How to Straighten Hair

If you have curly or wavy hair, you may want to experiment with straightening it. Our guide, how to straighten hair, will walk you through the simple steps to straight, glossy locks.

Introduction
- Straight hair has become increasingly popular, perhaps because it is finally achievable even for the curliest heads with hotter than ever flat irons and turbo-charged blow dryers. You'll need the right equipment (listed below), before you get started, but straight hair is easy to achieve in your own bathroom. Yes, you'll need to take the time to make sure your hair is completely dry, and no, it isn't easy to do the back of your head, but with the few simple steps below, you'll be on your way to bone-straight tresses.
- Though you can certainly achieve salon results at home with a little practice and a couple of good tools, some women would rather put their hair in the hands of a professional. If you're interested in trying a chemical relaxer or the increasingly popular Japanese "thermal reconditioning", promising several months of wash-and-go straight hair, head to our Step 4: Professional Straightening for further information on what you'll pay, how long you'll sit in that salon chair and what the service involves.
What You'll Need
- - Blow dryer that is at least 1300 watts
  - Round brush (the longer your hair, the larger the brush should be)
  - Hair clips
  - Straightening product, likely a serum, cream or gel that has the words "smoothing" or "straightening" in its title
  - Detangling comb
  - Optional: flat iron
Step 1: Wash, Condition, and Comb
- You'll need to start with wet hair to transform your curly or wavy locks to smooth, straight hair.
1. Wash and condition your hair. You may want to use a straightening or smoothing shampoo and conditioner, like the one from Phyto.
2. Because straightening your hair at high temperatures can damage your hair, it is recommended that women who straighten their hair often use a deep conditioner, as well.
3. Avoid vigorously towel drying, which creates fuzz. Gently blot excess water with a towel.
4. Comb hair with a wide-toothed detangling comb to gently get out the knots.
5. Apply a smoothing or straightening product to hair and comb through from root to tip to distribute the product evenly. Phytodefrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm comes highly recommended.
6. Some experts recommend gently blow drying hair while just running your fingers through to get the excess water out before proceeding with brush and "full-blown" straightening technique.
Step 2: Blow Dry
- Using a round brush and a blow dryer, you can achieve a smooth, straight head of hair.
1. Divide hair into manageable sections and use hair clips to secure it, so you can focus on one section of hair at a time. Experts disagree on how many sections to divide into, but as long as the majority of your hair is out of the way while you work on one section at a time, you'll be fine.
2. Take one section of your hair and pull your round brush from the roots of your hair to the ends, while blow drying it. Pull hair away from your head with your brush, focusing your blow dryer directly at the section you're working on, and using your brush to keep hair straight and maintain tension.
3. Be sure to angle your blow dryer's nozzle down, in the same direction as the hair shaft, to seal the hair cuticle and keep hair frizz-free.
4. Work on one section at a time and be sure you get hair completely dry before moving on, as any degree of dampness will turn to frizz soon enough.
5. When your hair is completely smooth and dry, change your blow dryer's setting to "Cool" and blast a shot of cool air through the hair to "lock the cuticle in place" and prevent frizzing.
6. If you're not going to use a flat iron, put a small amount of finishing product on hair to protect it from the elements and seal the hair cuticle (follow the product's instructions for how much to use). You can use the same serum you used in the beginning, or a different smoothing product.
Step 3: Use a Flat Iron
- If your goal is flat, straight-as-straight-can-be hair, you'll need to use a flat iron.
1. Turn on your flat iron a little before you plan to begin using it so it has time to heat up. Many newer irons can heat up in as little as 30 seconds.
2. Experts recommend keeping the heat around 250 degrees so you don't scorch hair but the iron will be hot enough to do its job. For especially thick or coarse, curly hair, you might want to turn up the heat.
3. Put your hair in sections again, so you can focus on one piece at a time.
4. Straighten sections that are between one and two inches wide and only half an inch thick.
5. Place the iron as close to the root as possible (but don't burn yourself!) and pull it all the way down to the ends.
6. You may need to go over a section more than once until it is perfectly straight.
7. Rub a small amount of finishing product between palms and apply it to your straight hair to seal the look. But don't apply too much product, or your blowout will get greasy, and you'll have to start all over again all too soon...
8. Some women who straighten their hair happily report it can remain straight for several days. Now that you've done all this work, try to avoid washing your hair or getting it wet for the next few days.
Step 4: Professional Straightening
- If you don't have the time to straighten your hair at home on a regular basis, or you want straight hair all the time, you'll need to turn to the professionals.
1. Traditional straightening involves "relaxers," generally a mix of chemicals, sometimes including lye, that reconfigure the hair, literally "relaxing" the curl. A chemical relaxer can cost about $300, with results lasting a few weeks.
2. In the last several years, Japanese "thermal reconditioning" has become a popular method of achieving semi-permanent straight hair that will stay straight even if you wash it or get it wet. But some experts question how harmful these chemicals are, and if alternative routes to straight hair might not be more effective (as well as less expensive).
3. If you decide to go the thermal reconditioning route, expect to spend several hours having the cuticles of your hair broken down by chemicals and then ironed straight.
4. Depending on your hair type, results from professional straightening can last up to several months. Expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $600 for the service.
5. Even more appealing recently is a Brazilian straightening technique, called escova progressiva, or the progressive blow-dry. The treatment doesn't use the caustic chemicals you'd find in thermal reconditioning or chemical relaxers, but there's still a hot (450 degrees!) iron involved, so be sure you go to someone you trust for this service.
6. Brazilian straightening costs between $150 to $600, depending on how long and/or thick your hair is. The process will take between one and a half to four hours and results can last up to a few months.
Resources for How to Straighten Hair
- CBS News: "Straight is Latest Hot Hair Look" (May 14, 2007)
- Slate: "Set Me Straight: Which Flat Iron Can Conquer My Crazy Curls?" (April 24, 2007)
- DIY Life: "Hair Straightening Made Simple" (August 30, 2007)
- wikiHow: How to Straighten Your Hair
- eHow: How to Straighten Hair with a Blow-dryer
- YouTube: How to Straighten Hair with a Blow Dryer
- New York Times: "Curls, Split! Ringlets, Be Gone!" (July 19, 2007)
- New York Times: "Do Straight Haired Women Have More Fun?" (March 17, 2002)
- ABC News: "Straight Talk on Hair-Straightening Treatment" (April 13, 2004)
- Fox News: "Hair: The Straight Story" (August 30, 2002)
- Wikipedia: Relaxer