When I was 13 years old I decided I hated my hair. Prior to that I never really thought too much about my wild, unruly locks. After all when you stare at a certain feature in the mirror for over a decade you stop really noticing said feature. But, among the increased vanity and social politics of middle school, I began to see my hair as a nuisance, a problem in need of a quick solution. No quick solution was found, but I did begin waking up at 5 am every morning to spend at least an hour exposing my hair to the 400 degree heat of my Conair flattening iron until each strand was a frizzy, dry, box like mess.
I wasn’t very good at straightening my hair then and I doubt that most 13 year olds are either. But they can certainly be better than I was and in the hopes of saving a lot of time and damage, here are a few tips to make your morning routine slightly easier.
1. Do Not Straighten Wet Hair: This should be an no brainer but it isn’t, especially since “wet to straight” hair straighteners are a thing. An easy tip off is when your straightener starts steaming and sizzling you can bet that your hair is being burned as badly as a piece of toast that gets caught at the bottom of your toaster oven, that is when you should stop.
2. Avoid Using Too Much Heat: The 450 degree flattening iron setting was originally designed only for in salon use but now anyone can get a device that goes up that high. If your hair is normal-fine, never go above 350. If your hair is unusually coarse, then the 450 degree setting MIGHT be ok. Use caution.
3. Protect Your Hair: Find a product that will protect your hair from heat damage. We recommend Curlisto Repair Cream.
4. Update Your Iron: If you are using a ten year old iron you are putting your hair through more unnecessary stress than you are aware ( I assume you are aware that any straightening iron will cause damage), however the newer irons come in materials that are less harsh on curly hair such as gold and titanium.
5.Find A Good Finishing Product: For a humidity resistant formula and enduring hold, we like Curlisto Natural Paste.