Tip 3: Use the right material, Hair Care: How To Straighten Hair Like a Pro

Hair care

Hair Care: How To Straighten Hair Like a Pro

Follow these hair care tips to achieve perfectly smooth, straight, shiny hair every time you flat iron your hair

November 10, 2010 | by Anna Jimenez | 100 COMMENTS

Tip 3: Use the right material

Look for flat irons that use ceramic, tourmaline or titanium metals. They will heat more evenly causing less heat damage to your hair, says Moticka. They are the "gentlest on the hair" because they release negative ions which work to tighten the hair's cuticle. This produces a shinier, healthier, less frizzy look and feel, advises Moticka. On the flip side, be weary of "irons that are ceramic 'coated' or Teflon 'coated" as they will heat a little more unevenly, and tend to have a more drying effect."

Next: See top-rated flat irons

SEE NEXT PAGE: High-rated flat irons according to Total Beauty readers

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products mentioned

Conair Infiniti 1" Straightener

8.7

Sedu Revolution Professional Nano Tourmaline Ionic 1"

9.1

Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium-Plated Straightening Iron

9.4

Rene Furterer Volumea Volumizing Shampoo

10.0

Nexxus Thermal Volume Volumizing Heat Protection Mousse

0.0

Redken Smooth Down Shampoo

8.6

Redken Smooth Down Conditioner

8.6

Kiehl's Heat-Protective Silk-Straightening Cream

9.3

Misikko Hot Tools Styling Iron Cleaner

0.0

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helpful

by brianna121791 Monday, May 13, 2013 at 11:13AM Report as inappropriate

Love the advice thanks!!!

by j81thomas Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 05:03PM Report as inappropriate

I certainly learned a lot

by Lamexicana1 Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 01:51PM Report as inappropriate

Great advice, especially for a novice at straight ironing!!

by WeddingPlanner Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 10:32AM Report as inappropriate

Thanks for sharing!

by loufig29 Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 12:10AM Report as inappropriate

Great info.

by mfoggie Friday, March 1, 2013 at 11:11AM Report as inappropriate

Nice

by TiffaniiLynne Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 07:49PM Report as inappropriate

Great tips!

by ACClique Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 11:11AM Report as inappropriate

Good tips, and I never thought about cleaning my iron.

by MissPurple Friday, January 25, 2013 at 12:58PM Report as inappropriate

This had a lot of good tips I wouldn't have thought of. Thanks for sharing!

by emjay Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 08:09AM Report as inappropriate

Good tips :)

by mlira Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 07:39AM Report as inappropriate

I have to straighten almost every day!

by EricaF123 Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 02:34PM Report as inappropriate

good tips

by aishak55 Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 03:50PM Report as inappropriate

Nice tips. I'm always looking for "cheats" when it comes to straightening my hair.

by NillaButterfly Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 05:07PM Report as inappropriate

Great tips! I ALWAYS end up giving up when straightening my hair, i start so carefully and eventually just end up not being careful and end up frying my hair

by rayshaviolet Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 03:57PM Report as inappropriate

I pretty much knew everything in this story but need to go buy some iron cleaner. I didn't know they made that.

by Lamexicana1 Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 05:27PM Report as inappropriate

this was informative but I am not sure it would work on short curly hair

by mandy_goodman Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 05:04PM Report as inappropriate

Honestly, I don't mean to put down this article at all, but it doesn't take a "pro" to straighten your hair really good! I have found that using certain products and taking time to straighten really makes the result. Why spend a lot of money just wasting time for someone else to do it when it is so much cheaper to do it yourself. Patience and good products are what really make a difference...oh, and maintenance as well. You always want to make sure you use heat protection and keeping up with hair trims and etc. It makes a world of a difference with that as well!

by josie_kurkowski Friday, November 23, 2012 at 01:58PM Report as inappropriate

I am going to go clean my straightener right now!

by Chris213 Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 07:04AM Report as inappropriate

nice tips. I like to wear my hair straight.

by lilas Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 08:28PM Report as inappropriate

i am using volumizing mousse but it makes my hair stiff not too stiff but stiff n i dnt like that :(

by anni Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 05:56PM Report as inappropriate

thanks but not too helpful for me. I have very long fine hair and because I wear it in a bun all the time has permanent waves. The article really didn't offer any tips for me.

by MEDMOM Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 08:41AM Report as inappropriate

very informative

by jaye_tyler Sunday, August 19, 2012 at 06:20PM Report as inappropriate

useful article

by LittleBunny Sunday, August 5, 2012 at 07:07PM Report as inappropriate

this was a very helpful article. I liked it a lot. I don't straighten my hair that often but when I do I'll be thinking about this stuff

by tr3kkie9rl Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 07:45AM Report as inappropriate

Thanks for the know-how! I got a Karmin G3 salon pro online yesterday and I can't wait to try these tips when it gets here :D

by mary_jacobs Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 03:46PM Report as inappropriate

