Straightening iron: keep or toss?

[teal]

I have a blow dryer and a straightening iron. The dryer I'm keeping to help set curls with the Caruso and it has a cool setting.

With the straightener, I'm on the fence. I haven't used it since last Christmas and I haven't really felt any urge to use it, either. On the other hand, it's nice for the occasional length measurement (not that I've done that in a while :rolleyes:) or possibly for a date night. I kept it when I culled the contents of my bathroom cabinet a few weeks ago, but there's a little voice at the back of my head wondering aloud whether I should be finding a new home for it.

Tell me what you think! Poll coming...

[akilina]

Don't toss!! Just put it away in the deepest cavern of the cupboard :) Save it for a rainy day. You never know...
My boyfriend BROKE my really really nice professional flat iron...it actually really sucks because I was going to use it once I am working in the salon again :(

[rtree721]

I threw out my straigthening iron. Best decision ever. If I had it around I would use it.

[kaydana]

Keep it, you never know what uses you might find for it! I use mine to melt coconut oil when I transfer it to a little pot, iron scrunched clothes when I'm travelling and if you have one of those toasty bags for a toaster, you probably COULD use it to make a melted cheese sandwich! :D

[akilina]

Keep it, you never know what uses you might find for it! I use mine to melt coconut oil when I transfer it to a little pot, iron scrunched clothes when I'm travelling and if you have one of those toasty bags for a toaster, you probably COULD use it to make a melted cheese sandwich! :D
LOL.
But I will say, perfect use! I use my hair straightener to straighten bandanas more than I do my hair. Also..collars, or random crinkles.

[jen5972]

I voted to keep it just because I don't like to give away something I might use :). I have a tendency to get rid of stuff, only to need it later. I have a flat iron that I have only used a few times on my bangs. I have never used it on the length before, because I figured it would take forever, and I don't have time! My flat iron is tucked away in a cabinet :).

[pink.sara]

I say keep.

Because I'm am obsessive hoarder with a million of everything. Only being slightly sarcastic there as I do actually have 5 sets of straighteners I haven't used since last year....

Ahh crap, I forgot the tiny leopard print travel ones! That's it, at least 2 of them are going on the wall outside the house witha note to take them tomorrow.

[Oksana]

I haven't straightened my hair since joining this site but I only recently gave mine away. I feel proud of myself for not straightening even while having one there ready to use.

[Suze2012]

Keep it.
It won't go off like cheese would.

One day you might want to use it for something...like making a toasted cheese sandwich...
:)..

[joflakes]

I voted donate but I'm a hypocrite as I have mine and they're broken! :laugh:

[pepperminttea]

Donate it if you don't want to be tempted to use it. :) Or if it's a particularly nice one in good condition, sell it and buy yourself a hairtoy - win win! :D

[ellen732]

I haven't used mine in over three years, but I won't get rid of it. You never know, there might be that one occasion you might use it and once in a blue moon is not all that bad.

[Mopolop]

I've still got my straighteners in case I get the urge to whack off all my hair and fry it. :) I probably won't, but it's nice to know I can.

[melusine963]

I hung onto mine for a while and then passed it on. I think if I hadn't had someone to give it to who I knew would appreciate it I might have hung onto it, just for the odd occasion.

[longNred]

this just reminded me to throw mine out. it's so old, and heavy, and probably a fire hazard at this point anyway.

[Ginbill]

I have kept mine. Just because I might need to use it for special occasions and such. But if you are committed to not using heat on your hair PERIOD. I would definitely donate it or give it to someone you know.

[Hollyfire3]

I say keep it only because I know I invested a good 150 dollars in a flat irona nd even though I don't use it, some friends of mine do at times and it is nice to have for that and for my chin length bangs for rare times I want them straight. Just don't throw it out because it is worht something even if its not worth it to you. I mean, just IMO, but its your choice. Personally, I HATE what I did to my hair by flat ironing, but I would never toss it because of the value of it.

