I Cleaned My Flatiron(Pics Inside)!!

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lnana04

Active Member
I made a post the other day asking for tips on cleaning the build-up off of my mothers Corilioss flatiron. No-one responded:look:, so I looked on yahoo answers to see if they had any help on it, and I ran across a tip saying that you can use relaxer to clean it.

Read Here:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...OyJToQQjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070324095110AA6H8Bp

So I got the flat-iron, which was still hot since my mother didn't cut it off this morning, and I got the relaxer. I guess that since the iron was still hot, it was able to work a lot faster, idk.

Now, I don't know if this will damage your iron over time or not, I was just desperate so I tried something. I think that from now on I'll try to keep the iron as clean as possible, but this has given great results so far.

The 1st pic is what it looked like, and that build-up was NOT coming off before. The 2nd pic is the gook coming off of the iron. The 3rd pic is the results. The only thing I have to work on now is getting the sides clean.
 

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That's a little frightening. The before pics, the after and the fact that a relaxer did it. Regardless, I'm glad it's clean!
 
@NaturalGurl. Your Welcome, and I thought about Easy Off too, and wondered if I could use that to clean it, but yeah, it worked just like it in a way.

@1QTPie, I agree that it is a bit frightening. That's why I wrote the little bit on not being sure if this damages your iron over time. If relaxer is that strong to do that then there's no telling what else it can do.
 
OMG! Was that burned hair on the before pic? I've never heard of buildup on a flat iron, but then again, i rarely straighten my hair.
Regardless, Im glad it worked for you. I've actually tried cleaning my iron with relaxer before. It worked, but I wont be trying it again any time soon because the smell was very nauseating.
 
lnana04 said:
@NaturalGurl. Your Welcome, and I thought about Easy Off too, and wondered if I could use that to clean it, but yeah, it worked just like it in a way.

@1QTPie, I agree that it is a bit frightening. That's why I wrote the little bit on not being sure if this damages your iron over time. If relaxer is that strong to do that then there's no telling what else it can do.
Click to expand...

Maybe you should wipe a little bit of neutralizer on the plates so the relaxer won't damage your hair. (I'm really serious :look:) Cause there are probably remnants of relaxer left on the plate.
 
Brilliant. I have a Corioliss myself. Gurl, for all the heaps of money I paid for that, it's good to know I can get it clean!

Thank you! Oh and what type of relaxer did you use? Lye or No Lye?:rolleyes:
 
Bri505 said:
Maybe you should wipe a little bit of neutralizer on the plates so the relaxer won't damage your hair. (I'm really serious :look:) Cause there are probably remnants of relaxer left on the plate.
Click to expand...


I would do the same thing.
 
There's flat iron cleaning spray. I'd bet it's mainly alcohol. Anytime you "smell" someone's hair, it's usually not their hair, it's their hair tool and the left over product. I clean my iron after each use because I know I will be way too lazy to do it when I'm in the mood to straighten my hair. My curling irons (when I used them) used to be a hot mess.
 
@Tada1. I'm not sure what it was, but my mother uses a lot of curling wax on her hair. Not to mention, she slicks it down with pro style hair gel, lets it airdry, and then flat iron it. So it was probably a combination of it all. She wears a short hairstyle btw.

@Bri505. We're on the same page lol, I just did. I got a little scared after just thinking about it, so I just washed it with a little neutralizing shampoo and now I'm wiping it down over and over again with a huge towel. Thanks.

@CenterGirl, your welcome. I'm not sure if it's lye or no-lye. It just says HawaiianSilk No Base regular relaxer. It's been so long since I've used a relaxer, I'm assuming the No Base means No Lye?
 
Well Easy off has lots of lye in it...don't know if the relaxer was lye or no lye but that might be why it worked the same. Good to see it clean though!
 
I would have answered your question had I 1. seen the thread & 2. actually had an answer
:laugh:

That is the reason I don't use flat irons with metal plates like that. My 1st flat iron had metal plates and I would wipe it down immediately after each use.

My current flat irons are titanium and ceramic tourmaline and I do not get build up. The BSSs also have kits that you can buy. I also see bath mitts for sale as flat iron cleaners. I use an old tooth brush for the sides. I make sure I wipe my irons off immediately after use with a damp cloth while the plates are still warm.

QUESTIONS: How much relaxer did you use to get the build up off, how long did you leave it on, was the iron hot or cold?
 
The build up is from product steaming and cooking up on it. I need to clean my flat iron, but I feel bad to use up relaxer like that. Lol not to mention I may be tempted to use it. I tried alcohol, but it didn't get out all of the gunk (mine mainly has gunk on the sides). If I hear my sister is relaxing her hair, I will go get a little bit and do it. Thanks for the info!!
 
Relaxer is what we were told to use while in Beauty school years ago. Now that I don't use so much product to flat iron, and the fact that I don't flat iron nearly as much as I used to,I haven't had to clean mine. My mom's iron looks JUST like that first picture :nono:
 
Well since relaxers a primarily calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide based, it would make sense. This same chemical is used in stove cleaners and draino type products
 
Wow I never saw a flatiron build up like that, I thought something had spilled on it when I first saw the picture.. :nono: Does it even get your hair flat if you use it like that??

And wow you did a great job cleaning it :yep:
makes me wonder a little about putting a relaxer in my hair, if it cleans like easy off :look: Just a thought...
 
Saida said:
Wow I never saw a flatiron build up like that, I thought something had spilled on it when I first saw the picture.. :nono: Does it even get your hair flat if you use it like that??

And wow you did a great job cleaning it :yep:
makes me wonder a little about putting a relaxer in my hair, if it cleans like easy off :look: Just a thought...
Click to expand...

I've never used that flatiron on my hair, but it gets my mothers hair straight. She slicks her hair down with brown gel, then uses curling wax to flat-iron it, so that's the reason for the build-up.

yeah, that relaxer is pretty strong.
 
This thread is a great reminder of why I'm transitioning. :nono: That's a durn shame. Well, at least I know a new cleaning technique for appliances. :yep:
 
1QTPie said:
There's flat iron cleaning spray. I'd bet it's mainly alcohol. Anytime you "smell" someone's hair, it's usually not their hair, it's their hair tool and the left over product. I clean my iron after each use because I know I will be way too lazy to do it when I'm in the mood to straighten my hair. My curling irons (when I used them) used to be a hot mess.
Click to expand...

This is me. I gently wipe my iron with a dry towel after I use it and never really have to do any heavy duty cleaning.

Besides, my irons cost so much money it would hurt me to my heart.

I gave my mom a FHI and I had been using it for about 6 months. It was like new. About a year after I gave it to her, she asked me if I could do her hair. I was like :perplexed when I saw that iron again. Hers looked like picture number 2 and I was so disappointed. I refused to use it. :nono:

I don't even want to know what she was doing to get it in that condition, but I have to give her the relaxer cleaning tip.
 
Wow. That makes a very creepy sort of sense. For those of you who don't want to use (or have) relaxer, I'd try easyoff on the flat irons. :ohwell: It's basically something burnt onto a hot metal surface, which is basically what the bottom of your oven is. Relaxer seemed to work faster, though.

Just be sure to wipe it off really well. :lol:
 
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