How To Straighten Thick, Curly Hair Without Damaging It – smartesthairstyles.com – If you want your thick, curly hair to be straight but don’t want to damage it, you have a few different options. You may be able to straighten your hair with a gentle blow dryer after washing it, so you might want to try this technique first. The most popular and effective method is to use a hair straightener with a few precautions. Finally, if you have loose to medium curls, there are a few all-natural methods you can try.
1. Wash, care and blow dry
Use smoothing, sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. While shampoo and conditioner alone won’t straighten your hair, there are some types to look out for that are good for keeping straight hair healthy. Products labeled “Smoothing” will give your hair a lot of moisture and prepare it for smoothing. After shampooing, brush the conditioner through your hair with a paddle brush and rinse with lukewarm water.
Make sure your hair is already detangled before brushing conditioner through it. If it gets tangled, try your fingers or a wide-toothed comb first.
Avoid using products that contain sulfates, which are known to strip moisture from hair during cleansing and dry it out, creating more frizz.
Using hot water to rinse conditioner out of hair will help dry out hair and increase frizz because it opens up the cuticle. Rinse the conditioner coolly from your hair to close the cuticle.
Gently pat your wet hair down into your towel. Rough towel drying tends to improve curls. To dry your hair, gently wrap pieces of it in your towel and blot each piece in a downward motion. This will help reduce frizz more than rubbing the towel all over your hair in up and down motions.
Instead of a traditional terry towel, try a microfiber towel on your hair to promote smoothness.
Detangle your hair with a wide-toothed comb. After your shower, apply a moisturizing cream or spritz a leave-in conditioner on your hair, also with a sulfate-free and smoothing product. Gently work the product throughout your hair, from root to tip. Then, gently comb your hair with a wide-toothed comb to remove tangles.
If you come across more tangles while combing, reapply some leave-in conditioner to that area so you don’t break bits of hair that come out of the knots.
Divide your hair into 4 sections. Using a comb, divide your hair into 4 sections: front left, front right, back left and back right. Try to do a part in the middle from your forehead to the nape of your neck and a part from ear to ear. Within these sections, you can further section if your hair is particularly thick.
Use clips to temporarily hold the sections you’re not drying in place while you focus on one section at a time with your dryer.
Using a boar bristle and nylon brush, blow dry each section of hair downwards. Find a round brush with nylon and boar bristles as opposed to plastic, which are known to cause breakage. The nylon and boar bristle combinations are sometimes referred to as “blow-out brushes”. Hold the brush under each small section of hair and move it down while running the hot blow dryer up and down each section.
Move the dryer away from your hair each time you need to place it back on top. Avoid blow drying your hair upwards with the blow dryer as this can encourage curl and frizz.
If your hair straightens easily, you may not need to use the hot setting on your blow dryer. The less heat you can use, the better. Experiment with cold and warm settings to see if your hair straightens before using hot.
If your hair is thick or heavily curled, it may be better to blow dry it with a Denman brush.
Apply a smoothing serum when not ironing. If your hair straightens a little easily and blow-drying is your last step, apply a finishing serum to set your straight tresses. Squeeze a dime-sized amount of serum into your hand and rub some on the other hand. Apply the serum to your hair with your fingers in downward strokes, focusing mainly on the top layer and ends of the hair.
2. Using your hair straightener
Find a quality digital iron. There are many hair straighteners to choose from in the market. Sometimes cheaper ones don’t distribute heat evenly, and you end up having to do multiple passes on the same hair to get it straight. Look for a flat iron that uses nano smart technology or infrared heat to keep the most moisture in your hair while straightening.
Look for a straightener with titanium or ceramic plates.
An iron with a digital temperature setting is also a good investment. You can experiment with the lowest temperature setting needed to straighten your particular hair type.
Prepare Afro-textured hair 2-3 weeks in advance. Since Afro-textured hair is particularly prone to dryness and brittleness, it’s a good idea to condition it once a week for 2-3 weeks before straightening. Do a weekly deep conditioning regimen starting 2-3 weeks before straightening and a protein regimen 1 week before straightening.