[teal]

Wow, I didn't think the polls would be so close! This is really interesting! Let me answer some of your comments. Sorry I didn't get everyone, I tried to get a good cross section.


Keep it, you never know what uses you might find for it! I use mine to melt coconut oil when I transfer it to a little pot, iron scrunched clothes when I'm travelling and if you have one of those toasty bags for a toaster, you probably COULD use it to make a melted cheese sandwich! :D

Ooh, a travel iron! Hadn't thought of that fringe benefit! :hmm: I think I will stick to frying or grilling my sandwiches, though. I'm a terrible cook as it is, don't need any help getting worse! :eyebrows:


I say keep.

Because I'm am obsessive hoarder with a million of everything. Only being slightly sarcastic there as I do actually have 5 sets of straighteners I haven't used since last year....

Ahh crap, I forgot the tiny leopard print travel ones! That's it, at least 2 of them are going on the wall outside the house witha note to take them tomorrow.

This almost had me spraying coffee through my nose! Good show, lol! :D


I haven't straightened my hair since joining this site but I only recently gave mine away. I feel proud of myself for not straightening even while having one there ready to use.

If I wait the same length of time, I'd potentially be getting rid of the straightener next Christmas or thereabouts. :hmm: That's a nice tidy timeframe.


Donate it if you don't want to be tempted to use it. :) Or if it's a particularly nice one in good condition, sell it and buy yourself a hairtoy - win win! :D

Oh ho, you may be onto something! Mind you I don't think this one's worth much... I've had it for at least 6 or 7 years and I bought it used from a friend who was replacing hers with something better at the time. Still... :hmm:


I haven't used mine in over three years, but I won't get rid of it. You never know, there might be that one occasion you might use it and once in a blue moon is not all that bad.

Yes. This has been my modus operandi up until today, when that little voice made me reconsider.


I have kept mine. Just because I might need to use it for special occasions and such. But if you are committed to not using heat on your hair PERIOD. I would definitely donate it or give it to someone you know.

I have no non-heat commitments... I just stopped using it after I came here, because straightening irons are damaging. :shrug: So, I could go either way.


I would love to hear more opinions. Don't refrain from posting, I still haven't decided! :flower:

[elbow chic]

I wonder if a donation center might wind up tossing it anyway, if it's pretty old? At my local place I know they get soooo much crap at such a modest storefront. I think there is no way they can possibly be reselling most of it.

I say wait til a whole year has gone by without using it, then you can be pretty sure you're not going to want it anymore. I don't have a flat iron but am kinda tempted to buy one sometimes... I love my natural texture but you know, straight hair can be so nice sometimes, too. :D

[spookyghost]

I think I want to take my vote back!:p The two worse things I have ever done to my hair was bleach highlights and the straightening iron. If I could go back in time I would never-ever use the flat iron. So my immediate reaction was to just throw that thing away and dont curse anyone else with it! LOL!

But there may be a time when you want to use it. Once or twice a year wont hurt and the good ones are so expensive. I would keep it for this reason. Right now I dont ever want to use it again and I dont plan on it. But never say never-you know?

[HintOfMint]

Definitely keep it. If you can see yourself using it again even for just a special occasion, keep it. Even if, in a fit of hyperhaircare you don't see yourself EVER using it again, ten to one odds, you'll use it again and you'll be grumbling why you didn't keep it. Then you'll go out and buy a new one just for that one use. Just me? okay.

[BunnyKitten]

I kept mine, although I have no idea where it is. I'm not going to use it on a regular basis and I don't even plan to use it for special occasions. I already bought it, though, and it doesn't take up a lot of space, and it's presence doesn't tempt me to use it. If I need it, I have it. I don't really see any reason to get rid of it.

[AnnaJamila]

Haha, fabulous cheese option! Lol! Don't use flat irons so nothing constructive, sorry!

