The Ultimate Guide To Hair Straightening

Perfectly straight hair seems so easy. But how do you get a shiny mane of hair that will be the envy of all your friends? It’s time to find out because straight hair is back – not that it ever really went away!

In recent years straight hair has been pushed aside by big curls, beach hair and loose waves. But as the recent spate of Fashion Weeks showed us, straight hair is on trend right now. I’m not saying curls are out of fashion – they’re not going anywhere. But straight hair is high fashion again and I am loving it. Because there’s nothing easier to achieve than glossy straight hair.

Who better to teach you the tricks of beautifully straight hair than someone who came of age in the early 2000s? When I was a teen there was no option but to straighten your hair. Curly girls were able to reinvent themselves by coming to school with straightened hair, and we all lusted over gigantic Muster straighteners while using our clothes irons to fry our hair. The look we tried to emulate was that of Atomic Kitten and Gwyneth Paltrow: dead straight with absolutely no sign of movement. This time around we’re going for straight hair with a bit of bounce and shine.

Professional blow drying always looks fantastic, but I don’t have time to recreate that look at home. My hair is waist length messy waves, yet when it is dry I can straighten it in ten minutes. This is how I do it.

The Tools:

You need a high quality straightening iron. I am firmly committed to my bright pink GHD, which has been going strong for five years (my previous GHD also worked for five years before it was stolen in a European backpackers hostel. Devastating). Also recommended by the bb team are Cloud Nine irons as well as T3, which is harder to access in Australia.
Hair ties or bobby pins
Hair brush

Recommended Products:

A great shampoo and conditioner such as Kerastase Bain Force Architecte Shampoo which is fantastic for brittle and damaged hair.
A leave in treatment such as Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair to nourish hair
A heat protectant like Lee Stafford Poker Straight Flat Iron Mist or PHR Professional Blowdry Serum
A glossing oil or serum such as Wella LuxeOil Reconstructive Elixir to finish off your look and maintain your shine

Step One: Wash your hair thoroughly in the shower, making sure to get your conditioner all the way to the ends of your hair. Well maintained hair is the basis of all perfect hairstyles.

Step Two: Towel dry your hair and work your leave in treatment through your locks. You can do this with your fingers, or for tangle prone hair try The Wet Brush. It makes my tangles dissolve and helps distribute product evenly through wet hair.

Step Three: Allow your hair to dry naturally or blow dry – your preference. Blow drying can help loosen your curls which will result in less straightening time later on.

Step Four: Once your hair is dry brush it carefully to remove any knots or kinks. No matter how great your straightener is, it won’t get rid of knots! This will also help to prevent flyaways later on.

Step Five: Apply your heat protectant to your hair. If you are using a spray then give it a quick spritz all over, or if you chose a serum then work it through the length of your hair with your hands.

Step Six: Pull the top half of your hair up into a bun to keep it out of the way.

Step Seven: Work the straightener carefully through your hair. I begin at the left side of my hair and work my way around my head section by section. Position the straightener at the roots and allow it to glide through completely to the ends. I often grip the ends of my hair as well to create a better surface for the iron to glide over. I pull hair at the back towards the front to give me a better view.

Step Eight: Release the hair in the bun and repeat your straightening technique until all your hair is straight. Since my hair is parted on the side I find that one side has a lot more hair – I will usually flick some of this over to the other side or pull it up into another mini bun to make sure that the layers underneath are properly straight. I often run the straightener over the ends of my hair again to help seal in the look, and if you like a little bit of movement tint the bottom of the straightener plates towards you for a slight curl.

Step Eight: Inspect the back and top with a mirror to make sure you’ve got it all. The spot I am most likely to miss is the roots at the back of my head.

Step Nine: Apply a glossing treatment to your hair to help make it shine. Put a dollop of product in the palm of one hand and then rub your hands together. Work this product through your hair, distributing it evenly. If you have dry ends like me you will want to focus on adding more product to this area. Don’t use too much on the roots as they can end up looking oily!

Step Ten: Hit the runway like the supermodel you are.