QuoteReplyTopic: Flat Iron Smells like Burning Posted: January 22 2006 at 8:52am
Hi everyone,
I have a really old flat iron that I've had for over 5 years, it was only about $25. However, it still works great.
The one thing that I don't like is that it always makes my hair smell
so burnt. The smell usually stays on me for a few hours. Plus, the
whole room I use it in will smell. I was thinking I needed to simply
get a new, updated iron. However, I was reading about the fact that
most people use some sort of straightening balm before using their
irons. Would doing this help with the smell problem? I never put
anything in my hair first, which is probably bad.
Please give me some tips! Bottom line is, should I get a new iron, or
should I just start using a product on it before straightening?
Thanks. And feel free to suggest good irons for long, wavy, poofy hair.
trophywife
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Have you tried cleaning the plates? There is probably a build up of old styling products and other general dirt on them - this is probably smouldering and causing the unpleasant smell when you use them.
Take a sponge, (like you would use to wash dishes), moisten it, make sure your straighteners are stone cold and not plugged in, then rub the moist sponge firmly over each of the plates. You can rinse out the sponge and repeat this a few times. Then pat off the water with a towel and leave them to dry off naturally in the air.
You should notice an improvement the next time that you use them.
Definitely try this before forking out for new straighteners! Good luck.
p.s. you must definitely use a heat-protective product on your hair before straightening - it won't eliminate the damage, but it will reduce it. If you don't use one, then it probably is your hair that is burning. EEK!
Edited by trophywife
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
There is a L'Oréal one (advertised by Beyoncé - I think the packaging is pink), which I think is available in most countries. There are also some GHD heat protective products; I'm sure some people on here will have used them and be able to give you feedback.
The products usually take the form of a spray with which you can mist the dry hair right before straightening. If you have a look around the hair products shelves, you should be able to find at least a couple of different products like this; I think most of the big haircare brands make their own version now.
Using an intensive conditioner (like a mask or a leave-in) once a week on your hair will also help to prevent it from drying out too much after straightening. Ditto using a moisturising shampoo and conditioner the rest of the time.
Good luck - hope this helps.
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
I actually bought the pink Loreal one that you mentioned. I used it
this morning and I liked it a lot. Right now my hair smells clean
rather than burnt.. and cleaning the iron definitely helped.. I cannot
believe I had never done that before!
trophywife
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I have the loreal stuff in the pink bottle, and I was wondering if you could use too much. It feels sticky when I'm blowdrying it and even a little bit after I'm done. My hair still smells like it's burning when I flat iron it though, so maybe I'm not using enough.
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If your hair feels sticky, you might be using too much of the product or you might have a build-up of products in your hair that you haven't washed out properly: next time you wash, try shampooing twice and really rinsing thoroughly before applying conditioner and then any styling products. Then use the L'Oréal sparingly and see whether this has a better effect.
Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
is it normal when the flat iron is new smell burnt? im just scared to used it.. i have a shiny hair im just scared that my hair smell like burnt too..:(
Put some straightening product on it, gel or mousse. Then blow dry it. Keep a strand of hair tight, then blow dry down the growth of the hair. Also wash it with good shampoo and conditioner, you get great hair serum (something like livon) rub that into you hair. Let it dry naturally thereafter, or use a hair dryer to blow dry it.
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