Hair Straightening: That’s The Way to Do It!
Unruly and uncontrollable? We show how you can straighten your hair – with or without a straightening iron. Here are the best tips and tricks from the beauty editors!
Hair Straightening: Short hair
- Apply some straightening balm to towel-dried hair, then dry everything with a hairdryer on a cool setting: hold the hairdryer at the height of the back of the head and brush the hair forwards at the same time – this will give the head a beautiful shape later.
- Comb the hairs forward with a fine-toothed comb, draw a side parting. Now use the straightening iron: First use the lowest setting of the straightening iron. That way you will do the least damage to your hair. Later you can always turn it hotter if necessary. The straightening iron needs about one minute to heat up. Place the straightening iron at the hairline and pull it through your hair strand by strand until it reaches the ends. Be careful not to stay in one position or the hair will get too hot at that point.
- To tame the last protruding hairs, rub a little gel between the palms of your hands and stroke carefully over the hair.
Attention: You should not straighten your hair too often with the straightening iron, otherwise it can become brittle. It should not necessarily be more than twice a week! Besides, good care is important! Treat your hair once a week to an intensive treatment.
Hair straightening with curls
- Apply a hazelnut-sized portion of smoothing balm with heat protection to towel-dried hair, additionally smoothing the hair with your flat hands.
- Blow-dry the hair completely dry at highest wind speed and low temperature and at the same time pull the hair straight with the paddle brush – best criss-cross over your head to bring your stand into the roots.
- Partition a two centimetre wide area at the lower back of the head, pin the remaining hair to the top of the head. Tighten the strand and pull the straightening iron from the roots to the tips with gentle pressure and a smooth, brisk movement – for medium-length hair this takes no more than four seconds. If the hair is still frizzy, repeat once. Work the entire hair, strand by strand, from bottom to top, using the straightening iron close to the roots – the finer the strand, the closer you can get. But be careful not to burn yourself!
Tip: Finally, the tips can be given a slight swing by shaping them slightly inwards with the straightening iron.
Note: The straightening iron is not suitable for every day. Fortunately, the look usually lasts for a few days, but if your hair is healthy, you can use it again. If the lengths ripple earlier due to high humidity, only the uppermost part should be reworked – this will protect the remaining hair.
Straighten hair with straightening iron: Tips and tricks
Metal plates damage your hair, so look out for plates with a Teflon or ceramic sealant on your straightening iron. The plates must be completely smooth and must not have any scratches, so handle the appliance with care! Also, the temperature of the appliance should be adjustable and then remain constant.
That’s how you straighten out:
- Use protective products such as straightening balm or heat spray before straightening to protect your hair from the temperature and treat it once a week with an intensive care treatment.
- If you already have very porous hair, it is better not to straighten your hair, otherwise it could break. Healthy hair, on the other hand, tolerates straightening better!
- Never use the straightening iron directly on wet hair: It’ll burn your hair! Always dry it first and let it rest for a while afterwards. This creates a greasy layer that protects the hair. Ideally, the hair should be air-dry first!
- Try not to apply the straightening iron too hot and not to apply it too long in one place. It could otherwise stress your hair too much. Try to see if the lowest setting of the straightening iron is enough to straighten your hair.
- Caution: Danger of burns! Make sure you never get too close to your scalp.
- When straightening, always start with the lower hair layers first until you work your way to the top hair. The best result is achieved by placing thin strands of hair between the plates and pulling them in an arc from the head down.
Straightening hair without straightening iron
- Apply a straightening balm with heat protection to towel-dried hair, while additionally smoothing the hair with your flat hands and blow-drying it almost dry with a hairdryer at highest wind speed and low heat.
- Pull the side parting. Then separate a section, smooth with the brush and dry on a high heat setting – directing the blow dryer air from the roots to the tips, thus closing the cuticle layer and giving the hair more shine.
- Place the tips over the brush in such a way that they get a slight inner curve – and blow dry again.
- Finally, rework the top hair with a hairdryer: Put the brush on from above, keep the strand under tension and blow-dry with little distance. Wait a few seconds, then blow over the hair with cold temperature until it has cooled down completely.
- For the finish, apply a straightening shine cream to the hair with flat palms.
Note: This method is best suited for every day with healthy hair. Wavy to curly hair can be straightened again with a straightening iron.