(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best hair styling irons

In my last semester of high school, I took a financial literacy course that followed Dave Ramsey's guidelines for what he refers to as 'financial peace'. In combination with Buddhist sensibilities I picked up from a year of being intensely Buddhist in like, the tenth grade, I've come to recognize that mindful spending puts my priorities first. It's like I have two halves of myself: one is desperate for new purchases, the other fully recognizes that I have responsibilities with my money that, even though I'm young, I've made a commitment to - growing a savings account for emergencies when I'm not working during college, donating money to my church to help build a new sanctuary. These priorities are beginning to win out over my tendency to buy and buy and buy.

I think the reason I shop so intently is because I have a sheer, unadulterated love of beauty. In my mind, the type of clothes, the type of make-up, and the type of home decor I like is so bohemian, enchanting, ethereal, and exquisite. By the power of association, I feel like these items will also make me bohemian, enchanting, ethereal, and exquisite.

On top of that, I also love searching for discounted items I know are still retailing for full price. For instance, the All I Need Blouse from Free People is available at Nordstrom Rack for $69.97 and is full price at $168 on Free People's website. It found that top for almost $100 off! It's a great deal, right? In comparison, I guess so, but in reality, I still don't have $70 to spend on a shirt at the stage of my life I'm in.

I utilize shopping as a way to release creative emotions. I find items, and, in my head, style whole outfits around them; I aggressively bargain shop in the excitable heat of looking for what I love for less. At the same time, it's be a shameful amount of months since I've written a blog post or done a DIY, and I haven't even begun to figure out the YouTube channel I'm daydreaming of starting. I need to reinvest my creative energy into my actual creative pursuits. I have a lot of it, which I something I cherish about myself. I know I shouldn't let it languish staring at HauteLook.

There's also a blog I love called Free People for Less, of which the title is self-explanatory. I think I may start some sort of blog that accomplishes similar things, finding discounted bohemian clothing and natural beauty items and posting them so that even if I can't buy, I can help someone else do so.

There's always things I want that I don't need. Right now, Free People is running a sale where they have a a wide variety of bottoms and tops at or under $29.95. In my cart right now, I have the We the Free Mix It Stripe Tee in Ivory/Black, the Easy Girl Printed Top in Garnet, the David Bowie Tunic in White, and the Jump In Like Skirt in Hendrix. Are these all things I would wear? Absolutely, but I don't have the closet space or the spending money to buy them, so I'm holding out that this sale lasts the whole summer.

At the very top of my I Wear This In My Dreams wishlist is the Penny Lane Embroidered Vest from Spell Designs. I must have stared at this product listing a thousand times. It's about $300 USD, so it's impossibly out of my grasp, but how breathtaking is the embroidery? The colors? The craftsmanship? The faux fur?

However, here's what I'm actually saving for. I'll buy these products as soon as I have the money for them, which may be this month.

The Levi''s Wedgie Icon High Rise, in both of the colors offered, Classic Tint and Coyote Desert. Believe it or not, Free People is the most inexpensive place to purchase these jeans. I love the fit and the frayed hem. I have seriously discounted the amount of jeans I owned and am looking to invest in more high-quality jeans that will last me all of college and some time after.

The Instyler Max 2-Way Rotating Iron in Purple. I'm looking at this hair tool as a quality investment I can use on my new lob to style it the way that I want it, as well as have one single hot tool I can use for just about everything in college.

The Aloha Embroidered Bag from Spell Designs. This bag is something I need for college, to carry my laptop, my iPad, and maybe a binder to and from class around campus. While this bag is beautiful (fringe! embroidery! silk! peach! ivory!) and represents my style and sensibility very well, at $68 USD it's far less than similar bags I've been looking at purchasing.

Sorry for the ridiculously long response, but I'm having a lot of fun so far!

I got my hair cut a few weeks ago and I love how my stylist curled it (see photos). With the new cut, my hair is longer in the front and has layers in the back. My stylist used two curling irons (1 inch and a smaller one, maybe 3/4 inch). I have a 1 inch curling wand but I just can't get my hair to look like it did when she curled it! I can't seem to get the curl close to the roots like she did and I'm so frustrated. I've watched many youtube videos but I can't get it to look right. Does anyone have any tips for getting this look? I've been curling away from my face, but should I alternate? Is my curling wand the issue -- should I buy a curling iron? I'm considering this Conair one and maybe the 3/4 inch one as well because they're cheap and have good reviews.

