Any girl would love to have pretty hair, though each has her own concept of what is pretty. Women are paradoxical creatures by nature. The ones with thick straight hair try to make curls, while the ones with wavy hair usually dream of sleek hair. And though we have lots of well-tested curling devices, we have learned how to straighten curly hair only in the past century.
What to look for when buying a flat iron
Luckily for today’s fancy girls, it’s been a long time since 1906 when the first flat iron was patented. The first prototype devices damaged hair a lot, making them look dull and fall out faster. So perfecting of the straightening devices continued. Eventually there came up additional functions and modes, production materials evolved. But still, the straightening device choice should be carefully considered.
The mainly used types of plates are:
- metal;
- ceramic;
- with tourmaline or ionic ceramic coating
Metal plate irons still can be found, but they are not recommended even for rare use once or twice a month. Using it may lead to dull hair, split ends and even hair breaking and hair loss.
Choose a device with ceramic coating plate. It needs more time to heat up but it won’t cause damage. Sliding easily along a strand, this kind of device straightens hair without harming. But if money is not an issue and what you care most is your hair health, better choose a professional flat iron. Along with the desired effect of flat hair that device may even make hair healthier. Tourmaline and ionic ceramic plates emit negative ions while heating, which improves hair structure. Thus, straightening is combined with reconstruction.
Straightening hair the right way
Let’s make it step by step:
- Straightening works better on just washed hair, so wash it before styling. If you’re not using a professional device it’s strongly recommended to use heat protection.
- Dry your hair. For best results use hair dryer brush.
- Start straightening process from the back of a head. Grab your hair and make a bun on top, thus you divide your hair into sections and make sure you don’t miss any strand. Take one strand at a time to straighten. The thinner strand you take, the better is your result.
- Begin straightening from the roots and make a smooth movement up to the ends of hair. Unclip the next strand and repeat the process.
- Brush your hair after straightening process is complete. Apply hairspray for a long-lasting effect.
A few more tips
Most modern devices provide temperature regulation option.
- Mind your hair structure type to use the right temperature. For fine fragile hair, 150°C is enough. It may take more time but your hair won’t be too damaged.
- It is not recommended heating the device more than 180°C for hair of average thickness. Use higher temperature for extremely thick and wayward hair.
- Don’t use a flat iron too often. More than twice a week will be too much.
- Don’t use it on greasy hair. On a hot plate, grease and remnants of skin oil will solidify and spoil the effect.
- If you straighten your hair every day use nourishing hair masks and proper damaged hair remedies.
- Burdock oil is very good for damaged hair. Rub it into the scalp and apply to hair throughout the length. Then wrap your hair and leave it for 1 hour. Rinse with warm water mixed with small amount of vinegar. You can add egg-yolk to oil if you wish. This mask will rebuild hair structure and boost hair growth.
Make your hair flawlessly straight by using professional flat irons and don’t forget hair repair treatment. This will make your hair always look pretty and healthy.