How To Straighten Curly Hair Naturally

How To Straighten Curly Hair Naturally:

Are you a naturally curly girl like me and have been trying desperately to find ways to straighten hair strands without all the damage and having to use a flat iron to fry the ends of your hair?

Well, good news, you’re at the right place.

Curly hair is the most fragile hair type of them all, so using a flat iron to straighten your curls regularly is a no-no; it will cause a heap of damage and destroy your natural curl shape– the last thing we want.

Straightening curly hair is no easy task; even when using a straightener, it can be quite a challenge, let alone trying to straighten hair naturally with no heat.

But don’t let that put you off…

I’m here to share with you my top tips and tricks to straighten hair naturally; these techniques are not only ideal for curly hair but if you have naturally straight hair or if you have dry and damaged hair.

So stay tuned for my top tips and tricks.

How To Straighten Curly Hair Without Heat:

So you can actually still use your blow dryer on low heat to have it classed as straightening with no heat– use the coolest setting possible; this means no heat damage!

For curly hair textures, it might be a bit more of a challenge to achieve the sleek straight hair look without using heat, but if you’re willing to embrace a slight bouncy wave rather than the kinky or coily curls, then these tips may work!

Method One: Blow Dry Smooth Using Cold Air:

Now using hot air to blow dry your hair smooth may be the top cause of your frizz, but the warm air can also help reshape the hair to turn the once curls to a straight– maybe slightly fuzzy finish without the flat iron.

The first thing you’ll want to do is master the art of the “perfect blowout”– but don’t worry if you’re not sure how to do this; I’ve broken it all down in my guide here.

Before you get started, make sure you apply a heavier leave-in conditioner, one that will help weigh down your curls and tame your frizz without leaving a greasy residue.

Still use a heat protectant when styling your hair; despite styling with cold air instead of warm, the air can still damage the cuticle slightly and rough up the cuticle to cause frizz– the right head protectant will prevent this.

Work in sections, and separate your hair into small 1-inch sections. This will make smoothing the hair much easier than trying to work with thick chunky sections,

Part your hair from ear to ear, creating a top and bottom section. Clip the top section out the way and part the bottom of the hair, bringing each side to the front of your shoulders.

Grab your round brush and attach the concentrator nozzle to your blow dryer– if you don’t have one, I would recommend getting one as it helps concentrate the airflow, which we need if using cool air.

Use the round brush to create tension and glide it down the hair; you should feel your hair gripped around the brush when pulling it. I recommend you use a round brush with boar bristles as they help smooth down the cuticle and create tension on the hair.

Let your hair air-dry around 70-80% before blow-drying; this should help cut drying time. Using a cool setting can actually cause less damage than air drying alone.

Method Two: Wrap Your Hair:

Another brilliant way to help straighten your hair without heat is through hair wrapping. Not everyone knows how to wrap their hair, so luckily, I found a brilliant YouTube video that breaks it down easily here.

The first thing you’ll need is three-inch-long bobby pins (also known as roller pins) as well as a “hair wrapping” silk scarf or turban.

Seperate the top section of your hair, where you part your hair and use a wide-tooth comb to comb it out flat, hold the hair taut and bring it round to the opposite side of your head from where it naturally falls pinning it tightly.

Repeat this for each section of hair, and then secure your hair in a turban before you go to sleep.

You can spray your hair down with an anti-frizz spray or use styling products beforehand, but this method will prevent frizzy hair and straighten your hair naturally.

Method Three: Use Plastic Rollers:

Another method you can do is roll your hair using jumbo plastic rollers (roughly around 1.75 inches in diameter). This method will allow you to achieve slightly wavy hair with lots of volumes.

It will look like a salon blowout and help smooth your curls.

After washing your hair, apply your leave-in conditioner and any frizz-taming styling products. For this method, leave your hair to air dry or towel dry before rolling as you want damp hair, not wet hair.

Divide your damp hair into medium sections and roll the plastic rollers in your hair before you sleep. Alternatively, you can leave these rollers in for about 4-6 hours before taking them out.

Method Four: Use A Straightening Product:

Many professional shampoos, conditioners, leave-in conditioners, and styling products work to straighten the hair naturally. This may need to be paired with your hair dryer or heat styling tools to work on curly hair, but it will help make hair more manageable.

We all want sleek hair, after all, and these products can help smooth the hair shaft.

These kinds of products are designed to relax natural hair. You can even go and have a professional treatment that uses a protein called keratin. These treatments will put you out a couple of hundred bucks, but they work wonders for smoothing and improving the condition of unruly hair.

They promote healthy hair! Now you’ll find keratin treatments on Amazon, but I wouldn’t recommend doing this treatment yourself. Some shampoos claim to contain “keratin,” but the smallest amount won’t make a difference.

