Hair Straightening

Whereas our mothers and grandmothers used to resort to such tricks as ironing their hair straight, here in the twenty-first century we’re lucky to have a number of modern means at our disposal to allow us to switch between poker-straight and curly as we wish.

Why Straighten Your Hair Anyway?

Even if your hair is naturally curl-free, there’s just something about shiny, straight hair that makes most of us long to try it at some point or other. While curls can look romantic and sexy, straight, healthy hair exudes an air of sophistication and elegance.

Unfortunately, though, very few people in the world have hair as truly straight as the styles we see on TV or in magazines. Most of us have just a little bit of a wave that stops the hair from lying completely flat, and that’s why we turn to hair straightening techniques.

At-Home Hair Straightening

Ceramic Straightener

If you want to try straightening your hair at home, a good pair of hair straighteners will be your best friends. Hair straighteners work like curling tongs in reverse: simply heat them up and apply them to your hair. Where there were waves, you should now have poker straight hair!

There are a few types of straighteners on the market. Ha 209 1.html Ceramic hair straighteners are generally considered to be the best as they don’t overheat the way that other straighteners can, and are therefore better for your hair.

Remember, heat can be bad for your hair, and just as too much blow-drying can leave your hair looking dull and brittle, the same is also true of too-much straightening. While ceramic straighteners such GHDs (Good Hair Days) will minimize the damage, if you’re using straighteners daily, it may be a good idea to step up your hair care regime a notch at the same time. Invest in a good quality conditioner or use a hot oil treatment a couple of times per week to make sure that your hair remains as shiny as it is straight.

As quick and easy as this method of straightening is, it isn’t effective for everyone. Hair straighteners work best for people with naturally straight hair who simply want to make their style even straighter. If you have naturally curly hair, or hair which has been permed, you may not achieve the same effects, or may find your curls springing back to life after an hour or so.

Permanent Straightening

If you’d rather not spend time on hair straightening every day, or have hair that just won’t respond to at-home straighteners, a more permanent method may be appropriate. This is a method best done by the professionals, so take yourself to the salon and have a chat with your stylist about your options.

Most permanent straightening involves a treatment very much like perming. Instead of wrapping your hair around curlers and leaving it to set, however, it will be pulled straight before chemicals are applied. Once the hair is rinsed clean, your curls should have relaxed, leaving you with straight hair. Bear in mind that the chemicals used to straighten your hair in this way aren’t exactly kind to your hair, and you may be left with some dryness at first. Again, a few deep-conditioning treatments will help.

Although we’re calling this a “permanent” method of hair straightening, if your hair is naturally curly, new growth will be curly too, so you’ll need to repeat the procedure to make sure your hair remains straight.