Straightening irons are much criticized for the effects of the heat of the straightening plates on the hair. However, many people could not do without this technology. In fact, this allows you to have straightened and silky hair in no time. Other techniques like using a kardoune also work well. However, they do not have such an immediate effect and are therefore considered less practical on a daily basis. Fortunately, you can absolutely use a straightener without damaging your hair! You just need to use your device carefully and protect your hair before using the straightener.
1) To avoid damaging your hair, you first need a quality straightener
The coating of the plates is very important in the quality of the product. Often, low-end straighteners have a scrap coating covered with a thin ceramic coating that crumbles over time and uses. As a result, they quickly end up in the trash, because once the ceramic is worn out, you burn your hair with what’s underneath! This is why we must at least opt for 100% ceramic plates. In addition, it distributes heat better on the plates and promotes the sliding of the plates on the hair fiber. Titanium is also a good, strong and powerful material, but should be avoided on colored and damaged hair. On the contrary, tourmaline is a semi-precious stone effective when straightening which will take better care of dry, curly, colored hair and prone to static electricity.
If you straighten your hair daily or, like us, are afraid of damaging it even with a few uses, it is better to turn to professional quality brands. For example, Grand-Mère uses the Nina model from MadameParis which has ceramic and ionic plates allowing smoothing even faster, more durable and very efficient in one pass. This is very important to limit the time a hot appliance is used on the hair, damage it less and make it softer and shinier. Light, thin and practical with the perfect size of its cord and its accessories (comb, clips for separating hair, heat protective gloves, etc.), it also has a precise temperature display which heats almost instantly to the chosen temperature. Above all, do not take a device where you cannot control the temperature !
2) The right actions with the straightener to avoid damaging your hair
Obviously, misusing the device risks causing irreversible damage over time. So, it is better limit too regular use smoothing plates. Again, if you use a good device, it will leave hair smoother for longer! For the same reason, it is best not to stay on one section of hair for too long. To avoid it, make partings in your hair and straighten smaller strands. Indeed, we often tend to make bigger bits to go faster. However, this requires ironing several times and this is where you are most likely to damage your hair with the straightener! And above all, comb well before straightening, neither too quickly nor too slowly, stretching each strand.
Finally, avoid automatically setting the highest temperature to go faster, it is not necessarily more effective! Choose the good temperature to straighten well according to the needs of your hair :
- 180°C or less for fine, damaged, brittle or straight hair and short hair
- Between 180°C and 210°C for normal, wavy or curly hair
- And between 210°C and 235°C for thick, curly and frizzy hair.
3) Protect your hair before using the straightener so as not to damage it
Of course, you can use very nourishing masks or do oil baths on your hair to repair it. But once broken or split, a hair cannot be repaired…we must therefore cut! So, it is better to protect from heat upstream to avoid having hair like straw. To do this, no need for silicone chemicals. You can try some vegetable oils and butters alone or mixed with your homemade styling products. Here, we can cite some natural heat protectants: shea or cupuacu butter and oils such as argan, grapeseed, olive, coconut, macadamia nut, avocado or sunflower oil. .
4) A homemade thermo-protective treatment to protect the hair scales
To make a homemade heat protectant, you need:
- 90 ml grapefruit flavored water (to dilute and for scent)
- 2.5 ml of plant ceramides (sheath and protects against dehydration)
- 3.5 ml of keratin protect (thermo-protectant which provides shine and softness)
- 0.5 ml of silk proteins (hydrates and softens)
- 18 drops of cosgard preservative
The steps:
In a spray bottle, mix the flavored water with the vegetable ceramides. Then add your other ingredients and it’s ready! This product can be kept for 3 months and allows you to straighten your hair with the straightener without damaging them or weighing them down. It can be used on dry or wet hair and therefore also works for other heating devices such as hair dryers.
The video recipe by Naturally Lyla:
With all of this, having beautiful, supple hair and smooth, silky hair with often criticized straightening techniques becomes entirely possible! Unruly hair with frizz or lengths that you just want to straighten or curl for aesthetic reasons just have to be careful!