Having curly hair can be both a blessing and a curse.
Nothing is more attractive than a head full of perfect ringlets or waves cascading over your shoulders.
But when it’s acting piqued – Dry, frizzy, stressed-out curly hair is never a pretty sight to behold.
When you try to wrestle with those misbehaving curls, it only makes things worse. Pheww!!
At that moment, you start bombarding your best friend and mine too- Google, with questions like: How to Straighten Hair Fast?
Women with wavy hair or curly hair will pull, blow, iron, treat or practically do anything to get sleek straight hair.
Love hair buns? Then you must try these 17 buns.
That can be bad for your hair health, right?
But you still want to straighten your hair; therefore, I thought it would be helpful for you to know different techniques to straighten hair and the pros and cons of each.
Here are 7 Easy Ways to Straighten Hair Easily and Permanently (In Some Cases)
1. Silicone Creams
Silicone creams are classic hair products based on oily materials like petrolatum and mineral oil. They work in the same way but contain materials like cyclomethicone or dimethicone.
But these creams are easy to use. You just have to apply the product all over your damp hair and comb. The oily ingredients will coat your hair and prevent it from curling up when it dries up.
Pros:
- Incredibly effective on all hair types.
- Relatively inexpensive non-damaging.
- Provide smooth and shiny straight hair.
- The effect lasts until you wash out the product.
Cons:
- Greasy hair.
- Hair gets dirtier faster.
- Weighs down hair (not always, sometimes).
2. Brushing While Blow Drying
Brushing and blow drying is bit like using an iron to straighten out the wrinkles in clothes.
As your hair dries, it tends to curl up because of the water content and the chemical bonds present in the hair fiber proteins.
Want to sport a short hair cut? Then get some inspiration here.
If you hold your hair straight with a brush and blow dry it, it’ll hold that position and become straight.
Pros:
- Simple, affordable and effective.
- It’ll leave your hair feeling more natural as compared to styling products or hairdressings.
Cons:
- Difficult to do yourself.
- Slightly damaging.
- Takes too much time.
- It’ll not work on extremely curly hair and frizzes out in humid weather.
3. How to Straighten Hair with Flat Iron
If you’ve really thick curls and the blow-drying + brushing method doesn’t work, then try using a flat iron.
After washing your hair, let them air dry, after that comb it and straighten with a flat iron. Initially, it’ll take time, but as they say, “Practice makes a man perfect”, you’ll also master the art of using a hair straightener with practice.
Pros:
- Intense and effective on all hair types.
- Inexpensive way to get straight hair.
Cons:
- It’s more damaging to your hair than a blow dryer.
- Hair frizzes out when humidity is high.
- Takes a lot of time, especially with thick curls.
4. Hair Styling Products
Don’t like the greasy feeling of hairdressings?
Don’t have the time for flat ironing?
Then hair styling products for hair straightening are for you.
These hair straightening products like hairsprays, mousses, gels, pomade, and putties coat your mane with polymers that firmly hold the hair straight.
Pros:
- Effective but require great skill in applying and shaping hair.
- They’ll hold the hair straight better than flat iron or blow drying.
- When applied properly, most styling products don’t damage the hair.
- Their effect will last till the products are washed out.
Cons:
- Dries out hair.
- Most of the styling products contain alcohols, which dissolve oils, but alcohol isn’t good for your hair.
- They contain chemicals which cause build-up, dull hair, dandruff and itchy scalp.
5. Hair Relaxers
If you want straight hair, then there is no more effective and inexpensive method than getting your hair relaxed.
In this a caustic chemical is applied to your kinky hair and then occur a chemical reaction.
After that, the hair is straightened with a straightener and a neutralizing formula is used to reform the chemical bonds in a straight shape.
Pros:
- More effective and cheaper than either Brazilian or Japanese hair treatments to straighten curly hair.
- A relaxed head takes less time to comb and groom thus easier to manage.
- You can wear your hair in many different styles.
Cons:
- Expensive to maintain.
- If not applied properly, chemicals present in relaxers damage your hair and scalp.
- Relaxed hair is weaker than your natural hair.
- It leads to dryness.
- You’ve to take extra care has to be taken to keep the hair moisturized or it’ll break.
6. Brazilian Hair Straightening
This hair straightening method is the hottest hair styling treatment these days, especially to straighten thick hair.
The stylist will coat your ringlets in a keratin protein formula; it’s then dried and straightened with a flat iron. With the heat the protein coating melts onto the hair and smooth it out.
Pros:
- Stays for 2-3 months, even more if you take care of your mane.
- Suitable for all types of hair.
- Perfectly smooth and straightens the hair.
- Makes hair more manageable.
- Too many compliments!!
Cons:
- This procedure is pricey. You’ve to splurge around $150.
- Washing your hair frequently will reverse its effect.
- It’s difficult to color your hair after this as color corrodes the protein.
- It can damage hair.
- A significant amount of Formaldehyde is included in the formula. It isn’t a problem for you but it can pose a problem to your stylist who gets exposed to it many times a day.
- You’ve to use Sodium chloride free shampoos and conditioners for washing and maintenance of your hair after the treatment. Therefore, you’ll end up spending more money and effort in managing chemically treated hair.
7. Japanese Hair Straightening
The eternal question: How to Make Your Hair Straight Permanently?
Has been answered with Japanese hair straightening system.
This is the Rolls Royce of hair straightening techniques. Priced at >$500 per treatment, it is the most expensive methods outlined here.
This technique uses a round of chemicals to break down the bonds of the hair. Then, it’s followed by heat straightening and neutralizing solution to shift strands from curled to pin straight.
Pros:
- With proper care its effect can last for 6 months.
- Women with curly or unruly hair often swear by this procedure due to its fabulous results.
- Your hair will become sleek, glossy, and incredible to behold.
- It’ll also be much easier to manage as compared to the curly or wavy locks.
Cons:
- Time-consuming process
- This is obscenely expensive which has kept most people away from repeat procedures.
- Your hair becomes so sensitive; you can’t color it after this.
- Incredibly damaging to your hair.
- Not offered at many salons.
Concluding words
I know its human nature to want what they don’t have.
Ladies, straightening natural hair does make a difference to your personality, but at the cost of your hair.
So, do it at your own risk because one wrong move can damage your hair beyond repair.
Be sure to read my other article to straighten hair without heat.
If you’ve ever tried any of these treatments to straighten hair, then do share your experiences with other readers in the comments.
