How to Straighten Curly Hair

Thanks to the invention of the straightening iron, the days of rolling curly hair onto frozen orange juice containers or laying your head on the ironing board while you try to iron out your curls are long gone. With a few products designed for straightening curly hair and a couple of special tools those curly locks will soon be sleek and smooth.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Straightening creme
• Large roll brush
• Hair dryer
• Concentrator attachment for hair dryer
• Clips
• Straightening iron
• Shine gloss
• Towel
• Comb

1. Wash and condition hair as directed in the manufacturer's instructions for your shampoo and conditioner.

2. Squeeze excess water out of your hair using a towel and comb through hair.

3. Apply a generous amount of straightening creme for curly hair to damp hair. Work into hair until evenly distributed.

4. Divide hair into three sections: top of head, middle layer and underneath portion of hair. Clip the top two sections together.

5. Start drying hair with the roll brush and hair dryer with concentrator attachment in place. Begin with bottom section, working in two to three inch wide pieces from one side of the head to the other.

6. Separate completely dry hair into sections again as instructed in step 4.

7. Work from the bottom section up, using the straightening iron to straighten each layer of hair. Grab one inch sections of hair and slowly press with the straightening iron from the root to the tip.

8. Finish ironing each section and then squeeze a dime size amount of shine gloss product into your palm and rub hands together. Smooth hands over hair to work the product through your straightened curly hair.

9. Continue styling as desired.

Tips & Warnings

• To make the straightening process easier, wash and dry your hair the night before. The oils that accumulate in your hair overnight will make your curly hair more manageable the next morning.

• Be careful not to move too slowly when ironing hair, as this could scorch and damage your hair.

Resources

• Check out folica.com for straightening irons, hair dryers and straightening products.