Curly hair - how do you straighten it?

[StephMK]

I have frizzy/curly hair that needs lots of product to stay somewhat tamed. When I get it cut, sometimes the hairstylist will straighten it. It comes out so really flat, smooth, and silky, like naturally straight hair.

BUT when I try to do it at home, I can straighten it but it's kinda flattened without being silky. I don't know how to describe it, like it's technically straight but if I run my fingers through it, it stays out a little (a little fluffy) instead of falling down nicely. It looks like curly hair that has been straightened into a form of submission instead of pretty, truly straight hair.

Do you have products that you love that help achieve the look? I have a Babyliss straightener & wide round bristle brush that I use when I dry it first. Thanks for some advice!!

 

[::danielle::]

I have curly hair (fine texture but I have a lot of it) and I straighten it regularly. I swear I've tried everything on the market until I found the right combo. Here is what I do:

Wash with Aveda Shampure shampoo and conditioner

While wet, I put in Aveda Smooth Infusion style prep smoother then Aveda smooth infusion glossing straightener.

I divide my hair into quadrants and start with a back section. I spray some Aveda shine spray (blue bottle) into the section and brush it through. Not too much or the hair will be greasy (same with glossing straightener).

I take a small line of hair (clip up rest) and blow dry it with a large round brush. I secure it with a flat clip. I take another small section and do the same. I work my way up. If I twirl the brush around the end (while drying) I will get loose curls.

I repeat on all of the quadrants. The result is soft, bouncy, shiny hair.

I should add that in my experience, the tools are as important as the products. I went through several flat irons and brushes before I found the ones that worked best for me. My brush is Olivia Garden Ceramic + Ion Tourmaline brush. It's the one my hair dresser uses. My flat iron is the original Chi in the black box. I've had it for almost 10 years. It's still working great!

On day 2 I flat iron my whole head to smooth out the overnight frizzies. I use Aveda Smoothing fluid to help with the ends (after I flat iron).

I admit I'm devoted Aveda but it's because it the only products I know that work on my hair. I've tried less expensive, over-the-counter stuff but my hair doesn't respond to it (Frizz Ease, Biosilk, Got 2 Be, etc).


I hope I was of some help. Good luck!

 

[dyna]

Younger I had very very thick curly very curly hair to straighten it just meant more frizz.

In high school I was white with the largest fro in 3 states, my daddy would not allow me to cut my hair which only made matters worse.

 

[Wishing on a star]

My hair sounds thicker/courser and less curly than yours.
But, wavy, not quite curly, and frizzy and unruly in humid summer months.

I HAVE to tame it with every wash and blow-dry.

Here is what works for me.
I just HAVE to have my ion hair dryer on high fan and high heat.
That is what whips my hair into submission!!!

I use a good large paddle hair brush, and a large round styling brush that has a combination of nylon bristles and some short more natural type bristles. This one is just a Revlon brush that I picked up at the store. Nothing fancy or expensive. But this brush with the combination of bristles really works.

Here is the part you might not like....
I have tried several different nice shampoo and conditioners and hair products. Some even designed to 'tame' your hair. Some of them have the complete opposite effect!!!! In fact, the last time I got my hair trimmed, my hairstylist used a product on my hair that made it worse than ever, and took two good thorough shampoos to get all of it out of my hair.

I use Pureology NANOWORKS....
Their most expensive!!!
But, I can promise you that nothing, NOTHING, has ever come close to this shampoo and conditioner... and a total, high-heat blow-out, with my good brushes and good hairdryer.

And, a little bit of this stuff goes a long way.
The bottles last a long time!

My hairdresser sells it to me without a lot of mark-up.
See if you can find somebody to sell it to you less than recommeded Price.

(My hair-dryer is the CROC 5000 Compact Hair Dryer, that I ordered thru Folica, with a good coupon-code. I got the Deep Pink and Black.)

 

[wdw4rfam]

We've tried everything on DD's hair to straighten, here's what has been the winner. MUST use ceramic ion dryer, OUIDAD climate control heat and humidity gel (even I use this before I straighten and I do not have curly hair-it REALLY does block humidity), then the only flat iron she can use is a CHI. I know- but it makes a HUGE difference over other flat irons. I cant say enough what a wonderful product ouidad is, its the ONLY product that truly blocks humidity and is not sticky at ALL, it makes your hair really soft.

 

[SydSim]

Definitely the combination of the right hair product and flat iron is essential (others will say the right blow dryer as well).

For my D, it has been CHI products with a Solia flat iron.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I have naturally wavy hair and like it to be straight. I get Keratin treatments about every 3-4 months and I love them. After a treatment, my hair is very straight for a few days. Then gradually it adjusts so it's straight but still has some body to it. My stylist says it's more of a "smoothing" treatment than a straightening treatment. I've tried various products in the past, and I can get the same effect by using a flat iron everyday. But, that takes more time than I care to spend. I like that I can dry it with a regular hair dryer and a brush and have it look decent in about 10 minutes.

