How to Straighten Your Hair: The Definitive Guide

Trends may come and go, but super-straight hair is always in. Celebs like Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lawrence are seen sporting the style all the time, so I thought it’d be helpful to share my definitive guide on getting stick-straight locks at home, no salon blowout or split ends required.

Step 1: Get a professional grade flat iron. Things have come a long way since the Chi, but it’s still a powerful choice in this arena. Other heavy hitters include the Proliss, InStyler and Sedu (my personal favorite). Regardless of which you choose, a professional grade straightening iron is absolutely your best friend. I know they’re expensive, but you’ll use it constantly, and it can straighten even the kinkiest curls.

Step 2: On freshly washed, towel-dried hair, apply a heat protecting spray like TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray ($4.75). This will protect your hair moderately from the terrible heat-related damage you’re about to put it through. Comb the product through with a wide-toothed comb to avoid breakage and tangles. Then add a straightening creme to your ends like Bumble & Bumble Straight. Dry your hair with a blow dryer slowly, preferably with a diffuser. Move the dryer from root to tip about 6 inches away while combing through the section you’re drying. We want to start with the straightest hair possible.

Note: in order to avoid further heat damage, it’s better to air or towel-dry while combing, but we’re assuming time is a factor. In general, keep hair dryers away from your roots; that area gets tons of heat from your head so it’ll dry quickly by itself.

Step 3: Take a front section of your hair about 1 1/2 inches wide and start your trusty Chi or Chi-equivalent as close to the root as you can get it. Clamp the flat iron down and move it evenly and slowly down the hair. Move that section forward and continue doing this with new sections of hair backward around your head. Try not to move or touch the straightened hair much, as it is still pliable while it’s hot and may change shape. On the back of your head, you may find hair difficult to reach: simply pull it gently upward from the crown and hold it straight up while you straighten, then put it back down with the straightener slowly.

Step 4: On any sections that somehow maintained a non-straight shape (this applies mostly to you, curly girls; most 400-degree professional straightening irons are so powerful that this will rarely happen to wavy types), spritz quickly with your heat tamer, comb, and Chi again. Spot-straighten any imperfect sections this way.

Step 5: Once your hair is perfectly straight, try to leave it alone while it’s still hot and pliable. Once it’s cooled all the way down, style as usual. If you want to maintain the razor-sharp straight bangs the Chi gave you or separate them a little further, use a lightweight gel like Got2b Playful Texturizing Creme Pomade ($5.99) and comb that gently through with a slightly finer comb or your fingers, and re-Chi as necessary. Now, enjoy your super-modern, super straight hair!

top image source: esthersonline.com