Straighten Curly Hair. A 2023 Survival Guide.

Aside from cutting techniques, sometimes customers just want to switch styles. Here you have tips and a step-by-step guide on how to safely straighten curly hair, straight from hair experts.

Start With Clean Hair

One of the many perks of natural texture is the minimized need to wash the hair frequently. But when doing a major transformation to smooth, straight styles, having freshly clean hair is the first step. It is absolutely crucial that you keep the hair clean. A moisturizing shampoo for both curly and coily hair types. Any lingering product build-up can cause the hair or scalp to burn during heat application, so you want to remove those barriers and give yourself a clean slate.

Condition, Detangle, and Section

Before beginning the process of straightening, ysing a deep conditioning mask will provide added hydration and restore the strength of the hair. Allow the conditioning mask to sit for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. Follow up with a leave-in conditioning spray for colored hair. This is beneficial to all curly hair types after proper conditioning so that the hair is detangled and easy to manage. Once you have rinsed, detangle, section the hair, and after applying your leave-in spray, brush through the hair with a Denman or your preferred detangling brush, sectioning the hair into four even quadrants to be the most helpful, this will allow you to have more control when it’s time to blow-dry.

Apply a Heat Protectant

Protection against heat and damage is the number one priority when taking curly or coily hair through a drastic style change, especially on a structural level. Tackling one section at a time, you want to spray a generous amount of heat protectant.

Dry The Hair

It’s time to begin the blow-dry. Blow-drying without a nozzle attachment can cause the hair to pouf out, and this transformation is all about smoothing out the hair with control, so be sure to add a nozzle attachment to your dryer to help direct and control your heat flow where needed, medium heat setting to keep the hair protected.

You’ll also want to have a straightening brush on hand. With good tension, a straightening brush will help ensure that heat is being distributed to every strand in your subsections.

Straighten Roots & Finish The Style

Once the hair is dry, turn your flat iron on at a low to medium temperature. Your iron temperature can always be adjusted based on the coarseness of the hair, a lower temperature and thin subsections will give you the best results. If the hair leans more coily than curly, beginwith a pencil flat iron, usually about 1/4-inch in size, near the roots and hairline.

A straightened style should be expected to last three to five days. You can use your flat iron to create big, soft curls and create a slightly different look on the third or fourth day for versatility, but if you do opt for something requiring another dose of heat application, never turn the heat above 350 degrees, be sure to use a protective serum or spray before ironing the hair again. A soft or medium hold hairspray with oil in its formula for shine and protection can help lock in the new look.


Source Byrdie.