My Favorite Three Hairstyling Hot Tools I Can’t Live Without

Good styling tools and hair products are essential for achieving a desired look that lasts. I wear my hair in an array of styles and I’m very (very) particular about my hot tools. Here I review my favorite three hairstyling hot tools I can’t live without.

Start With a Good Heat Protectant

Always start with a good heat protectant before using hot tools. The thermal heat of blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons, curling wands, and hot rollers damage hair. The effects can be worse on color-treated and highlighted hair that is already weakened from chemicals. The high heat can cause color to fade and turn blonde highlights brassy (that yucky orange).

Applying a heat protectant with nourishing ingredients will protect the hair cortex, minimize moisture loss and help cut down on style time. In addition, the right product will help your hot tools produce better results. Less Style Time = Less Heat on Your Hair = Less Damage!

Hairstyling Hot Tool Tips

• Use hot tools at the lowest temperature possible that will give you results to minimize damage.
  • Thin, Fine & Straight Hair — Keep hot tools between 300-375 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Thick, Coarse & Curly Hair — Keep hot tools between 375-450 degrees Fahrenheit
• Keep hot tools moving to avoid burning the hair. Move tools slowly and steadily from roots to ends.
• Do not use hot tools on your hair every day. Try to limit heat styling to twice each week.

My Favorite Hairstyling Hot Tools

I firmly believe that anyone can learn to create a variety of hairstyles with some good How-To videos, quality hot tools, and the right styling products. I purchased the following three hairstyling hot tools over the last twelve months. Each one has the best features you want and need. Now I can’t live without them.

Jump down to the hairstyling hot tool you need:

• Bio Ionic Long Barrel Pro Curling Iron
• CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron – PRO
• Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000

Bio Ionic Long Barrel Pro Curling Iron

A curling iron needs to tick a lot of boxes in my book and the Bio Ionic Long Barrel Pro Curling Iron does. Below are the features I look for in a curling iron, which the Bio Ionic has in spades.

Curling Iron Features

• Ceramic barrel and clip — The Bio Ionic curling iron has a ceramic barrel and clip, which is what you want. It provides a smooth surface that heats evenly for a uniform curl.
• Barrel length — The Long Barrel Pro is two inches longer than traditional curling irons. This means I can get more hair wrapped around the barrel and it makes curling the back of my hair easier.
• Heats up quickly — This curling iron is ready to roll in less than a minute.
• Variable temperature control — Always use the lowest temp possible to get results. The Bio Ionic heats from 250 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. I find 390 degrees is effective on my hair, as you can see in the above pix.
• Temperature control buttons that lock — These buttons lock so I don’t have to worry about accidentally changing the temperature while I’m doing my hair. If the iron gets too hot, it can damage my hair, and if the temp is too low, the curls won’t hold.
• Location of the power button — A power button needs to either (1) be in a place where I won’t accidentally turn off the curling iron while I’m doing my hair or (2) it must require a long, firm press to power it on or off. The power button on this curling iron is the latter.
• Clip and button tension — The curling iron clip button is what makes the curling iron clip open and close against the barrel. It needs to have just the right amount of tension to control the clip as you twirl the iron to wrap the hair. This one hits that sweet spot.
• Clip doesn’t snag — Neither the spring nor the hinge of the clip or clip button should ever snag the hair, which leads to breakage. I’ve been using this curling iron for months and it has not snagged my hair.
• Cool tip — Lots of curling irons say they have a cool tip on the end, but not all of them actually stay cool. The Bio Ionic does, and it has a nice shape for easy control as you can see in the pic below.
• Long swivel cord — This curling iron has a 9′ long professional power cord that swivels in the base so you don’t get twisted up.
• Auto shut-off — A nice safety feature to have. The Bio Ionic automatically shuts off after one hour of nonuse.
• Dual voltage — Sadly, the Bio Ionic Long Barrel Curling Iron is not dual voltage. This wasn’t a deal breaker for me since all the other features were on point. Plus, I have other dual-voltage hot tools I can use when traveling abroad, such as the CHI Lava flat iron below.
• Value add — This curling iron has a 1″ barrel so I can also use it as a curling wand (with the clip down).

Where To Buy the Bio Ionic Long Barrel Pro Curling Iron

This is a professional curling iron that should last a long time, so it’s on the expensive side. But it works great and has features that are important to me. I think it’s worth the investment if you want a safe and versatile curling tool.

