Are you one of the women who start off the day with a cup of coffee and a hair straightener? If so, you must check whether you’re guilty of making any of the mistakes. They make the flat iron ruin your hair!
The circle of women who destroyed their hair due to regular and wrong heat-styling routine isn’t at all getting smaller. Have you also spotted the negative effect of the flat iron? At first, your hair seems so smooth and soft. After a while, it turns into dry, coarse, brittle strands. Split hair ends are also common among the fans of hair straighteners.
Most of the problems result from the numerous mistakes we make. A pricey state-of-the-art flat iron isn’t going to save your hair from damage if you don’t follow the instructions for use. Check if you know how to properly straighten your hair with a flat iron.
MISTAKES YOU MAKE DURING HAIR-STRAIGHTENING ROUTINE
Straightening damaged hair that cries for care
Straightening extremely damaged hair is the biggest mistake you can make. We believe that the tool is going to magically smooth out the hair and prevent frizz. However, the frizzy flyaways are caused by the lack of water and nutrients inside the hair. While straightening ruined hair, you add to the damage. Repair may prove to be impossible. Intensive, regular hair care is the key. Only healthy hair pampered with conditioners, masks and oils can be resistant to heat and give in to the styling routine nicely.
Straightening wet hair
Using a flat iron on wet hair is another common error. I don’t mean that women straighten their soaking wet hair. I mean damp hair which gets in touch with the iron. Due to the heat, water in no time evaporates from hair and cuticles raise so hair is very dry or even burnt.
Not combing out hair before the straightening routine
You must always prime your hair for the styling routine. One of the must-remember activities is combing out well. Tangled, messy hair gets easily damaged during straightening routine – the iron can’t glide on smoothly; it is going to pull out, tug and crease your hair.
Skipping heat protectants
Yet another mistake you make while straightening (actually, before that) is the lack of decent preparation. Heat has a positive effect on the appearance of hair (smoothing and easy styling) but, at the same time, it may cause damage (opens cuticle scales, makes hair lose water quickly, weakens the structure of hair). Heat protectants – natural oils, specially-designed sprays or serums – leave a protective shield on the hair which reduces the risk of heat-styling damage. Straightening hair without heat protecting products is a huge error.
Straightening too thick strands
You can’t straighten dense thick hair fast – you need to divide it into sections. If you straighten too thick strands, you are not going to get the desired effect. To make things worse, you risk burning the part of the hair which is closest to the iron plate. It is by far one of the most common mistakes you should avoid while straightening your hair.
Too high temperature of a flat iron
Actually, what is the damaging agent in the straightening routine? It is the temperature which opens cuticle scales and makes water evaporate. The error that may deprive you of healthy hair is using too high temperature. 210 degrees is the maximum but it should be even lower if you’ve got fine, fragile hair.
Over-straightening one hair section
This mistake often results from the already-mentioned tendency to straighten too thick hair sections – it is harder to make them silky smooth so you keep straightening until getting the desired result, exposing hair to damage at the same time. That is why you must divide the hair into thin sections so that one stroke is enough.
A poor-quality teflon flat iron
Choosing the cheapest straightener is a big mistake too – you do it at the cost of your hair. In the era of ceramic, glass or titanium plates, using teflon straighteners is simply unreasonable. It is harder to control the heat and the teflon itself is not durable.
Overstraightening
We must also mention that a flat iron is a tool that can’t be overused. Straight hair may turn out to be a straight road towards a hair salon… to get rid of dry damaged ends that can’t be rescued. Use the straightener once a day tops, however, professionals advise to keep it for special occasions only. On a daily basis, you can get sleek smooth hair using other (heatless) ways and remedies.
Using a hair spray before straightening
Finally, one of the less common hair straightening mistakes yet worth mentioning. Some women like to use a flat iron to touch up the hairstyle after applying a hairspray. It is a serious mistake because the high temperature makes the styling product release dangerous compounds, leave strands sticky and build into the hair.
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