Safe Styling Safe Curls
While the market is flooded with products for frizz, hair fall, dandruff control, straightening and other hair issues; seldom do we hear people talk about how boring, stubborn and uncooperative straight hair can be if the individual has fine hair or even to what extent it can be styled without damaging the cuticle of the hair strands permanently -- which is the biggest issue when curling straight hair. Here are a few tips on how to protect and maintain healthy straight hair in between styling it:
Prep your hair before curling
First and foremost shampooing, conditioning and drying your hair is a must before you start because curls last longer in light and care free hair. If you have ever heard your hair sizzle when curling it, that means you didn't dry your hair all the way before styling that makes it more difficult for the curls to set in.
Protect your hair
Apply a heat protectant product before styling your hair and especially thermal protecting sprays when curling. Never save hair spray for last, especially if your natural hair tends to not be able to hold curls, hair spray aids with prepping and also when setting curls.
Don't use heat to style hair on a daily basis
Use tools such as curl irons 1-2 times and blow dryers 3-5 times a week to create beautiful curls or wavy textures respectively. Heat tends to remove moisture out of the hair rapidly, making it more prone to split ends, especially if the hair is coloured or is naturally dry. The best way to tackle these issues is to trim hair often or use masque conditioners to lock in moisture.
Size and the kind of curling iron matters
Although this tip is more in line with styling the hair than maintaining its health, using the wrong tool can lead to hair damage. The size of the curling iron is dependent on the thickness of hair and the kind of curls you are looking for. For multiple curls, standard curling irons are best as the hair wraps around the barrel roughly three times. But for softer more wave like curls, look for an iron with a barrel around which hair wraps 1.5-2 times. Always invest in professional grade curling irons as they get and stay hotter longer, giving better results faster without having to curl the hair multiple times.
Hot rollers for fine hair
They work better than curling irons, especially on this kind of hair, and help the curls last longer. And of course, the best part is that hot rollers come with different kinds of curls such as ringlets, loose waves or small curls.
Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed