There are few (beauty) things more easy and lovable than long, sleek, shiny hair. You know the look and you know how to achieve it we mean: ‘hello super hot flat iron, let’s burn my hair tills it’s straight.’ Off course you aware of the concerns about at-home straightening. Your clever enough to figure out that clamping your precious, pretty hair with an iron that’s at the temperature required to bake a whole pizza, isn’t making it any healthier. But how to straight the right way? We help you upgrade your game with these hair straightening tips. Read on to see how you score.
1 | You’re not starting in the shower.
As weird as it may sound, damp hair actually gets wavy, good straightening starts in the shower. Off course shampoo and conditioner don’t give you straight hair right away, but a good “smoothing” conditioner can help prepare the strands for the process by proving major moisture. Just use a wide tooth comb and comb the conditioner through. The worst thing you can do is towel your hair dry like crazy, this will enhance the natural curl. Instead, pat your hair downwards gently.
2 | Wrong Direction Blowdrying
The blowdryer is what’s really the most damaging to the hair. So that makes all the difference when you’re trying to get a sleek finish. If you do use a dryer out of the shower, it’s suggested to go for rough drying: shaking the dryer back and forth over the head, until it’s 80% finished. Note that you keep the nozzle facing downwards the entire time, otherwise the hair will frizz. The next 20% is up to you: You can apply your product then let it air dry, or, blow it out smooth for the best result. It’s better to not use a plastic brush they tend to make the hair static, therefore it’s better to use a brush made of horsehair.
Photo: Pinterest
3 | You let it Sizzle
We all know that sound, you put your flat iron on and the sizzle starts while steaming heavily. If you see steam or you hear the sizzle, stop and evaluate the situation, hair should be bone dry when you straighten. If you’re certain that the hair is dry, it could be that product build-up is the problem. You need to be selective about what products you use before you flatiron, you should avoid applying anything to dry hair, which is what makes straightening different than curling. Because the iron clamps down on the hair, there’s nowhere for the product to go. You’re essentially boiling the product into the follicle, which isn’t a great idea, especially when it contains alcohol.
4 | You’re not using a thermal protectant
OK, so I can’t use any products upfront my flat ironing session, so what about thermal protection? Yes in this situation you’re aloud (you must!) use the help of a little something. Use a good thermal protection spray that coats the hair. You can use it on damp hair, which is great, make sure it protects up to 230 degrees Celsius and resists humidity, so it dramatically reduces the frizz factor. Plus, it’s important to check if it’s made without oils and silicones, these ingredients could ultimately weigh the hair down. If you have thicker or coarser hair, you could still use an argan oil.
5 | You cranked up the temperature
The 230-degree Celsius setting was designed specifically for in-salon, professional keratin treatments, it was never meant for consumers. But now, everyone can use it, which makes the at-home process faster. Obviously, this comes at the expense of your hair’s health. Thick hair does need a higher heat, but fine hair and especially damaged or color-treated hair should stay in the safe zone of 145 to 176 degrees Celsius.
6 | You’re not sectioning
You shouldn’t be randomly grabbing fistfuls of hair, the iron won’t be able to get to pieces that are too thick, and you don’t want to unnecessarily reapply heat. Instead, create sections so you can easily track your progress: Split the hair in the middle at the back and then bring it forward. This will give you two sections to work with, but if your hair is thick, you may consider clipping it into four. It seems like more wore but sectioning will actually save you time, the reason everyone complains about straightening taking so long is that they’re working off random bits of hair!
7 | You’re repeating yourself
Ironing a string of hair more than once won’t kill the hair, but you need to find out if it’s necessary. It’s important to pull the hair straight while you flatiron, starting from the root. Obviously, curly styles will find it necessary to pull, straighten, and repeat a few times, but pulling the hair taut while you straighten will help immensely.
8 | You’re using the wrong finishing products
As said before it’s better to avoid silicones and oils, which are found in most products that add shine, so what’s left? It’s best to use a light hold hairspray, but always make sure you wait for the hair to cool down. Think about spraying a hot pan—it’ll sizzle and steam. Your hair will do the same thing!
9 | You Buy Cheap Irons
The truth is, when it comes to straightening, the proof is in the product. Here is the type of iron you should go for on your next flatiron shopping spree:
Always go for an iron with an automatic shut-off feature; it’s crucial. It’s a great safety feature for the girl-on-the-go. It’s also important to look for the recovery time, a lot of cheap flatirons take up to 90 seconds to recover the temperature you set, so you’re actually losing heat as you go along. That also means heat won’t be evenly distributed between the two plates.
Also the material is important, ceramic is softer on the hair, but that makes it ideal only for fine-to-normal hair types. If you have curly hair, look for gold or titanium.
Choose an iron that is not thicker than 3cm, otherwise you won’t be able to reach the root properly. Thicker irons can be good for styling, but not straightening.
10 | You Think straightening is only for long hair
If you have short hair, straightening can still be the way to go, it’s less damaging than blowdrying wet hair with a brush, actually, and it will even give an added polish.
