Which size flat iron should you buy?
Forget that old saying “size doesn’t matter.” When it comes to hair styling, the size straightener iron will have a huge effect on the success of your flat iron hairstyles and your satisfaction with the product.
Before we start, consider these questions:
- Is your hair long, mid length or short?
- Is your hair fine or coarse?
- How much time do you want to spend on styling?
- Do you want to curl hair with straighteners as well as straighten?
Hold those answers in your head, they’ll help you to choose what size flat iron is perfect for your hair as you read through my handy size guide.
Small Irons
The smallest irons you can buy have a plate width of 0.5 inches. These tiny little gadgets are best for flat ironing short hair, men’s hair and making really tight, bouncy straightener curls. They’re also great if you’re going travelling and need to conserve space in your bag for all the wonderful shopping you do!
Buy 0.5 inch Flat Iron-Amazon-
Short Stuff:
Straightener styling looks incredible on short styles: as long as you how to use a flat iron on short hair. You need a model that can get in nice and close to the roots and let you work with absolute precision and the smaller the plates, the easier it will be to do this.
Tighter Curls:
It stands to reason that the smaller the plate you use, the tighter the curl you’ll get. So, if you’re thinking about curling hair with a flat iron and want tight curls, slimline hair straighteners are the way to go. Look for a set of
thin plate hair straighteners under 1 inch with as little plastic housing around the outside as possible.
Stylish Men:
There are more and more men hair straightening and, personally, I think they look damn sexy! The best male hair straighteners have smaller plates because you can get in close to the scalp and do some really cool flicking and spiking.
On the road:
Airlines are pretty strict on luggage allowances these days! But that doesn’t mean you should go without the styling versatility of a flat iron! Travel hair straighteners reviews confirm that. while they’re small, they’re still mighty!
My Pick:
In my opinion, the best hair straighteners to buy if you’re looking for something really tiny is the BaBylissPro Nano Titanium 1/2″ Mini Iron. It’s got everything you’re looking for: small plates, slimline housing, powerful heat and professional quality. It gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.
Buy BaBylissPro Nano Titanium-Amazon-
Standard Irons
The most common flat iron size is 1 inch, so you’ll have lots of variety to choose from if you go with this size. All of the best brands of hair straighteners have a range with 1 inch plates. As the average size, they suit the average hair length and thickness and are versatile enough to use for curling or straightening.
Normal Hair, Mid Lengths:
1 inch plates are ideal for normal hair (even if there’s quite a bit of natural curl) in mid lengths. You’ll be able to work through the hair quickly and easily but you’ll still have plenty of precision.
Buy 1 inch Flat Iron-Amazon-
Looser Curls:
When you’re curling hair with straighteners with larger plates, you’ll get bigger, looser curls than those you get with a half inch model. These look really wonderful in half-up, half-down styles and suit people with mid-length hair. Waving hair with flat irons is also best with 1 inch plates.
More Options:
The best thing about buying regular sized straighteners is that you get the widest range to choose from. All of the good brands of hair straighteners will have at least one pair in your size so you can focus on which straighteners have the design, material and features you like best.
My Pick:
So, which hair straightener is best when you’re looking for standard sized plates? I recommend the Bio Ionic OnePass Iron. Many reviewers say that they are the best hair straighteners for curly frizzy hair (of mid lengths! check out the next section if your hair’s super long!). They get the full 5 star rating from me because of the reliability, versatility and professional quality.
Buy Bio Ionic OnePass Iron-Amazon-
If you’ve got hard to straighten hair (super long, thick or coarse) or you want to be able to style in a hurry, looking out for some large irons with plates of 1.5 inches or more is a good plan. Note that larger plates are not so good for curling hair with straighteners, so if you have super long hair and want to be able to curl, you’d be better to go for 1 inch plates and be prepared to spend a lot more time on styling.
Too Long?
If you need a long, natural hair flat iron and don’t want to be spending hours on styling, look for something with 1.5 inch (or sometimes even larger) plates. This will allow you to work down your long sections of hair far more quickly.
Hard Work?
If you want to flat iron curly hair that’s really coarse or stubborn and seems to take pass after pass with a smaller iron, you’ll probably appreciate the time saving factor of wider plates.
In a Hurry?
On the subject of time saving, regardless of whether you have mid or long hair, if you like to spend as little time styling as possible, then larger plates might be a good option.
More Grab:
Another thing worth noting about wider plates is that they tend to grip hair far more securely, making styling hair with a flat iron much easier (especially if you’re a tad clumsy!).
My Pick:
In my opinion, the best wide hair straighteners are the Croc Infrared Iron 1.5 Inch Wide. This company specializes in making larger models to flat iron thick hair. These get the full 5 star rating from me because the large plates work through long or thick hair quickly while the consistent temperature and quality design (the Croc “jaws” have fantastic grip!) ensure you get great styling results.
Buy Croc Infrared Iron-Amazon-
Other Considerations
Now that you’ve got the size you’ll need sorted out, there are just a few other things you’ll need to consider and I’ve got some handy articles to help you make the best possible choices. Make sure you check out the types of flat irons available in the size you need. Then you can make decisions about flat iron temperature, titanium or ceramic flat iron and which of the popular hair straightener brands you want to go with.
What’s Your Style?
In summary, the size of flat iron you choose will have a big effect on your satisfaction with the straighteners you buy. Even before you decide whether you need a ceramic or titanium flat iron, you should figure out the size you’re looking for. Do you need a narrow-plated flat iron short hair? Or are you looking for the best kind of hair straightener for your super long natural hair? To get the best flat iron hair styles, you need to choose the best sized flat iron for your hair, your lifestyle and your styling desires. When you know exactly what you’re looking for, you’re way more likely to end up with totally amazing hair straighteners!
Size DOES matter!
Xoxo Elley.