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To get that perfect smooth, sleek
straight hair style in short, mid or long hair will take practice and patience if your hair is naturally wavy or curly but with the right
tools and products you will get there. If your natural hair texture is straight then the task of drying your hair is definately a lot easier but our tips and how to's still apply. However if your hair is extremely tighly curled or afro blowdrying is not for you as the time it takes and the stress it puts on your hair is prohibative.
Our best advice is - the curlier your hair
to begin with the harder it is to straighten. Hair is at its best when you work with what
you have naturally rather than try to fight it! If you really
hate your curls or afro you may want to try using a hot styling iron or think about a permanent
chemical
straightener.
The Tools and products you
will need for blow-drying hair straight:
- Hairdryer with nozzle to direct
the airflow.
- A large round real bristle brush
(although the size of brush will depend on length of hair).
- A large pad brush for final smoothing.
Check out
brushes
for more information on both of these brush types.
- A selection of clips to keep unwanted
hair out of the way (large flat professional hairdressing clips
work best).
- Your preferred styling product.
Mousse is good or one of the numerous new
products
designed specially to help straighten
your hair and keep it that way for longer by protecting it from
moisture. If you want your blow-dry to last then a styling product
is necessary to keep moisture from reverting your hair to its
natural wave, they will also protect your hair from heat damage.
- A
gloss
or oil
to smooth over your hair and remove
any unwanted frizzes to finish with.
How to:
There are many varied ways of blow-drying
your hair and this is just one.
- Shampoo and condition using either
your preferred type or try one of those designed for smoothing and straightening there are many on the market and they really will provide you with a
little extra help.
- Detangle your hair using a wide
toothed comb and then rough dry using your hands until your
hair is 80% dry. Especially if you have very thick hair, there
is no point spending hours with a brush in your hand getting
arm ache, as your hair does not take any shape until it is at
least 80% dry.
- Use a thermal protection spray to prevent heat damage.
- Starting with the hair in the
nape, section off a 5cm deep piece of hair. If this section
is wider than the brush, separate it into handleable amounts.
- Use your brush to remove any tangles
that have formed in the section of hair. Draw your brush over
the surface of the section from roots to ends, directing the
hair down towards your shoulders and keeping tension in the
hair. Wind your hair around the brush back towards the scalp
(insuring the ends are not bent). Use your other hand to smooth
the hair as you wind.
- Now unwind the brush to reveal
a length of hair (about 5cm/2") to be dried. What you should
have is the all important tension that will get your hair really
straight. You should still be directing your hair towards your
shoulders.
- Pick up your hairdryer (with nozzel attached) and direct
the flow of air along the hair under tension. The air flow should always be in the direction of the ends to help in smoothing the cuticle. It should also be towards the brush but not on the brush. You
are really drying the hair that is pulled straight between the
scalp and brush, using the brush as a griping tool rather than
a brush.
- If you start to get flyaway or
frizzy bits, move the hair dryer and use the air flow to hold
them down. At all times keep the end of the hairdryer about
3 to 5 cm from the hair, it is easy to burn the hair if you
don't.
- Continue to work down the length
of your hair in this way until only the ends are left around
the brush. At this point it depends on how you want your hair
to look what you do. For turned in or turned out simply bend
the hair around the brush.
- For that dead pan straight sleek
look: remove the brush and insert it underneath the ends using
the airflow from the dryer to keep them against the brush but
not around it. The ends should be in the same direction as the
rest of the hair, don't be tempted to curl or twist your brush
or else that is the effect you will be left with.
- Let the section fall away, check
that it is fully dry and move onto the next section without
disturbing the one you just finished until it is fully cool.
Repeat instructions 3 to 10 until all of your hair is dry.
- Finish with a smoothing serum/drops and a little hair spray to protect from moisture and the dreaded frizzies!
Extra Tips:
For an alternative method we also
have a few tips from one of Australias top professional hairdressers
Michelle Aldridge at Shuum.
You may want to angle the hair around
your face and parting in the direction you wish it to fall. But
remember, straight down is the look right now and you don't want
to end up with a 70's "Farrah Fawcett" look by overdoing it.
If your hair needs more volume, angle
it out from your head at 90% rather than down towards your shoulders.
If you found that this read like
a foreign language, then you may want to try a lesson from your
hairdresser. Simply book in for a blow-dry and explain, when you
book, that you want to treat the booking as a bit of a 'how to
do it yourself session'. Normally you will only be charged for
the blow-dry. Make sure you get the stylist to watch you do it
and put you right, as well as you watching them.
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Courtesy of Shane Henning, NOK Sydney. |
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Courtesy
of Tracy Hughes, Meika Hairdresssing, Melbourne.
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