Hair tools are more and more popular – but if there’s one example found in homes everywhere, it’s surely hair straighteners! Ruler straight strands are an immediate way to add definition to your look, whether your hair is a mass of curls to begin with or simply a bit of a wave. Even if your hair is almost there to begin with, getting it absolutely perfect can enhance shine and leave you looking sleekly perfect. While the first modern straightening treatments were salon exclusives, women and men wanted to be able to get the look at home. So many companies have created easy, ergonomic, specially designed tools, that put the control in your hands!
The History of Heated Straightening
While we may think of this as a thoroughly modern phenomenon, it’s been going on for centuries! Ancient Egyptians used to heat flat iron plates in fires to straighten unruly locks. This technique re-emerged – with a device slightly more similar to today’s tongs – at the end of the Victorian era. In both cases, though, the few women using them were at risk of burning their hair off, as the heat could not be controlled. Over time electric straightening combs were created, and special, chemical based salon treatments came to the fore in the 1980s. So-called permanent hair straightening methods were first seen at this time too! The GHD hair straightener came onto the market in 2001, bringing electric heated tongs with temperature control settings into every home. We now have an incredible range of choice as to how we wish to achieve our desired look – and we’ll never have to stick a metal rod into the flames again!
How Does Hair Straightening Work?
Hair has a unique, internal structure that dictates its shape. Every hair has a cuticle, a protective layer, wrapped around the hair cortex. The cuticle is responsible for hair’s healthy look, as it is formed of scales that rise up when hair is heated, windswept, dry or damaged. Conditioning hair smooths this down, to leave hair soft and shiny. The cortex within is composed of keratin, the same protein that makes up our fingernails and, amazingly, a rhino’s horn. If you want to colour or style your hair, it’s the cortex you have to affect.
Within the cortex are special hydrogen bonds, which create your hair’s shape, from ringlets to wavy to straight. The angle at which they bond is the crucial factor – the greater the angle, the curlier the hair! They break down and reform every time you wash and dry your hair, which is why hair braided while wet and left to dry goes curly once unplaited, as the hydrogen bonds form at an angle.
Straightening hair mimics this process with heat, forcing hydrogen bonds to align as they are drawn downward to give you silky smooth hair. Heat, though, is not especially great for the cuticle. Once heat is applied the scales lift up and hair is weakened, meaning it is easier to break. This is why heat protective sprays are so important, as well as devices with carefully controlled heat settings and ceramic plates. With the right technique and proper before and after hair care, you can enjoy beautifully straight hair while maintaining its healthy strength.
What Is The Best Hair Straightening Technique?
It’s really important to use the right technique when straightening your hair, to get the best results and keep hair looking and feeling as healthy as possible.
- Begin with dry hair. As you are about to apply quite a bit of heat, it’s a good idea to wash and deep condition your hair first, so that plenty of moisture is instilled and the cuticle has been taken care of. It’s up to you whether you blow dry or let hair dry naturally before straightening, but you might find that blow dried hair allows you to use your straighten your hair on a lower heat
- Turn on your straighteners. The most premium, high quality straighteners will automatically control the temperature, adjusting to your hair’s needs with expert technology. If your set is manually adjustable, don’t be tempted to go all the way to the top of the scale! You’ll probably find that a slightly slower setting will in fact give you the results you want, without the risk of singeing.
- Prep your hair. While your flat irons are heating up, spray your hair all over with a heat protective spray. If you want to go for a natural approach, oils like Argan and Coconut can be a good substitute. Whatever you’re using, though, use lightly, as drenching hair will simply mean the straightener just heats up the oily residue! Brush through so that it is evenly distributed.
- Section & straighten! Divide hair into parts of moderate width and thickness, making sure that you can move them as you go. Waves and curls work from root to tip, so if you want truly sleek hair, you need to be able to access the entire hair shaft from top to bottom. If you have thick hair, you may want to section hair both horizontally and vertically. Gently clamp the straightener as high on your head as you can without touching the scalp, then slowly slide the straighteners downward. Ideally, you only want to use the tool on each section once, as repeatedly going over it is what risks damage. Work from the back to the front, using a mirror to ensure you are not missing any areas.
- Polish your style! After you’re done, brush your hair and double check you’ve straightened every area. Use two mirrors, one held in your hands and with your back to another, to look at the back of your head, as many of us miss that area! Once you’re satisfied, turn off your device, then apply a shine enhancing mist spray, so that your hair will be truly radiant.
- Maintain the look. As soon as you wash your hair, the straight style will disappear! So whether it’s a one-off or a regular essential, you’ll want it to last. Try out a good dry shampoo to avoid wetting it, and try to stick to occasional touch-ups rather than completely re-straightening if you can help it.
What Are The Important Hair Straightener Features?
The simple flat iron design might seem to be incredibly straightforward and homogeneous – but these are actually incredibly versatile! A wide variety of features can be employed, some of which are an essential for every hair type, while others mean that you can choose the best device for you look. Take a glance below, and get the low-down on your ideal option!
- Plate width. It’s easy to see a wide set of straighteners and feel impressed – but the size you go for should be carefully considered. If you have long, thick hair, a bigger flat iron will allow you to grasp more at once and speed up the process. If you’re using them on short hair or a fringe, though, a narrower set, or a mini straightener, will be more nimble and versatile.
- Curved backs. If you know that you’re only ever going to straighten your hair, a set with flat backs will suit your hair just fine! If, however, you’d like the option of changing your hairdo up from time to time, a set with curved backs will allow you to wrap the hair section around, for a barrel effect. This will allow you to achieve bouncing curls.
- Plate materials. It’d be easy to assume that these are all alike, but you’d be wrong! They all have different benefits. Ceramic-plated aluminum combines the smoothing heat-evenness of ceramics with the heat conductivity of metal. Infused ceramics, with powdered gemstones like Tourmaline, mean you can straighten at a lower temperature. Titanium plates use high-quality metal for quick heat, are lightweight, and better for your ends due to lower heat transfer. Titanium is also a great conductor of negative ions, that banish frizz and static.
- Temperature control. This one’s a biggie! Heat is the powerful factor here, but if it’s not properly applied, it can do some real damage. It’s tempting to go for a manually controllable options, but these often end up applying more heat than needed, especially as most of us will go for the highest option! Expert knowledge will automatically set the heat for the best devices, while expert technology will allow them to adjust as they go along. With increasingly better tech at play, lower and lower temperatures are needed.
- Practical matters. Many of us using cheaper devices, whose plates slip and slide and don’t always align, have ended up clamping them tightly during use to keep them in place. But innovative new wishbone hinges can flex as you move them, allowing the plates to remain lined up. For ease of use, so that you don’t end up in a tangle, cords can now rotate at the base of the device. Many also now turn off after thirty minutes, so that you can get the hottest look without setting the house on fire!
Grace Thiele 