How To Straighten Hair Naturally – smartesthairstyles.com – Natural hair can be more sensitive to heat and, therefore, harder to straighten without damage. However, you can straighten your natural hair with a little extra care. Heat protectants and deep conditioning treatments can reduce damage. You can then use a flat iron set to a very low heat setting to straighten your hair. When you’re done, you’ll have a fun straight style to enjoy until your next shower. Just remember that if you wrap your hair, you need to put on a shower cap and be careful to prevent steam, water, or humidity from coming in contact with your hair. This will keep your hair straight even longer.
1. Protecting Your Hair from Heat
Take good care of your hair. Deep conditioners should be thoroughly worked into the hair and left on for about 30 minutes. It’s important to condition your hair thoroughly before straightening it to provide maximum protection from the heat.
Exact hair conditioner directions vary, so consult your product’s instructions for application methods and amount to use.
Braid your hair before bed. Braiding your hair before bed starts with stretching and straightening your locks. This helps your hair get a kickstart when straightening and minimizes the need for excessive heat. Braid your hair into a series of small braids just before bed. The number of braids depends on the length and thickness of your hair. As a rule, three to five braids are enough.
A flat iron should always be used on dry hair, so it’s best not to braid wet hair.
Add leave-in conditioner. On the day you straighten your hair, apply a leave-in conditioner after removing the braids. A premium leave-in conditioner adds an extra layer of protection against heat.
Apply a heat protectant. You can get a heat protectant at any beauty salon or beauty supply store. Heat protectants are essential when using a flat iron on any hair type. They create a barrier between your hair and the heat, keeping your hair safe and strong.
Heat protectants can be sprays like hairspray or creams that you work into your hair.
2. Using a flat iron
Divide your hair into three to four sections. Use either your fingers or a comb to separate your hair. Secure each section with hair ties or hair clips.
Heat your iron to the lowest setting. The less heat you use on natural hair, the better. Turn your flat iron to the lowest setting that still straightens your hair in 1-2 passes and wait for it to warm up. This may take some trial and error as different hair textures respond better to different temperatures.
Your hair straightener should have a light or something similar that will turn on and off to indicate that it’s ready to use. It should be somewhere in your instructions how to tell when your straightener is ready to use.
Loosen and brush out a section. Remove one of your sections from the hair tie. Either run your fingers through your hair to comb it out or quickly run a brush through it.
Run the flat iron and a comb through this section. Clamp the flat iron around the section near the roots and place the entire section with the flat iron. Place a fine-toothed comb directly under the flat iron. Slowly move both the straightener and the comb from roots to ends. This should gradually straighten your hair.
Go slow as this will help your hair smooth out on the first stroke. In general, you should avoid running the straightener too much over your hair. This can damage your hair. Depending on the texture of your hair you may need to do 2 passes, but be sure to use a heat protectant and keep the number of passes to a minimum.
Repeat with the other sections. Repeat this process with each other section to complete the look. Remove the section from the hair tie or hair clips. Run the flat iron from root to tip and run a brush through your hair just below the flat iron.
Set your look in place with hairspray (optional). If you wish, you can spritz on a light coat of hairspray to set the look. You can also backcomb your hair first with your fingers or a brush so it falls the way you want it.
3. Avoid common mistakes
Don’t settle for perfectly straight hair if your hair won’t allow it. Natural hair can sometimes struggle to get completely straight and running the straightener too much over your hair can cause damage. If you’re struggling to get your hair straight without damaging it, opt for a semi-straight wavy look instead.
Invest in an iron with custom settings. If you have natural hair, you should not use a flat iron with only one or two settings. Get an iron that lets you adjust the heat settings. Do not use a setting above 177°C (350°F).
Opt for a ceramic straightening iron. When buying your hair straightener, pay attention to the material. Natural hair does best with a 100% ceramic flat iron. Ceramic materials are less likely to damage natural hair.