Many women would love to have straight, smooth, shiny hair. The problem is, a lot of the women who try to achieve that on their own only end up making their hair look worse. This usually happens because they don't understand the right way to use a flat iron.
This article gives you five tips you can use to become an expert at straightening your own hair while keeping it sleek, healthy, and gorgeous!
1. Use The Right Size Of Flat Iron
You may not have realized that not all flat irons are the same, and the right flat iron for one type of hair can be completely wrong for another type. Which one will work best for you depends on how long your hair is.
If your hair is long, choose a larger iron with plates between 1 1/2″ and 2″ wide. That way, you can straighten more of your hair more quickly.
If your hair is short, use a narrower iron whose plates are 1/2″ to 1″ wide. A narrower iron makes it easier to work with smaller sections of hair.
2. Use the Right Setting
Flat irons with adjustable heat settings are the best. Your hair is at less risk of being damaged if you're using a tool that can adjust to meet your hair's specific needs.
3. Use the Right Iron Material
The best flat iron plate materials are titanium, tourmaline, and ceramic.
Plates made from these materials are less damaging to your hair because they heat up more evenly. They also emit negative ions when heated. Negative ions tighten the cuticle of the hair, which helps prevent frizz and gives your hair a healthier, shinier appearance.
Note that you should avoid flat irons with plates that are only ceramic-coated, or Teflon-coated. These plates will not heat as evenly, and will dry out your hair more.
4. Get Your Hair Ready Before Straightening It
Besides having the right iron for your hair type, it's also important to prepare your hair before subjecting it to intense heat. Get your hair ready by following these steps:
Step #1: If you have fine hair, wash it with a lightweight, volumizing shampoo (you can skip this step if you have thick hair).
Step #2: After showering, apply a volumizing mousse that features heat protection.
Step #3: Create additional volume while blow-drying by lifting the hair up from the roots.
Step #4: Use tension and a brush with natural-fiber bristles to smooth your hair from halfway up the shaft to the tips.
5. How To Use A Hair Straightener Effectively
There are four simple steps to movie-star-straight hair:
Step #1: Use hair clips or barrettes to separate your hair into sections you can work on individually. Thicker hair needs to be divided into more sections than thinner hair. Begin by grabbing a section of hair 1/2″ to 2″ wide from the lower half of the back of your head, near the nape of your neck.
Step #2: To maintain some of your hair's volume, start straightening about half an inch below the roots. Move the flat iron down your hair at a steady, quick pace. Straighten one section at a time, working from the bottom of your head upward, until you have completed the lower and mid-sections of your head.
Step #3: To straighten the sections near the top of your head, lift the section of hair away from the scalp, and try to get your flat iron as close to the roots of the hair as you can. Then, pull the iron away from your head in a straight line, pressing it firmly around the hair, to give your hair a smooth, flat finish.
Step #4: Add a light mist of a shine spray as the finishing touch.
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