How to straighten hair without burning or damaging it

Many women have suffered this temptation: that of wanting perfectly straight hair. But to achieve this, it is not enough to pass the iron several times: it is a process with different requirements. The first one? Do not abuse the straightener, as its excessive use can lead to burns, alterations of the hair fiber – such as drying out or loss of strength -, or even that the hair breaks or falls out.

If you decide to straighten your hair, it should be done with care and caution, minimizing damage to the hair and taking the necessary precautions to always protect it.

“For a curly person, to straighten the hair is to break with its natural shape”, explains the stylist. Juan Jose Sandoval . Therefore, if you want to venture with powerful products to straighten, his advice is always to go to a professional. “With a hair straightener, it is very easy to create first degree burns on the helmet, as well as on the hands, because you have to use very strong and very hot products”, he explains.

“There are some treatments to use at home, like this one from the Brazilian brand Kativa, which is super simple to use, but in a way it also requires ironing,” he explains. He Kativa Hair Treatment Brazilian Straightening Kit It does not contain formaldehyde, but it contains argon oil, shea butter, vegetable keratin and amino acids, and it promises smoothing for up to 12 weeks. Opinions are mixed in the Jumbo reviews section: some people found it effective and felt satisfied with the product, while others complained about the fish-like smell it leaves in their hair. .

“Perfect smoothing is done with the help of tools that bring heat to the hair fiber,” explains Víctor Lagos, professional stylist and educator at Pichara. There are, however, ways to speed up this process. “THE Mimi line brushes through its structure and its hairs anti-frizzthey deliver heat with every brushing, smoothing it without using a dryer or anything else,” he comments.

“To straighten with an iron at home, you must use a quality appliance, without danger or made of metal”, specifies Sandoval. “The one I use controls the frizz and smoothly, and without making so many passes,” he says. Regarding the frequency of use, he recommends that it be only once a week, at most two.

“If you’re not going out for the weekend or a few days, let your hair rest so it doesn’t get too hot,” he recommends. Of the machines, he says his favorite is the Babyliss Pro ($129,990 in Paris) , which is also a favorite on TikTok. If you want opinions, you just have to browse for a moment to analyze the wonders they say about this iron.

The Lagos option is the Uci-2900 Pichara Fully Digital Iron ($89,990 in Paris) , which has diamond plates “that distribute heat evenly, hydrating the strand while smoothing; In addition, it has a digital panel that allows you to regulate the temperature depending on the type of hair you want to straighten.

A person with fine hair needs less heat, while thicker or bleached hair needs more heat. Hence the importance of having a control panel to avoid exposing yourself to damage. Reviews of this iron are almost all positive. “Love it. It’s lightweight, heats up in seconds and leaves hair really smooth in just one pass. I recommend it 100%,” wrote Johanna, a satisfied user.

• Wash the hair, “to prevent grease from adhering to the scalp when straightening the hair, and leaving it looking dirty and immobile”.
• Apply heat protectant to damp hair. In this way, the hair fiber is protected. For this, Lagos suggests the Mood Thermoprotector ($8,990 in Pihara) “because creates a shield against high temperatures, moisturizes hair and improves combability.
• Seal in with a hydrating serum or oil, “so hair looks hydrated and shiny for longer and frizz doesn’t affect the end result.”

The answer is yes, especially for people who are in the habit of washing their hair frequently. Sandoval explains that “the hair dryer, if used daily, damages the hair”. According to him, if you don’t lie down and dry your hair once in a while, nothing will happen to you; but if the drying is frequent and high temperature, there will be an impact.

“The thermal protector covers your hair, it makes you like a protective layer so that it receives the heat but without damaging it.” They exist for different types of hair: for oily hair, for dry hair or normal hair. For those with oily hair, he suggests taking care not to overdo it: just apply a small amount, without reaching the scalp. “Otherwise your hair will be dirty and always use it before you dry it and not after.”

“If you dry your hair daily, you should use a heat protectant. Otherwise, the ends will split faster and the hair will end up curling more,” he insists.

Lagos also agrees that “it’s very necessary, especially for people who expose their hair to high temperatures on a daily basis with a dryer or iron,” he says. “These products protect against direct and indirect heat, with temperatures up to 220 or 230 degrees.”

The products it offers are thermoprotectors Essential Melu ($19,990 at La Casa del Cabello) which contains Villalba lentils, panthenol and Qquaternium 8.

For those who prefer a creamier heat protectant, Lagos also suggests the No yellow care by Fanola. ($13,990 to Pihara) , which helps seal the cuticle with an effective film. “It contains a thermoactive HeatBlock complex, which protects the hair against excessive heat produced by dryers, irons and hot instruments,” he explains.

“A lot of people in a hurry tend to use nozzleless hair dryers, so the air direction goes everywhere,” says Sandoval. “That’s why the hair is puffy and frizzy. What he recommends is using the mouthpiece to “direct the air”. When wet, the hair should be combed, detangled and then dried downwards, so that the hair cuticles are sealed. This will automatically remove frizz. »

“After straightening or drying, yes or yes you have to seal the hair with an oil. Otherwise, as soon as you go out on the street, it swells again,” warns Sandoval. If you constantly fight evil frizzthe stylist recommends a K18 Oil ($69,990 at Bendita) . “He has control of frizz incredible: I think he controls up to 90%”, he assures.

This product is one of the most noise-generating products on TikTok and has become a favorite of many users of the social network. In addition to straightening unruly hair frizzreduces split ends, adds shine and promises long-term molecular-level repair that reverses damage frizz in the hair.

Another of the oils he suggests is an all-time favorite: Moroccan oil a product that, in addition to contributing to drying time, increases shine, leaving hair nourished, manageable and soft with every use.

If you are looking for a good product at a more affordable price, Sandoval recommends the Argan Oil . “I love it”, he admits, and it is that “it can help you in an incredible way to be able to control the frizz and moisturize the hair and everything”. It is possible to find them in different formats and brands.

“Sleeping with a silk cover on the pillow will prevent haircuts and reduce frizz,” recommends Sandoval. If the budget is not enough, you can also sleep with your hair tied back, if possible with a non-synthetic ponytail so that it does not generate static electricity.

“One of the best recommendations I can give anyone is to control the washing of your hair: don’t do it every day, especially in this weather,” says Sandoval. Those who live in the capital suffer the ravages of dry air and he illustrates this with a plant: if you water it too much, you end up drying it out.

The same goes for hair. “I urge people with oily hair to wash their hair a little less, to be able to control their pH and thus have less need to iron or dry them. In the long run, it only weakens the hair,” he says.

For those who straighten methodically on a daily basis, Sandoval recommends going to a professional and under no circumstances treating with formaldehyde, a chemical compound once used in hair treatments to smooth hair and reduce frizz.

This, before it became the subject of controversy due to its health risks and the damage it can cause to the hair, making it brittle, broken and dull. For you to have no doubt, the stylist shares a technique to know if the straightening you are doing contains formaldehyde or not: “when you do a permanent straightening and the hairdresser rinses it immediately, it is because the product does not contain formaldehyde; but if you have to take the product home and slick it multiple times, it’s because it has it,” he says.

Currently, there are several types of smoothing treatments that you can find on the market, and thus avoid iron on a daily basis. “If you want straightening and still look neat, go to a professional who will give you a permanent straightening, which lasts between two, three and even up to four months. So just by very occasionally ironing, or blow-drying the hair down, you’ll be smooth to the touch,” he claims.

*Prices for products in this article are updated as of August 25, 2023. Values ​​and availability may change