So if you’re thinking of permanently straightening your hair, then do it professionally. These treatments will help relax your curls and smooth your hair.

Method Five: Use A Hair Mask:

You can easily straighten your hair naturally when you deep condition your hair with a DIY hair mask. Hair masks will help promote healthy hair growth and promote your hair’s natural shine.

It will leave hair having a straighter appearance. Hair masks can restore the protein in your hair, helping curly hair appear more relaxed. Coconut milk, raw egg, honey, avocado are all brilliant for deep conditioning.

Weekly hair masks and hot oil treatments are brilliant for improving the health of your hair, plus the heavier your hair, the straighter it will be as your hair will weigh down your curls.

Want to know some top recipes? Check out my guide here.

Method Five: Use Essential Oils:

If you have finer hair, coconut milk and other masks may be a little heavy on your hair and leave a greasy residue. Instead, you can use essential oils like coconut oil, argan oil, or almond oil.

These oils can penetrate your hair follicles, sealing the cuticle and strengthening the hair from the inside out. Using any of the methods above, you can apply these oils before or after styling.

How To Straighten Curly Hair Permanently:

Several treatments can help make your hair straighter; they are chemical formulas and processes that help achieve straight hair and prevent frizzy hair.

Some of these treatments can be done at home, while others will require salon-grade equipment and be done professionally to work efficiently.

Permanent Straightening:

Many of you have probably heard of a perm, which many old ladies have done to make their hair curly; in recent years, it has become increasingly popular in younger age groups, especially teenage boys.

But you can actually perm your hair straight; a perm is a chemical process that permanently alters the hair follicle. They can be done in one appointment and usually only take a few hours.

They’re a cheaper salon alternative to a keratin treatment and usually cost between $50 and $100.

Home Perms:

Another brilliant alternative is giving yourself an at-home perm. It may not be as effective as going into the salon and having it done professionally, but it is more convenient.

You can buy chemical relaxant kits at pharmacies and beauty supply stores; these treatments ‘claim’ that they will have the same result as a perm in the salon, but unless you’re a professional, you might struggle.

They tend to cost between $15-$30 a pack.

Keratin Straight Hair Treatment:

These keratin hair treatments are also known as Brazillian blowouts; they are a semi-permanent hair straightening treatment that transforms your curls into a straight hair texture.

They add keratin to the hair, which helps repair the bonds of your hair strands and promotes healthy hair; it gives hair shine and makes curly hair straight for 3-6 months.

The prices usually start at around $150 because the treatment itself costs around this price. Don’t buy a keratin treatment from Amazon, as it won’t work as effectively and will be a waste of money.

Despite the pricey price tag for this treatment, it’s definitely worth the money.

Thermal Straightening:

Another brilliant treatment to permanently straighten curly, frizzy hair is a Japanese thermal hair straightening treatment known as an acid perm.

It is more similar to a straight perm than the keratin treatment; it also takes the longest out of all the other treatments taking around 5-6 hours to complete.

But this treatment tends to last the longest, lasting around 6 months. If you’re rich and can afford this kind of treatment, it is ideal, but the price ranges between $200-$800, which makes it the most expensive treatment of them all.

How These Treatments Work To Straighten Curls:

All of this permanent hair straightening treatments tend to use the same technique. They are a chemical solution applied to your hair that changes the way the proteins in your hair configure.

After being left on for the perms and thermal straightening procedures, with a shower cap covering your hair, a neutralizer is then applied to the hair.

The neutralizer locks the hair into its new shape, creating new bonds between the protein in your hair.

For a keratin treatment, there tend to be two ways to apply. For both, you need freshly washed and blow-dried hair without conditioner; the treatment is then applied and left on for up to an hour.

After that, the treatment is either rinsed out 30-50% and then blow-dried with the treatment still in and then straightened, whereas other brands can be blow-dried into the hair and straightened without rinsing.

This is then straightened, running the straightener over the ends of the hair 3 times for the keratin treatment to soak into the hair follicles– this doesn’t damage your hair.

After each treatment, it is recommended that you don’t wash your hair for as long as you can bear afterward, 2-3 days is recommended, but the keratin treatment will leave a greasy finish as there is still product in the hair.

Summary:

So whether you want to try to naturally straighten your curls or looking for a more permanent treatment, there are a few options for you to try. Just remember, if you choose you permanently straighten your hair, you’ll never be able to have your natural curl back.

Give a few of the natural methods, and you may find that blow-drying your hair on cold heat with a round brush may actually make a world of difference in smoothing your curls.

But learn to embrace your curls ladies, many people who don’t have curly hair crave that natural curl finish– I know they can be a pain in the ass to care for, but it’s worth it!

But if you fancy a change and your hair is quite damaged, these techniques might actually help achieve a straight style without pulling out the straightening iron.

Give it a go today!