It's not surprising that the main function of a hair straightener is to straighten out the kinks in your hair or even go from soft curls to straight, but there are certain techniques to consider when doing this for optimal results. Furthermore, most straighteners can actually curl the hair as well. The curls may not be as tightly coiled as a hair curler, but you can definitely get soft curls and waves. Read on for how to achieve this amazing look.
How you dry your hair will have a dramatic effect on your overall result. If you are a head flipping culprit when blow drying, you're likely to get high frizz and fly away hair, which isn't ideal. Instead, if you must blow dry, aim from above your head in a downward orientation, running the drier left to right. It's great for your arm strength!
Whenever you straighten or curl your hair, it's a good idea to first apply a heat protecting creme or spray to your hair. Make sure you let it dry properly before straightening, otherwise it can have the reverse effect. If you hear a sizzle, stop what you're doing and reassess your hair's dryness.
For a protectant that both nourishes and protects, check out our Dream Shine Hair Treatment.
When you straighten your hair, do it it sections, starting with the pieces stemming from the lower part of your head (use a clip for the rest). Grabbing random fistfuls of hair is not going to give you amazing results. Keeping the hair taut, try to curve the hair slightly inward to avoid it flicking out at the bottom, but don't over bend, as this will curl it. Most people like to add a stronger bend at the bottom when straightening har around the face to create a frame. When doing this, it's important to bend towards the face, otherwise it will point the wrong way. Make sure you take it fairly slow with each section, but be careful not to overheat the hair. It's best to go over each section one time only. For a tutorial on how to get sleek, straight hair, check here.
When attempting waves or curls with your straightener, you simply need to wrap the section of hair around a gently closed straightener, then slide it down the length of hair without any further twisting. You can curl away from the face to softly open it up or towards the face for a more dramatic frame.
You can check out this tutorial with Keeping Up with the Kardashians', Kendall Jenner. Once you've finished styling, wait for your hair to cool down (stay still during this time), and set your hair with a light coating of holding hair spray. Then you're all set to go!
