Benefits and Limitations of Battery Operated Flat Irons

Last Updated on December 29, 2022 by Gaga

What do you do if you need to straighten your hair but you are out of the house? Or if you just need to make a small touch-up to fix it on a humid day. A small, rechargeable straightener could be the answer. With this magic tool, small enough to fit in your bag, you can style your hair anywhere. In this post, we’re going to explore whether a battery-powered flat iron can do the job.

Battery-powered flat irons are preferably designed for quick hair fixes when you’re on the go, or for occasional full styling when you don’t have access to a power source.

This appliance is not meant to take the place of your regular flat iron although can be incredibly helpful in situations when using a traditional hair straightener is not possible.

Women with short, fine, or already straight hair can use battery-operated flat Irons for full straightening jobs, while those with long, thick coarse hair may find them useful to freshen up their hairstyle and tame flyaway hair.

Whireless hair straightener

How Do Battery Powered Straighteners Work?

A battery-operated flat iron comes with a removable lithium battery that needs to be charged to enable the appliance to work. Some models include a wall charger, but most new cordless straighteners can be charged with a USB cable plugged into a wall adapter, laptop, or iPhone.

The charging process takes about 2-3 hours, which gives you 30-60 minutes of usage. The actual usage time depends on the battery capacity and the temperature settings you’re using.

The battery should have about 500 discharge/charge cycles before you need to replace it.

Benefits of Battery Powered Flat Irons

1. Can be used everywhere: A battery-powered hair straightener enables you to style your hair without a power outlet. The rechargeable battery makes it portable and suitable for traveling, camping, music festivals, etc. It’s also great for touch-ups in the car, in a restroom, at the office, or any other place.

2. Compact and very portable: A battery-powered hair straightener is small enough to fit in your purse or your gym bag. Its compact size will take up less space in your suitcase than regular heat-styling appliances.

3. Comfortable to use: Battery-operated flat irons are more convenient than regular hair straighteners. The absence of a cord allows you to focus on the desired results instead of constantly dealing with a tangled cord.

4. Great for touch-ups: This tool is perfect for occasions when you need a quick touch up such as when traveling, after the gym, or at a party. It is the perfect tool to make you photo-ready on special occasions.

5. Convenient charging: Newer models come with a USB cable, so you can charge your flat iron with any device that has a USB outlet. Conventional flat irons need to be compatible with different international voltages, but micro-USB is a worldwide charging solution, making battery-operated flat irons easy to recharge, regardless of the destination. In addition, USB out ports can make your battery-powered straightener an emergency power bank. You can use it to charge your phone or tablet when you are traveling.

Limitations of Battery-Operated Flat Irons

1. Don’t get hot enough: A battery-powered hair straightener does not get as hot as regular flat irons, so this may not work for you if your hair requires a temperature of over 400 F. If you try, it will take time and effort to get your hair straight. Also, using it at a high temperature continuously will drain the battery rapidly. This is a good reason not to use it for full straightening if you have coarse unmanageable hair.

2. Small plates: Rechargeable flat irons also have fairly small and narrow plates, which is another reason why they are not effective for straightening thick, coarse, or long hair. To get your curly hair straight, you must go over the same section several times. To recap, this type of wireless flat iron will work best on fine, short, or straight hair.

3. Can only be used when unplugged: You cannot use a rechargeable straightener during the charging process; you must wait until the charging cable is unplugged.

If you decide to use a portable flat iron for straightening, make sure your hair is completely dry before flat ironing it. Let your hair air dry after washing or thoroughly blow dry it if possible. To obtain the best results, press the plates tightly, and slowly run the hair straightener down the length of your section of hair.

Other Types of Cordless Flat Irons

1. Butane-Powered Flat Irons

Unlike battery-powered flat irons, this flat iron runs on replaceable butane cartridges that can last 3-6 months, depending on how often you use the tool. Butane refills are available for purchase online or you can find them in the camping section of your local store.

Butane-powered straighteners are very convenient for trips and camping. They are more suitable for touch-ups than for full straightening since they don’t get as hot as electric straighteners. The heat they produce is not consistent enough to straighten curly hair. When used for full styling, butane-powered flat irons can smooth the strands, but will not make your hair pin-straight like regular flat irons would.

Some restrictions may apply if you bring this type of hair straightener on the plane.

cordless hair straightener

2. Hair Straighteners with a Rechargeable Base

Some cordless flat irons are heated by inserting them into a stand that is plugged into the wall. You remove the straightener from the stand and use it for about five minutes until it starts to cool down. It takes 1-2 minutes to get it ready for the next pass over the sections of your hair.

The main advantage of cordless irons is cord-free straightening. You can take them with you if you stay at a hotel, but generally, this type of hair straightener is not as highly portable as battery-powered hair straighteners.

Girl in a camper with hair styled by battery-operated flat iron

About the author

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Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.

 

1 thought on “Benefits and Limitations of Battery Operated Flat Irons”

  1. I would like to buy a battery-powered flat iron. My daughter is getting married in March, and if it happens to rain on the day, then it will cause havoc with my bob hairstyle. So I thought that if necessary I could use them for a quick straighten up before the photos!! I would just like to know which are the best to buy? Thanks

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