Straighten hair

Straighten hair – How to get rid of frizzy hair and curls

The right method for you

Everyone knows it, the look in the mirror in the morning and the desire for perfect straight hair arises. However, everyone has different hair structures: short, long, thick or thin hair. Fortunately, there is the right method tp straighten hair for every type.

The straightening iron

The most common way to straighten hair is with a straightening iron. The counterpart to the curling iron has a scissor-like shape and is occupied by 2 heating plates that ensure that your hair becomes straight or even curly. These plates are usually ceramic or Teflon coated. Thus, unlike old-fashioned metal plates, the hair is protected from excessive heat and the hair does not dry out. Some products even have an ionic function, making your hair stronger, smoother and shinier. You can choose and set your own desired temperature, as well as straighten your hair using different widths of heating plates that are optimal for your hair texture.

Hair straightening made easy with our tips

Tip 1: Proper protection when straightening hair

The most important ingredient when straightening hair is heat protection! This is sprayed or kneaded even before blow-drying, because this puts a protective film between your hair and your straightener, which protects your hair from overheating and the consequences, such as dehydration and brittle hair.

Tip 2: Do not straighten your hair after washing it

It is best to wash your hair in the evening and straighten it in the morning, because by then your hair will have built up a protective greasy layer. Likewise, even if you are in a hurry, you should never straighten wet hair, because it will burn immediately.

Tip 3: The right technique

You should not straighten your hair too hot, so that they do not break or take other damage. The perfect temperature for this is between 180° C and 190° C. To avoid unsightly kinks and unnecessary strain, it is recommended that you always keep the straightener moving and not linger on one spot. In addition, the straightening iron should never be placed too close to the scalp, so you don’t burn yourself. On top of that, the hair at the roots is very thin and can break quickly.

Tip 4: The right care

If you straighten your hair often, it needs more care, e.g. moisturizing shampoo and an intensive treatment once a week. However, it is advisable to straighten your hair only twice a week and if you are in a hurry, tie your hair into a braid instead of straightening it. This way you will avoid dry and brittle hair. Likewise, pay attention to the condition of your hair. If your hair is healthy, you can straighten it more often than if your hair is already brittle and tends to split ends.

And this is how straightening hair works

Preparations

To begin with, blow dry your hair if it is not dry yet, preferably with cool air and before that, of course, do not forget the heat protection. If you straighten your hair for the first time, start with a lower temperature to get a better feeling for straightening.

Straighten hair

Start with the bottom hair and finish with the top hair. Now follow by dividing your hair into different sections so that strand by strand can be straightened. If you have a strand, use a heat protector first and then straighten it afterwards. Start at the roots, close the straightening iron and pull it evenly to the tips. Be careful not to stay too long in one place and pull the straightener in a wide arc to avoid protruding tips. It is more gentle on the hair to straighten a strand several times with a lower temperature than once with a high temperature. Repeat this until all your hair is straightened. Check out our related video

The smoothing brush as an alternative

What is a smoothing brush?

A straightening brush is, as the name suggests, a mix of a hairbrush and a straightening iron, except that the bristles are made of ceramic and are heated. The brush is also encased in plastic, so there is no damage to the scalp.

Application

The application is very easy and similar to that of a straightening iron. Again, you rely on electricity to use it. You first wash your hair, dry it with a towel and brush it with a conventional brush. Through a built-in temperature controller, you can easily set your desired temperature and when it is reached, you divide your hair into sections and start brushing or straightening from the roots. As with a straightening iron, you should use a low temperature and straighten a strand several times.

Other alternatives to straighten hair

The round brush

It does not always have to be a straightening iron or a straightening brush, a round brush and a hair dryer serve their purpose just as well. The hair is once again divided into sections, the brush is then simply pulled from the hairline to the tips while the strand is blow-dried.

The microfiber towel

This variation is free of damaging heat from blow dryers or straighteners. You simply wash your hair with a straightening shampoo and conditioner. Then you dry it with a microfiber towel, because it absorbs more moisture than a conventional terry towel. You then simply brush your hair until it’s dry and smooth.

The mace braid

The so-called club braid is a braid at the bottom of your head. Then the entire hair is covered with more hair ties, because otherwise there will be dents, which of course should be avoided.

Brushing

The easiest option is probably just brushing them while they are wet. After that, your hair should be nice and smooth too.

Do not wash your hair in the evening

If you don’t want to straighten your hair the next morning, you shouldn’t wash your hair the night before. In the morning, your hair will stand up in all directions, making it difficult to tame it. In the same way, you should not blow dry your hair upside down, because it will become uncontrollably voluminous.

Straighten hair with curlers

Curlers are not only good for curls, but also straighten the hair. However, they should be as large as possible. You first work your hair with a straightening product and then wrap your hair on the curlers, pin them and let your hair dry. To get a nice smooth result, it is advised to always twist your hair in the same direction.

Hair clips

Again, the hair should be washed and conditioned with straightening products. After washing, the hair is divided into strands and separated strand by strand at the crown and placed around the head. These are then pinned in place with lots of clips. After that, you can still wrap your hair with a towel so that it is tighter to the head and smoother.

Permanent hair straightening

If you have a thick curly mane and want nice straight hair, you have to reach for the straightener again and again and it usually takes a long time until everything is nice and straight. Here, there is semi-permanent hair straightening, which is partially permanent, and permanent straightening, which is permanent. However, you should get advice from your hairdresser and also have it done by him/her.

Conclusion

As we have seen, there are many different ways for women to straighten their hair (men, after all, tend to resort to hair wax ). Whether you go for the classic straightening iron and take care of your hair accordingly is entirely up to you! However, if you are not sure whether the constant processing of the hair with heat is right for you, you can simply try the alternative methods beforehand. Of course, the straightening iron offers the advantage that it is fast and you can also conjure up beautiful curls. But each method has its own advantage, for example, that your hair is treated more gently when you make your desired hairstyle without heat. So, just try the different options and I’m sure you will find your method!