Very helpful :)

by nancychelles Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 05:36AM Report as inappropriate

good to know :))

by peaches095 Friday, July 13, 2012 at 02:45PM Report as inappropriate

I would have never thought to clean my flat iron. I suppose if using hairspray while straightening it would be a good idea. Thank you for the useful information!

by flirtygirl214 Friday, July 6, 2012 at 10:08PM Report as inappropriate

Very useful article!

by Linda2000 Friday, June 15, 2012 at 04:38PM Report as inappropriate

I need to learn how to do this at home

by Kammi1 Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 09:03PM Report as inappropriate

this was super helpful!

by valeria_burton Monday, April 30, 2012 at 03:04PM Report as inappropriate

thanks so much! I can straighten my hair, but it doesn't stay that way very long; I hope this helps

by Pinkeebler Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 01:37PM Report as inappropriate

Very useful tips, I think prepping hair for the heat is the most important to keep hair protected.

by TBjunkie Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:20AM Report as inappropriate

great tips

by LittleBunny Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 09:55AM Report as inappropriate

Wonderful !!

by Areta Friday, April 13, 2012 at 09:17AM Report as inappropriate

wonderful

by eatinglipstick Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 08:03PM Report as inappropriate

Great article. Great tips.

by Linda2000 Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 07:03PM Report as inappropriate

The info on picking the iron that's best for you was very helpful!

by jhana011 Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 04:16PM Report as inappropriate

Very informative, great article!

by yestfl Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 02:54PM Report as inappropriate

Very good information.

by lazorc Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 08:36PM Report as inappropriate

This article was informative! I love the part about how to clean your iron!

by Mishashawnea Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 07:27PM Report as inappropriate

i have strait hair already:) but i think curls are soooo cute!

by izabella_matijevic Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 08:16AM Report as inappropriate

Informative article, especially the tips for creating volume (sometimes straight=flat) and the heat settings.

by GlowGirl Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 03:31PM Report as inappropriate

Very good article, now all I have to do is try these tips!

by WiccanLady Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:00PM Report as inappropriate

Awesome:D I'm gonna try this.

by cadypod Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 08:30PM Report as inappropriate

nice tips.. tq

by 4getu123 Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:23PM Report as inappropriate

great tips, thanks.

by todo_seria_mejor Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 07:17AM Report as inappropriate

Learned a lot from this, it was very helpful, thank you!

by howlATthemoon Friday, January 13, 2012 at 05:08PM Report as inappropriate

ditto on cleaning my iron, will clean from now on!

by RaraGiggles89 Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 06:36AM Report as inappropriate

helpful tips! i always wondered what heat setting i should use - now i know the right temp!

by jenstar313 Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:32PM Report as inappropriate

Thanks for suggesting some cheap but effective irons!

by sportimonki13 Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 02:54PM Report as inappropriate

A very good and thorough story. I need to buy some iron cleaner too!! I was surprised that she didn't even mention Chi irons. That is what I use.

by mariagz Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 06:36AM Report as inappropriate

Most of this I knew but it was really helpful to learn to glide/pull hair up and out vs downward. I'm bad at cleaning my iron too!

by CinnaBlaze Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 05:56AM Report as inappropriate

I never clean my iron....I will now!

by Belladonnerose Friday, December 30, 2011 at 12:45PM Report as inappropriate

Already knew all this except I never remember to clean my iron.

by andie Monday, November 28, 2011 at 08:25PM Report as inappropriate

THANKS !! I have naturally curly hair and it never gets perfectly straight like I want it to. I think I need a 2 in flat iron.

by AliyaNatasha50 Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 10:14AM Report as inappropriate

Thank you for the tips, are really helpful, I use the Karmin G3 Salon Pro which has worked amazing and with those steps I will have healthy and straight hair. :D

by mtaylor722 Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 09:15AM Report as inappropriate

great tips thankss

by Nicole2814 Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 07:36PM Report as inappropriate

great tips

by shar_r Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 02:57PM Report as inappropriate

wow i never clean my iron, great tips;D

by todo_seria_mejor Friday, October 14, 2011 at 03:30PM Report as inappropriate

Ooh never thought to clean my iron. oops. lol.

by ladyboarder9669 Friday, October 14, 2011 at 01:49PM Report as inappropriate

Forget flat irons! I love my Instyler!

by barbieblondexo Friday, October 7, 2011 at 12:48PM Report as inappropriate

I love my FHI iron

by LittleBunny Monday, September 26, 2011 at 09:56AM Report as inappropriate

Great tips! Especially the one about cleaning your flat iron....I always forget!

by vfalkow Friday, September 16, 2011 at 08:24PM Report as inappropriate

Great article. I know I need a flat iron, now to decide on which one.

by Linda2000 Friday, August 26, 2011 at 06:45PM Report as inappropriate

It takes me about 45 mins to straighten my hair because it's so thick, I have to really be motivated to do it so lately I let my hair go natural, no blow drying or anything. However, I do have a really good ceramic flat iron that works with both wet and dry hair, but I would never do this when my hair's wet. I envy those who don't have to do this to make their hair look shiny and silky, they are truly blessed.

