Hair doesn't straighten!

angelil

It might just be that your hair, like mine, just doesn't hold a style for that long. I can spend an hour at the hairdressers having it all set in hot rollers only for it to have fallen out within a few hours. You need to use a truckload of hairspray on my hair for it to even hold for an afternoon!! Tbh I have just given up and try to experiment with other styles (plaits, hair slides etc) instead. However, I'm not going to pretend to be knowledgeable about hair; beauty products are my game

h007

hi, i have thick wavy hair and use babyliss pro elegance 230.
i used to have ghd's but find these just as good

jenniewb

If your hair is thick, I'd question your technique, its a different story if your hair is not thin and naturally straight-ish!

I have this problem too and even with short hair its just as hard. I work by dividing my hair into long strips from my forehead to my crown. I get about 10 in total across my head, ignore the fact the back is missed out you can do the back last (or first or whatever suits.) Then I curl each up on itself and clip it up onto my head to keep it out of the way.

Next get a comb, brushes are fine but combs are better. If the sections are too thick to go through a comb its a sign the sections are too thick and you need to halve the legnth again to get a thinner amount. Once combed through run the straighteners over it until its straight. If you apply any sort of heat protection this goes on first and wait until its dry. Any steam that comes from the straighteners is not a good sign, boiled or fried hair results in damage, early split ends and frizzy hair.

Once all the sections are done start on the back. You will need a mirror for this but being you've had practice with how much is enough to pull through the irons you'll be able to know what to work with. As hair cools before setting, its important to get the underneath straightened first as this is what any further straightened sections will be resting on.

Once done and cooled down, then spray with a hair-spray. Nothing with any water added as this will just add the kinks back in but for saying power if you wanted to add a spray like elnett for example, do so afterwards as alcohol and too-hot-heat are not a good mix!

Youtube will have loads of demos. I have friends with Afro type hair, they swear by their GHDs but do get fantasticly straight results so I'd have to question your technique before I could believe your hair is not able to be straightened

lisa26_2

Also, if you're finding the ends a problem then your hair may be in need of a good cut....I always know mine's ready for a cut when the ends start refusing to straighten!

k0nstantine

I have long thick, dyed hair that waves and had some Remington straighteners, but didn't find them that useful.
I've now bought some Vidal Sassoon ones that work a lot better.
I've also found that my hair straightens a lot better if i comb through it all first, then separate it into segments and start from the bottom layers, working my way to the top.

Fire_Fox

Does your hair straighten nicely when the hairdresser does it? You will ruin your hair by using wet to straight or straighteners over 230C, ask a dermatologist. Some silicones will even melt at that temperature and coat your hair permanently. That goes double if it is already slightly dry or damaged from colouring. Are you sure you hair is not that curly? A huge number of people don't realise - including me - as they have always treated their hair as if it were straight. Think about it, why would you need to straighten your hair if it is straight already? Because it is fluffy/ poofy/ frizzy? Those are invariably hidden curl.

Check out this thread and see if any of the 'before' pictures look familiar
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/47609-post-your-before-after-cg-pics.html
Some dermatology stuff
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2008/aad073008/downloads/Ceramic_Flat_Irons_and_Hair_Breakage.pdf
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2009/aadHealthySkinMonth91110/downloads/Dr_Mirmirani_Release.pdf