There’s more to straightening your hair than simply running a straightening iron over it. There are products and techniques you can adopt to get straight, silky smooth hair and keep it looking sleek all day.
We share with you 7 super easy tips on how to straighten your hair to achieve a sleek and stylish finish at home, without destroying your locks.
Prep Your Hair with a Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner
- If you have frizzy or curly hair then you’ll need to prep your hair by using a smoothing shampoo and conditioner like Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo and Conditioner. Infused with shea butter, this duo is designed to achieve five times smoother hair.
Dry Your Hair Correctly
- If you have just washed your hair, gently blot it dry with a towel rather than rubbing it, as this causes the hair fibres to frizz. And before drying hair with a hairdryer apply a heat protectant designed for blow drying hair, to help smooth hair, control frizz and speed up drying time. Our favourite is Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Blow Down leave-in styling cream.
Protect Your Hair with Heat Protection Spray
- When straightening hair with a hair straightener the very first thing you need to do is to apply a heat protection spray! Whether you use your hair straightener only once a week or every day, investing in a heat protectant will help lock in moisture and stop your hair from drying and eliminate frizz and spilt ends.
Our best selling heat protection spray is AG Hair Smooth Firewall, with smoothing argan oil. Firewall lets your hair straightener slide seamlessly through your hair and leaves an incredible shine.
Optimise Your Straightener to Avoid Burning
- Check the temperature of your straightener and use the correct temperature for your hair type. This will help you not only achieve the best results but also avoid your hair burning. If you have fragile or fine hair use a low setting, between 120° and 150°. For normal hair set the temperature at around 180° and for thicker hair at around 210°.
Straighten Your Hair Bit by Bit
- Straighten hair bit by bit rather than chunks for an even finish. Firstly, divide hair along the centre part then section each half by three; top, middle and bottom using sectioning clips. If you have thick hair you may need to divide hair up further, or in smaller sections if you have fine hair.
Maintain Technique When Straightening!
- When sliding your hair straightener through your hair, hold your hair tight with the other hand, and start from the roots gliding the straightener down your hair in one even movement. Avoid jerky movements as this can leave marks in your hair. If you have fine hair, rather than starting at the roots, start about an inch down for a little help with volume. If your hair isn’t quite straight after the first run through, leave the strand to cool for a moment before pulling the straightener through again.
Finish with an Anti-humidity Spray
- To finish apply an anti-humidity spray to tame fly-aways, we love De Lorenzo Elements Afterglow.
For help on choosing the right hair straightener for your hair type, check out our blog How to Choose the Right Styling Tool or for more hair straightening tips discover Best Hair Straighteners and Tips.
