In the quest for silky, smooth perfection, there’s no denying that heated hair tools are a necessity, no matter how straight your hair is. So, if you’re looking to learn how to straighten your hair with hair straighteners, here’s our step-by-step guide. From prep work to finishing touches, our tried and tested tips will help your hair live up to its truest, silkiest potential.

 

How to Straighten Hair at Home Step-by-Step

1. Start with freshly cleaned hair

Now, this step isn’t entirely necessary, and no one’s judging if you skip washing your hair! Dry shampoo, we salute you. However, if you want to achieve perfectly straight hair, we recommend washing your hair beforehand with a sulphate-free shampoo. Using a sulphate rich shampoo can strip the moisture from your hair. Freshly washed hair should be packed with moisture as this well prevent your hair from looking dry and brittle.

If you really want to amp up the moisture, you can gently brush your conditioner through with a wide-tooth comb, which will ensure the conditioner penetrates all hair strands. Remember, the more moisture, the less damage and the straighter the hair!

2. Towel drying
Once you’ve thoroughly rinsed out your conditioner, we recommend giving your hair a quick towel dry. However, if your hair is naturally curly, go easy on the towel drying as this will further enhance your curls. Instead, before you go in with your hairdryer, gently pat down your hair with a towel.

3. Remove tangles
Use a wide-tooth comb to remove any knots or tangles before using your hairdryer. To avoid pulling at the hair, we suggest you start by combing the ends and gently working your way up to the scalp

4. Appy a heat protectant
Using heat protectant will help you achieve silky, smooth locks without compromising the health of your hair. So, evenly cover the entire surface of your hair with your preferred heat protectant for optimal damage protection. But not too much – you don’t want to make it greasy!

5. Blow drying your hair
Once you’ve protected your tresses, you can get into the blow drying. It’s always best to blow dry your hair before straightening so you have somewhat straight hair. This means less work with your straighteners, saving you some time. We advise against rough drying (using only a hair dryer with no brush), especially if you have curly hair as this can increase frizz.

Top volume tip: If you want volume, avoid using a round brush as this will add a wave to the hair. Instead, turn your head upside down and point the dryer nozzle downwards along the hair shaft. This method closes the cuticle and creates the most beautiful, glossy effect.

6. Blast with the cool setting
To keep your hair sleek all day long, set your blow-dried hair with the cool setting on your hairdryer – the cool setting ensures your hair stays put for hours, if not days.

7. Check your hair is completely dry
Knowing how to straighten your hair with hair straighteners can be pretty intuitive, but there are some important techniques you should bear in mind. First and foremost, before using any heated tools on your hair, you need to ensure your hair is 100%. Using straighteners on damp hair can take you a lot longer and, more importantly, can cause unnecessary damage.

8. Section Your Hair
If you’re wondering why your hair never looks as good as when you leave the hairdressers, its likely down to your sectioning skills. You might be tempted to straighten your hair in large chunks to speed things up. However, sectioning can actually save you heaps of time (we promise!). When you’re rushing and trying to straighten random chunks of hair, the heat isn’t being fully applied to the hair, leaving you frustrated and likely to resign to an up-do, yet again.

• Start by dividing the hair down the centre with either your fingers or a tail comb.
• Next, clip the top half of your hair with a clip before dividing the bottom half into two equal parts.
• Work on straightening the bottom section first, then unclip the top half of your hair and repeat.

9. Use quality straighteners
Whether your hair is long, short, thick or fine, achieving straight hair at home can be tricky – unless you have the right tools, that is. So, if you’ve had the same hair straighteners since your teenage years, you might want to consider that the culprit might not be your method, and instead, you should take a closer look at your tool.

A lot of poorly-made hair straighteners take up to 90 seconds to recover the temperature you set, so you’re actually losing the heat as you go along. This means the heat won’t be evenly distributed across the two plates, ultimately impacting the overall effect. Our straighteners are designed with ion-lock technology, which uses negative ions to create shiny hair that lasts all day long!

11. Set the best temperature
The most effective way to prevent hair damage is to use straighteners with adjustable heat settings. Certain hair types require different temperatures. For instance, we recommend those with fine, curly hair to use the Hail Your Hair Straightener settings of 100°c to 140°c.

Heat settings guide
- Low heat on fine hair (100°c to 140°c)
- Medium heat on medium-textured, healthy hair
(140°c to 150°c)
- High heat on thick, natural hair (150°c to 220°c)

Heat setting guide for natural textured hair
- Low heat on fine curls (find HYH heat settings
– 100°c)
- Medium heat on normal-thickness natural hair
(140°c to 180°c)
- High heat on coarse hair and curls (180°c to
220°c)

12. Let the iron warm up
Plugin your hair straighteners and, when the desired temperature is reached, the iron should beep or there will be an indicator that will be solid or flashing. Finally, your iron is ready to use!

13. Straightening your hair
Now that you’ve sectioned your hair to perfection and your straighteners are hot and ready, the process of straightening your hair at home should be straightforward. Start by taking a one-inch section of hair from the bottom of your sectioned hair and place this between the plates. Then, gently drag the straightener from root to end, applying enough pressure for a smooth finish. Continue this motion as you move through all sections, and don’t forget to pay close attention to the very back of your head. It’s easy to miss a kink hiding out of your sight!

Top Tip: If you don’t have someone to check the back of your hair for any missed strands, hold up a hand-held mirror in front of a larger, wall or standing mirror so you can see the reflection of the back of your hair – just as a hairdresser would.

13. Apply finishing products to reduce frizz and promote shine
For extra frizz control, you can apply a lightweight oil or serum to the mid-lengths and ends of your hair; this will lock in essential moisture, leaving the hair sleek and frizz-free.

14. Set the look
Now that you have sleek, straight hair, it’s a good idea to set it in place with hairspray. You can use whatever hairspray you prefer; our personal preference is medium-hold hairspray for the perfect balance between hold and movement.

We hope you're now feeling confident in how to straighten hair with hair straighteners. For more how-tos and inspiration, take a look at the rest of our blog posts.