I would also love product recommendations (especially heat protectant)! I currently use the Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Working Serum (it's good but not amazing) and the Loreal elnett strong hold hairspray (I hear flexible hold is better for curling?). My hair is naturally wavy and frizzy, and I typically blow dry my hair before curling. I'd prefer drugstore or Sephora recommendations. Thanks!

Okay, here we goooooo. Funtimes with hair toys.

I have this only, with a red handle, that I use as my basic curling iron. Cheap, you say? Yes. But it works very well, and it gets the job done.

This guy is my hair dryer. I rarely use it, but when I do, it does very well. The hot setting is pretty hot, though. I tend to stick to low.

My mother bought me this straightener a couple years ago, but I rarely use it, preferring this one that I've had for YEARS. Well that's the newest version of the same one. I like the grip on my old one better.

DO NOT FORGET TO USE THIS. It is a life-saver. Hair-saver. Whatever.

BONUS TIME:

I've found that curling or straightening my hair the night before is the best, and then putting my hair in one of these keeps it well-behaved and styled for the next day.

YMMV.

If I want a particularly long curly day, I do have clip in extensions that match my color/texture (fine instead coarse which is what a lot of cheaper extensions end up being) and I've curled the extensions with heat to match my curl pattern. My curls aren't quite as tight as yours (mine are more 3b), but it's pretty darn close. It's not perfect, but it works. It's a bit of trick though because it obviously adds volume to your natural hair, and to do clip-ins you have to separate curls to get them in, so you might end up with some frizzies in your natural hair.

This isn't the exact straightener I use to curl the extensions, but it's pretty similar. Really any half inch tourmaline or ceramic straightener should do it. All you have to do it curl it like a ribbon and your natural ringlets should match pretty close to the curl pattern.
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Travel-Tourmaline-Ceramic-Straightener/dp/B00SKWO0OC/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1524680876&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=travel+straightener&psc=1#customerReviews

The clip in extensions don't have to be washed often/ever depending on how much you use them. JUST MAKE SURE you get real human hair. If you try to use any heat onto synthetic hair it will melt.

Not sure if you were looking for less hassle or more length, but hopefully this helps?

I actually have a lot of pictures from when it was shorter, and looking at them the last few months I look kind of stupid hehe. Can't believe I actually thought I looked good. Of course, I'm sure that's something I'll be saying a few months from now as well. Anyways, how short do you want to see? I have a few from when it was close to a buzz and others when I started growing it out like 2nd month, 6th month, 8th 7th month. Personally I think it's looking better as it grows out more, and now I'm trying to grow out the sides as well.

My routine is pretty relaxed, I shampooed my hair last week for the first time in months because my mom and I tried using a mayonnaise hair mask treatment which worked REALLY well (get about 4 table spoons of mayonnaise and add 1 teaspoon of argan or olive oil and leave in hair for an hour in a plastic cap/bag) and I've also been using this conditioner for the past week, my mom was able to find it at Marshall's for pretty cheap ($10 each for both shampoo/conditioner 26 oz bottles). I've only been using it for 2 days but it feels GREAT.

I condition every two days depending on whether or not I tossed and turned too much while I was sleeping--which I tend to do. Then I squish out any excess water with a cotton tee and put in some of this leave-in which leaves my hair really well defined and incredibly light weight, gives crazy nice volume without sacrificing too much definition. Then I finish it off by putting a tiny bit of this argan oil. Let it dry using either a diffuser or head dryer and then turn my head over and squish it a little to give it volume. I'm a simple person so simple routines are a must!

EDIT: clarity

well great hair starts off with a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. I like Kenra or joico. Then using a good leave in conditioner as well as an oil to mend split ends, use a thermal protection before blow drying, kendra's blowdry spray, works wonders, i swear. use a ceramic flatiron or 1" - 1 and 1/4" curling iron or wand. This will make it not look as frizzy. section it off in 2 sections, curl bottom then sides and top. any pieces that still look frizzy, curl those again. Most important, use a really good deep conditioner/mask once to twice a week. You can also use coconut oil. on clean wet hair, towel dry a little bit but still damp, warm it up for like 2 seconds in the microwave, put on ends and leave on for about an hour. dont microwave deep conditioner/mask. These are just some examples, most hair care lines have the same stuff, KMS is a little bit cheaper and just as good.

