Sunday, August 5, 2012

Curling your hair: Straightener vs curling iron

I know its a question that's been asked so many times. What curls your hair better? A straightener or a curling iron? I took that question right to the test. I was originally going to do hot rollers as well, but I'll leave that to another post. After all, my hair can only take so much, being the thinning, hair-losing thing that it is.

My hair used to be quite thick actually. As a little girl, I remember how much hair I had, always putting it in a big ponytail for school. It wasn't until around when I was 12 or 13, that I started taking notice of how I wanted to cut my hair and next thing I know, they're thinning it out and so on and so forth for the next few years. What I'm left with is fine strands of hair that always happen to end up on my bedroom floor. One of the hairdressers I went to, told me that I should treat it now, and if it's really serious, I should go see a doctor because it's going to be harder for me to fix when I roll over the age of 25. I have done no action since then, but apparently vitamins works. Any ideas on how to keep your hair from falling out girls?

My straightener is quite old actually. It's a Remington and it came in a pack with  the hairdryer. I wasn't planning on buying a straightener alone by itself since I already have naturally straight hair. It just came in the pack with the hair dryer so I put it to use. To curl.


My curling iron is from VS Sassoon with a 32mm (1 and a quarter inch) barrel. I was contemplating on getting one of the clipless curling irons, or curling wands, as some people might call it. But I got this one from David Jones. It was more of an impulse buy, but I'm glad I bought it.


So now that you have an idea of what my hair is like, it's relatively easy to curl my hair since I don't have to manage a lot and is not as time consuming.

The left side is with my straightener and the right is with my curling iron. For both sides, I curled all sections of my hair away from my face.


Hair straightener:
Shorter curls
Holds more tightly
Some frizz evident
Sections are prominently seen rather than bunching up together


Curling Iron:
Longer, looser curls
Not as long lasting as curls from a straightener
Less frizz
More time consuming
Softer curls means it can easily disappear into other curled sections of hair

It's really up to you the way you prefer your curl. Some people go for the more tighter curl. Or some people go for the loose. I like the look of both, but the curling iron wins me over, since I prefer the loose wavy look. I also like that it doesn't shorten my hair as much, yet still maintains a curl. And although, it's a little bit more time consuming then that of a straightener, it's worth it in the end. I haven't worn the look out yet so I can't give you a definitive answer to how long it would last throughout the day.

But then again, it all comes down to technique. I know when I first started curling my hair with the straightener, it took me a while to get it to curl right. Parts of it would stick out awkwardly and I'd have the problem of leaving the straightener in one place for too long and it'd crimp my hair. You just need a good straightener and good technique. And a good hairspray :)


Do you guys prefer curling your hair with a straightener or a curling iron?

Hope this post was really helpful in deciding whether to invest in a straightener or a curling iron :)

16 comments:

  1. I prefer the curling iron ^.^

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  2. I fail too much with curling with a straightener. Might as well just use a curler to do the job.

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  3. I still can't curl my hair properly with my ghd..... it's easier but I feel like I have more control when I use my curler! And yeah I don't like my curls to be so ringlet-y either so curler is the way to go for me too :)

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  4. I love the side done with the curling iron! The curls look soft and pretty *____* Can you do a tutorial? :D Whenever I try to curl my hair, the curls always merge together into one :(

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  5. I like the curling iron one. Both look super pretty. xx

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  6. I've been using a 38mm curling iron, but it takes sooo long in my opinion, and it doesnt look as good as the ones i do with my straightener, but the ones i make with my straightener get frizzy... so I'm stuck in between. But I'm looking for a clipless one because my friend got one recently and her hair looked amazing!

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  7. I like the curling wand on you better but for me I like using a straighter! Looks much better but I think using a straighter is more damaging too. :/

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  8. I use a curling iron, but I agree with you about it taking a looong time

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  9. I love the look of the curling iron achieved! Not only am I pathetic with hair tools, my hair is just too coarse to achieve a nice wavy look :(

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  10. wish my hair was actually long enough to curl T__T i like the waves from the curler better though!

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  11. I prefer the curling iron, however after seeing your lists I might try the straightener as my curls always fall out two seconds after creation. Only problem is I suck at twirling the straightener... Thank you for the wonderful post :D

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  12. straightener, because its definitely faster :p

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  13. I have the same problem with losing hair...but my hair is quite thick, so i'm not sure if it's actually a damaging problem or a natural thing that my mom is making a big deal about LOL. If you ever find out hair treatments to prevent hair falling please let me know! The only way I've heard of is buying shampoo that is suppose to prevent hair fall-out and re-growth - but those are quite pricey and I'm not sure if they work. I love the curling iron, loose-waves look and I wished I had gotten a curling iron instead of the flat iron cus I'm still having a hard time curling my hair with the straightener...do u have any tips/tricks or good videos on how to curl with a straightener best??!! I think I'm getting better at it, but i still get those awkward pieces coming out at the wrong places haha :P

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  14. I always use a hair straightener to curl my hair.
    I'm so used to it now - to the point where I can't curl with a curling iron
    It's really weird but I like it better when you used the hair straightener

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  15. Hi T! Thanks for that comparison. I love your hair with the curling iron - you should do your hair like that more often - looks really pretty, soft and natural. Kind of like "i woke up like this' not so much like "i just curled my hair" :) That was really informative. Oh i wanted to let you know that your hair falling out could be the shampoo you use? For a time, my hair was falling out to the point where it would block the shower drain and i got scared!! Most supermarket brands have that effect but the worst is Heads and Shoulders! People told me for years how bad it was but I didn't believe them, because i loved the squeaky clean feeling it gave my hair. It also makes your scalp really dry and flaky so the more you use the more you HAVE to use, so you get into a vicious cycle! So anyyyway, being the cheapskate I was, i just couldn't justify spending like $30 for those posh shampoos and conditioners until it got really bad! So now i use Paul Mitchell tea tree oil shampoo and its pricey but its slowly healing my scalp from years of damage from supermarket shampoos, and i find that my hair is not falling out as much (seriously!). I hope this helps :) xx Milaseer

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  16. Great comparison! :D I guess I don't have to buy a curling iron after all. :)

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Each comment is read and appreciated! Thanks guys! ^_____^ x

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