7 Mistakes You Should Avoid While Straightening Your Hair

7 Things You’re Doing Wrong While Straightening Your Hair with a flat iron!

Curious?

Read this guide and avoid costly mistakes that can ruin your beautiful hair.

Who wants ruined hair?

So, which mistakes you should avoid when straightening your hair with a flat iron?

Let’s check out those below:

1. Not Understanding Your Hair Type and Using of Wrong Straighteners

Most of the complaints we hear come from user mistakes. They do not buy their flat iron according to their hair or maybe they do not know their actual hair type at all. Whatever mistakes you are doing, educate yourself by reading this flat iron buying guide.

Let us describe it in short.

Thinner hair is very sensitive than thicker or coarse hair. So, you should choose a flat iron that has variable temperature settings (so that you can adjust the heat), infrared technology (which provides very gentle heat), and must be a tourmaline or ceramic flat iron. Tourmaline coating protects your hair from any excessive heat and ceramic flat irons have instant heat up facility and have a smooth finish. So, if your hair is fine or thin, go for a ceramic tourmaline hair straightener and the straightener which has the lowest temperature settings.

If you have thick or coarse hair, titanium flat irons will be the best suited for you. Titanium-made straighteners have even heat distribution, ionic technology (which provides moisture and has the highest heat setting that’s what your thick hair needs most for straightening completely and very well. Read our guide on the best titanium flat iron for thick hair

Our Recommended Hair Straighteners:

  • For Thick/Coarse Hair: KIPOZI Professional Titanium Flat Iron
  • For Thin/Fine Hair: CHI Air Pro Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron

2. Not Using the Right Hairs Products

Every hairstyle starts with your shower. If you use the wrong shampoo and conditioner according to your hair, your damages begin from there. There are many harmful chemical ingredients in your shampoos and conditioners that you should avoid. Unfortunately, most people buy what they think is best and buy without proper research. We are trying hard and unconditionally to make you acknowledge the best-suited product for you.

Keep a note, a lot of hair products contain sulfate and parabens which makes your hair dry and damaged. Try to use a sulfate-free shampoo like L’Oreal Hair Expertise before straightening your hair.

And if your hair is becoming dry and frizzy after straightening, use hydrating/moisturizing condoner like Redken All Soft Mega Conditioner. Also, use Streax Pro Vita Gloss Hair Serum.

3. Using Flat Iron on Unprepared Hair

Every time you opt to straighten your hair it is important to make your hair prepared for it.

So, what does the preparation mean actually?

It includes washing, cleaning your hair, and using the necessary products to straighten the hair.

First of all, do not rinse your hair just before straightening. It is better to wash your hair about 12 hours earlier. Next thing is, never use a straightener on unclean hair. Your hair needs to be cleaned properly before using a hair straightener. Then, while you are straightening, make sure you have sectioned hair into small parts and straightened it section by section. It will give a better result than ironing your whole head of hair at a time.

Because what happens when we take those big parts of hair is, we have to hold the iron in the hair too long and it burns and damages the hair. So, always try to straighten the hair by working in small sections.

And finally, must use a heat protectant just before starting flat ironing your hair. It will guard your hair from heat damage. Our recommended two heat protectants are:

  • TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Protectant Spray for Hair
  • HSI Professional Argan Oil Heat Protector

Read our review guide on why we choose the above as the best heat protectant sprays for hair

4. Straightening Wet Hair

There are so many mornings when we are short of time and go for straightening on our wet hair. This is another biggest mistake. It damages your hair so badly that in the aftermath it is difficult to restore it back to its healthy state. Whenever we do this, the hair gets burned. It makes the hair dry and creates split ends. So, no matter how late you are never straighten wet hair.

Do Not Straight Wet Hair

5. Skipping the Brushing

If you want sleek and shiny hair after straightening it, you must comb it first. Combing or brushing the hair makes it easier for you to work with while straightening. It also helps to smooth the curls and gives you a perfect finish. The best way to iron your hair is to take a small section and comb it thoroughly from the root to the ends and detangle it completely. Then run the iron on smooth hair and get a sleek finish.

A note: always use a wide-toothed comb to brush or detangle your hair. You can try Diane Extra Wide Tooth Shampoo Comb or Denman Cushion Brush Nylon Bristles if your hair is curly

6. Using a Dirty Iron

Cleaning the flat iron every now and then is important. Dust or products from your hair will coat the flat iron eventually. A dirty iron can harm your hair as well as it will reduce the life of the flat iron. To save both, try to clean it often. You can clean the flat iron hot or cool. If you want to clean it while it’s still hot, just wipe it with a damp piece of cloth. On the other hand, you also can use alcohol to clean it when it has cooled down. 

7. Every Day is Nor Hair Straightening Day

If you are used to straightening your hair every day you need to stop there. Straightening hair every day is a big mistake. It damages the hair in the long run and makes the hair dry and frizzy. Try not to use the iron every single day. You can keep the hair straight for several days by not washing it daily. You can use spray shampoo to avoid greasy hair. There are even lots of other ways to straighten your hair without heat. You also can try those techniques in order to keep the hair healthy.

Here are all the things you should keep in your mind while straightening your hair. By avoiding these mistakes you can reduce your hair damage and split ends problem a lot. Wishing you a happy straightening day.