How to Use a Hair Straightener Properly

Hair straightening is one of the most popular methods of styling hair at home. It often begins in our teenage years and it’s important we learn how to use our styling tools correctly.

Straightening leaves hair looking sleek and glossy and gorgeous, but being a heat treatment it doesn’t come without risks of damage.

Many people staring out are unaware of the best method of straightening or using their flat iron properly.

Here is how we suggest you use your styling appliances properly.

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Choose Good Quality Flat Irons

It is important to choose a good quality flat iron, and learn which attributes are best suited to your type of hair. With so many different hair types and lengths (thick, fine, short, long, African-American, curly and frizzy) that people possess, its a matter of learning what is most suitable for your locks.

Check the brand out online to ensure they use quality materials and they pride themselves on safety. It’s you hair at the end of the day!!

Some of the attributes of a good quality straightener are:

Quality plate material
Known and trusted brand
Auto shut-off
Adjustable Temperature
Good safety features
Warranty

Add Moisture To Your Hair

Using hot styling tools regularly can strip your hair of moisture and dry it out, especially if you have thin, fine or treated hair. Therefore, you should get as much moisture into your hair before styling as possible.

This rule applies to both straightening and curling your hair. The easiest way to do this is to use good shampoos and conditioners that add moisture to your hair or those that are formulated for dry, damaged or treated hair.

Comb & Dry Hair

Before you begin to straighten your hair, comb it through properly. If there are knots it can be hard to slide easily down each section of hair and the appliance may get caught. This also means more passes of the hot iron.

Your hair should be completely dry before using most hot irons or it will take a long time for each strand to straighten requiring excessive heat to dry and then straighten.

There are wet-to-dry straighteners on the market now if you like the idea of skipping the drying part. Just make sure your hair type is suitable.

Protecting Your Hair

To prevent damage to your hair from regular styling it is worth investing in some thermal protective hair products or hair straightening cream. The protective serums available often contain proteins or silicon which coat each strand of hair and minimize the damage that can be caused by using a hair flat iron.

Choose The Right Setting

It is a mistaken belief that the hottest setting is the one that will straighten your hair the best. Not only is this not true, it is also highly likely that using a setting that is too high will cause damage to your hair.

As a rule, the finer your hair is the lower the setting you need. If you are not sure which setting you should use, experiment. Practice straightening your hair on a low setting and decide whether you have achieved good results.

If not, choose the next setting and so on until you find the setting that straightens your hair the best. An iron with adjustable settings is ideal as your can change it depending on the style you are after.

Styling With Hair Straighteners

Here are 2 helpful tutorial videos on using a flat iron correctly. Well worth a watch if you are a beginner.

How to Use a Hair Straightener: Conclusion

Using these tips will not only help you to use your hair straightener properly, but give you confidence in what you can do with it. Experimenting with different styles is fun once you have found the perfect match!

By choosing the right straightener and using quality products reduces the risk of damage and ensures you can have beautiful healthy silky locks forevermore.

Our Top Tips On Using Your Hair Straightener Correctly