With so many choices available today picking the right hair straightener can be easy if you follow some simple advice...

Unless you have been living under a rock or in some remote cave odds are you have heard about one of the most popular hair styling trends sweeping the world today. Of course, I'm talking about straight hair and the easiest way to get this new look is with a hair straightener.

In the good old days (remember them?) people would use clothes irons to straighten their hair and I don't need to tell you that seeing someone with their head on top of an ironing board ironing their hair looked pretty ridiculous.

A few years ago some genius invented the modern day hair straightener that makes taming that curly frizzy hair a snap and now there are hundreds of different models to choose from each with their own pros and cons.

Looking like a curling iron a hair straightener is tong shaped with each tong having a heating element in it. Hair is placed between the heated tongs and pulled through in a motion similar to combing or brushing your hair and the result is wonderfully straight hair that will stay straight throughout the day.

When it comes to which hair straightener is the best if you asked 100 people you would probably get 100 different answers. Some straighteners can be used on wet or dry hair; some have metal plate heating elements while others have plates made of ceramic and some even have particles of tourmaline embedded in the ceramic plate to generate ions that help condition the hair.

Less expensive straighteners usually have the metal plates mentioned above and they have a tendency to pull hair and do not distribute heat as evenly as the more popular ceramic plate designs which allow for a much smoother styling experience and more even heat distribution and control. This results in safer, quicker straightening which often takes less than 10 minutes from initial heating to putting the finishing touches to your newly straightened hair.

As far as pricing is concerned you can pay up to several hundred dollars for top end models that have all the bells and whistles but for most people these high end models are not really necessary as many mid-price models in the $39 - $99 range will do a great job on your hair.

If you are concerned about safety rest assured that unlike blow dryers and curling irons when used properly a hair straightener is safe and will not damage your hair but it is best not to use one every day to let your hair rest and recover from the heat treatment.

Picking out a hair iron can be a bit overwhelming so first pick a price level you are comfortable with and then look at the various features available in all of the models in that range. For instance, a feature like instant heating may not be as important to you as having the ability to control the heat settings on the iron. If you can afford it you will definitely be more pleased with a ceramic plate flat iron as these seem to give the best overall results in the shortest period of time while making your hair perfectly straight, smooth and beautiful.