Nowadays, hair straighteners come in all different shapes and sizes, and if you’re shopping for your first hair straightener or replacing one, you’ll need to know which type of straightener is best for you: a wide or a thin straightener.
The difference between these straighteners might seem insignificant at first, but once you experience the difference for yourself, you’ll never look at them the same again.
Thin vs wide straightener
Thin and wide-plate straighteners have their own strengths and weaknesses. But which should you choose? That depends very much on what you want to use the straightener for and your hair type.
Hair straighteners with wider plates have a larger surface area that heats up. Because of this, they’re more effective for straightening long, thick, or curly hair, and would take less time to do so because they cover more area.
On the other hand, thinner straighteners are easier to maneuver and can also be used to style your hair, which makes them the more versatile option. Likewise, if you have shorter hair, you might find it challenging to use a wider straightener, whereas the thinner alternative might still work for you.
When to use a wide straightener
Wide hair straighteners are a popular choice because of how powerful they are and how easily they straighten your hair. Like we’ve said, if your hair is thick or curly, you’ll want a wider plate on your straightener because it can make the styling process faster and easier.
Here are some of the advantages of a wide-plate straightener:
- One of the main advantages of wide straighteners is that they distribute heat well and consistently over the plate. This means that your hair is evenly exposed to heat, producing better results and reducing hotspots.
- On a similar note, because these straighteners have wider plates, they can style more surface area of your hair at a time, resulting in the whole process being faster.
- We all have different hair, some with curls, others with straight hair. Wider straighteners are ideal for thick, curly hair, allowing you to straighten it with more ease.
Before we move on to thin-plate straighteners, you need to keep in mind that wide-plate straighteners can reach extremely high temperatures, which can very easily damage your hair.
So, if you plan to buy a wide-plate straightener, make sure you use it at a moderate heat. Rather do more passes than singe your hair while trying to straighten it.
When to use a thin straightener
When we refer to thin plates, we’re talking about hair straighteners with a plate about 2cm wide. These straighteners are all-rounders and are suitable for most hair types.
If you’re looking to try a bunch of different styles, then you’d want to get a thin-plate straightener, as they allow you to style bangs, curls, and add waves into your hair with ease. These straighteners offer more precision, so they would often take slightly longer to use. Plus, they’re also ideal for those who have short hair.
Here are some of the benefits of using a thin-plate hair straightener:
- Firstly, being thinner, they are naturally smaller and easier to fit into your bag if you’re travelling, making them more travel-friendly than their wider counterparts. The small plate also means that there’s less area to heat up, so if you’re on the go and in a rush, these little guys could heat up faster for you.
- We can’t hone in on this enough – if you’re looking for versatility, these thinner plate hair straighteners can be used to do a number of different hairstyles.
- Finally, they are far more precise than wide straighteners. Because of their width, you can get into smaller places, closer to your roots and make tighter, sleeker curls or other hair styles with more detail.
Picking the right straightener for you
In addition to knowing which hair straightener is right for you, you also need to know where to look for one. We recommend checking out GHD hair straighteners. They have a wide range of options, including thin and wide flat irons, so that you can choose the right straightener for your hair type.
Final thoughts
Buying a hair straightener is a significant decision, so you want to get the one that will work best for you. But you don’t need to get too technical about it. Get what works for you.
If you have long, thick or curly hair, a wider straightener will make life a bit easier because it will work faster and more efficiently. But if your hair is thinner and you enjoy experimenting with styles, a thin-plate straightener might suit you.