Ceramic Flat Irons Vs Tourmaline Flat Irons

There have been some cutting edge developments in recent years in hair styling technology. One in particular is the use of tourmaline plated flat irons.

Metal plated flat irons have become outdated, and were replaced by ceramic plated flat irons several years ago. Ceramic flat iron technology has recently expanded to include the material known as tourmaline. Tourmaline is a semi-precious gem that is crushed to a fine powder then infused in the ceramic plates of the flat iron. It reacts to heat by becoming charged as it attracts impurities to itself like a magnet. It will also destroy odors like smoke, pollutants and perfumes. When tourmaline is heated, it is a natural source of negative ions and far-infrared heat, and it produces a far greater number of negative ions than plain ceramic plates.

When combined with ceramic, tourmaline has proven to be the best material on the market that can be used flat iron plates. Tourmaline-ceramic (commonly referred to as just tourmaline) plates product much better results at less damage to your hair. The main differences between flat irons with ceramic and tourmaline-ceramic plates are discussed below.

There far fewer differences between ceramic and tourmaline plated flat irons as there are between ceramic and metal plated flat irons. Ceramic and tourmaline plates perform almost equally when it comes to styling results and hair damage, but tourmaline performs slightly better.

The most significant differences between the two materials are:

Hair Damage
Flat irons with ceramic plates are better at preventing damage to your hair than metal flat irons are because they produce negative ions. Tourmaline flat irons are even better at preventing heat damage, because tourmaline is designed to produce more negative ions. The negative ions protect your hair cuticle from damage by locking in the hairs own natural moisture, while reducing frizz and static electricity.

Ionic Technology
As mentioned before, tourmaline plates produce more negative ions than ceramic plates. Aside from protecting your hair from damage, the purpose of the negative ions is to help to neutralize the positive charge that is present in dry or frizzy hair, which makes it straighter and silkier. The negative ions work to diffuse all of the excess water in the hair into tiny particles, enhancing the moisture balance of the hair while reducing frizz and static electricity, making the hair smooth and shiny.

Selection
Most companies that manufacture high end professional flat irons have models with both ceramic and tourmaline plates, but the selection is sometimes limited. There are many more choices when it comes to plain ceramic compared to tourmaline, but tourmaline flat irons are becoming more and more popular, so there are more available now than there were a year ago.

Styling Time
Most tourmaline flat irons take only 25 seconds to straighten a section of your hair, while ceramic flat irons may take a slightly longer time. The less time spent straightening your hair, the less damage that occurs.

Price
Even though tourmaline flat irons are better for your hair and use more advanced technology, tourmaline flat irons are usually less expensive than ceramic flat irons.