Straightening techniques

[estherika]

Hi,

I've recently bought a straightening iron (Remington Wet2Straight) and I love it! Finally I can get a straight hair and not that unrecognized mess I was born with...LOL!

BUT...I have a few questions. First of all it takes me forever to straighten it all, I probably should cut it off a bit but still my main problem is doing the back of my head..how do you girls do it? I can't reach it...and do you have some order of some sort? It takes me almost an hour to do my entire head and I've heard it can take 20 minutes or less...so...what is the secret?

Also, my hair comes out straight but not silky and shiny...any tips for that?

 

[Marisol]

What I do is I blow dry my hair until its about 80% dry and then I start using the flat iron. I separate my hair into sections and start with the back and work my way up. Once I am done with it, I brush all of my hair to the front and run the flat iron. Be careful when you do this as to not burn your hand/scalp. I can usually have my hair done in 30 minutes or so depending on how straight or how much I play with it.

Do you use any products in your hair?

 

[estherika]

I use Loreal's Hot Straight to protect my hair from the heat...

 

[Marisol]

You should see if you can use like John Frieda's Frizz Ease or something that will add shine to your hair after your ironed it.

 

[estherika]

First, thank for answering! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

But I'm not from the US we don't have John Frieda's line... /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[prettybabi11492]

Any good quality shine spray will do; I bet Janelle will have some suggestions /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Aquilah]

I was born w/ naturally curly hair (think Mariah Carey when she first came out), except it's really unruly, thick and coarse! Though I get relaxers, I haven't found a good straightening iron for when I'm at home (and I haven't coughed up the $120+ for Chi yet). I normally just let it air dry, then run the blow dryer through it w/ a comb attachment, apply some use Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide and straighten it w/ my big barrel curling iron. The Redken leaves my hair shiny, although using Oil Sheen Light makes it silky (I use either or)...

When doing my hair, I normally part my hair in 4 sections. I start w/ the back, and just "guesstimate" based on feeling the heat against my scalp. I'm lucky I don't burn myself, but having used curling irons and whatnot my entire life, I guess I shouldn't by now! I start at the roots and work my way down. I guess it helps my hair is longer. Did that even just help???

I feel you on it taking forever! The total process from start to finish takes me almost 2 days (24-36 of which is air drying) *lol*

 

[estherika]

Yes, Thanks! That helps alot! I'll try the 4 sections thing... though I never seem to get to the back of my head, I'm not very flexible /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Think tomorrow I'll go and buy me a few hair pins and some shine-silk product if I can find one...and I'll let you know how it went...

LOL, totally understand! :laughing:

 

[MeowMix718]

Kiehls Protective Cream is the best I've used to far, followed by Graham Webb Super Stick Straight

 

[Liz]

i put some reken smooth down serum in my hair first, then blow dry

then i take sections from the back and pin up the rest. pump out a little smooth down and put it in the sectioned off hair. pull it in front and flat iron. then put it on my back, then pull another section forward.

 

[NYAngel98]

I would also dry it with the hair dryer and a ceramic brush till it's about 80-90% dry, then follow with the iron. I use HealthySexyHair's soy smoothie straightening tonic, and that seems to work well for me. You might want to try the Chi spray polish to add a touch of shine. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[estherika]

Thank you girls for your suggestions!! They are very helpful!!!

About the afterwards shine lotion, all the names you've mentioned (John Frieda, Chi, HealthySexyHair, Redken, Webb etc.) I don't have them in my country...do you have recommendations for drugstore firms maybe?

 

[Enchantedcameo]

What country do you live in? That might help some of the girls out. I was also born with curly hair and it takes me an hour to straiten out my hair. I have a lot of hair it drives my hair dresser insane! You can also do a search on the internet for some good products. Good luck!

 

[estherika]

I'm from Israel...

Today I went shopping and bought like the entire Dove line *LOL* (BTW, Dove offer on the website free samples to US residents...so you might want to check them out)

Hopefully that will help my hair look better...also bought hair pins and tomorrow I'll try straighten it again...

 

[so-char]

My hair is very long, and naturally curly, but I have got straightening down to an art after doing it for so long !