I purchased my 1″ Bio Ionic Long Barrel Pro Curling Iron for $149 from eCosmetics. They also sell a 1.25″ barrel for the same price and both come with free shipping. It’s also available at Amazon, Sephora and Ulta, where it sells for $149. The only place I could find the Bio Ionic Long Barrel Pro on sale (as of this writing) is Walmart, where the 1″ is $110 and the 1.25″ is $90.

CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron – PRO

I’m just as picky about my flat iron as my curling iron. I want results from a versatile tool that won’t damage my hair. The features to look for in a flat iron are below, and the CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron – PRO has them all. It’s no surprise I can’t live without it.

Flat Iron Features

• Ceramic plates — The super smooth plates of the CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron are ceramic infused with volcanic lava. The combination is a very effective heat-conducting material that maintains an even heat and is effective at lower temperatures.
• Floating plates — Always look for floating plates when buying a flat iron. Floating plates are on springs so they tilt, putting less tension and friction on your hair. They also minimize plate marks on the hair and prevent snags so hair isn’t damaged. The CHI Lava flat iron has ’em.
• Plates don’t snag — As mentioned above, the floating plates of this iron don’t snag. They have a silky smooth surface that glides over the hair without pulling and provides just the right amount of drag to give you control. When plates are too slippery, the hair slides off.
• Plate tension — A flat iron needs to have just the right amount of tension when you squeeze the plates together. It should hold firmly enough that the hair doesn’t slide out, but not so tightly that the hair doesn’t glide through with just the right amount of drag to give you control. The floating plates help and I find the tension of this flat iron hits that sweet spot.
• Plate length — I prefer long plates so I can straighten wider sections of hair, which cuts down on style time. The flat iron plats on the CHI Lava are 4″ long.
• Heats up quickly — This flat iron heats up fast. It’s ready to go in 45 seconds.
• Variable temperature control — Always use the lowest possible temperature to get results. The CHI flat iron heats up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. I use it at 390 degrees (you can see the digital temp in the pic below) and it gets the job done, as you can see in the above pix of my hair straightened.
• Temperature control buttons that lock — The temperature buttons on this flat iron lock. This is an important feature because it’s annoying to accidentally change the temp while doing my hair. If the iron gets too hot, it can damage my hair, and if the temp is too low, it’s not effective.
• Location of the power button — I like that the power button on the CHI is inside the tongs so there’s no risk of accidentally turning it off. You can see a pic of the hidden power button below.
• Cool tip — Very few flat irons have a cool tip. But the end of the CHI Lava flat iron stays cool enough to touch when you need more control. For instance, when creating beach waves (more on that below under value add).
• Long swivel cord — The CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron has an 11′ long professional power cord! And it swivels. An extra-long cord is a huge plus when traveling because you never know where an available outlet will be in relation to a mirror.
• Auto shut-off — This flat iron will automatically shut off after one hour of nonuse. An important safety feature, especially when traveling — who wants to worry about burning down the hotel while sightseeing?
• Dual voltage — I love that this flat iron is dual voltage so I can use it when traveling abroad.
• Value add — The CHI 1″ flat iron can be used to create beach waves. This is done by flipping the flat iron over once the hair is between the plates. The hair passes through the plates and around the hot body of the iron as you move it from mid-shaft to end, and a soft curl forms. Here’s a How-To video if you want to see how it’s done.

Where To Buy the CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron

I purchased my 1″ CHI Lava Ceramic Hairstyling Iron – PRO directly from CHI for $159. The 1.5″ Lava flat iron at CHI is the same price. You can get 10% off your first order by signing up for emails and all orders over $100 qualify for free shipping. Both flat irons cost $10 more at Ulta, selling for $169.

Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000

When my old beloved hair dryer died after 15 years, I knew replacing it would be a challenge. Among all the great features of the Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000, the unique ability to control the ionic function is what tipped the scale in its favor. Now, this is my new favorite hair dryer.

Ionic Technology

A quick note about ionic technology and why the ability to control it in a hair dryer is rare and valuable. Regular hair dryers simply blow hot air. But ionic hair dryers have an electromagnetic field that generates millions of negatively charged irons that break up the positively charged ions of water. In doing so, the water molecules on the hair shaft are crushed and scattered so they can’t soak into the hair to cause frizz.

