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How to Straighten Frizzy Hair
Most of the anti-frizz styling products out there work very well but not without the aid of good styling tools (meaning high heat) and the right brushes (soft but firm bristles). Yet even after all of that, if there is any humidity in the air, none of this will work to keep hair smooth.
It is also important to be sure you are using the right blow dryer (1875 watts is best), flat iron (the new ceramic plates are excellent), or curling iron (higher heat is best). Also, a good, round, bristled brush works well. It is important to portion the hair in small sections and go slowly over each section several times.
Thermal hair straightening definitely works, with impressive results that defy even the curliest of locks, and it lasts and lasts, at least until you cut it off. However, the procedure is neither easy nor cheap. It's a multi-step process that can take up to six hours or longer, depending on the length and thickness of your hair, and the cost is between $500 and $1000. The process starts with a pre-conditioner that is meant to protect your hair from the damage caused by the heat and chemicals used during the treatment. Next, a hair relaxer is applied in stages, along with intermittent heat applications and a flat-ironing procedure that is fastidiously applied to small sections of hair. Several hours later, you have unbelievably straight hair that requires little styling time to maintain the appearance.
Despite the claim that this system doesn't damage hair (some go as far to suggest that it essentially repairs hair), that simply is not the case. Anything that alters the structure of your hair is damaging. Unfortunately, the companies making the thermal hair straightening products are not willing to share their ingredient lists, and legally they don't have to. Even if the chemicals in the straightening formula aren't problematic, the flat-ironing process is. The thermal iron reaches 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Think about it this way: the boiling point of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Depending on how fast your hair grows, the new growth that appears will need to be straightened as well, though this is generally less time-consuming and less expensive than the original treatment. Most hair types will have success with this process, except for some hair of African descent or hair that is highlighted. African hair can be too fine and too fragile to handle the chemicals and heat, and excessive breakage and damage can occur. For highlighted hair the varying textures (healthy and dyed-athe dyed part being far less healthy) require different processing times, which cannot be adjusted using the thermal straightening system.
Perhaps the one negative, or possibly positive depending on your outlook, aspect you must be prepared for is that your hair will be really, really straight. Be ready for your hair not to hold a curl. For some, perfectly straight hair can seem lifeless, and you may finally find out what your friends with straight hair have been complaining about every time you've coveted their smooth, orderly locks.
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11 Comments » |
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by Aubre from new york on Nov 18, 2009
im mixed and my hair is thick,long,curly and EXTREMELY frizzy.
I straighten my hair but it smells horrible,burnt,and takes me two and a half hours to do. Since its thick it becomes dry, so i have to put oil in it to make shiny ,but it looks gross
What straightner will not make my hair NOT smell and will be easy to use?
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by bethany from california on Nov 6, 2009
i mixed so i have really curly hair whenever i go to the salon they do my hair and it's beautiful but after a day it's horrible because of the way my frizzez...in the morning i straighten my hair..it takes me like 3 hours sometimes...it's perfectly straight well almost..then when i walk to the bus stop it get super poofy and frizzy even though i have anit friss hairspray!!!! help! please what is the best brand of hairspray and what can i do to help my hair stay straight
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by Spring from Pennsylvania on Oct 31, 2009
I am mixed with black and white, basically. So I have mixed hair and in my world that's the worst hair to have, and of course I've got it! I have so much hair that it takes my almost FOUR HOURS to straighten my hair. It only sucks because as soon as I step out my front door, to walk to school, my hair automatically puff up! What can I do? I need help! PLEASE (:
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by Courtney from North Carolina on Sep 28, 2009
I straighten my hair 2 hrs. every morning b4 school and by the time i get to school my hair is already frizzy and curling up again. =( i hav a cheap straightener though and i was looking for tha best straightener to keep my hair perfecly straight and shiny all day =)
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by Pharmd812 from USA on Sep 17, 2009
Very nice site!
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by Lynette from South Africa on May 5, 2009
I can really sympathize with anyone who has curly, frizzy hair. I was born a redhead with hair that curls like a spiral perm and top layers that frizz. All I've ever wanted is long, sleek, straight hair that can just be washed and left but instead hair washing day is something to be dreaded and after finally managing to straighten the mess that grows on my head, I run for the hills at the first sign of rain. Going to the coast where the air is humid means my hair goes into a plait and stays that way until I'm back home again. I am now 55 and have battled this problem since I was 13 years old. The way I straighten my hair is to deep condition it the night before I wash it with a mixture of cocoa butter and jojoba oil to which I add essential oils of chamomile, carrot seed and sandalwood. I leave this on my hair overnight and the next morning wash and condition my hair with moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, then curl it using big curlers. Once it's mostly dry (I try to let it dry naturally if time allows), I use a blow dryer to straighten it further and style it. Then I 'whirl' it to make it look sleek. To do this I put a big curler in the top of my hair (by the crown) and then pin my hair around my head with hair clips. After an hour or two I take it out and my hair is straight and frizz-free. My hair is not dry or damaged, but what a to-do! It really works though and most people are very surprised when I tell them that my hair is naturally curly and frizzy.
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by karlie from australia on Nov 16, 2008
well i have beautiful curly hair,i love it SO much! that is when you don't use the wrong shampoo or conditioner.
i find that gd brands like palmolive etc. make my hair look oilier when i straighten it, even though they are suppose to make my hair nicer!
also, is there a product that makes the ends of your hair nicer and not too straight when straightening?
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by Jasmine Redmond from Newfoundland on Jun 24, 2008
yeah my hair is really curly and only sometimes if im in humidity it goes frizzy on my top layer and when i straighten it, it still gets kinda frizzy and whenever i go outside in like 5 minutes my hair is completely ruined and i DO have a ceramic iron and i DO use really good styling stuff, like brunette expressions... what should i do to keep it tame???
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by kimy from u.S.A NYC on Mar 14, 2008
my hair is so curly but NOT frizzy i hate it there is so much hair and its so curly i wish that the flat iron will work fast it dos work at my hair but u uslly stay 2 hours i know its alot and i want the new flat iron will just stay 30 min i hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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by kimy from U.S.A NYC on Mar 14, 2008
my hair is sooo curly but not frizzy its ugly and its alot of hair and so curly i want to strighten my hair so fast i uslly stay 2 hours i know its alot!!!
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by tabitha from Kentucky on Feb 26, 2008
My hair is super curly and super super frizzy! Will all of these straighteners keep my hair straight throughout the ay?
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