How to Straighten Your Hair and Keep It Straight All Day

I have naturally fairly straight hair, so for years I didn’t really understand why people spent so much money on hair straighteners. I’d wash mine, brush it and generally consider the job done. It might not have looked as though I’d just left a salon, but it was straight enough for me!

As I’ve got older, though, my hair has changed and so has the amount of attention I give it. I’ve experimented with different colours and styles over the years, my hair has become a little different during perimenopause, and I’ve finally discovered that there is quite a difference between hair that is technically straight and hair that has been properly styled to look smooth and straight.

I even treated myself to some GHDs, something I wouldn’t have dreamed of spending that much money on years ago.

The slight problem with discovering that you like your hair straightened is that heat isn’t particularly kind to hair. I don’t want beautifully smooth hair for a day if the price is increasingly dry or damaged hair afterwards, so I’ve become much more interested in getting a good result without repeatedly going over the same sections with straighteners.

If you’re trying to get your hair smooth, keep it straight for longer and avoid using more heat than you need to, this is what I’ve learned.

Getting straight hair starts before the straighteners come out

I used to think straightening your hair was literally a matter of plugging in the straighteners and running them through it. You can obviously do that, but I’ve found that what happens beforehand makes quite a difference to the finished result.

I wouldn’t get too hung up on buying a shampoo specifically labelled for straight hair because the best shampoo and conditioner will depend on your own hair. If your hair tends to become dry or frizzy, something that leaves it well conditioned and manageable can make styling easier, whereas very fine hair may become weighed down by rich products.

The condition of your hair matters more to me than having an entire shelf of products promising “salon straight” results.

How you dry it matters too. Wet hair is more vulnerable to damage, so aggressively rubbing it with a towel isn’t something I’d recommend. I tend to gently squeeze out excess water and use a towel without scrubbing my hair backwards and forwards.

If I’ve got time, allowing it to dry naturally for a while also means less time under the hairdryer. That’s not always practical, of course. Sometimes you have somewhere to be and sitting around for two hours with wet hair isn’t really an option!

When I do blow-dry it, I’m much more conscious now of not automatically using the hottest possible setting simply because it gets the job done faster. Heat can dry and weaken hair, so I’m trying to find that balance between styling my hair the way I like it and not cooking it in the process.

Heat protection is one step I don’t skip

Since I started taking more interest in styling my hair, heat protection is one of the things I’ve become much more particular about.

Hair straighteners operate at very high temperatures and, unlike a hairdryer, the hot plates are placed directly against your hair. That repeated heat can weaken the hair shaft and make hair more prone to dryness and breakage over time.

A heat-protection product isn’t a magical force field that means you can use unlimited heat without consequences, but it can help reduce heat-related damage when used according to the instructions.

The other thing I’ve learned is that more product isn’t necessarily better. If I use so much that my hair feels coated or sticky, I’ve rather defeated the point of trying to make it look clean and smooth.

I apply mine as directed, make sure it’s distributed through the areas I’m going to style and, importantly, make sure my hair is dry before using ordinary straighteners unless the particular tool has specifically been designed for wet hair.

The thought of clamping very hot plates onto damp hair makes me wince now!

Blow-drying it straighter makes the next stage easier

If your hair naturally dries with waves, kinks or lots of frizz, you can make life much easier for yourself by getting it reasonably smooth while you blow-dry rather than relying on the straighteners to correct everything afterwards.

Working in sections and directing the airflow down the hair rather than blasting it around in every direction can help you get a smoother result. Depending on your hair, you might prefer a paddle brush or a round brush to keep each section controlled as you dry it.

I’m not going to pretend I can recreate a professional salon blow-dry at home because I absolutely cannot. Hairdressers appear to possess an additional pair of invisible hands when they’re simultaneously controlling a hairdryer, brush and section of hair.

It doesn’t need to be perfect, though.

The closer I can get my hair to the shape I want while drying it, the less work the straighteners have to do afterwards. For me, that’s a much more sensible approach than blasting it dry any old way and then repeatedly running extremely hot plates over it until it behaves.

How I get a smoother result with straighteners

Once my hair is completely dry, I find sectioning it makes far more difference than I expected.

It can feel quicker to grab huge chunks of hair and straighten them, but the outside gets most of the heat while the hair in the middle doesn’t necessarily get the same result. You then end up going back over it several times anyway.

Smaller, manageable sections give the plates better contact with the hair, so I can usually move steadily from the roots towards the ends without stopping or repeatedly going over the same piece.

