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Women who love styling their hair invest in hair straighteners. They use straighteners to get smooth and sleek hair. Some even use it to curl their hair in the absence of a curling iron. However, before investing in a hair straightener, you should know some things about them. One such thing is the flat iron’s wattage (watts).
Unfortunately, many women just buy hair straighteners without knowing how many watts they use. This might cause electrical hazards. Thus, you need to be enlightened about how many watts a hair straightener uses. In this article, we will answer the question “how many watts does a hair straightener use?”
What is Watts?
Watts (Wattage or W) is the unit measurement of power. It is the quantity of energy required for an object to operate and the rate of energy consumption. Electricity moving at a speed of one unit of energy per second is proportional to one watt.
In simple terms, the watt is the amount of energy an electrical appliance will consume. So the watt of a hair straightener is the amount of energy the flat iron consumes while in use.
Related: How To Curl Your Hair With A Flat Iron
How many watts does a hair straightener use?
Now that you know what a watt is, how many watts does a hair straightener consume? There is no straight answer to this question. This is because the wattage used by hair straighteners varies.
The variation is because of some factors (which we will discuss later on). But, on average, a hair straightener uses between 50 and 331 watts. For a start, it can draw a lot of energy, yet it goes down as you use it.
How do you know the watts of a hair straightener?
Knowing the watts of a hair straightener is essential. It will help you determine the amount of energy needed to power your flat iron. Not knowing the wattage could be disastrous. For instance, if the watts of your hair straightener is high, there could be circuit overload. This could blow up a fuse or even trip the circuit.
To know the watts of a hair straightener, you should check the label on the straightener. The wattage will be indicated there. But, some models of hair straighteners show the watts of a straightener by using volts and amps. If that is the case, you only need to multiply the voltage by the amp to get the wattage of your flat iron.
Related: How To Straighten Hair With A Flat Iron
Factors that determine how many watts a hair straightener uses.
As we mentioned earlier, a hair straightener’s wattage varies due to certain factors. Here are some of the factors that determine how many watts a hair straightener uses:
The brand of the hair straightener
One factor that determines how many watts a hair straightener uses is the brand of the flat iron. There are many brands of hair straighteners that are suitable for different hair types and budgets. For this reason, they all have different features.
And these features also determine how much energy they use. For instance, some hair straighteners have different watt ratings. This means they have a starting watts rating and a running capacity watts rating.
The straightener might have a starting rating of 200W and a running capacity of 75W. Although this might not be indicated on the label, for such straighteners. But, their temperature might drop after 10 or 15 minutes of use.
Besides, some brands have dual voltage. These brands are especially great for traveling purposes. This is because the energy consumption rate of each country is different.
Because of the dual voltage feature, it has different watt ratings for energy consumption. This makes it suitable for international use. Some other features, such as auto shut-off, differentiate between the watt usage of each brand of hair straightener.
Temperature settings
Another factor that determines how many watts a hair straightener uses is the temperature setting. This is quite like the brand of the flat iron because each brand has its temperature settings. Some have just one setting, while others have up to six temperature settings.
Thus, the one with just one temperature setting will have a lower watt than the one with more than one setting. Besides, the range of temperature settings of each hair straightener differs.
For instance, some might have a range of 250°F to about 400°F, while some are between 300 °F and 450 °F. Those with a lower temperature setting rate will have lower wattage. While those with higher settings have higher watts.
This is because to generate more heat, you need high watts and vice versa. Because high heat needs more watts, you must operate your flat iron at a low or medium-temperature setting. This is because high watts could overload your circuit, which is quite hazardous.
Related: How to Choose the Best Flat Iron for Your Hair Type
The length of time of use
The length of time you use a hair straightener also determines how many watts it uses. As we earlier stated, some flat irons have a starting rating and running capacity. Once you put on the straightener, it starts at a high wattage, which later drops as you use it.
Thus, the running capacity is usually lower than the starting rating. However, some hair straightener brands have an auto shut-off feature. This feature shuts the flat iron off when it’s not used for about 30 to 60 seconds.
Thus, the watts will reduce when the hair straightener automatically shuts off. This way, you do not need to be scared of how much energy your flat iron consumes.
Final Thoughts
You should know by now that there is no single answer to how many watts a hair straightener uses. And this is because of many factors, such as the brand of the hair straightener, the temperature setting, and the length of use.
But, on average, the watts of a hair straightener uses range between 50 and 331 watts. That being said, it is essential to know how many watts your hair straightener uses to avoid electrical hazards. You can check the wattage of your hair straightener on its label.