How to straighten your hair

Straight hair: it’s striking, it’s elegant, and you can flick it around dramatically. If you don’t have naturally straight locks, however, here’s a guide to how to straighten hair. The at-home methods below will get your hair straight for a day or two, although you can refresh them by giving your hair a quick go-over with a heated straightening brush. If you want to know how to make hair straight in a way that will last for months, ask your hairdresser about hair straightening treatments.

How to straighten your hair with a hairdryer

If you don’t have a straightener, you can still enjoy straight hair. This method for how to straighten hair just uses a hairdryer, a hairbrush, and a bit of product.

Wash your hair and let it part-dry. You want your hair to be damp, not dry or dripping.

Apply heat protectant to your hair.

Rub in some straightening balm as well.

Comb out tangles. Use a wide-toothed comb for this; brushes can easily tear damp hair.

To make sure you’re straightening your hair all over, it’s easiest to do it in sections. Tie up your hair in a ponytail and take it down gradually, section by section, to straighten it.

For each section, dry your hair with your hairdryer as you slowly pull a hairbrush through from roots to ends. Keep the hairdryer further up than the brush, with the nozzle pointed down. Your brush pulls your hair taut, straightening it, while the dryer helps to hold it that way.

Do this multiple times, until the section is dry, before moving on to the next section.

Repeat until you’ve straightened all of your hair.

Put your hairdryer on its coolest setting and treat your hair to some cold air, going from top to bottom.

Optionally, use hairspray to help your new style last.

For additional heat protection, use a hairdryer with ThermoProtect technology.

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How to straighten your hair with a straightening brush

Check the instructions on your straightening brush before you use it, but the method for how to use hair straightener brushes is usually something like this:

Make sure your hair is clean and dry.

Apply heat protectant.

Brush out any tangles.

Again, it’s easiest to tie up your untreated hair and take it down before straightening it, section by section.

Slowly run your heated brush through the section, scalp to ends. Although you’re moving slowly, you should keep moving, because leaving the brush still in your hair could risk heat damage. You can brush from the underside of your hair to add volume.

Repeat until the section is straight enough for your tastes.

Start on the next section, and keep going until your hair’s done.

Again, use hairspray to keep your hair straight for longer.

How to use hair straightener

Finally, here’s how to make hair straight with a flat iron. Again, this is a general guide, but it’s best to check whether your straightener has any specific instructions.

As with the straightening brush, you want your hair to be clean and dry before you bring a straightener anywhere near it.

Use heat protectant and brush out tangles.

You’re going to be working section by section again. In this case, how large the sections can be will depend on how much hair you can comfortably draw through your straightener. Tie the sections you’re not working on yet out of the way.

Heat up the straightener. It may be tempting to use high settings for more effective straightening, but it could cause damage. Try to find the lowest setting that still works for your hair, starting low and turning up the heat if necessary. Some straighteners have technology that allows you to reduce the level of heat you’re applying to your hair.

Gently clamp a section of your hair, close to the roots without actually touching the scalp; you don’t want to burn yourself. Only clamp your hair in the straightener when you’re ready, or you’ll end up holding it still for too long and potentially burning your hair.

Draw the straightener down your hair to the ends, slowly and steadily.

Repeat if necessary, but try not to go over any section more than three times.

Keep going until you’ve straightened all your hair, and finish with hairspray if you like.

Once you’ve turned the straightener off, let it cool down completely before putting it away.