It’s Baaa-aaaack: How To Wear Pin-Straight Hair
I’ve got straight hair, much to my own dismay. It’s fine and flat and — despite its current artificial chestnut-y auburn hue — pretty boring when left to its own devices. Thank the sparkling heavens above, though, that apparently straight hair is back in style! I’m never one to wear air-dried hair out of my house, so even though I am naturally hirsutially straight, I do use a T3 Micro SinglePass Compact Styling Iron. (I even use it to curl, most days — more on that in another post!)
I love T3 tools. Their technology ensures steady heat, so you have a consistent temperature, not a constant ebb-and-flow of heat. These fluctuations in other hot tools can be damaging to hair, at worst, and can hinder a fabulous, long-wearing style, at best.
Products used were my T3 SinglePass Compact, Living Proof Restore Instant Protection, and Bumble & Bumble Sumotech. If you favor sleekness over the [pictured] sassiness, simply don’t tousle with Sumo Tech after flattening!
What’s the best way to flat iron hair? (Because of course there’s a right and a wrong way for everything.)
The Prep Step
The key to sleek and lovely straight hair is ensuring that frizz doesn’t rear its wonky head. Prep damp strands with Living Proof Prime Style Extender Spray and if you’ve got super frizz-prone hair, put a bit of Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream on top. I also recommend adding a heat protectant; my favorite is Living Proof Restore Instant Protection.
The Drying Step
Use your T3 Featherweight 2 to gently blow strands dry. If you already have minimally frizzy hair, you should be fine to just finger dry, angling the nozzle of the dryer down to aid cuticle-sealed shine. If you have naturally curly or frizz-prone hair, you may want to use a round brush to add some sleekness before jumping in with the flat iron.
The Straightening Step
Once your hair is completely dry, clip all but a medium-thin section at the nape of your neck up on the top of your head. With your T3 SinglePass Luxe or SinglePass Compact iron, firmly make one smooth pass down from roots to ends. Continue in medium-thin horizontal sections all the way up your head. Be sure you’re not taking a wider section than will fit the length of the iron’s paddles.
You will want to make — as the tool name suggests — a single pass through each section. It’s often tempting to make a series of quick passes, one right after the other, but that opens you up to burning and breaking your hair, as well as being less efficient. If you’re using a quality tool, you shouldn’t need more than one firm, well-timed pass. If you find that you need to go over and over and over the hair, it’s time for a new iron, my friend. There are some areas you may need another pass to get the most smoothness for your buck, but these should not be the standard.
The Finishing Step
Once your hair is sleek and straight, spritz your fingers with a little flexible hold hairspray, like Living Proof Flex or Bumble and Bumble Does It All and go over any small flyaways on your part and hairline. If you favor a choppier look, use a pea-sized amount of Bumble and Bumble Sumotech warmed between hands to separate your ends. I also like to add a little backcombing at the crown, to make myself look more 1960’s beauty and less…me in middle school. Finish up with Living Proof No Frizz Humidity Shield to make sure Virginia’s humidity doesn’t get the better of your style, and you’re ready to face the day!
