Sleek, shiny, straight hair is a sought after look that does not come naturally to many women. Luckily, it is not difficult to achieve. Depending on your time commitment, budget, and possible aversion (or not) to chemicals, there are lots of options for hair straightening techniques, either at home or at the salon.
At Home
At-home straightening techniques are the fastest and cheapest way to achieve straight hair. They do require a bit of skill on the part of the stylist - you, which is why these techniques sometimes achieve imperfect results.
1. Using a Blow Dryer
Allow your wet hair to dry until it is just damp, either by air drying, blow drying or towel drying. Add styling product to your hair, concentrating it on the roots. With a blow dryer (preferably one with 1800 watts or more, and a round brush), blow dry your hair in sections. Take a section of hair less than one-inch thick and lift it at the root with the round brush. Blow it dry, allowing the hair to cool while on the brush. This should create volume at the root while smoothing and straightening the hair.
When you are finished blow drying the separate sections of your hair, use the cool setting on your dryer to blow cool air on your hair, setting the style. Spray your hair with an anti-humidity spray to set it.
2. Using a Straightening Iron
A straightening iron can be an excellent tool, especially for those with wavy hair rather than extremely curly hair. If you do have very curly hair, I recommend using a blow dryer and a round brush on your hair first, followed by a straightening iron.
A straightening iron works much like a curling iron except that instead of curling your hair around a barrel, you place sections of hair between two flat pieces of hot metal irons. Use the iron on individual sections of dry hair. When you have finished straightening all of your hair, use a flat paddle brush to comb through it and spray on an anti-humidity spray to seal in the style.
At the Salon
As anyone who has ever had their hair blown dry after a haircut knows, stylists are masters at achieving the smooth, straight styles many women crave. Many salons also offer more permanent straightening solutions in addition to their blow-drying skills. Salon solutions will be more expensive than at-home solutions, but are a good option for special occasions or for semi-permanent straightening.
3. Getting a Blow-out
There are reasons stylists are better at straightening your hair with a blow dryer than you are: practice, tools and perspective. Stylists sometimes do more than 10 blow-outs every day. They're experts when it comes to straightening hair! They also have the right dryers, the perfect brushes and the best products to do it correctly. Most importantly, they have a better perspective to do a better blow dry. How hard is it to blow dry your own hair, especially when you get to the top and back sections? Stylists can see what they're doing and move around your head to get the right angle with the dryer and the brush.
With the increase in popularity of specialty blow-dry-only salons, getting a weekly blow-out is a cinch. Stop in on Friday evening and have fantastic hair throughout the whole weekend. Just make sure you don't wash your hair, and you'll be set for date night, lunch and shopping with friends, or a night on the town.
4. Brazilian Straightening
The newest trend in hair straightening is Brazilian straightening. This is a semi-permanent solution that involves a solution placed on your hair and a really hot iron. Brazilian straightening is sought after for several reasons, mainly because it promises not to damage hair.
In Brazilian straightening, a keratin solution is applied to the hair. An extremely hot straightening iron is then run over the hair, sealing in the solution. The keratin adheres to the hair's rough cuticle making it appear smooth and shiny. The treatment keeps hair straight and smooth for weeks or, sometimes, months. The frequency with which you wash your hair largely determines the length of time your hair will stay straightened.
Brazilian straightening does use the chemical formaldehyde, which makes it unappealing to some. However, the amount of formaldehyde is very small, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no restrictions on using formaldehyde in cosmetics or beauty treatments.
A Brazilian straightening process will take 2-4 hours and cost $150 or more.
5. Japanese Straightening
Japanese straightening was at the height of popularity a few years ago because of its permanent results. Until curly hair grows in, the hair that is straightened using the Japanese technique stays straight for most people no matter how often it is washed or styled. It is, however, a chemical process and therefore very damaging. People who have undergone multiple Japanese straightening sessions report hair breaking off, drying out and falling out. It is also very expensive and time consuming. A typical treatment can cost $500 or more and take 4-6 hours.
If your hair is strong and thick and less prone to damage, Japanese straightening could be a good candidate for you. There is definitely something very appealing about the permanence of the results. After the process, you can wash your hair in the morning, let it air dry and it will still be straight! This is nothing short of a miracle for some women.
Whatever your budget or time commitment, there is a hair straightening option for you. Do you want more flexibility to wear your hair in different styles every day of the week? Opt for an at-home technique, then stop by a salon for a special occasion blow-out when you need it. Do you want the ease of silky smooth hair every day with only a little work on your part? Save your money and head to the salon for a day of Brazilian or Japanese straightening. The results can last for months!