How often should you straighten your hair?

*Wash your hair with shampoo and use a conditioner meant for dry damaged hair.
*Apply a heat protectant spray.
*Blow dry or completely air dry it.
*Once hair is completely dry, part it into small sections.
*Use the iron on low heat for one to two strokes.
*Use ceramic-coated hair straighteners.

Things to avoid

While straightening your hair, you must avoid the following things, according to Dr Panth.

*Never use it on wet hair.
*Do not make large sections. This way, you will end up doing multiple strokes and overheating the outside hair while the inner hair remains wavy. “Better to take smaller sections and few strokes than larger sections and multiple strokes,” she said.

Is it suitable for you?

The expert noted that hair straighteners do not suit all hair types. According to her, it is best suited for slightly wavy and mildly frizzy hair.

It is best to embrace your curls if you have curly hair. (Source: Freepik)

On the other hand, it will not suit people with “very curly hair, dry and damaged hair, and colour-treated hair“.

Tips for curly/wavy hair

Instead of using hair straighteners, the dermatologist suggested people with curly/wavy hair to follow these tips.

*It is best to embrace your curls if you have curly hair.
*Learn good blow-drying techniques if you have wavy hair, this is less damaging than using straighteners.
*If you have wavy frizzy hair, then hair botox may be an option.
*Hair botox is the least damaging of the semi-permanent straightening methods such as keratin, cysteine, and smoothening.
*If you want to go for keratin, then do it not more than 2 times in a year.
*Do not go for any of these chemical treatments when you are having hair fall.

Dr Chandni Jain Gupta, Dermatology | Venereology | Cosmetology, Elantis Healthcare shared some common side effects one may experience due to hair straighteners.

*Hair fall – The number one side-effect of using any hair tool improperly is an increase in hair fall because the heat tends to damage the hair.

*Dryness – One of the more common side effects of using hair straighteners is dryness because excessive heat and chemicals tend to strip the natural oils from the hair.

*Split ends – The application of heat and chemicals can cause split ends in the hair which is an indicator of weak and fragile hair. Make sure to trim your hair often.

*Allergic reactions – Although the cases are very few but in some rare incidents, the chemicals can react with the scalp and skin causing itching, redness of the scalp, or even blisters on the neck.

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