by godzgirl Friday, August 26, 2011 at 06:03AM Report as inappropriate

straightening seems like such a long drawn out process I hate doing it

by Bon_Bon Monday, August 15, 2011 at 02:00AM Report as inappropriate

My hair is mostly straight, with a few random waves, and I just got my hair chopped into a bob, so I have to straighten it every day (no more pony tails for me!). Great tips...I've always wondered if I was using the right iron on the right heat setting.

by laura_schulz Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 01:23PM Report as inappropriate

Chi Straightners are my favorite, I'm on my second one! :)

by lanigaga Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 11:18AM Report as inappropriate

ceramic is the way to go(: thanks for the advice

by fashionqueen54 Monday, July 4, 2011 at 04:15PM Report as inappropriate

Good Info (: my hair is wavy and I straighten only the ceramic

by maribel_luviano_ruiz Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 11:17AM Report as inappropriate

i use a ceramic and my hair always comes out bouncy! (:

by Nikkycole Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 11:15AM Report as inappropriate

Great article filled with even better tips!

by kassandra_aldous Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 05:59PM Report as inappropriate

Very good info. Tourmaline rules!

by LittleBunny Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 10:29PM Report as inappropriate

Guilty of not cleaning often. Was hoping for advice that I did not know. Wishing it would make my hair look as good as pics.

by Imakeubeautiful Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 12:43PM Report as inappropriate

great article! love the Kiehl's cream.

by Rawrrr Friday, May 6, 2011 at 07:50AM Report as inappropriate

flat irons are the enemyto my hair, i only use it maybe once a month

by AmandaAmanda Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 08:17PM Report as inappropriate

I wipe my flat iron off but I dont do a detailed cleaning, most of this stuff is common sense.

by odie Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 11:41AM Report as inappropriate

I used to clean my flat iron once a week and now I know that I should clean it every time I use it. Some of the products mentioned I'm already using so that's great!

by jessie13 Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 11:20AM Report as inappropriate

I might have to try that flat ironing tip!

by LipglossandSpandex Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 08:25PM Report as inappropriate

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who caught the misuse of "weary". But otherwise I enjoyed the article as I am quite new to flat ironing.

by MommaDealio Friday, April 15, 2011 at 02:33PM Report as inappropriate

Haven't cleaned my flat iron in a while, not to hot for the suggested products to use.

by Lana_28 Friday, April 15, 2011 at 01:26PM Report as inappropriate

Oops I'm totally guilty of never cleaning my tools!

by ladyboarder9669 Friday, April 15, 2011 at 11:37AM Report as inappropriate

Even though I'm not new to using a flatiorn it HAS been a while. I am also guilty of not cleaning it after every use. But thanks for the refresher!

by msbrown822 Friday, April 15, 2011 at 06:38AM Report as inappropriate

I think the word you mean to use is "wary", not "weary". Good tips anyway, though.

by LittleBunny Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 11:15AM Report as inappropriate

I use Nioxin bliss thermal protector...Awesome!!

by Naomi00 Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 07:56PM Report as inappropriate

These are great tips for someone new to straightening. I have the sedu revolution 1" and it's great. I also use a leave in conditioner for my heat protection, garnier frustis and it's only $3!

by Mysterylady Monday, April 4, 2011 at 03:09PM Report as inappropriate

obvious.

by volta Monday, March 21, 2011 at 11:44PM Report as inappropriate

ok.. the tips are good the products suggested are eh

by lelalu100 Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 01:04PM Report as inappropriate

Not that helpful

by ChrisanneSkye Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 08:18PM Report as inappropriate

These are great tips!

by MidnightCowgirl Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 08:28AM Report as inappropriate

conair's straightener isnt very good

by LittleBunny Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 07:17PM Report as inappropriate

i dont really like conair, my straightner isnt that hot

by judyangel101 Monday, February 14, 2011 at 06:29PM Report as inappropriate

Good tips. I don't know why they even bother making wet-to-straight flat irons, when they would obviously fry the hair!

by LittleBunny Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 05:29PM Report as inappropriate

Great tips for straightening hair! I am so guilty of never cleaning my iron oops!

by ladyboarder9669 Friday, February 11, 2011 at 02:42PM Report as inappropriate

This article was very informing. I discovered i was straightening my hair all wrong. No wonder my hair is fried!!!!

by meme_smith Friday, February 4, 2011 at 01:28PM Report as inappropriate

These are very helpful tips, but I have an iron with numbers on it for the settings...so, how do i know what i should have the setting on since the numbers don't tell me the degrees? does anyone have an iron with numbers that can tell me?

by littlebeauty408 Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 09:05PM Report as inappropriate

You may want to spell check. Hair with a thicker shaft is spelled "coarse" not "course," and to be slightly afraid of or nervous of something is to be "wary" or something. "Weary" is to be tired of something. Just thought you should know.

by MyFairChum Friday, December 3, 2010 at 07:44PM Report as inappropriate

this was great advice, I'm constantly trying to get my hair as straight as possible. I just figured out, I was using the wrong flat iron.

by Stacy_gapeach Friday, November 12, 2010 at 06:31AM Report as inappropriate

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