While you can (and should) prepare your hair for flat ironing with heat protectant products, you don’t want to leave other routine hair care products (like hairspray) in your hair before you flat iron it.
Most of these products can be applied to wet or dry hair.
Any moisture left in your hair will bubble up during the heating process and damage your hair further.
If you don’t have time to let your hair air dry at all, you can blow dry it right away. However, be aware that this increases your risk of damaging your hair over time. Try to limit your use of the blow dryer as much as you can.
Set your iron to about 150 °F (66 °C) if you have thin, fine hair. Set your flat iron to about 350 °F (177 °C) if you have thick, coarse hair. Set you flat iron to about 250 °F (121 °C) if your hair is thick and fine or coarse and thin.
You should not straighten a section of hair that is wider or thicker than 1 inch (2. 5 cm) at a time. If you try to straighten a section that is too thick, it won’t straighten properly. You may need multiple large and small clips to hold your hair in place. You can find these online or at your local pharmacy.
Generally, it will take about a half hour to an hour to finish flat ironing. If you have a lot of hair, it could take longer.
Basic ceramic flat irons shouldn’t cost much more than $20-$40 USD. Professional-grade straighteners, however, can cost as much as $80-$100 USD.
Homemade deep conditioner recipes usually contain bananas, avocados, honey, and olive or coconut oil. These natural products will work as well as the purchased version, but they can be messy to create and store. [14] X Research source To make a hot water bath for your deep conditioner, boil water in a saucepan. Once the water’s boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat and place your deep conditioner in the pot. Use tongs to remove the conditioner after 5 to 10 minutes. To amp up your treatment, add steam! Heat up a damp towel for about 2 minutes in the microwave and place it on your head in between 2 layers of shower caps. The heat will help the conditioner really get into your hair and do its great work![15] X Research source
Make sure to take your time and complete only one pass with the flat iron over each small section of hair.
If you’d like, you can even put a product in your hair that’s designed to make waves. Usually, these serums are meant to be applied right after you finish flat ironing.
Frizzy hair that’s become more difficult to untangle. [21] X Research source Split ends. Locks that have lost their curl. [22] X Research source Strands that feel bumpy to the touch. [23] X Research source