I use remmington 2x protection, which I think is just as good as GHDs (I have used both). First of all I let my hair totally dry, I let it dry naturally, I have not used a hair drier for years because it makes my hair look so much healthier. (but if you have wet to straight I guess you don't have to wait for it to dry, not sure what the results of that will be like though)

I then divide my hair into two, and tie up one half (like having one piggy tail). You need some big clips, like the ones they use at hairdressers, I usually need 2 at most.

Take a small section at the back of your head (not a tiny section, a section that will divide off into about 3-4 sections small enough to run through the straightner) Then clip the rest of the hair up on your head out of the way.

Spray some sort of heat defence spray mainly on the ends of the hairs on that section (I use TRESemmé heat defence styling spray). Then take small sections of hair and run it gently through the straightner, I usually do it twice on each section of hair. When you straighten from the back, if you have long hair just bring your hair over your shoulder to the front and you should be able to get it all.

When thats done, move it out the way, and unclip and grab another section, again clipping the rest out of the way and just repeat.

Once one half is done, tie up the straightened half loosely, and repeat with the unstraightened half.

This always gets my hair poker straight!

This usually takes me about half an hour, but I have done it in 15 minutes before with the same result and also nearly an hour, I guess it depends how quick you are feeling !

 

[estherika]

Oh WOW!!! Thank you for writing down with so much detail!!!

I'll do that tomorrow with my computer open for reference /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Hope I'll manage to pull this off...

Thank again! I'll write afterwards on my experience...

 

[girl_geek]

How long is your hair? My hair is just a few inches past my shoulders, so I have no problems holding the flatiron behind my head and running it down the length of my hair -- however if my hair was much longer I wouldn't be able to reach the end! I would probably have to pull it around in front of my shoulders to read the ends.

I also use L'Oreal Hot Straight, and my hair gets fairly shiny just because it's straight (it never looks shiney when it's wavy) though it's not super shiny or anything. I don't know of any better shine products, I didn't think the Frizz Ease products were that impressive myself....

I apply the Hot Straight then blowdry my hair almost completely dry -- I used to leave it just a little damp (since I use Conair's Wet/Dry Flat Iron, I thought it would be safe on damp hair), but I think I get it straighter if I dry it a little more.

Once it's dry, I comb it out and then start by flat-ironing the bottom layers and working my way up:

First I take almost all of my hair and twist it up into some sort of ponytail or bun, leaving a layer of hair around the bottom of my head hanging down. I flat-iron that layer, a few sections at a time -- make sure the section of hair you're flat-ironing isn't more than half an inch thick. I run the flat iron down each section only once, but I do it fairly slowly. I also use a medium heat setting on my iron, no sense in frying my hair on the highest setting if I don't need to!

Next, I let some more hair out of the bun, leaving the top part of my hair still in the bun, and I flat-iron the hair I just pulled out. And I just repeat the process, ironing the top layer last so it's silky smooth and free of rubber-band kinks!

My hair is fine yet thick (ie, the strands of hair are narrow but there is a lot of hair!) and naturally wavy. When my hair was shorter it was more wavy so I flat-ironed it in 5 layers, now it's a little bit straighter naturally and I can flat-iron it in 4 layers. I can now flat-iron my hair in 10 minutes, and blowdry it in about 7 or 8 minutes! But if your hair is more coarse, curly, or thicker than mine, you will probably want to use smaller sections, run the flat iron over each section multiple times, or use a higher heat setting.

 

[NYAngel98]

Do you have CitreShine by you?? They have lots of shine enhancing products... and they are in the US drugstores /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[bebs]

I do mine in 8 sections... bottom top and sides and back. do the back first (get a hand held mirror and the larger mirror behind you and you can do it that way and see what your doing. or just check on the progress)

also I use osis flatliner for blowdrying and then smooth and seal from straight and sexy hair sometimes osis sparkler or headrush from bedhead remeber when flat ironing you need to spray hair section by section and not all at once because that wont protect it from the heat

 

[kanou]

i first put on some straighting balm (lovin the bedheads one) and when the hair is 100% dry (never damp) i just go over with a very thick iron (ghd) and there u go!