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12.6.12

How to Keep Wavy Hair Straight

Dear Melissa,

I have wavy hair, but I straighten it. My hair gets wavy after it gets wet. Is there a way to permanently make it straight?

Wavy-haired girls are stuck in the middle between unattainably bouncy curls and perfectly pin-straight strands. I have wavy hair, and I've spent years trying to figure out how to deal with it. After spending so much time straightening your hair with a flat iron, it's frustrating to see your hair frizz and bend after only a few hours. Keeping it straight is a challenge -- and it won't always work out -- but I have some tips to help you achieve that silky smooth hair you've been craving.

  • Try a permanent solution. John Frieda's Frizz Ease 3 Day Straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray promises to keep your hair straight while you sleep. Even more drastic (and expensive) is a Japanese hair-relaxing treatment. It's like a perm, but it keeps your hair straight for months until your hair grows out.
  • Use a smoothing shampoo and conditioner. Look for a shampoo designed for sleek styles. I use Pantene Frizzy to Smooth and sometimes TIGI Bed Head Control Freak. Of course, use a conditioner to smooth your strands.
  • Go silicone. This water-resistant ingredient found in many styling products prevents humidity from penetrating the hair shaft. In English: no more frizz. "Using a shampoo, conditioner, and styling serum all containing silicone will not only control frizz but also help with detangling and shine," says hairstylist Amy Abramite, creative director of Maxine Salon in Chicago.
  • Dry your hair the right way. Gently squeeze the excess water out of your hair with a towel. Rubbing your hair will turn you into a giant frizz-ball.
  • Detangle! Stretching out those waves with detangler and a wide-toothed comb while they're wet will kind of kill their mojo, which is exactly what we want.
  • Use the right heat for your hair. You can push your flat iron to about 360 degrees Farenheit safely. Never go past 400 degrees or you'll fry your hair.
  • Always use a heat protectant. Spritzing your hair with some thermal protection spray before straightening will keep your hair from being damaged by your flat iron. Remember: damaged hair = more frizz.
  • Blow it up! Blow-drying your hair before you straighten will add body to your hair without adding curl. Section your hair into two pieces -- top and bottom -- and blow dry each separately with a paddle brush, pointing the air of your blowdryer in the direction your hair is going to make it straighter.
  • Section your hair while straightening. Section your hair into two pieces. Just like you did with your blowdryer, straighten the bottom section first, then unclip the top section and straighten it.
  • Take advantage of styling products. Try products designed to help you straighten or smooth your hair while styling.
  • Don't forget the hairspray. After straightening your hair, spritz your brush with hairspray and run in through your hair to lock in your style.
  • Get shiny. Try a shine serum on your hair if it looks dull after straightening.
  • Don't touch! The oil and dirt on your hands will ruin your style. The more you touch it, the frizzier it gets.
  • Watch the weather. If you know it's going to be wet or humid, there's no point in spending an hour ironing your hair. Instead, spray it with a frizz-fighting styling product and weave it into a pretty side braid.
By now you can probably guess that if you want perfectly straight hair, you're going to have to put some effort into it. If you're still having trouble having a good hair day, try playing up your hair's natural texture. There are tons of straight-haired girls longing for the hair you're trying to get rid of. Whenever you're frustrated with your hair, remember that the Creator of the universe crafted your hair exactly the way He wanted it. Makes you feel a little special, huh?

12 comments:

  1. Wow, I don't have wavy hair, but I am going to tell my friend about that. She has wavy hair and its super annoying to her sometimes. Thanks!

    P.S.
    The google plus accounts adelyn estill and pearl ivy are the same.


    ~Pearl
    http://www.towearornottowear-withpearl.blogspot.com/

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  2. I'm sure your friend would LOVE to read this. It took me years to figure out!

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  3. Melissa,
    I have a question. Where I live its extremely hot (our winters are hotter than most people's springs) and so clothes get tricky. I have to wear undershirts, under my clothes because the shirts are too thin. The only undershirts I can find that work are like spandex and cotton combined (They are the thinnest ones that work that I have found). I would get different shirts, but the ones that are thick enough so you don't have to wear an undershirt are extremely hot. Do you have any advice?

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    Replies
    1. there is this undershirt called a halftee... its only half of the undershirt so it covers the top half (which is what i use undershirts for...low cut shirts) and its cooler. halftee.com

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    2. That's a cool idea (no pun intended, haha). Thanks for stopping by! (:

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  4. Hmm. I live in Texas, so I understand what you're saying. I usually wear super thin, loose, breezy tops with thin undershirts because I think they're less hot than wearing one tight, thicker top. If your shirt is loose, your skin has room to breathe and your sweat isn't stuck on you. Haha. I honestly don't know what else to tell you other than to suffer through it and wear breezy tops. I think I'm going to move somewhere cooler when I graduate so I won't have to worry about this too much longer. (:

    Oh, and to combat the heat, drink LOTS of water. It might make you sweat a little more, but your body will be able to take the heat for longer periods of time, and your skin and hair will thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so so so so much! I asked specifically because I am going to a 5-day camp on June 25th, and I REALLY didn't want to be hot! I will try the breezy shirt thing (I just got a shirt, and two undershirts, and they work pretty good for what your talking about). Thanks so much!! :)

      ~Pearl
      http://www.towearornottowear-withpearl.blogspot.com/

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    2. Oh, and don't forget that black will attract heat to your body, and gray will make sweat more obvious.

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    3. Oh thank you! I wondered what colors would show sweat more! Goodbye navy blue and gray! Thanks for all the great tips Melissa! :)

      ~
      www.towearornottowear-withpearl.blogspot.com

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  5. Is it possible tocomb your hair and then put in smell sort of hair spray to keep it still so it wont frizz? Instead of using frizz spray stuff.

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    Replies
    1. That can work too, but if you deal with serious frizz, you might want to use both!

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