Flat Iron Tips: How to Straighten Like a Pro

If you're a fan of the straight hair look, then today's post is for you! I've been straightening my hair for years, so I've picked up quite a few useful tips along the way. Whether you call it a flat iron or a straightener (I say both), today I'm going to tell you how to get the most out of this handy little device so you can straighten your hair like a pro!

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Step 1: Pick the Right Straightener

There are three main things to look for in a flat iron: surface material, width of plate, and heat settings. You can read about each in detail here: The Skinny on Straighteners: How to Pick the Perfect Flat Iron. Here are the main takeaways:

• Ceramic or tourmaline-coated ceramic plates are best if you're not experienced at straightening hair, if you have very frizzy hair, or if your hair is damaged. Titanium plates last longer but they transfer heat fastest, so use them if you're more experienced and if you have very thick/coarse hair.
• Select a 1/2-inch plate if you have very short hair, a 1 to 1 1/2-inch plate if your hair is medium length and finely textured, and select a 2 inch plate if your hair is very long and/or coarse in texture.
• If your hair is fine in texture, damaged, or if it damages easily, use lower heat settings. If it's thick, curly, and/or coarsely textured, use higher heat settings. Never go above 350 degrees!

Step 2: Prep hair properly 

Wash and dry hair, then add a heat protectant!! This is such an important step, because it will help prevent damage. The one I recommend is TRESemme Keratin Flat Iron Smoothing Spray. It works great and is inexpensive! If you prefer an oil based protectant, Kerastase Elixir Ultime Hair Oil is somewhat expensive but I do like it a lot.

TIP: NEVER flat iron your hair when it's wet! It's a surefire way to damage it. As Dr. Jessica Krant, M.D., M.P.H., founder of Art of Dermatology in New York City explains, adding excessive heat to your hair when it's wet will cause steam damage, which is like boiling your hair from the outside.*

Step 3: Clip hair into manageable sections.

My hair is thinly textured, so I divide mine into two sections. If you have very thick or long hair, you'll want to clip it into 4 sections.

Straighten the bottom layer first. Begin an inch or so from the scalp and flatten an approximately 2-inch wide section of hair between the two plates of the flat iron, then slide the iron down to the ends of the hair at a steady pace (see photo below).

Once that layer is finished, do the top layer of hair. When you're doing the hair at the top of your head and on the sides near your face, you'll want to get close to your scalp so you won't see a funny line showing where you started.

TIP: Beginning closer to your scalp gives your hair more volume, too — just pull the hair upwards as you're straightening to provide extra lift.

Here are just a few of my many straight hair looks (and hair colors)!

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I hope these tips help! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. If your hair is damaged from using a straightener too often, you might want to check out my Top 10 Tricks to Avoid Split Ends and my Healthy Hair Tips. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive a weekly summary of our posts or follow on Bloglovin’ for updates.

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*Source: Dr. Krant