| Buying Hair-Care Appliances |
| Home Made Easy reveals great tips on what to look for when purchasing hair-care appliances. |
From "Home Made Easy"
episode DHME-151 |
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Guest Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping Institute's home care director, joins host Stephanie Lydecker to discuss hair-care appliances. She showcases a couple of appliances and points out features that help out in deciding what kind of hair-care appliance to buy that suits your needs.
Options When Buying a Hair Dryer- There are lots of brands and styles on the market, and hair-care appliances have gone high tech over the last few years. The hot products now are dryers and styling tools with ionic and ceramic technology. The best have a combination of both.
Ceramic Technology in Hair Dryers - Ceramic hair dryers actually use ceramic rather than metal coils inside. What that does is provide more consistent and even heat. No more hot spots, where it's hot in one area, cool in another. This allows your hair to dry more evenly, with less overheating and damage. So it will look smoother and shinier.
Ionic Technology in Hair Dryers - Ions are electrically-charged particles and they can be either positively charged or negatively charged. When your hair is wet, it's positively charged. Ionic hair dryers have ion generators built-in to send out negatively charged particles. These negative ions attach to and neutralize the positive ions on your hair to help the strands remain smooth, less frizzy and moisturized on the inside. Hair has more body, less damage and dries just a little faster than with a standard dryer.
Other Things to Look for When Buying a Hair Dryer - Look for a dryer that heats hair evenly, dries hair fast to avoid heat damage, adds shine and moisture, no-frizz and makes hair manageable. Also, look for one that is fairly light-weight—especially if you have a lot of hair that takes a while to dry. The ceramic/ionic dryers are a bit pricey, but they're worth it. Other things to look for include a ground fault circuit interrupter plug for safety, cool shot button to set the style, multiple heat and speed settings and easy-to-use controls.
HairMade - You've left the beauty salon and said, "I'll never get my hair to look like this again," well, the HairMade helps out. It's an adjustable stand that frees up hands for styling. It seems to end the juggling act between drying and styling. It can sit right on your counter. Also, if you have a lot of hair, this will save your arm from pain.
Curling Irons and Straighteners - Auto shut off is always good for safety reasons. Ceramic versions are great—they provide even heat without hot spots. They really do make a difference. Test the handle if possible to see if it had "grip" enough to hold your hair in place. Also, know what kind of curl you're going for. Tight curls need a tiny barrel and if you want big, bouncy curls, get a larger barrel. Always unplug when you are done and never curl too close to your scalp. Heat settings are good too, so you can adjust to your hairs needs. For straightening, smaller plates are best for shorter hair, larger plates will handle long hair more quickly.
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