[patienceneeded]

Mine is actually really expensive, so even though I don't use it I'm not getting rid of it! I use to straighten everyday, when my hair was shorter, to get it to lay the right way. I don't "need" it anymore, now that my hair is longer but I'm loath to part with the darned thing. =] I may decide to straighten it again someday and then where would I be? Without my nice straightener, that's certain. Keep it I will!

[teal]

I wonder if a donation center might wind up tossing it anyway, if it's pretty old? At my local place I know they get soooo much crap at such a modest storefront. I think there is no way they can possibly be reselling most of it.

I say wait til a whole year has gone by without using it, then you can be pretty sure you're not going to want it anymore. I don't have a flat iron but am kinda tempted to buy one sometimes... I love my natural texture but you know, straight hair can be so nice sometimes, too. :D
Hmm, I hadn't considered that, but you may be right! Mind you I think a lot of the charities collecting household items may be selling them off in bulk to raise money. I don't actually know how they decide what to keep and what to toss, or what they really do with it.

Definitely keep it. If you can see yourself using it again even for just a special occasion, keep it. Even if, in a fit of hyperhaircare you don't see yourself EVER using it again, ten to one odds, you'll use it again and you'll be grumbling why you didn't keep it. Then you'll go out and buy a new one just for that one use. Just me? okay.
LOL. I haven't been burned in quite that way with hair stuff, but you're right, I might want it down the road for some specific purpose. I hope you're enjoying (or enjoyed, at least) your new straightener! :flower:

Haha, fabulous cheese option! Lol! Don't use flat irons so nothing constructive, sorry!
:D


So, judging by the polls I should keep it. That sits well with me. I'll do as someone suggested earlier and put it at the back of a cabinet or in a box somewhere, where it's not taking up prime real estate. If I still haven't used it by next Christmas then I'll revisit, since I'm really trying to declutter and reduce the amount of stuff in general around the house. I find I'm a better, nicer person when I'm not worrying about organizing/using/cleaning stuff.

Thanks to everyone for responding and voting! :)

[Sadie]

I donated mine to my sister and did not regret it 8)

[spidermom]

If storage isn't a problem, I'd keep it. You never know when you might want to change up your style more than you want to keep absolutely perfect condition. My DD recently gifted me with a flat iron because I have bangs and fringe now. Sometimes straight bangs is exactly what I want.

[MrsGuther]

Don't toss!! Just put it away in the deepest cavern of the cupboard :) Save it for a rainy day. You never know...
My boyfriend BROKE my really really nice professional flat iron...it actually really sucks because I was going to use it once I am working in the salon again :(

I'm keeping mine, but I don't use it. :)

[Tia2010]

I bought a professional ceramic flatiron not long before finding LHC. I haven't used it in a long, long while....but I still have it. Who knows, I may want to use it again one day (odd's are I wont) and I would hate to have to buy another one...those things are expensive! So I vote keep it.

[faellen]

I've kept mine. It was a gift, and a very expensive one at that (GHD), there's no way I'd even consider trashing it! Though I don't flat iron constantly, it does come in useful for the occasional bad hair day, or if I want to quickly get rid of braid waves.

Don't see why people voted to trash it. What a waste, when someone else could make use of it, if you really felt you no longer needed it around. Sorry, I'm one of those people that finds it hard to trash things that are in perfect working order, lol.

[battles]

If you haven't used it in that long, I would donate it.

Although, a cheese sandwich sounds like a fun idea..

[Kristen121]

Mine is sitting the the drawer in the bathroom even though I haven't used it for probably about a year now. Before I decided I was committed to growing my hair and found LHC, I was keeping in case I decided to cut my hair short again and needed it for styling it. Now it's been so long I kind of forgot about it until I saw this thread. If I have a garage sale, I would probably try to sell it for a few dollars (it's an inexpensive Revlon one, nothing that would be too costly to replace if I decided I needed one again).

[CurlyCap]

I'm torn about this.

In a perfect world, I'd say get rid of it. The thing only fries your hair and in the end does damage. And since you're getting rid of it, at least donate it. Someone else probably wants one and so you shouldn't put yours in the trash.

