Karen Or Anyone - How Do I Temporarily Straighten Wavy Hair?

My boyfriend bought me a hair straightener for Christmas and I love it. You just put a section of hair in it and run it down the length. Mine uses steam so it leaves my hair smooth and shiny. It`s quick and easy to use and very inexpensive. You can find one in almost any drugstore or department store.

Hi, Karen

I should have said "I straighten other people`s hair with jumbo rollers." My hair is straight with just the hint of a wave in one spot. No need to straighten anything there and rollers is not a good look for men anyway. :)

I have been using the jumbo rollers to straighten hair for several years now. I have seen velcro rollers do terrible things to hair. I have had women tell me that they are the "only" rollers that will stay in their hair but unless great caution is taken when removing them, disaster can happen. Sally`s sells a wide selection of different magnetic roller sizes and they are reasonably priced. I guess that George Michael book rubbed off on me! :)

I have used rag curlers in the past and gotten very good results from them. I have used Sleepers curlers too for spiral curls but I see they are no longer on the Internet. Too bad. They had a good product. A good friend uses the sassy Curler and gets really nice spiral curls:

http://www.adiscountbeauty.com/page375.html

IGIA has a device that is supposed to make nice spiral or S waves. I haven`t used it nor do I know anyone that has but it looks interesting:

http://www.igia.com/cfm/product.cfm?ID=AT6742

Have a nice one!

Warm Regards,
Merlin

Excellent tips from Karen. I also straighten curly hair using jumbo rollers (magnetic are the best - velcro will often tangle in the hair and brush will rip and tear). The larger the roller, the smoother the finished look. Of course, setting your hair on rollers takes longer but the finished look is really nice. Either blow drying or roller setting will work.

Good luck! ;)

Hi,

I am assuming you mean the temporary straightening that lasts just until the next shampoo?

If so, here is what I do for my own wavy hair when I want it stick straight:

1. Shampoo w/ moisturizing shampoo (I use ARTec Smoothing, PhytoJojoba or PhytoCidre, Aveda Shampure or whatever product I am testing).

2. Use a rinse out conditioner since you will be using heat on your hair.

3. Rinse well, finish with a cool/cold water rinse.

4. Towel blot. Remove as much moisture as gently as possible. Don`t twist hair, gently blot the moisture out.

5. Apply a good leave-in conditioner or detangling spray. I use Phyto 7 or 9 (if my hair is really dry) and then Aveda Curessence detangling spray. I then detangle and pick my hair until all the knots are done.

6. I squeeze a small amount of a good defrisant like PhytoDefrisant or a good smoothing lotion like Mine Smooth Sailing (identical to Edwin Paul Smoothing Lotion) into the palms of my hands and then rub my palms together. Then I smooth the defrisant or smoothing lotion from about 1 inch from my roots to my ends with my fingers.

7. I use a wide tooth comb to make sure the hair is as straight as possible.

8. Using either my Ambassador or Battalia boars head paddle brush I work with about 1 inch of hair. I use the brush to ancher the hair at the ends. I use a blow dryer and direct the air flow from the roots to the ends to straighten the cuticle and give it shine.

I blow dry several sections until my hair is completely dry. I also use a air diffuser to make sure the roots are dry. If the root area is not 100% dry the hair will start to wave up, at least mine will.

After my hair is 100% dry, I apply a leave-in serum. I love the new phyto defrisant serum and I am nuts for the ARTec neroli spray. I also like Mine`s Blast which gives great shine w/out greasiness.

If it have a special event I will use a 1/2 inch curling iron and gently curly my hair at the ends into little spirals so my hair has some definition.

Viola. This is the scoop on getting wavy hair straight.

To keep the set as long as possible I sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase and pin my hair up and wear a plastic shower cap when I shower. I can usually make a straight blow out like this last 3-4 days. My bangs might get a little oily so I use a tiny bit of cornstarch and then sprinkle it on my bangs and brush out. It removes the dirt and oil and I have an almost new straight do.

Bumble & Bumble also has a dry shampoo formula you can buy and you can use cornflower or cornmeal if you prefer. Remember to use only a little bit to avoid staining anything.

Best wishes,
Karen