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Straightening Curly Hair - How to do it right in 6 easy steps

1. Keep your hair long.

Long hair is much easier to straighten than short and long hair tends to weigh down waves and curls. If you have curly hair and find yourself longing for straight and sleek, focus on the long term and maintain your cut no shorter than shoulder length. Maintain a trimming schedule about every couple of months - cutting about one-quarter to one-half inch each time. This will minimize split ends, tangles and help your hair to retain a finished straightening, from root-to-tips, much longer.

2. Limit shampooing.

Repeated shampooing is drying to your hair and creates frizz, waves and more curls. A little oil and dirt is beneficial to the straightening process and actually protects your hair from heat damage. Limit your shampoos to (at the most) every other day. If you can exercise some willpower and shampoo just twice a week, all the better. Your hair will be shiny and manageable as a result.

3. Apply a hairdressing, concentrating on the ends

An inexpensive hair dressing, such as VO5, applied lightly from roots to tips before straightening, will ease out the kinks and curls and help to lock in the heat during your straightening process. A dime size amount in the palm of your hand is sufficient, even for the longest hair. Rub the product between your hands to "heat" it up, then smooth from your roots to the ends, concentrating on the tips of your hair where it is most likely most dry. You will soon recognize that hairdressing works much better than a gel in regards to its holding power and you won't have to deal with the stickiness associated with hair gels.

4. Hot Rollers

If you don't have a set of hot rollers, invest in a set if you are serious about straightening your curls. Just because you crave straight hair, doesn't mean it has to be limp, flat or lack bounce. Purchase a set with the largest rollers you can roll into your hair. There are many hot roller sets that accommodate larger rollers as your hair grows. Setting your hair in hot rollers before you straighten will give depth and height at the crown and sexy curls at the ends, if you are so inclined. Ionic or ceramic setters are the best buy, as they will add shine to your hair as they curl.

5. Finish with a straightening iron.

No curls-to-straight hairstyle is complete without a straightening iron. If you straighten your hair often, invest in a quality product that won't let you down when you need it. I have used a Revlon Perfect Heat 2-in-1 Ceramic Curler and Straightener (Target - $16.99) for a few years now with pretty good success, although the clip that locks the barrel broke shortly after I bought it. I just wrap a hair elastic around the top when I want a curling iron and it works fine. I'm sure there are other straighteners out there that are more expensive and do a better job - I guess it all depends on your budget. However, I'll stick with this one until it no longer works.

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