Travel hair dryers come in all types of sizes and configurations.  Some of the travel dryers in the marketplace are foldable so that you can more easily fit it into your luggage.   Many of the newer models also now have the ionic and other advanced features that we have all come to appreciate in our full size dryer.  One key thing to take into consideration is whether or not you will need a dual voltage hair dryer because you are traveling out of the country.  Another important factor is to make sure that the dryer you are taking has an extended length cord because  many times outlets in hotel rooms are not in the most convenient spots

As an avid traveler, I have garnered several useful tips over the years for making my jaunts around the globe less stressful and, in turn, more enjoyable. The key to any successful trip, in my opinion, is proper planning. I begin packing a couple weeks in advance and keep a separate set of toiletries and beauty products specifically for traveling.

This set includes travel hair dryers and other appliances with dual voltage technology, as well as small containers for liquids and cosmetics. Since shopping is usually one of my main diversions, I tend to pack light and bring an empty duffle bag or two. While I am on vacation, I end up wearing many of the clothes I purchase and bring them home in the extra luggage.

Yes, the warm days of summer have already hit some of us and for others it is just around the corner.  So that you are not looking back after summer is gone and asking yourself what went wrong, start thinking about what is needed to keep your hair healthy and protect it from the sun and other elements.

For all hair types the summer is the best time to try to cut back on the use of all hair styling appliances if at all possible.  I know some of you are saying that you absolutely have to blow dry your hair or you won’t get the volume you need or the style without using your styling brushes and hair dryers.  Believe me, I understand this.  However, many of us who are in the workforce don’t work 24/7 and there are days that you can compromise.  I have thin fine hair and rather than wash and condition my hair daily, I wear regular off-the-shelf  hair rollers on those inbetween days and my hair works out great.  Yes, I wear the hair rollers to bed.  If your hair is either extremely short or if you have longer hair, allow for extra time in the morning and let your hair air dry.  To get that extra volume that you might need if you let your hair air dry, try skipping conditioner more often during the summer or only apply it to your ends.  Also try using a clarifying shampoo at least once a week as this will rid your hair of all of the haircare products that you have been using and that have been building up in your hair.  These tend to weight your hair down.

Hair must stay hydrated.  Obviously, thirsty strands of hair are going to absorb water from the air.  To do this avoid over washing your hair.  If you can get by shampooing only once a week, do so.  On other days, condition only.  However, if you tend to have frizzy hair or live in a more humid climate where tendancies for frizzy hair run rampant, don’t forget to always  apply your frizz-controlling products while your hair is still damp.

Traveling light is the name of the game and also having the right hair dryer along with you is equally as important.  Most of the time when you are staying in a hotel, hair dryers are provided but they usually don’t have the bells and whistles that we are all looking for.

If you know anything about hair styling tools the name Hot Tools comes up over and over again.  Hot Tools, a division of the Helen of Troy company, has a multitude of hair styling tools to accomodate almost every type of styling that you are interested in.  So, it goes without saying, if you are traveling, then Hot Tools hair dryers are something you should definitely consider.

One of the most popular Hot Tools hair dryers is still the Anti-Static Ionic Travel Hair Dryer.  It seems to have been around forever and yet still is going strong.  This lightweight dryer has 1875 watts of power, which is typically more than you will ever get with the hotel dryer.  The fact that it has ionic features is a definite plus because not only will it dry your hair fast but the negative ions that the dryer emits helps to reduce the size of the water droplets on your hair.  This process allows more water to be absored which in turn helps condition, soften, and make your hair shinier while adding volume.  What more could you ask for? 

There is more.  This dryer folds up and fits conveniently in your luggage.  A real space saver.  And, this dryer can be found for roughly $30 – $35 online and in some cases less.  Lastly, if you are traveling internationally, this also has dual voltage so all you need to do is buy an adapter plug that is suited for the country you are visiting.  What’s stopping you from buying it for your next trip, and the trip after that…..Happy traveling and with the peace of mind that your hair will not be neglected.

Like most people in this day and age, I am always looking for ways to go green and reduce my carbon footprint. I do all of the stereotypical things of course—like driving a Prius and utilizing reusable grocery bags—but I also like to go outside of the box. For example, I use my hairdryer at least once a day, and as such, I assumed my energy usage from that appliance alone was relatively high.

Eliminating the hairdryer from my daily routine was out of the question, so I decided to research more eco-friendly options. After scouring the internet, I came across Silence HP hairdryers. Not only is the dryer energy efficient and whisper quiet, but it also utilizes state-of-the-art technology that dries my hair in half the time while retaining its moisture.

If you are in the market for a new hair dryer and are ready to spend a little more to not only keep your hair healthy, but are in need of a hairdryer that will dry your hair quickly, you should definitely consider looking at the Turbo Ion Croc Dryers.

Turbo Ion, the manufacturer of the extremely popular Croc flat iron, has created two dryers that are top of the line.  Each have their own unique features and are not only great for the professional stylist but for at home use as well.

When talking with people about their hair dryers, many are always complaining that their dryer just doesn’t do the job.  Comments such as “my dryer takes forever to dry my hair,” or “my dryer completely dries my hair out,” are statements I hear over and over again.    Let’s face it, most of us are always in a hurry, and we do care about how our hair looks.  Shiny, healthy looking hair is what everyone wants and it starts with using a quality hair dryer.

So, why an ionic hairdryer?  Ionic hair dryers emit millions of charged ions in the airflow that comes out of your dryer and land on your individual hair strands.  The ions break down the water droplets while enabling each hair strand to more easily absorb any remaining moisture.  This results in your hair looking like it has more body and volume while at the same time keeping the hair well hydrated.  You will not find this in your conventional non-ionic dryers.

The ionic process is actually reducing the amount of time it takes to dry your hair and thus reducing any damage from the heat from the hairdryer.  Ultimately, you will see a remarkable reduction in split ends, no frizz, and a healthy looking head of hair.

Check out the two CROC hairdryers below and see if one of these will satisfy your requirements.

The CROC Designer Dryer

• 100% ceramic balls and an ionic generator strategically built into the dryer  results in maximum ionic benefits.  The ceramic balls filter the air containing carbondioxide to a combination of pure oxygen and negative ions that help to purify and repair the hair.
• This dryer has been built with a double housing structure, which makes it the most durable well constructed dryer in the marketplace.  As a result of the dual housing, the heat is also not transferred to the handle and outer body shell of the dryer.  This enables the dryer to provide ultra hot temperatures for lightening quick finishes, while the body of the dryer remains cool to the touch.
• A specially designed channeled end cap and blade help to reduce noise and produce better air flow.
• Easy to handle lightweight, ergonomic design.
• 1875 Watts and available in Red or Black
• Made in Korea

The CROC  TID 2500 Dryer

• This ultra powerful dryer reaches wattage up to 2500 watts.
• Super quiet dryer at 65 decibels.
• This dryer too has been built using an ergonomic design that prevents stress on the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders.
• The compact size of this dryer also makes it easy to handle along with the anti-sliding heat dispersing stripes for improved handling.
• The switches on this dryer are copper-beryllium for intense use and prevention of accidental switching.
• The nozzle on the dryer is fast cooling and the cool shot button is soft and easily accessible.
• Made in Italy