Mikeie Reiland is a staff writer for Education at Forbes Advisor. Before coming to Forbes Advisor, he wrote magazine journalism for publications like the Oxford American, Bitter Southerner, and Gravy.

For better or worse, the first time I picked up a flat iron was in middle school, so it’s safe to say I’ve tried many throughout my life (so far). As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned which flat irons ...