How to make a straightening: Tips to tame your hair

When we resolve to stretch the curls of the hair or do some treatment to lower the frizz with keratin or another product, we have to know some secrets so as not to attack the hair and so that it lasts longer. Meet them.

The one that has curls, wants straight. The one with curly hair wants to stretch it. The feminine beauty has its complexities and the important thing is to learn what resources exist to look like we want or to improve everything that we do not like when we face the mirror. We tell you some stylist secrets on how to make a straightening and what to do to keep it and to last longer when you do it in a hairdressing salon.

The first thing you need to know is that, like any other treatment you apply to hair, straightening is not safe for hair health. As with tinctures or permanent, products that generate different types of damage are applied. That is why it is key to take some precautions.

What is the straightening?

The permanent straightening or definitive smoothing is a technique that consists of totally or partially eliminating the natural wavy that offers a curly or frizzy hair, to transform it into smooth. It is a chemical treatment that permanently modifies the structure of curly to smooth hair.

To apply the smoothing technique, it is necessary to apply a chemical product whose function is to smooth. There are, in general, three types of chemical actives that are present in the hair straightening technique (sodium hydroxide, ammonium thioglycolate and ammonium disulfide).

In turn, there are different types of permanent smoothing, which vary both in the methods and in the products they use:

• Japanese straightening: It is very demanded for its excellent result, its silky and smooth finish and its durability.
• Brazilian straightening: Also known as straightening with keratin, is the most famous. You can order it at a hairdresser or do it at home: there are keratin straightening kits that have very good results.
• Carbocysteine smoothing: It is an excellent smoothing method in the professional hairdressing salon, without formaldehyde or toxic for the hair. Leaves hair smooth and silky for 3 or 4 months.

How to straighten hair?

As we said, the final straightening is a simple way to get the hair smooth and straight for a few months (something that varies according to the product and the personal care of the treatment). Most people do it in hairdressers but there are also products and accessories to make a homemade straightening.

It is important to clarify that the permanent or definitive smoothing is neither of these two things: it only lasts a few months. The hair will need intensive care to prolong the smooth effect and above all to hydrate and recover the hair fiber.

Straightening with keratin

If you have a very curly hair, electrified and difficult to handle, you can try a keratin bath to lower the frizz and see more neat. The main brands of shampoo and creams have launched products that have keratin and that many women resolve their desire to look different.

But you should know that it is not the same as keratin straightening, which already involves a deeper treatment and that is the most recommended to domesticate the curly and wavy hair for its optimal results.

The keratin straightening is able to nourish, reconstruct, smooth and shine all types of hair. The hair with curls manages to transform into elegant waves; the wavy becomes smooth and, the rebel, is manageable and radiant.

Advantages of keratin

Using keratin in your hair has many advantages:

• With keratin you will eliminate the hair’s electricity, the famous frizz, and you will domesticate the curls, gaining prolixity and elegance.
• People with curly hair have the disadvantage of having enough limitations when it comes to wanting to make certain hairstyles. These possibilities are extended with permanent straightening.
• The hair remains unalterable to changes in temperature and humidity, rain or snow.
• Your hair will look splendid and hydrated for two or three months, according to the care you take.

Relevant: How to use electric hair curlers?

Disadvantages of keratin

Not all that glitters is gold. There are some cons of smoothing with keratin which is good to know:

• Formalin that some keratin products contain is the greatest risk of treatment. We must avoid products with that substance because it has components harmful to health.
• You cannot wash your hair for three days, or dye it.
• After the treatment, you cannot use pins, buckles or gummies for two days, because the hair is marked.
• The price of the treatment is usually high, especially if you do it with good products, without formaldehyde, and in general you should renew it every 4 months, approximately. If you give yourself time, you can try buying products for straightening and doing it at home.

Home straightening

If you want to know how to make a straightening, the first thing you should know is that you have to buy some products and hairdressing accessories. And, also, that it is not easy to do it alone: you are going to need a friend or relative to help you.

There are many products on the market to straighten hair. To take care of your health, it is important to buy products with keratin without formaldehyde. It is also key to have a good hair straightener, a hair dryer with good power and some other elements, such as gloves and an applicator.

For the process to be safe for the hair and obtain, at the same time, optimal results, you have in mind these tips:

Washing: To obtain a good straightening, it is always better to have clean hair, since in that condition the cuticle is completely mastered. Also, if the procedure is done with dirty hair, the heat of the iron acts on the grease, leaving it looking unpleasant. To achieve an easy hair to dominate, it is good to use products that provide weight, such as shampoo and conditioners with wheat germ.

Thermal Protective Product: It is important to apply a thermal protective product on the hair that is going to be smoothed, so that it receives the heat in a less aggressive way. What generates is a kind of molecule that sheathes or covers the hair, so that it generates a kind of invisible cloth that protects it and gives it more weight.

Drying: It is essential to pass the iron only when the hair is completely dry. You have to dry the hair from top to bottom to avoid generating volume.

Ironing: The ideal is to slide the iron slowly, leaving it no more than three or four seconds in each place, because if you leave it longer you can generate marks.

The hair should be taken half centimeter from the root and it is recommended to pass the iron only twice for each strand always with a vertical movement. Stylists advise buying a good iron (nano titanium plates are ideal), which has a temperature regulator.

It must be used between 125 and 150 degrees, if it is fine or delicate hair; between 180 and 190 if it is normal, and between 210 and 220 if it is very thick.

Do not abuse: The daily use of the iron causes dryness and breaking of tips. Ideally, do not use the device more than two or three times a week.

straightening: The risk of formaldehyde

Many hairdressers use products with formaldehyde for smoothing, although they deny it. Formalin is very toxic when it is activated by heat and can be hazardous to your health.

How to identify if they are using formaldehyde? The smell is very strong and the eyes and nose burn. In general, they let it dry for about 30 minutes and then the process begins with the hair straightener, which is when formaldehyde becomes more toxic.

When it is free of formaldehyde or contains it in low doses, the hair is washed after applying it, there is no need to wait for a day afterwards, and the smell is not so strong nor does it irritate the eyes or the nose.

Remember that there are natural methods, such as Japanese, that can be used to make a definitive smoothing, do not damage the hair, the result is very good and leaves your hair soft, without frizz and without volume. The smooth is not 100% but it gives a good result.