Entertainment Fashion & Style What Is Ceramic and Tourmaline Technology? Print Photo by Roy Hus/Getty Images Fashion & Style Hair Accessories Tops & Sweaters Dresses Skirts Jeans Pants Do It Yourself Shoes Skincare Advice Makeup Fragrance Tattoos and Body Piercings Kids and Teens Bumps & Babies Learn More By Giulia Heiman Giulia Heiman Writer Giulia is a contributing writer and a freelance hair stylist. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 03/14/18 The terms ceramic and tourmaline get thrown around often when speaking about the tools that we use in the beauty industry every day. But do you know what ceramic tourmaline technology really is? Did you make something up the last time your client asked you about the importance of ceramic and tourmaline in their beauty tools? All of the jargon and options on the market can be confusing for you and your clients. And when it comes time to purchase your professional tools, it's important to make the right investment for your business. Below you'll find a simple explanation of what all the fuss is about in regards to this hair smoothing breakthrough. Ceramic plates are always preferred when it comes time to purchase a flat iron. Unlike aluminum or even gold plated plates, ceramic glides through the hair without pulling and tugging at it, reducing breakage and damage to the hair. Ceramic also heats up quickly and evenly, requiring fewer passes of the iron through the hair. Look for irons that have ceramic plates and not just a ceramic coating. Tourmaline is a crystal boron silicate mineral that aids in the hair smoothing process. Tourmaline emits negative ions that counteract the positive ions present in dry or damaged hair. This results in smooth, shiny hair. The tourmaline even helps to seal moisture into your hair and counteracts frizz. Tourmaline is added to the ceramic plates by first being crushed into a fine powder that is then baked into the plates and other elements of the iron. You can also find tourmaline technology added to brushes, combs, curling irons and more. Before You Buy How many times have you gone to the beauty supply and thought about skimping on a cheaper brand that promised to perform as well as the high-end tools? Do yourself a favor and don't fall for the clever advertising. Often times companies will advertise ceramic tourmaline technology when, in fact, the plates are only coated with ceramic and tourmaline over copper and aluminum elements. Beware of coated plates - these types of plates get peeled and chipped after regular use, resulting in breakage and damage to the hair. The last thing your client wants to feel is their hair being pulled and pinched by your flat iron. Below is a list of the top 10 flat irons on folica.com Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron (1 1/2") - $129.99Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron (1-1/4") - $79.99Sedu Revolution Tourmaline Ionic Styling Iron 1 - $159.99HAI Convertable Ceramic Flat Iron - $79.99BaByliss PRO Nano Titanium 1 1/4" Straightening Iron - $129.99Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron (1-3/4") - $89.99GHD Classic Styler Ceramic Hair Straightener - $185.00Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron (1") - $119.99Solia Pink Limited Edition Flat Iron (1") - $89.99Croc Greenion Flat Iron - $165.00 Other terms you will hear when it comes to flat irons, curling irons and blow dryers are ionic, nano-ionic or tourmaline ionic. These are all just fancy ways of saying the exact same thing. Ionic technology is the generation of negative ions to counteract positive ions. Well, there you have it. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the definitions of all of these different technologies, and you can now explain them to your clients in a clear and informative manner. You'll sound like the pro that you truly are!