 

[njmom47]

Younger I had very very thick curly very curly hair to straighten it just meant more frizz.

In high school I was white with the largest fro in 3 states, my daddy would not allow me to cut my hair which only made matters worse.

(sorry!! I'm a curly-haired girl so I can appreciate this!)

 

[ptcbass]

What works for me is to put in a good leave in conditioner and straightening cream. Then blow dry with a brush that air can go all the way through pulling each section tight as I dry it (I do this hanging my head upside down). I get the front and then the back pulling it straight with the brush the entire time. When it is dry I smooth the areas that need a little extra help with the flat iron.
If the weather is extra humid there is only so much you can do. It might try to curl back up on you. I like my hair straight but sometimes it is easier to let it curl and not fight nature. Good luck...

 

[Arielle22]

Younger I had very very thick curly very curly hair to straighten it just meant more frizz.

In high school I was white with the largest fro in 3 states, my daddy would not allow me to cut my hair which only made matters worse.

I was the same way. A couple of years ago I decided to grow my hair from about 1 inch long so that I could try a keratin treatment. First time I had it done at Ulta and it took 5 hours. I wasn't very happy with how long it took but the results were ok. I switched to another stylist (at the recommendation of my regular stylist who does do keratin treatments). Took under 2 hours and looks great.

Now I just wash with a sulfa free shampoo and conditioner then blow dry and use a flat iron. You would never be able to tell how coarse and curly it is.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Definitely the combination of the right hair product and flat iron is essential (others will say the right blow dryer as well). For my D, it has been CHI products with a Solia flat iron.

That's mine too lol.

Chi heat protectant spray and my Solia. I finish with Moroccan oil.

 

[tina.tina]

I try to deep condition my hair to combat the effects of styling. Apparently, it really loves all that conditioner, it curls up more than ever.

My mom was complaining that her hair looks the same everyday. I told her I would be thrilled with that because mine has its own mind and the amount of curl I have on a daily basis seems to have no rhyme or reason.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have curly hair and when I was a teenager I started blow drying it and it stays straight with out even using stuff. If I don't blow dry it than it looks like a perm.

 

[dyna]

OMG as a teen we did not have any of the styling products we do today, blow dryers had just came out. To blow dry my hair would have prolly taken 2 hours I would have had 1 tangled up mess of frizz. I can only imagine lol

It was funny my huge afro was OK but my brothers small 1 was not I wasn't trying for fro but brother was.

 

[Stacerita]

If you like the way your hairdresser does it, find out what products they use and get them for yourself.

Having good products and tools works. I like to use a ceramic/ionic blowdryer, and will alternate between a ceramic round brush (largest barrel I can manage) and a paddle brush, and a good straightener. I have embraced my curly hair for the last year, so I don't recall the exact names of the ones I use.

When I did straighten my own hair, I usually did not use product in it, maybe a little leave in conditioner, but usually not. The trick I found to keeping it silky like it to dry it and straighten it in sections. Smaller the section the better. Super time consuming though. And then once done, to not touch my hair too much or run my fingers though it. That seems to give the fly aways a flare up. It worked very well since most who knew me didn't realize I was a curly hair girl for years.

When I get my hair trimmed or colored at the hair dresser, she will straighten it for me. I usually keep it that way for a few days. And just run my straightener over it if I have bed head.

 

[sukhakuli]

Have you thought about permanently straightening it? I did that Japanese thing once, and my hair looked great. Until it started to grow out because I decided to let it go curly again. The grow out phase was awful, but before that it was really nice. I could just wake up in the morning, brush it, and walk out the door and it looked perfect. People would come up to me and tell me how great I looked and ask who my stylist was. Now the only people who comment on my hair are those guys at the mall selling flat irons, lol.

If you plan on keeping it straight, then I'd do the perm thing again.

 

[snowweisz]

I have naturally wavy hair and like it to be straight. I get Keratin treatments about every 3-4 months and I love them. After a treatment, my hair is very straight for a few days. Then gradually it adjusts so it's straight but still has some body to it. My stylist says it's more of a "smoothing" treatment than a straightening treatment. I've tried various products in the past, and I can get the same effect by using a flat iron everyday. But, that takes more time than I care to spend. I like that I can dry it with a regular hair dryer and a brush and have it look decent in about 10 minutes.

This for me too.
My hair isn't even too curly, but it's too thin and I have very little of it so that meant I got a HUGE amount of freeze on a head of hair that had no shape at all. I suppose if I had more and heavier hair, it'd work itself into nice waves but being that it's the opposite, I ended up looking like Simba on a bad hair day unless I ironed it lol

I do Keratin and mine lasts 4-6 months. My hair is super smooth, and so easy to style. Mine is honestly very straight, I could use a little more curl but I can't complain. The convenience of just washing my hair and being ready in the 3 mins it takes to dry it is worth it. Everything about it is worth it.

Keratin treatments are better in my experience than the japanese straightening because they smooth out as time goes by. So when your hair starts to grow, it has a similar texture to the treated hair and it doesn't look weird as it grows out.