That being said, my hair is INCREDIBLY resistant to straightening and it took forever to find an iron that would do it. I can straighten my hair with two passes of my current iron set at 425F (yes, 425). So....if I ever do want to straighten my hair, I'd want the tool I know works and I know how to work with.

Sigh.

[teal]

If storage isn't a problem, I'd keep it. You never know when you might want to change up your style more than you want to keep absolutely perfect condition. My DD recently gifted me with a flat iron because I have bangs and fringe now. Sometimes straight bangs is exactly what I want.

This is very sage. Thank you! :)


Don't see why people voted to trash it. What a waste, when someone else could make use of it, if you really felt you no longer needed it around. Sorry, I'm one of those people that finds it hard to trash things that are in perfect working order, lol.

Me too, and I totally understand the sentiment! :D Elbow chic pointed out earlier that my iron is old and it's possible that a charity wouldn't keep it if it were donated. There's also the idea that if heat styling is so damaging, why not save one more person from frying their hair? Sort of analogous to how someone might throw out a water bottle containing BPA even though said bottle might work perfectly for its intended purpose.


I'm torn about this.

In a perfect world, I'd say get rid of it. The thing only fries your hair and in the end does damage. And since you're getting rid of it, at least donate it. Someone else probably wants one and so you shouldn't put yours in the trash.

That being said, my hair is INCREDIBLY resistant to straightening and it took forever to find an iron that would do it. I can straighten my hair with two passes of my current iron set t 425F (yes, 425). So....if I ever do want to straighten my hair, I'd want the tool I know works and I know how to work with.

Sigh.

Yikes! :agape:

I can understand this sentiment, too. I guess it's a matter of not desiring to straighten in the first place, eh? Aye, there's the rub! :p

I think I've decided to hang onto it for the time being, though. There is space for it and I haven't yet reached the minimalist equivalent of Defcon 5. (Or is it Defcon 1?)

[CurlyCap]

Yikes! :agape:

I can understand this sentiment, too. I guess it's a matter of not desiring to straighten in the first place, eh? Aye, there's the rub! :p

I think I've decided to hang onto it for the time being, though. There is space for it and I haven't yet reached the minimalist equivalent of Defcon 5. (Or is it Defcon 1?)

Yeah. For me, it totally makes sense why my hair HATES straightening. I'm actually surprised I can do it at all without it just turning to dust.

My dad tells me stories of his mom doing his sisters hair using an old fashioned stove. Not the current ones with a plug....but the old kind kept in the kitchen on either the stovetop or with coals/fire inside. So, yes, I think I get the heat resistance from his side of the family. :D

Ah, to not want straighter hair at all! lol. We can dream!

I'm doing the same thing. Mine is tucked into a cubby where I don't see it..but I know it's there. :cool:

[Chromis]

I would donate/trash it. Why keep things you don't need? People use up so much space storing "stuff".

[BrightEyes]

I say keep it.

I paid a lot of money for a high-end straightener. I use it daily to style my bangs, and I sometimes use it on the rest of my hair too.

I actually have 3 flat irons. One I use on myself and the others I keep to use on clients' hair (I'm a stylist, although I work at home right now).

[Maybe]

I actually gave mine away only a few weeks into being heat-free. I still have a little one for my bangs because I do need to straighten those and I am not that worried about damage on my bangs since it is cut so frequently.

I had a very nice ceramic one that works great. But I figured, if I was really.committing to heat-free I should get.rid.of.it.

Today is day 30 of no heat!

[Amber_Maiden]

Toss it. That's what I did with mine.

[Maelyssa]

After having to chop my hip length hair to above shoulder because I had severe damage from using it a few times a week I threw mine straight in the garbage and havent looked back sense.

[ravenreed]

If it is a nice, expensive one, I say keep it. You never know if you might have a big event where you want to use it, or if you might decide to go shorter at some point and find you are okay with using it.