By When you are donning a new hairdo and you have natural hair, your best option would be to resort to using the flat iron. While using heat for styling is not good for your hair, you can limit the amount of damage sustained by your crowning glory by learning how to flat iron natural hair the right way.
Aside from minimizing the amount of damage sustained by your hair, you will also be able to get the desired results with shorter swipes with the flat iron. Here are some of the things you have to observe for best results.
1. Invest in a high quality flat iron
Among the first things that you have to think about when you are planning to iron your hair is what kind of iron to use. There are all kinds of flat irons that are available in the market but be sure to invest in one which heats up evenly.
Some flat irons work better than others. So, don’t forget to look at reviews or try out different irons on your hair first.
2. Make sure that your hair is clean and moisturized before ironing.
When you are planning to use the flat iron on your hair, it would be better to wash off the dirt and other hair products that are still on it. Otherwise, you will just bake those when you use the flat iron.
Using shampoo for these flat ironing sessions is a must and while at it, don’t skip the conditioner. Proper moisture is required by your hair especially when you have heat styling in mind.
When you use the flat iron on dry hair, your locks become more brittle which leads to breakage. If you are already worried about the damage your hair will sustain from styling, you should pay more attention to its condition before using the flat iron.
Keep in mind that using the flat iron can always wait up until you have taken care of your hair’s cleanliness and moisture.
3. Use heat protectant on hair but don’t apply oil
Before you decide to flat iron hair, it would be beneficial to give it a certain degree of protection. The best way to do that is to apply a hair protectant.
Be sure to section your hair first to make sure that each part gets a fair amount of this heat protecting product. However, keep in mind that if you apply too much heat, your hair will still be damaged no matter how much heat protectant you apply on your hair.
While it is acceptable to apply oil on your hair after you are done ironing to give it more weight, you should avoid using oil on your hair before you iron it out. If you apply oil on your hair before using the flat iron, it’s highly likely that your hair will lack that bounce and fall flat. This is never a good thing.
4. Straighten out hair with braids or rollers prior to ironing it out
Another tip that would come in handy when you are trying to iron out your hair is to straighten it out as much as possible. The best way to do this is to set your hair with rollers and braids.
Aside from that, your hair will also be sleeker when you straighten it out. Setting your hair with rollers or big braids is possible. Some find rollers the better option, so you might want to try that out first.
5. Never use the flat iron on wet hair
When you are planning to do any hair ironing, you should never use it when your hair is wet. It’s important to keep in mind that ironing wet hair will only result to a lot of frizz. Using a blower also tends to dry hair our completely.
If you are afraid that your hair would require the use of a hair blower first, don’t be. There are ways to avoid drying your hair with a blower.
You have the option to wrap your wet hair and allow it to sit under a bonnet dryer or hood if you are up for a gentler way to dry your hair before ironing it. You also have the option to air dry your hair.
If you want to dry your hair quicker, you can let it air dry at first and when it is about 80 percent dry, use a blower. This way, you will be able to have nicer hair when you are done ironing it out.
6. Separate your hair in small sections
Proper hair sectioning is a must when you are using a flat iron. If you have already tried ironing your hair before, you are probably familiar that ironing big sections will not yield desirable results.
It would be ideal to section hairs. As a rule, each section should not be more than an inch thick. However, you should always consider the size of the iron that you are using. You should adjust the size of each hair section depending on how big your flat iron is.
7. Don’t iron your hair in a hurry
Ironing your hair can damage hair especially when you do it in a hurry. So, never do it when you only have a few minutes to spare.
Another important tip is to do one long swipe rather than go over and over a section of hair. This would cause lesser hair damage.
Although you should not allow the iron to sit on a patch of hair for a long time, you should not swipe it hurriedly to ensure that your hair will look sleeker.
Hopefully, with these seven steps on how to flat iron natural hair would come in handy next time you need to do a hairstyle that requires heat.
