How I Straighten My Hair

While I love wearing my hair curly, sometimes it's fun to switch it up. Straightening my hair is typically a once a year ordeal, and I try to go about it in a way that will keep damage to a minimum. I gotta say, I think it is so cool being able to run your fingers through your hair! Like, when my hair is curly, that is just going to mess up my whole head, but not if my hair is smooth and straightened. 😆 If you know, you know.

Before I even begin straightening, I make sure to consider my shower schedule. I like to shower the day of or day before I straighten my hair because I won't plan to wash my hair again for a few days to keep the straightened look for longer. Also, I may even put my hair in a tight bun because that tends to do some natural straightening of it's own.

To start, I plug in my straightener and turn it up to the highest temperature, which I believe is 395 degrees. To be honest... my hair straightener isn't that great, but I make it do. 

Then I part my hair down the middle and go in with a generous amount of heat protectant. I use the TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray throughout my head and give it a minute to dry. 

Now I take a hair claw clip and ponytail to divide my hair into sections. I like to work from the lowest layer at the back of my neck to the top most layer at the front crown of my head. It ends up being about four sections total. While I do this, I gently detangle any knots or clumps of curls I come across.

Time to apply the heat. I pull about one inch wide pieces of hair away from my head and run the straightener downwards. One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand, four-one-thousand, done. I go over the piece again with the straightener but quicker this time.

Then I repeat the process with the rest of each section, making my way all throughout my head. I make sure to pay special attention to the pieces that frame my face and run the iron over them an extra time.

Done deal! Well, almost. For the finishing touch I gently comb through my hair and apply an oil. Sometimes I use argan oil like Hask's Healing Shine Argan Oil, or I may use a small amount of Aveda's Brilliant Anti-Humectant Pomade. This fights frizz and adds nourishment back to the hair.

Now we're finished! Time to enjoy a new look and some extra length. My hair doesn't always end up perfectly straight, but it's pretty good considering my starting point of curls with a mind of their own. It is so much fun to change things up every so often!