How to stop straightening hair? Smooth hair without a flat iron

Using a flat iron every day to make hair straight doesn’t serve the strands well. Overuse of a flat iron is a bad habit that many women have. They simply can’t leave home unless their strands are perfectly smooth. Let’s find out how to stop straightening hair and adore its natural look.

When somebody talks about bad habits and addictions, we think about cigarettes, alcohols and drugs. The sad truth is that we can get addicted to almost everything – also to using a flat iron. Naturally, we can snap our fingers at this issue and say that it doesn’t involve us. The researches prove that hundred thousand of women can’t imagine themselves leaving home without running the flat iron down the length of your hair… but this is a sign of addiction, isn’t it?

Addiction to hair straightening

You get up, wash your hair and then automatically plug the flat iron in. You won’t leave home until every strand is perfectly smooth. Just in case, you carry a battery-powered mini flat iron in your handbag to tame unruly wisps throughout a day. And after returning home you whip your hair into line again by treating it with a flat iron because you have to leave soon for an evening meeting. Does this scenario sound familiar to you? If so, you may consider yourself as addicted to hair straightening.

Indeed, this is a problem that many women from all over the world face. In most cases we want what we are deprived of by nature – women whose hair is straight wish to have curls, whereas curly hair owers keep straightening their hair daily.

Does frequent straightening harm the hair?

A flat iron is a marvelous invention that enables us to gift our hair with smoothness, shine and softness. Thanks to this hair styling tool we can transform curls into straight and beautiful strands. However, if we start using the flat iron too often, the tool:

• will accelerate water loss from hair;
• may dehydrate and even burn strands;
• encourages split ends;
• may cause brittleness;
• sensitizes hair.

How to stop making hair straight?

Although seldom hair straightening and proper use of a flat iron can save us from causing damages to hair, it’s worth resigning from taking advantage of this hair styling tool completely. How to do it when the habit of reaching for the flat iron is really strong?

Here are tested ways of smoothing hair without using a flat iron and some tricks owing to which it will be easier for you to get used to the way your hair looks by nature.

1. Get your hair trimmed!

Hair with split ends will never look good. Damaged hair ends don’t only stick out blemishing the look of the entire hairdo but also accelerate water and nutrients loss from the strands. As a consequence, hair with split ends has tendency to get frizzy so it doesn’t look the way we wish it to. Therefore, if you’re planning to take a break from using a flat iron, visit a hairdresser to get the dry, burned and damaged hair ends trimmed.

2. Condition!

Frequently hair curls without our permission, gets frizzy and is easily affected by static – this is the aftermath of our improper hair care, or the complete lack of it. Healthy hair is smoother and softer to the touch. For that reason, if you care for smoothing the strands out without exposing them to heat, you must turn to hair conditioners and masks of moisturising, nourishing and regenerating properties. The right and intensive care is the core in the fight for beautiful hair.

3. Apply oils!

Natural oils are found perfect in terms of hair care. Owing to them, you can make your hair smoother and gift it with natural shine. If you stop using a flat iron, then hair oiling might turn out to be your ally in managing the unruly strands. It’s worth realising that natural oils don’t only nourish hair but also protect against dehydration and high temperature. Also, they positively influence the appearance of hair leaving the strands smoother and glossy.

4. Get on with silicones!

In most cases in hair care guides we read that silicones are bad and we should stay away from them. The truth is that they can residue on hair and weigh it down. However, if used in reasonable amounts, they make hair perfectly smooth, gift it with shine and facilitate combing. Therefore, if you are wondering how to stop using a flat iron, replace this hair styling tool with a silicone conditioner – the effect obtained should be similar, yet you don’t have to use heat to achieve it.

5. Tie your hair up!

Here comes the last piece of advice for women who decided to undergo ‘flat iron detox’ but they don’t like the way their hair weaves or curls. It’s crucial to keep tying hair up for at least 2 weeks straight. It should be done mostly because if loose, the hair might look bad, to say the least. This tying up is also beneficial for another reason. Namely, if tied up properly, the hair will get the chance to smooth itself naturally and become a little bit more straight.