Have you ever gone to straighten your hair and realised that it’s just not looking like the sleek, shiny mane you envisioned you’d end up with? Don’t blame yourself, you didn’t know about the mistakes you were making – how could you? I hadn’t even written this blog yet.
The truth is, many of us think straightening our hair is as simple as wash, dry, swipe – but in fact, there’s a lot more to it than that. To be honest, if you’re not taking these four points into account each time you straighten your hair, you’re effectively making all future attempts that much harder for yourself…
#1: you’re not using protection
It may sound a little obvious, but failing to use a heat-protecting product can be one of the reasons that your straightening session doesn’t go exactly as planned. This is because a heat protection product creates a barrier between your hair and the heat styling tool, making it easy to style your hair, yet harder for the heat to penetrate deep into the hair follicle and withdraw the moisture from your strands.
We recommend: Schwarzkopf Essence ULTÎME Crystal Shine 220° Heat Protection, Moroccanoil Heat Styling Protection, VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protection Spray, TONI&GUY Hair Care Heat Protection Mist, L’OCCITANE Aromachologie Heat-Protective Control Mist
#2: you’re over-straightening
Many of us are guilty of the ‘10-times over’ straightening technique. Whilst you may think you’re securing your hair into a permanent stake of ‘sleek’, what you’re actually doing is breaking down the structure of your strands and inviting more frizzy, unmanageable mayhem. The trick is to take your tool down your hair once, slowly. This will ensure the most effective, least-damaging result. Theghd eclipse features six quick-thinking sensors that maintain the same heat consistently and ensure more effective one-stroke styling.
#3: you’re not adding volume
Often, straightening your hair can leave it looking flat and limp. The reason behind this is that people are pulling their straightener on a vertical angle, from root to tip, and their hair hangs accordingly. The best trick to rock straight hair and not compromise on volume is to straighten your hair on an angle from the root. Start from the root of your hair and pull your strands forward, over your shoulder and release. The change in direction will leave your hair with some natural movement, while still looking sleek.
#4: you’re not making it last
If your hair is of the particularly kinky or wavy variety and you’re a fan of locks that are the opposite – you should be looking into treatments that can help to relieve some of the straightening stress your hair is going through. We recommend trying an at-home or in-salon straightening product that will make your daily straightening struggle that little bit easier to deal with. Try the Aveda Smooth Infusion Naturally Straight, which actually works to make your hair straighter over time with continued use, thanks to the inclusion of naturally-derived plant extracts, which work to eliminate unwanted waves.
What is your biggest straightening slip-up? Have you made any big hair styling mistakes?
