When considering having your hair straightened, you probably
have tons of questions. To help walk you through the process
so you can make wise choices, we have provided tips for
straightening hair. First, people of all ethnic groups commonly
have their hair straightened. For some, they are born with
unruly hair and need the hair straightened to make it more
manageable while other people simply prefer a smoother,
sleeker look to keep up with trends.
Regardless of the reason why you want to have your hair
straightened, it is important that you start by understanding
that you will be having strong chemicals applied to your
hair and if not done right, permanent damage could be
done. This is why we have put together valuable tips for
straightening hair.
Although it might be tempting to straighten your own
hair with an over-the-counter product, we would highly
recommend you go one-step further and have a professional
do the straightening for you! The goal is to have a positive
experience that results in magnificent-looking hair, without
damage. While the process of hair straightening is not
necessarily a difficult one, a specific technique needs
to be followed.
Without knowing how to use this technique, things could
go wrong. For this reason, the professional can start
by performing a strand test on your hair. This will help
him or her determine how strong your hair is, the texture,
elasticity, and porosity. With the strand test, the professional
will know whether it can handle the chemicals used, and
if so, what type. This test involves the hair being pulled
to determine how elastic it is and then a small amount
of relaxer is applied to see how the hair reacts. If every
thing goes according to plan, then the hair can be straightened.
Additional tips for straightening hair include information
on the three primary steps involved:
If you have hair that has been damaged from overuse of
hairstyling tools or other types of chemicals, then it
is possible that your hair will have to be conditioned
before the straightening process can begin. What chemical
hair straightening does is rearrange the structure of
your curly hair so that it becomes straight.
The three chemicals typically used include sodium hydroxide,
which is very serious and harsh, ammonium thioglycolate,
which is less intense, to guanidine hydroxide, which has
no lye in it and the most gentle of the three options.
Again, since these chemicals are just that, chemicals.
Therefore, misuse can not only damage the hair follicles,
but the scalp and skin as well.
Keep in mind that when hair has been chemically straightening
hair, it typically requires special care to ensure the
hair does not dry out. For instance, you will need to
use a deep conditioning treatment a minimum of twice a
week. Additionally, a quality detangling produce used
with a wide toothed comb would be needed.
Now, keep in mind that while you might see various products
on the market that say they can straighten your hair without
chemicals, the bottom line is they do not work. You could
use a flat brush or flat iron, along with smoothing gel
to straighten your hair but this would be temporary and
probably not be as straight as you might like. Another
option would be to use a blow dryer to straighten the
hair. However, these methods will only last until the
next time you wash your hair, caught in the rain, or end
up in a humid environment.
Although you might want your hair straight, another option
is to love the wave or curls you were born with, using
the temporary methods for an occasional different look.
Just remember that many people with straight hair wish
they had waves or curls so not everyone is happy, regardless
of the type of hair. Before rushing into such a big change, see how the new style would actually suit your look with one of the hairstyle imagery software packages available such as Stellure, simply send in your photo, and with the click of the button go from blonde and curly to a long, straight brunette hairstyle.
The most important thing is to make
sure your hair is not damaged! Beautiful, shiny hair that
is curly is much more attractive than straight, over processed
hair. Just be smart about your choices! We hope these
tips for straightening hair has given you valuable insight.
