It was just the other day that my friend Rhea called me over to look over and help her try out her new buy – a thermal hair straightener. With hair straightening taking women all over by storm, it wasn’t surprising that I took on her invitation right away. The hair straightener looked like a pair of flat tongs, each having a heating element within. The manual said that all you had to do was place your hair between the heated tongs and pull along till the end of the hair shaft…and voila! You should have ramrod straight locks!
Both of us had done our homework and read tons of material on temporary hair straighteners. My friend was forever lamenting that she didn’t like the look of her curly hair. Not wanting to subject her hair to chemical straightening treatments, it was decided that the hair straightener was the next best bet. So she was itching to get her hands on the hair straightener in the fond hope that it would lend the straight silky locks that she so desired.
The ceramic hair straightener offered the user the ability to control heat settings. Combining electrical, mechanical and thermal forces, this contraption offered to smoothen frizzy locks. The heat from the hair straightening iron causes temporary restructure of hair, thereby flattening it. The force applied by the tongs squeezes and realigns cuticles of the hair shaft so as to make it appear smooth and straight.
Applying hair moisturizer before using the hair straightener was good piece of advice. This prevented Rhea’s hair from turning excessively dry. It is not wise to use a hair straightener everyday, as the hair needs some time to recover from being subject to heat settings. It is essential to follow up regular hair straightening with deep conditioning so that the shine and bounce is maintained and flyaway hair is kept at bay. Do not use a hair straightener on wet hair for fear of singeing it.
What I have noticed is that hair straighteners tend to work best on those who have wavy hair. Extremely curly locks tend to get straightened but end up looking like coiled springs, ready to spring back to original condition. This often lends an unnatural appearance and the hair lacks natural bounce. So do we stick to the adage that its best to make the most of what nature has given us?
For those of you who want a refreshing hair treatment that is sure to perk you up and soothe away the stress, I will come back next week with interesting details on hair oil massage. In the meanwhile, I am sure our articles on various hair treatments will find favor with you:
Hair Straightening – Detailed article on hair straightening.
Blow Drying Hair – Traps and Tips on blow drying your Hair…