Straightening or straightening your hair with a hot straightener or flat iron can make your hair look soft and neat. However, if you do it too often without special care, your hair will become dry and damaged which is certainly not what you want. It's not impossible to prevent hair from looking messy when you straighten it every day. Several important steps must be taken before the hair straightener touches your hair.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Buying the Right Products
Step 1. Choose a good quality pen
Good quality pencatok made of ceramic, tourmaline or titanium. This tool should have several temperature options so that you can choose the right temperature for your hair texture and thickness. These flat irons may be quite expensive, but most inexpensive flat irons only offer a choice of too high a temperature (usually 200 degrees celsius) which can damage your hair over time.
- Ideally, you should use a vise with a clear temperature marker instead of just On, Off, Low and High. That way, you can control how high the temperature hits your hair.
- Look for a vise with a width of about 4 cm or less. Larger straighteners won't be able to reach the sections of hair that are close to the scalp.
- The ceramic heating layer ensures the heat is evenly distributed over the hair as you straighten it, and the ceramic is great for most hair types and textures. Stay away from heating layers that are "ceramic coated" as they can dry out your hair.
- However, if your hair is curly, you may need a flat iron with a gold or titanium heating plate.
Step 2. Buy a hair protection product from the heat
Usually you will find a heat protectant spray that is specially made to be used before straightening your hair. There are many products like this in cream and serum form and some hair mousses also contain heat protectants.
Some people recommend products like Living Proof's Straight Spray, Moroccan Oil (for thick or coarse hair), or products made from silicone
Step 3. Purchase shampoos and hair conditioners that are "softening
This product may not make your hair straight, but it can add moisture to your hair and help prepare it for styling.
Alternatively, you can try a straightening shampoo if you find that frequent straightening makes your hair weak
Step 4. Buy a new hair brush
Most hairbrushes made of nylon and plastic generate static electricity. However, a brush made of wild boar bristles and nylon can smooth the hair and make it shiny.
Step 5. Try using a moisturizer for hair
Products like these will keep your hair healthy by increasing its moisture. These products can make your hair oilier or heavier. So, try to use it once a week.
Some of these product choices are Pink Original Oil Moisturizer from Luster and Dry Remedy from Aveda
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Hair
Step 1. Try to regularly cut the ends of the hair
Damaged hair will become even more damaged if you straighten it every day, and you won't be able to get the neat look you want. If the ends of your hair are split or damaged, have your stylist cut them off.
If you really don't want to cut your hair, you may be able to repair the damage with products that contain oils and moisturizers. However, this method will not fix your hair quickly as you may have to wait two to three months to see results
Step 2. Wash hair
Use a smoothing (or strengthening) shampoo and hair conditioner and rinse thoroughly.
Step 3. Apply a heat protectant product
Depending on the product you choose, you may need to apply it while your hair is still wet. Some products provide instructions for use on damp hair, while some products for dry hair require you to apply it just before ironing your hair. What is clear, make sure you follow the instructions listed on the packaging for the best results.
Use enough product according to hair type and length. If you use too much product, your hair can look heavy and greasy instead of sleek and shiny
Step 4. Dry hair slightly naturally or using a towel
Allowing your hair to partially dry naturally or with a towel keeps you from having to iron it for too long. If you can straighten your hair and style it properly after your hair is completely dry or with a towel, that's a great way to avoid damaging your hair.
Step 5. Do a blow-dry
Doing so increases the amount of heat exposed to the hair which can cause more damage. But many people who dye their hair have to do it to get the look they want.
- To make hair look voluminous, do a blow-dry by lifting the hair roots.
- If you have thick hair, you may be able to add pressure with a brush while blow-drying your hair. This can help the hair to be as soft as possible.
- Don't try to straighten your hair before it's completely dry. If you hear a hissing sound while ironing your hair, stop!
Part 3 of 3: Straightening Hair
Step 1. Set it to the right temperature
To prevent damage to your hair, set the flat iron to the lowest temperature that will straighten your hair. This temperature depends on the hair type of each person.
- If your hair is fine, then the temperature in the iron should not be too high. For very fine or very damaged hair, use a "low" temperature or 120-150 degrees Celsius. For medium or average hair, use a medium temperature of around 150-180 degrees celsius.
- Even if your hair is very thick or coarse, it's a good idea to use a temperature below the highest setting. Try choosing a temperature of 180-200 degrees Celsius if the vise you have can be adjusted. Try experimenting with medium-high temperatures before choosing the highest temperature because continuing to use high temperatures can seriously damage your hair.
- If your hair is chemically treated, it's best to reduce the temperature used. Likewise if your hair is very damaged.
Step 2. Part your hair
Divide the hair into sections, each section having a thickness of about 1.25 cm to 5 cm. Pull the top of the hair and start with the hair at the bottom, near the nape of the neck.
- The thicker your hair, the more sections of hair you need to dye.
- Don't try to straighten your hair by picking random sections of hair as this will take a long time and you will end up with sections of hair that don't look like each other.
Step 3. Start ironing
Tuck a section of hair between the heating layers of the flat iron and straighten the hair from top to bottom. It's a good idea to start at a point about 1.25 cm from your scalp to maintain volume.
Add a little pressure as you work your hair from top to bottom to get the straightness you want
Step 4. Do it fast
Do not leave the flat iron on a section of hair for more than 3 to 4 seconds, as this can damage or scorch the hair.
Step 5. Repeat on the rest of the hair
Straighten the rest of the hair. When you're done with the hair layer below, iron the middle layer of hair and then the top layer.
Try not to iron the same section of hair multiple times as this can increase the risk of getting damaged sections of hair. However, if you have curly hair, you will likely have to curl a section of hair several times to make it straight
Step 6. Straighten the topmost section of hair
When you reach the top of your hair, position the flat iron as close to your scalp as possible and straighten your hair. This will help you get a neat straight hair look.
Tips
- Use a flat iron only on clean hair to ensure the hairstyle lasts longer and the heat released doesn't react with the hair products and damage the hair.
- Maybe you can discuss straightening techniques with your stylist, even if you've been doing it yourself for years. Your stylist can give you tips to improve the way you dye your hair or suggest new products that can help keep your hair healthy.
- It's a good idea to let your hair breathe once in a while by not straightening it.
- When the iron has cooled, you should clean it with a special cleaner and warm water. This ensures that no hair product builds up on the heating layer and can then stick to the hair.
