How To Straighten Your Hair
Pradeep Chauhan
July 09, 2008
Straight hair has become increasingly popular, perhaps because it is finally achievable even for the curliest heads with hotter than ever flat irons and turbo-charged blow dryers. You'll need the right equipment (listed below), before you get started, but straight hair is easy to achieve in your own bathroom. Yes, you'll need to take the time to make sure your hair is completely dry, and no, it isn't easy to do the back of your head, but with the few simple steps below, you'll be on your way to bone-straight tresses.
Wash and condition your hair as usual.
Towel dry your hair by gently blotting hair with the towel. Remember that wet hair is more vulnerable to damage so be gentle with your hair when it is wet.
Put a protective product on your hair as the blow dryer is going to blow the bejesus out of it.
Comb through your hair with your fingers while gently blow-drying it on a low setting. This removes excess water.
Pull your hair into three sections, two at the sides and one at the back. Clip the two sides up.
Select a small portion of the hair from the unclipped section to straighten.
Flat Straight
Insert a 2-inch section of hair between the plates, then squeeze the handle together and glide slowly through hair from the roots to the ends. Be careful not to touch the plates they will burn you. You should apply cream before using the flat iron so it won´t burn your hair. Straight hair is much smoother than curly hair.
Soft Curls
Insert a 2-inch section of hair between the plates gently squeeze handle together and glide iron to the ends, then wind hair around plates. You can use a brush as well. Some people even like to add some rollers in their hair at night.
Pat dry, comb, and add straightening balm. Charles Worthington's 'relax and unwind blow dry straightening balm' is very good, reasonably priced, and not tested on animals. Also, you may want to use root lift to give body to hair - apply to roots only.
Blowdry hair, holding the hairdryer at least 12 inches away so that you do not damage your hair.
Comb again. It will probably be straight enough, but if you want a poker straight look, then run a pair of straightening irons over your hair. Remember though, frequent use of straightening irons can damage your hair.
Relaxer. If you want straight hair there is no more effective method than getting your hair relaxed. In this procedure a caustic chemical is applied to your hair and a chemical reaction occurs. The hair is then physically straightened and a neutralizing formula is used to reform the chemical bonds in the new straight shape. You can even do this to your own hair at home using a product like Affirm relaxer. Careful because the chemicals in these formulas can be dangerous.
Up keep:
Depending on the length of your hair, every 2 to 3 months is the average time between straightenings. If you decide to grow it out, i.e. go back to curly, some curl will return overtime to the straightened hair but it will only be completely gone when it's cut out. If you decide to colour your hair again, you will have to wait until the straightened hair has been cut out as the colour over the old straightened hair is damaging. You can however, use a semi/non permanent colour with no problems.
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Wash and condition your hair as usual.
Towel dry your hair by gently blotting hair with the towel. Remember that wet hair is more vulnerable to damage so be gentle with your hair when it is wet.
Put a protective product on your hair as the blow dryer is going to blow the bejesus out of it.
Comb through your hair with your fingers while gently blow-drying it on a low setting. This removes excess water.
Pull your hair into three sections, two at the sides and one at the back. Clip the two sides up.
Select a small portion of the hair from the unclipped section to straighten.
Flat Straight
Insert a 2-inch section of hair between the plates, then squeeze the handle together and glide slowly through hair from the roots to the ends. Be careful not to touch the plates they will burn you. You should apply cream before using the flat iron so it won´t burn your hair. Straight hair is much smoother than curly hair.
Soft Curls
Insert a 2-inch section of hair between the plates gently squeeze handle together and glide iron to the ends, then wind hair around plates. You can use a brush as well. Some people even like to add some rollers in their hair at night.
Pat dry, comb, and add straightening balm. Charles Worthington's 'relax and unwind blow dry straightening balm' is very good, reasonably priced, and not tested on animals. Also, you may want to use root lift to give body to hair - apply to roots only.
Blowdry hair, holding the hairdryer at least 12 inches away so that you do not damage your hair.
Comb again. It will probably be straight enough, but if you want a poker straight look, then run a pair of straightening irons over your hair. Remember though, frequent use of straightening irons can damage your hair.
Relaxer. If you want straight hair there is no more effective method than getting your hair relaxed. In this procedure a caustic chemical is applied to your hair and a chemical reaction occurs. The hair is then physically straightened and a neutralizing formula is used to reform the chemical bonds in the new straight shape. You can even do this to your own hair at home using a product like Affirm relaxer. Careful because the chemicals in these formulas can be dangerous.
Up keep:
Depending on the length of your hair, every 2 to 3 months is the average time between straightenings. If you decide to grow it out, i.e. go back to curly, some curl will return overtime to the straightened hair but it will only be completely gone when it's cut out. If you decide to colour your hair again, you will have to wait until the straightened hair has been cut out as the colour over the old straightened hair is damaging. You can however, use a semi/non permanent colour with no problems.
Read About Natural Weight Loss, Weight Loss Diet Also read about Natural Weight Loss, Weight Loss Diet Directory and Natural Weight Loss Supplements