The ionic technology speeds dry time. Plus, negative ions also seal the hair cuticle, trapping existing moisture in the hair shaft to diminish static electricity, frizz and flyaways. The result is a smooth, sleek finish. But there are pros and cons to this…

• PRO: An ionic blow dryer is great for those with thick, frizzy or unruly hair.
• CON: Not as great if you have oily, thin or fine hair or for those looking for volume. That’s because hair that is too smooth or too sleek can end up looking flat and limp and may not hold a curl.
• BEST: If you have hair like mine (neither too thick nor too thin) and like to style it a variety of ways (sometimes straight and sleek, other times I want volume for curls or beach waves), the ability to turn the ionic feature on and off is game-changer. For instance, I put the ionic feature on if it’s humid out and I want to blow dry my hair straight. I turn it off if I’m going to do a quick blow-dry so I can curl it afterward.

There are very few hair dryers with an ionic on/off switch. So, be aware of the ionic functionality when buying a hair dryer. Decide if this feature is right for you based on your type of hair and how you like to style it.

Hair Dryer Features

• Wattage — The higher the wattage the more powerful the hair dryer and the quicker the dry time. So I want a hair dryer with 1800W or more. The Harry Josh Pro Dryer is 1875W.
• Size — This hair dryer is smaller than most but feels substantial. I like the compact size because it fits better in my crowded hot tools drawer and it takes up less space in my carry-on bag when I travel (never put good hot tools through baggage, they’ll break or get stolen).
• Weight — This is another one of these sweet spot things. No one wants a heavy blow dryer because your arm will fatigue before your hair is dry. Personally, I don’t like a dryer that’s too lightweight because a little weight helps you control it. The Harry Josh Pro Dryer 2000 weighs in at 1.16 pounds and hits that sweet spot for me.
• Comfort — A hair dryer has to be comfortable to hold and operate. This dryer has a matte finish so it’s not slippery, a comfortable ergonomic handle and the control buttons don’t get in the way while styling.
• Location of the buttons — If you read the above curling iron and flat iron reviews, you know I have a thing for where the buttons are located. This hair dryer has three toggle buttons on the handle (see pic above) but I almost never trip them.
• Variable temperature control — The three toggle buttons on the handle provide eight combinations of heat, speed and ionic control settings for maximum styling versatility.
• Cold shot — A cold shot button blows cool air to lock in your style and seal the hair cuticle for extra shine. Harry Josh calls his a “True Cold Shot Button” because the hot air isn’t just turned off, the air is actually cooled when you push the cold shot button.
• Attachments — This hair dryer comes with two concentrators, one traditional (for normal to thick hair) and one extra wide (for fine or thin hair). In case you’re not familiar with a concentrator, it’s the thin nozzle that goes on the end of the hair dryer (see pix below). The concentrator attachment funnels, or concentrates, the hot air into a thin flat stream to give you control and minimize flyaways and frizz. Most (not all) hair dryers come with one, but this dryer comes with two.
  • Tip: Always use a concentrator pointed downward, from root to tip, to close the hair cuticle.
• Long power cord — There is a 9′ long professional power cord on the Harry Josh Pro Dryer. It doesn’t swivel because there’s no need for it.
• Dual voltage — Unfortunately, dual voltage is the only feature this hair dryer is missing.
• Value add — The Harry Josh hair dryer features an AC (alternating current) motor, vs. DC (direct current) that puts out an 80 mph airflow. AC motors are what professional stylists prefer to use because they’re stronger and hotter.
• Another value add — This hair dryer features a dual filtration system, which reduces energy consumption. I like that.

Where To Buy the Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000

I bought my Harry Josh Pro Dryer 2000 at the Dermstore for $249. It’s expensive but, as you know, there are other hair dyers selling for twice as much (hint, it starts with a D) that I didn’t like at all. This dryer has great features and it’s a workhorse, so I hope it lasts 15 years like my previous dryer.

Use code WELCOME15 for 15% off if it’s your first time shopping at the Dermstore, whether you purchase this hair dryer or anything else. Everyone gets free shipping on orders over $50.

Accessories for Styling With Hot Tools

When using hot tools, I always divide my hair into sections with clips and start styling with the bottom layer. To blow dry my hair, I’ve been using round brushes by Creative Professionals (CP) for years. I love that the brushes are ceramic so they retain heat from the blow dryer to speed dry time, aid styling, seal the hair cuticle, and reduce frizz.

As you can see in the images throughout this post, I always put my hot tools on a heat-resistant, nonslip silicone mat. Hot tools that slide off the counter onto the floor tend to break. The silicone mat I have is currently unavailable but my daughter has the gray one, below, and really likes it. I like that she can also put her hot tools inside the pocket for storage and travel. I’ve provided another mat option in case you’re looking for something wider and/or need a heat-resistant glove.

I hope you found this post helpful. Please let me know if you get any of the above hot tools or accessories and how you like them.

All prices are accurate and items in stock (unless noted otherwise) at time of publication.