I don’t try to get the plates as close to my scalp as physically possible either. Aside from the obvious risk of burning myself, my hair doesn’t need straightening right down to the follicle to look straight.

The temperature is worth thinking about as well. The hottest possible setting isn’t automatically the best setting for every head of hair. Fine, fragile, bleached or already damaged hair may need considerably more care with heat than thick, healthy hair, and I’d always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the particular straighteners you’re using.

If I find myself needing pass after pass to get the result I want, I’d rather look at whether my sections are too big or whether I could improve the blow-drying stage than simply keep applying more heat.

How do you keep straightened hair straight all day?

This is the bit that can be frustrating. You spend ages getting your hair exactly how you want it, step outside and British weather immediately decides it has other plans.

Humidity is particularly good at undoing straightened hair because hair can absorb moisture from the air, which can encourage it to return towards its natural texture. If your hair is naturally curly or wavy, you’ll probably notice this much more than I do.

A small amount of finishing serum or an anti-humidity styling product can help, depending on your hair type. I tend to favour using as little as I need because piling lots of product onto freshly washed hair can leave it looking greasy rather than glossy.

I’d also give the hair a chance to cool after straightening before doing much with it. If you immediately tie it tightly into a ponytail or tuck it behind your ears, you can introduce bends while it’s still settling into its newly straightened shape.

And then there is rain.

I’m afraid I haven’t discovered a styling product capable of negotiating with the British weather. Sometimes the most effective anti-frizz technology available is still an umbrella!

Should you straighten your hair every day?

This depends enormously on your hair and how you’re styling it, but I wouldn’t assume daily heat styling is completely harmless simply because your hair looks fine afterwards.

Heat damage tends to be cumulative. If hair is becoming noticeably drier, rougher, more brittle or you’re seeing increasing breakage and split ends, I’d take that as a reason to reconsider how much heat I’m using rather than trying to disguise the problem with another styling product.

Gloucestershire Hospitals’ dermatology guidance, for example, advises that heat can weaken and dry hair and recommends limiting the use of straighteners and curling tongs where possible.

That doesn’t mean I think we should all throw our straighteners away.

I bought mine because I wanted to enjoy styling my hair, and I don’t see much point in owning things we’re frightened to use. I’m simply happier using them thoughtfully rather than feeling that my hair needs to be heat-styled every single day.

On days when I’m staying at home, tying my hair back or simply don’t care whether it’s perfectly smooth, I can give it a break. Then when I do straighten it because I’m going somewhere or just fancy making an effort, it feels more like something I’m choosing to do rather than another compulsory part of getting dressed.

What if your hair won’t stay straight?

If you’ve tried all the obvious things and your hair still starts reverting almost immediately, it might be worth thinking about what your natural hair actually wants to do.

Hair that you have always described as “frizzy” might actually have more of a natural wave or curl than you realised. In that situation, keeping it poker straight in humid weather may always require more effort than it would for someone whose hair naturally grows straight.

Your hair’s condition can make a difference too. Very dry or damaged hair can be more difficult to make look smooth, and adding more heat isn’t necessarily the solution.

Sometimes changing the products you’re using, improving the condition of your hair or simply accepting a slightly softer straight style rather than trying to make every single strand perfectly flat can give you a result you’re happier with.

I think I’ve become much less interested in perfection generally as I’ve got older, and apparently my hair hasn’t escaped that either!

Straight hair doesn’t need to mean damaged hair

The biggest change in how I approach my hair now is probably that I’m prepared to spend a little more time looking after it.

For years, hair was something I washed, brushed and occasionally coloured. I didn’t think much about heat protection because I rarely used heat, and I certainly wasn’t comparing hair straighteners or wondering whether I needed a serum.

Now I enjoy having the choice.

Some days I leave my naturally straight-ish hair alone. Other days I straighten it properly because I like how smooth it looks, and I’ve also been experimenting more with different ways of styling it.

What I don’t want is to get into the cycle of damaging my hair with heat and then using even more heat because the damaged hair doesn’t look as smooth as it used to.

For me, the sensible middle ground is straightforward: start with hair that’s in decent condition, use heat protection, don’t automatically use more heat than necessary and give my hair days off when I don’t need to style it.

After spending years thinking my hair was straight simply because it wasn’t curly, I have to admit that I finally understand the appeal of a really good pair of straighteners. It only took me a few decades to get there!

If you found this helpful please share!