Find a deep conditioner and protein treatment specifically for Afro-textured hair for the best results.
Hair without an Afro texture can also benefit from a weekly deep conditioner, especially if you iron your hair often and it’s starting to look dry.
Apply a heat protectant spray to dry hair from roots to ends. Make sure your hair is completely dry, either from blow drying or air drying, before using a flat iron. Use a non-alcohol based heat protectant spray on each strand of hair before straightening to avoid damaging your hair. Sprays high in keratin protein are best to use.
Some people prefer to use the heat protectant spray at the same time as the leave-in conditioner before blow drying. You can do this if you wish.
Test the temperature of your iron on a small section of hair first. Different hair textures react differently to different temperature settings. Many people prefer to use an iron at 300°F (149°C), but your hair may need a hotter or lower setting.
If your test hair reacts easily to the temperature, you may be able to turn it down a bit. Try to use the lowest heat setting required. If your hair does not straighten easily at the test temperature, you need to twist it up.
Quickly move your hot straightener over each small section of hair. Avoid leaving the flat iron on one section of hair longer than necessary. Especially with high temperature irons, you should be able to get a straight piece by locking the iron at the top of your hair and moving it down quickly.
If your hair doesn’t straighten on the first pass, you may need to increase the temperature or reduce the amount of hair in the section you want to straighten.
Hydrate your hair with oil or heat protectant as you go. When straightening small strands of hair with your flat iron, check to see if they need moisture. If it looks frizzy and doesn’t straighten out easily, add a light oil like olive oil with your fingers or another spritz of heat protectant spray.
Apply oil, serum or butter to coarse curly hair after straightening. Styling oils, serums, and butters can help moisturize coarse hair and keep it straight, so it’s a good idea to use them after straightening. Avoid using these products until you’re done straightening to avoid your hair sizzling and breaking in the iron. Find oils, serums, or butters specifically formulated for your hair texture for the best results.
Wrap Afro-textured hair in a silk or satin scarf overnight. To protect your straightened hair from drying out overnight, wrap it in a silk or satin scarf. This will also help keep your hair from curling up again when you sweat during the night.
Keep your iron clean. Dried product residue left on your flat iron can cause stickiness and damage to your hair. Once your iron has cooled, clean it with a clean cloth and dish soap, or with rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth.
Using the rough side of a dish sponge, gently scrub any hard-to-remove product residue off your straightener as you clean.
3. Try natural, heat-free straightening methods
Wrap wet hair tightly around your head. For hair with looser or medium curls, wet wrapping your hair around your head can be successful. Comb your wet hair and part it in the middle. Comb the left part all the way around the head from back to front and pin it all over.
Do the same with the right side of your hair. Let your hair air dry and sleep with a scarf on top for added protection.
Sleep every inch of your ponytail with elastic hair bands. Put wet, combed hair into 1 or 2 low, loose ponytails. Loosely fasten more elastic hair bands so you don’t create dents in your hair, every inch of each ponytail. Sleep with the hair bands on and remove them in the morning.
Try a natural smoothing mask. There are several homemade hair mask recipes that some people have had success with. All of them use basic kitchen ingredients and need to be left on the hair for 30-60 minutes before rinsing out.
Try 8 fluid ounces (240 mL) whole or coconut milk mixed with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) honey. Leave it in your hair for 1 hour before washing it out.
Try mixing 16 fl oz (470 ml) milk with 1 egg and soaking your hair in it for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess and put on a plastic cap for another 30 minutes. Then wash it out and brush your hair dry.
Combine 240ml coconut milk, 5 tablespoons (74ml) lemon juice, 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil and 3 tablespoons (44ml) cornstarch. Heat the mixture on low until smooth and apply to your hair for 30 minutes. Do this twice a week for 2 months as a natural relaxant.