Every year, it’s the same story: After broken ends, endless treatments, and unforgiving frizz (why, baby bangs, why?), we pledge, once and for all, to let our hair go au naturel. One Instagram scroll later, however, and we’re back in the hot-tool seat, screenshot in hand, attempting some effortlessly chic anonymous-girl-in-Paris’s hairstyle. And we know, we know, hot tools aren’t doing our hair any favors, but have you ever watched a Victoria’s Secret fashion show?! Because hair-wave envy is a real thing, you guys.
So with the New Year right around the corner and resolutions in mind, we decided to take a more realistic approach to our hair health: Rather than cutting out our heat stylers cold-turkey, we’d update our arsenal with the best tools and tricks for our specific hair type, minimizing the damage we’re bound to invoke. And who other than Alexa Chung’s, Lupita Nyong’o’s, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s hair stylists to guide us? Yeah, we thought so, too.
Fine Hair
George Northwood
CV: Alexa Chung, Poppy Delevingne, and Gwyneth Paltrow
Temperature: “Most tools don’t come with a [heat] setting, so use a thermal heat protection spray like Redken Iron Shape. If you do have the option to adjust the temperature, then around 350°F will be safer than 425°F.”
Size: “The bigger the barrel, the softer the wave. Most people find around an inch in diameter works the best. Use larger barrels for longer hair and narrower barrels for shorter hair.”
Damage Control: “To avoid the overuse of hot tools and the related damage, try to give yourself a head-start by getting the texture you want as you blow-dry. For straight, pull your hair straight as you dry, and for wavy, scrunch it.”
The Favorites: “ghd Tongs and ghd Air Professional Performance Hairdryer.”
Thick Hair
Cervando Maldonado
CV: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Naomi Watts, and Reese Witherspoon
Temperature: “With thicker hair, it’s best to set your hot tool at a medium [heat setting], or three-quarters high heat, because the heat needs to penetrate the [hair] shaft in order to create curl or straighten.”
Material and Size: “I find that a ceramic iron has a tendency to straighten and smooth hair very well. Usually when waving thick hair, I prefer a 1.25-inch iron made out of ceramic, as it will give the hair a smooth, natural curl that holds. When curling the hair, make sure to take clean, small sections, because if you use too thick of a section it will not hold throughout the day as well.”
The Favorites: “My favorite hot tools for curling and straightening hair are the Harry Josh 2-in-1 Ceramic Marcel Curling Iron (1.25-inch), Harry Josh Ceramic Styling Iron (1.25-inch), Hot Tools Gold Curling Iron (a classic), and I also love ghd’s flat irons.”
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