How to Use a Hair Straightener

Straightening your hair won’t be a challenge if you pay attention and go slowly. However, if you're careless, you may end up burning your hair, damaging your skin, or causing breakage marks on your strands. Avoid these issues by preparing properly and applying heat-protective hair care products before straightening.

Wash and dry until your hair is slightly damp. Wash your hair, then blow-dry or air dry until it’s only slightly damp. Drying your hair will make it straighter, saving you some time when straightening it.

Brush your hair with a comb or hairbrush. Untangle all the knots and tangles in your hair. Heat protection products will be more evenly applied if your hair is smooth before starting. Under no circumstances should you begin straightening your hair with knots still in it; otherwise, the straightening process may leave marks or tangles in your hair.

Spray heat protection product. Lightly spray the product all over your hair. Quickly brush your hair once more to distribute the heat protection evenly.

• Wet hair will absorb the heat protection product more effectively, but it can still be applied to dry hair.
• You may use argan oil or other natural heat protectants, but remember to set your straightener to a low temperature to improve hair protection.

Let your hair dry completely. Continue blow-drying or air-dry your hair until it’s fully dry. Never straighten your hair while it’s still wet, as the straightener may burn or damage your hair.

Wait for the straightener to heat up. Plug in your straightener and allow it to heat for 3-5 minutes while you prepare for the next steps. Choose the temperature based on your hair type:

• Fine hair: use the lowest setting.
• Medium thickness hair: use a medium setting (around 150-177ºC).
• Thick hair: use a higher temperature (200-232ºC). For safety, you may start with a lower setting and gradually increase the heat until the straightener is hot enough to straighten your hair in one smooth pass.
• If you are not using a heat protection spray, it’s best to keep the temperature low. Note that the risk of burning your hair will be higher.

Divide your hair into sections. The thicker your hair, the more sections you should create. Those with fine hair can skip this step or divide their hair into 2-4 sections, while people with thick hair may need to divide it into more sections. Clip back all sections except the bottom layer.

• Each section should be about 2.5-5 cm wide. Each section can contain multiple strands of hair, as long as it’s convenient and easy to separate and hold each strand.
• For the top section of your hair, pull it up and tie or clip it back, as you would for a half-up hairstyle. This makes it easier to manage the bottom layers.

Separate a section of hair. Start from the bottom layer and take a section of hair that is approximately 2.5-5 cm wide. The section should be small enough to easily grip between the straightener plates and straighten in one pass.

Place the straightener above the roots. Position the straightener about 2.5 - 7.5 cm from the scalp and clamp the section of hair between the heated plates. Placing the straightener too close to the roots could damage the scalp or burn the hairline.

• Be sure not to clamp too tightly to avoid creating ridges on the upper part of the hair. Ridges may also form if you hold the straightener in one place for too long.
• If too many strands fall out of the clamp, open the straightener and re-grip a smaller section of hair.

Slide the straightener down the length of your hair. Slowly slide the straightener down the hair shaft, applying even pressure throughout. Avoid twisting or moving the straightener sideways; otherwise, you may get creases in your hair.

• It’s normal to see steam coming off your hair and the straightener. This is just the heat protection product evaporating; your hair is not burning.
• If you notice a lot of steam or smell burnt hair, you need to move the straightener faster.
• If your hair is particularly curly or frizzy, start with a few quick strokes at the top before gradually gliding the straightener as described.

Repeat if necessary. If the section of hair is not straight after one pass, go over it again. If it’s still not straight enough, consider taking smaller sections or increasing the temperature of the straightener.

• Multiple passes at a low temperature can cause more damage to your hair than one pass at a higher temperature.

Repeat the process for the remaining sections of hair. Once you’ve finished with one section, unclip the next section and continue straightening. Start from the bottom layer and work your way up to the upper layers.

• Pay extra attention to the hair at the back of your head. The areas that are out of sight are often the easiest to miss.

Smooth any stray hairs (optional). If you have a few stray hairs sticking up, try one of the following methods to smooth them down:

• Rub a drop of hair serum the size of a pea or smaller.
• Spray a bit of hairspray on the stray hairs and comb them down. You can spray hairspray all over your hair to protect it from wind and humidity. Hold the hairspray bottle about 30-40 cm away from your hair while spraying.

Finish.

• Both curly and wavy hair can be straightened with a hair straightener.
• If you have bangs, straighten them in the opposite direction to add volume. For instance, if your bangs fall to the left, straighten them to the right, and then flip them back to the left once finished.
• Go slow while straightening. Taking your time and being careful might take longer, but it will yield far better results.

• If you want to straighten your hair again, wait at least a few days. No matter how much heat protection or conditioner you use, frequent straightening will eventually damage your hair.
• Be careful when handling the straightener and placing it close to your scalp to avoid burns.

• High-quality hair straightener
• Heat protection product
• Hair clips, hair ties
• Hairspray (optional)