How to Use a Hair Straightener

The process of straightening your hair will not be difficult if you pay attention and take it easy. If you are negligent, you can burn your hair, burn your skin or create broken marks in your hair. Avoid these problems by carefully preparing and using a heat-resistant hair conditioner before straightening your hair.

Table of Contents

Prepare to straighten your hair

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Wash and dry until hair is still slightly damp. Wash your hair, then blow-dry or blow-dry your hair until it’s just slightly damp. ^{[1] X Research Source} Blow-drying will straighten your hair a little, and it will save you time. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Comb your hair with a comb or hairbrush. Remove all tangled hair. Heat-resistant hair products will be spread more evenly if you smoothen your hair first. Absolutely do not let your hair remain tangled when you begin to straighten your hair; otherwise, the straightening process will leave marks and knots in the hair.

Spray heat-resistant hair conditioner. Spray a thin layer over the entire hair. Brush your hair briefly again to spread the heat-resistant product evenly. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Wet hair will absorb the heat product more effectively, but you can still spray it on dry hair.
You can use argan oil or other natural heat-resistant products, but be sure to set the straightener on low for extra protection.

Let the hair dry completely. Continue to blow dry or blow dry your hair completely. Never straighten your hair while it’s wet, as the straightener can burn your hair or cause damage.

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Wait for the straightener to heat up. Plug in the straightener and wait 3-5 minutes for it to heat up while you prepare for the next step. ^{[4] X Research Source} Choose a heat level based on your hair type:

Thin hair: use the lowest heat setting.
Moderately thick hair: use medium heat (about 150–177ºC).
Thick hair: use high heat (200–232ºC). To be on the safe side, you can start with a lower heat setting, and gradually increase the temperature until the machine is hot enough to straighten hair in one stroke.
If you’re not using a heat protectant spray, just keep the heat low. Note that the risk of burning hair is higher.

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Divide your hair into sections. The thicker the hair, the more sections it has to divide. People with thin hair can skip this step or just divide it into 2-4 sections, while thick-haired people may have to divide it into more sections. Clip all sections of hair, except the bottom layer. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You will stretch each curl about 2.5-5 cm wide. Each section of hair can include multiple curls, as long as it is convenient, easy to separate, and easy to hold each curl.
Part the hair on the top of your head by pulling the hair up and tying or clipping it like a half-tied hairstyle. That way you can easily handle the bottom layer of hair.

Use a hair straightener

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Separate a strand of hair. Starting from the bottom layer of hair, separate a strand of hair about 2.5–5 cm wide. The curl should be small enough that you can easily clip it in a straightener and straighten it in one stroke.

Clip the straightener above the hairline. Place the straightener about 2.5 – 7.5 cm from the scalp and clip the curl between the two heated tongs. Clipping too close to the scalp can damage the hairline or burn the scalp. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Remember not to clip too hard to avoid creating ripples in the top hair. Wavy can also appear if you keep your hair in one place for too long.
If a lot of hair falls out of the clip, open it up and re-pin with a smaller strand.

Swipe the straightener all the way through the hair. Slowly stroke the straightener down the entire length of your hair. Keep even pressure on the hair as you stroke. Do not twist or move the straightener to the side; otherwise, the hair may be streaked.

Steam coming out of hair and straighteners is normal. It’s just an anti-evaporative heat product; Not the burning hair.
If you see a lot of steam or smell of burning hair, you need to run the straightener a little faster.
If your hair is particularly frizzy or frizzy, start with a few short strokes at the top before slowly smoothing the straightener as described.

Repeat if necessary. If the curl is not straight after the first stroke, do it again. If it still doesn’t straighten, you should clip less hair or increase the temperature of the straightener.

Multiple strokes with low heat can cause more damage to hair than just one stroke with high heat.

Repeat the operation with all remaining curls. Once you have completed one section of hair, you will remove the clip on the next section and continue straightening. Clip from the bottom layer of hair to the top layer of hair.

Pay more attention to the hair just behind the head. The part of the hair that is not visible is often overlooked.

Smooth hair (optional). If you have some hair sticking out, try swiping it down using one of the following: ^{[7] X Research Source}

Rub in a pea-sized drop of hair conditioner or smaller.
Spray a little hairspray on the hairs pointing up and brush down. You can spray glue all over your hair to protect it from wind and moisture. Hold the hairspray about 30-40cm away from your hair to spray.

Advice

Both curly and wavy hair can be straightened with a straightener.
If you have bangs, stretch them in the opposite direction to create volume. For example, if you have your bangs on the left side, swipe to the right when straightening your hair and flip it back to the left after straightening.
Take it slow when straightening your hair. Working slowly and carefully, though longer, is much more effective.

Warning

If you want to straighten your hair again, wait at least a few days. No matter how you use heat protection products and conditioners, your hair will gradually become damaged if you straighten it too often.
Be careful when handling the straightener and place it close to the scalp to avoid burns.

Things you need

High quality hair straightener
Heat-resistant hair care products
Hair clips, hair ties
Hairspray (optional)

Steps

Prepare to straighten your hair

Use a hair straightener

Advice

Warning

Things you need

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