At this point in our young-adult lives, most of us are practically professionals when it comes to using a flat iron. But for us curly-haired chicks, the process of straightening our luscious locks isn’t always so simple. For girls with curly hair, this time-consuming process frequently yields fizziness and fried strands of precious hair – and when exposed to humidity, we might as well call it a day.
Valley sat down with Long Island-based cosmetologist Anne Marie Schmitt to talk proper heat styling to achieve smooth, healthy hair.
Start with product
To start, Schmitt suggests finding the right heat-protectant and smoothing product for your hair. While everyone is different, Schmitt recommends Paul Mitchell’s Smoothing Line for its effectiveness.
“Some smoothing or straightening products make your hair look or feel greasy because its trying to add the moisture that your hair is using when you straighten or blow dry it,” says Schmitt. “Paul Mitchell’s doesn’t make your hair feel that way but it still adds shine to it.”
Blow It Out
After showering and applying product, blow out hair in sections with either a roll or paddle brush. Drying it straight will make it easier to flatiron and help to keep the style.
“Do not straighten your hair while it is wet, do not, do not,” says Schmitt. “Don’t do it. If you have a wet-to-dry straightener it’s so bad, so bad. You are literally frying your hair. It’s taking all of the natural moisture that’s in your hair out.”
Heat It Up
Section your hair into small groups of strands. Slowly go over hair with a straightener two or three times, but be cautious of how the temperature setting can affect your hair.
“If you put the temperature too high you can fry your hair,” says Schmitt. “If your hair is really coarse and really curly, you would put it on the highest [temperature] to make it straight,” says Schmitt. “But say you have blonde hair and its super thin but still curly, put it on one of the lowest temperatures. If you put it on a high temperature it can burn off.”
Photo by Kiara Kulbinger