Remington is my go-to heat tool brand. I have very similar hair - thick, wavy, prone to frizz. I bought this straightener a few years ago and it's fantastic. It's got good temperature control and gives great results: https://www.amazon.com/REMINGTON-Straightener-Controls-Settings-S9520/dp/B003V21WO2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=9JXXU0GRMMRQ&keywords=remington+flat+iron&qid=1573581635&sprefix=remington+flat%2Caps%2C248&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQ1VXSlRXTE9SV1lKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDIxMTUzMVEzMEFSVlU2VVpOWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDU2ODkwM0ZWTUxTOElMU0hVRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

As far as products to combat dryness, look into the Shea Moisture line of products. They have a really great mask for dry hair - manuka honey & yogurt. I tried it out a few months ago when I was having trouble with dry hair and it was an absolute lifesaver. Another tip is to try and use sulfate-free and silicone-free products, and limit use of shampoo. You can co-wash with conditioner a few times a week, and shampoo about once a week. I've been doing that for a few weeks and I see a noticeable difference in the feel of my hair. You can check out r/curlyhair too - they have a lot of great info for people with thick, wavy/curly hair :)

Hrrrm lemme see:

Activity: Bumming around and watching classic films on Netflix over and over again.

Movie: Ugh, so many! A Clockwork Orange is my all time favorite, but I can watch the 2004 version of the Phantom of the Opera over and over again without getting bored.

Books: A Song of Ice and Fire Series, hands down.

Comic Book: It's kind of a manga, but American, but I've been trying to finish Bizenghast. It's so macabre, and the artwork is gorgeous!

And now the blurb part. I'm going into my Junior year of college, studying Computer Art and Animation. I'm one of the few people in my entire year that's going for VFX rather than 3D animation, which is good thing AND a bad thing, considering all that drama with the VFX industry earlier this year. :/ I should probably be more focused on my studies and career, but I can't help but get sidetracked.

I'd love a gift card if at ALL possible, but if not, I can settle with this Potato.

Thank you so much for the contest! :)

I used to make jewelry too, but I spent so much money, I quit for awhile. Your stuff is great! Kitten Mittens ! I'd pamper myself with [this curling iron] (http://www.amazon.com/Remington-CI5219-Instant-Ceramic-Curling/dp/B0050QJ1HM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1OUQ8B0KGTG86&coliid=I2DEH5AC5YJGZ8) so I could look purdy!
Wow, the star necklace is gorgeous! So are the sparrow earrings!

Morthy's Demands:

Old Posh Englishmen love their tea! (on the Unsorted wishlist)

I'd probably self-conscious but force myself to wear this. I can't deny my love of kawaiisugoidokidoki any longer. (Under Unsorted list)

I think this looks more like a [sex toy](http://www.amazon.com/Bed-Head-BH320-Ceramic- Styling/dp/B0092MCQZ4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2BN02OVKX5FBY&coliid=I2GB3XZY9AE4M1) but it's the only sexual looking thing on any of my wishlists. (Under Beauty Products)

Akeleie's Demands:

My most geeky item. (Under Harry Potter but I would never dream of anyone buying this hahaha)

I'm in the midst of cleaning out my room and learning to organize, so this earring hanger would be awesome to achieve my goal of cleanliness! (Under Unsorted)

I'd need this for a deserted island so I could transform into a magical girl and escape. (Under Anime)

20 year bang veteran here, your concerns are so valid.

First, I get a bang trim right before leaving for Forest. Freshly trimmed bangs just lay neater for me, so they don't require quite as much coiffing to look good.

Second, dry shampoo. Lush's dry shampoo is too heavy duty for everyday, but I live by it for festivals. I generally don't wash my hair during the festival because its not worth the effort, but you can wash your bangs with a bottle of water pretty easily also.

Third, I use this tiny hair straightener that plugs into your car cigarette lighter. I'm generally low maintenance at festivals so this seems a little over-the-top even to me, but its a price I'm willing to pay to not have wonky bangs. It's not powerful enough to straighten all my hair, but it does a good enough job with my bangs.z

I did a lot of research on hair straighteners like 4 years ago when I bought mine, so my knowledge might be a little outdated at this point, but I ended up getting a Croc hair straightener, and though I don't straighten my hair very much anymore, I thought it was great, especially since (at least at the time, I don't know about now), the comparable CHI ones were more expensive.

Plenty of the reviews from people who owned both Croc and CHI said they preferred the Croc, so that's also part of why I bought it.
I actually have owned 2 of these. My first one I took to Africa, and didn't use a voltage adapter with it, and I think that's what burned it out (it stopped working and would make a smell like it was burning if I plugged it in). I haven't had any problems with my second one.

