Home DIY Hair Straightening Safety Tips

From chemical relaxers to basic curling irons, your hair can take a lot of abuse through the years in the name of beauty.

For people with naturally curly hair, the desire for straight hair is tempting. Straight hair is easier to style with less frizziness across the entire style.

You may turn to the best hair straightener to instantly gratify your beauty needs, but this tool must be wielded appropriately to avoid long-term damage.

5 Tips for Safe DIY Hair Straightening at Home

Timing is Everything

Using even the best hair straightener on a daily basis is cause for concern. The hair shaft can only take so much heat until it is truly damaged.

Both the inner and outer hair cores become singed, creating split ends and breakage along the entire hair length. No amount of conditioner or treatment fixes the hair because it isn’t alive like your skin.

It won’t heal itself so a swift haircut is the only solution to excessive damage. In general, straighten the hair up to twice a week. Any more heat applied to the hair is simply damaging the cells.

Protect the Scalp

You may look for a uniform appearance down the entire hair length, but avoid straightening directly at the scalp. The follicles produce healthy hair, but damaging them creates long-term hair loss.

Follicles that are damaged simply stop producing hair. You won’t notice this sensation until dozens of follicles begin to show balding areas.

It takes several years of chronic heat damage to create this effect, however. By staying away from the follicles, you’ll keep them safe from harm while producing strong hair every day.

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Steam Protection

Check current hair straightener reviews for models with steam. Your hair has natural moisture within its structure, but is quickly dried out with even the best hair straightener.

Steam integrated into these straightening tools provides a constant source of moisture. As you move the tool down your hair, it’s infused with moisture to buffer some of the heat.

Many of today’s models have a Teflon coating to help with moisture infusion and reduced stickiness to avoid hair pulls. It’s still not preferable to straighten your hair when it’s wet; dry hair is still the best way to start your styling session.

Heat Protectant Spray

Heat protectant spray creates a film across your hair to stop heat-related stress to the inner core. When you read all the hair straightener reviews, you may notice that many manufacturers suggest these sprays with their tools.

When the spray is amply applied, the straightener slides across the hair shaft smoothly, reducing uneven heating and frizziness.

Don’t rely on the spray as the ultimate heat protection tool, however. If you leave the straightener on your hair for too long, the spray eventually fades away and exposes the hair to damage.

Automatic Shut-Off

Older straighteners stayed on as long as they were plugged in, creating fire hazards if they were forgotten. Today’s models should have an automatic shut-off feature.

If you’re looking for a new tool, make sure this feature is included. In general, the straightener shuts off after 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the manufacturer.

This safety feature protects your home and loved ones from burns or fires. It also enhances the straightener’s lifespan with less heat stress effecting the internal components.

In Summary

Preserving your hair with proper hair straightener use is critical to hair and scalp health.

Even if you had choosen your hair straightener carefully and you have carefully gone through all the hair straightener reviews, remember that it’s still a hot appliance.

It will create excessive heat to your hair shaft. Use these tools sparingly for special occasions. Your natural curly hair look will always be a stylish choice.