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Hair
that's sleek and bone-straight is fall's mane event
Back
in the dark ages of beauty, the woman who wanted bone straight
hair might have pulled out the iron and ironing board and given
her locks a light press to achieve her ideal look. Thankfully,
hair straightening has gotten a lot easier since then, with a
plethora of products designed to help women play it straight without
going to extremes. (And for those of us with naturally curly hair
textures, that's no mean feat.) All it takes is the right tools
and styling products. With these wonders at your disposal, you
can stow your iron and ironing board away for good.
The
Straight Story
What
makes straight hair look modern now is miles away from the product-laden
looks of the past. Rather than using an excessive amount of gunky
products that can weigh the hair down and leave it looking limp
and greasy, the emphasis today is on keeping the hair clean, healthy
and strong. For women with naturally-straight hair, the battle
isn't how to achieve the look as much as it is to make it look
fresh. The first step in the process is the right cut. Short bobs
and shoulder length cuts are the shape of the moment. Hair can
be parted on the side or in the middle, depending on the shape
of your face. Since volume in tresses is making a comeback, a
shampoo and conditioner that add heft to hair so that it doesn't
look limp is a good investment.
Don't
Have Naturally Straight Hair?
If
your hair isn't naturally straight, don't fret. Between hair tools,
chemicals and straightening products, sleek hair is only a comb
through away. The most direct way to get curls to go straight
is the use of chemical relaxers, also known as hair straighteners.
Whether you have the relaxer applied by a professional or opt
for a kitchen beautician kit, the premise is the same: these smooth
operators are designed to release the curl pattern and give the
hair a stick straight appearance. Often the chemical relaxers
include such strong agents as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide
or lithium hydroxide, all of which require kid gloves in the application
process. Chemicals can only be left on the hair for a certain
length of time and then must be thoroughly and completely rinsed
out, followed by a neutralizing shampoo to protect the hair against
the chemicals that would impair it if left on too long.
Non-Chemical
Route
If
you don't want to go the chemical route, there are a number of
styling tools and hair products you can use to - temporarily -
achieve the sleek styles you desire. The mane ingredient: the
application of heating implements. Heat helps to break down the
curl pattern and gives a short-lived straight look. The first
step is to start with clean hair, free of all product residue.
After hair has been washed and towel dried, you should begin by
coating it with a heat protectant product that will help prevent
it from getting singed by the heat of the blow dryer. Follow the
protectant with a light straightening gel applied evenly throughout
damp hair; this will make it easier to straighten and smooth.
Part the hair into sections and clip it up. Working one section
at a time, blow dry the hair, using a thick, round brush (metal
ones, sized to suit your hair length, work best) to stretch the
hair from roots to ends and a blow dryer of about 1600 watts.
Some dryers have a comb attachment that makes straightening the
hair that much easier. As the brush is pulled through the hair,
the heat from the blow-dryer will help straighten as it dries.
Just be sure that you are distributing the heat evenly and not
lingering too long in one spot. As you finish one section, unclip
another and go through the entire process again until your hair
is completely done.
Still
Not Straight Enough?
You
can follow up the blow dryer with a flat iron styling tool, available
in most health and beauty stores, to give your hair extra smoothness.
Last but not least, the finishing touch is to use a hair wax,
molding mud or laminate gel for shine and continued smoothing.
When you're working with heating instruments, using your discretion
is more important than ever. Hair can take the heat, but not on
a daily basis, so to prevent burnt out tresses, stagger the use
of heating implements to every other day.
With the range of exciting options out there, getting it straight
- your hair, that is -will be a snap.
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Vanessa
Bush has covered the beauty and fashion scene for a host of
magazines including Glamour and Honey, and is currently an editor
at Essence. Vanessa is a frequent contributor to BeautyWalk. She
is the co-author, with supermodel Tyra Banks, of Tyra's
Beauty Inside & Out. Vanessa and her family make their home in
New Jersey.
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