Previous to owning the Croc, I had a couple crappy ones, and thought my Revlon was fine and that it was just my hair that didn't like to straighten, but after getting a good one I realized the difference it makes. And being able to control the temperature (in degrees too) is amazing as well. I also noticed that I can straighten my hair way faster with this one and I don't have to keep going over it many times to get it to straighten out well.

I agree, a mid-range one will work just as good as an overpriced one. Sometimes you're just paying for the brand. Amazon reviews are amazing, here's the straighteners they have that are rated from their best ratings and that are in the mid-range. IMO, these and these look great. The former if she has thin or short hair, the latter for thick and long.

It was an experience. Still have a pretty nice scar from it.

I did buy a rotating thing similar around christmas that was way cheaper, works really well, and has yet to burn me. This thing from KISS. It works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N18RIAS/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I agree on the dyeing, go to a professional at least in the beginning, retouching you can do yourself (but do ask them for tips). If you can't absolutely do that go to a beauty store and as the sale associates there, some of them are usually in beauty school or have experience.

For straightening, it depends on your hair texture, start out 250 for thin, damaged hair up to 400 for thick hair. Buy ceramic, 1/2" if your hair is short, 1" is enough for up to medium hair. This one is pretty good, shows the temperature and the price is incredible, https://www.amazon.com/Remington-UV-Baked-Ceramic-Straightener-1-inch/dp/B01B1PWCZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1473293855&sr=8-1&keywords=Remington+UV+Baked+Ceramic+Straightener&linkCode=sl1&tag=totalbeaubo-20&linkId=33888c9ed7ae7b548ae3e428df6525ef

Do buy a heat protection leave in spray to protect your hair.

Happy birthday! :) And Happy Zambambo!
Here's mine! Thank you!

I recommend the Bed Head Curlipops one! I have this one and it's great. My hair is thick(ish) but the hairs themselves are quite fine if that makes sense. This one gives me such nice curls and I always get compliments when I use it!

I have ridiculously thick/wavy hair and my sister has thick/straight, we both use Conair curling irons and it works fine for us. I tend to lean towards curling irons for thicker hair because wands take too long/I feel like they hold less. I leave the ends out of the curl to keep the more relaxed look.

Maybe try a strong hairspray while curling (spray on each curl while in the barrel) and a styling paste to finish. Use heat protector spray prior and use the highest heat. I’ve also found that not blow drying before curling helps A LOT. I have to let my hair dry naturally and then I can curl it. Same with my sister.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: this is the iron I use

Here it is—it’s kind of pricey (probably because it’s Kardashian brand, but I digress). The straightener works really well and there’s a cool feature where you can turn on the straighten and curl at the same time to do a wavy look. The curler is alright, I used it to go out the other night, but if you want tighter curls you’re better off getting a wand.

https://www.amazon.com/Kardashian-Beauty-Iron-1-98-lb/dp/B00T5E5HMS/ref=asc_df_B00T5E5HMS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312074401361&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17918085333045794555&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9060031&hvtargid=pla-624712991164&psc=1

I had the original Chi for like 10 years and eventually the wire had broken so much that I decided it was a fire hazard. There was electrical tape involved. I've heard the newer Chi's are not nearly as good.

I have this straightener now and I love it. $30 and works perfectly. Super lightweight too.

**Edit - it was $20.99 when I got it but looks like it's about $30 now. Still worth it.

I am in love with this conair argan oil-infused ceramic flat iron:

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Cs710-Oil-Infused-Ceramic-Purple/dp/B004INQ65S

It works better than any other straightener I've tried and it's only $30.00-$40.00 at Target.

I've been happy with my Remington for the past several years.

Im using this mini straightener I really don’t use beard oil or conditioner to make it soft, I only wash it every other day with loreal sulfate free shampoo so the next day when I dont wash it it gets the oil naturally from my skin.

Do you mean like this? where it's a straightener and when closed a curling iron? If not I don't know what you mean

https://www.amazon.com/Bed-Head-Curling-Tousled-Texture/dp/B0092MCQZ4, looks like one of these , looks very undone , I’d do it when your hair isn’t to freshly washed.

I got an Instyler, it's pricy but I can smooth out, add waves or flip my hair in lightning speed. I wash my hair at night and then I use this in the morning.

https://www.amazon.com/InStyler-2-Way-Rotating-Iron-Purple/dp/B00N5N5E32

Wireless straightener! =)

Do the right thing