Hair straightening for the majority of woman and even men is a part of our daily routine and the most common way this is undertaken is through the use of hair straightening irons.

Hair pressing and straightening methods have been around since the turn of the 20th century. They have dramatically changed our lives and most of us couldn’t bare the thought of living without a means of hair straightening. Research suggests that on average 67% of women in the UK with wavy or curly hair attempt to straighten and smooth it out every day, spending about 30 to 45 minutes every day on doing this. Those 30 to 45 minutes daily add up to between four and six hours a week, which is roughly 275 hours a year we spend on straightening our hair.

In the age that we live in today hair straightening has come a long way and there are more methods that ever available to us. Some of these methods are listed and explained below:

Permanent
This type of straightening technique should only be carried out by trained professionals. This is a straightening method that is performed through the use of chemicals, which cause sulfur bonds in your hair to separate, allowing the hair to take a new shape; a straighter structure. Then neutralising elements are used to reconnect these sulfur bonds.

Chemical
This treatment needs to be undertaken with caution. It involves use of alkaline chemicals that swell the hair and break the sulfur bonds in the keratins. If the chemicals are left on the hair for too long, it can cause irreversible damage. Care should be taken to cover the scalp skin with a protective cream before the chemical treatment for hair straightening.

Hair Irons
These remain the most popular and common way of straightening hair. The wide plates are big enough to accommodate large sections of the hair at one time. Most, if not all, of the straightening irons that are available today appear with ceramic plates or ceramic coated plates. These plates enable heat to be distributed evenly throughout the hair and help to prevent damage to the hair. Hair irons offer you different heat settings to suit different hair types and have been used as a method of hair straightening for nearly a century. Ceramic plates allow gentle infrared heat and negative ions that result in frizz free hair. You need to however be careful when it comes to using hair irons as over use of them could result in hair breakage and skin burns.

What must be emphasised is that after-care is extremely important with straightened hair. It is important to give your hair regular care to limit the damage. Avoid repeated touching up of relaxed hair. Also is you have had a straightening treatment it is important that you use a mild shampoo and a strong conditioner as part of your aftercare. This keeps hair well protected. You should also avoid the use of heat styling tools to prevent any damage from occurring to your hair. It is also recommended that you deep condition your hair every two weeks to keep it in the best condition after your straightening treatment.

Helen is the web master of Inanch, specialists in all aspects of Hair Straightening.


Tags: six hours, caution, elements, daily routine, shape, bonds, hair irons, 20th century, ceramic plates, curly hair, irreversible damage, straightening hair