Straightener virgin...please help!!

[sparkout]

My DS decided to have a totally new haircut so inspired by him I took the plunge and had a cut that actually requires me to straighten my hair. I have always sported the natural I can't be arsed look but actually liked the straightened result so have invested in some straighteners but now not sure what to do next Can someone tell me what to do, I have made a reasonable job of it today but wasn't sure whether i should do it on dry or damp hair, whether I needed anything product wise before straightening/afterwards or both, and how to keep it straight as long as poss so I don't need to straighten every day.

It tends to frizz and is pretty thick/wavy in is natural state. When hairdresser did it she got it very smooth, I've actually got it straight (didn't have half the time she spent tho) but it still feels a bit frizzy in top layers

Mind if I hop on this thread too? I've got some new straighteners and frizzy wavy/curly/unruly hair and need to know what the hell to do with it. Need to get a decent cut first though!

Which straighteners have you got? I have GHDs and always do mine when dry, but I know with some models you can straighten from wet. Mine always goes frizzy if it's not totally dry first though!

I personally don't use any product, but you should really use a heat defence spray to stop from damaging your hair. Boots sell lots of mini versions for a couple of £ so you can try a few before spending out on big versions. You don't need a lot though or your hair can feel sticky.

As for keeping it straight, I think it's Frizz Ease that do a '3 day straight' cream or serum or something. I haven't used it myself but I've heard good things about it. Maybe post on here for reccs?

I have short hair but still straighten mine sometimes to give it a neater finish. I always do mine when it's dry - I use a heat defence spray before blow-drying (Tresemme is v good value and you can buy it in supermarkets) and also their Iron Style and Hold Spray which I spray onto dry hair just before straightening each section. I think if you want the smooth, non-frizz look you need to use something on dry hair just before straightening.

Use them on dry hair and use John Friedas 3 Day straight for curly hair, I have straight hair but I use it anyway.

It makes your hair really shiny.

I'm so dim.. I'd never have thought using them on dry hair works better.

I have thick, course and wavy hair and use my GHD's on dry blow-dried hair. I only get a good result if I blow dry my hair straight and aim the hairdryer down the hair shaft so the follicles in the hair are tamed into the right direction. Then spritz on a defence spray (Charles Worthington I think) and straighten. I also find I get a better finish if I straighten within an hour or two of blowdrying. If I leave it until the next day I don't get the same finish.

It might seem a faff, but if I do it that way I don't have to straighten it until the next time I wash my hair - every 4 days.

Try putting a serum on wet hair, then dry and then use the straighteners
FYI the 3 day straight cream was awful on me and I sent it back with a big complaint as it made my hair awful but see on here it suits some people

I've got the spray, I didnt realise 3 day straight came in a cream.

1. wash with anti build up shampoo and condition.
2. blot excess moisture.
3. Apply some kind of serum to ends. I like this.
4. Dry 100%, adding as much volume as you want, and as much straightness as you can achieve. I find a round brush the best thing for both. You need a dryer with a flat nozzle to direct air from root to tip. I section the top bits out of the way while drying the underneath. Get it bone dry.
5. Section off the top, then straighten in small sections. Apply a heat protection spray to each section first, but not soaking the hair, just a light mist. The smaller the sections the straighter the end result. This is helpful, though I don't use the comb, it's a bit too fiddly. Keep the irons moving, if you clamp and hold you will get a kink. If your sections are small enough (about an inch), you only need to iron each one 1-2 times. If your hair, like mine, is a bit thin, you can blow dry the underneath with max volume and not straighten the first inch or so near the roots on this bit, so you don't flatten it too much. Then straighten root to tip for the top sections. I have a chin length graduated bob, and this takes about 25 mins from wet to finished.

For a quick version, use products as before, but blast dry with head upside down and then only straighten the top and front. You definitely get more volume this way. This takes me 10 mins max.

A note on products. The combination of dark hair dye, direct heat (from irons) and silicone (in lots of heat protection products), can leave your hair dull, dry and brittle. The heat cooks the silicone into the surface of the hair. To avoid this you need to avoid either heat, or colour or silicone. You can minimise the damage by using a clarifying shampoo (baby shampoo will do the job). Or avoid the silicone, which is what I do. Aussie, Naked and Tresseme naturals are all free of silicone. Frizz eze has lots of silicone, which is why it works so very very well. A good way of reducing frizz after straightening (if you don't have too much), is a light spritz of hair spray then smooth the sticky out bits with your hands.

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Sprinkles77 I will get myself to boots and have a look for the Aussie stuff and a bit of hairspray as thinking back my hairdresser did give me a blast of hairspray! Is all hairspray pretty much of a muchness or are some better than others?

Some probably are better than others, but I don't really know. I always buy Elnett hairspray. Only because it's what my grandma uses and no one else had hairspray for me to nick when a teenager. You don't need lots of hold to keep the flyaways down.