While some women enjoy straightening their hair from time to time, others would prefer to have permanently straight hair. This is definitely doable, but when undergoing such a dramatic transformation you must be aware that your ability to do other hairstyles, including curling and making waves, will be somewhat limited. One popular method that women undergo to permanently straighten hair is to get their hair relaxed with chemical straightening. An alkaline chemical solution is applied to the hair in order to alter its structure, breaking down disulfide bonds that give hair its curl. Next, a neutralizing solution is applied to restore the natural pH of hair and form new bonds, resulting in permanently straight hair. If you are not quite ready to undergo this process, you can always resort to the good old flat iron. Read Straighten Hair Like A Pro for a list of more tips that will help you on your quest for straight hair.

Another way that people permanently straighten hair is with Japanese hair straightening, also known as thermal reconditioning. It is known to be a more gentle method to permanently straighten hair, and in addition to gentler relaxing chemicals the hair is then flat ironed once it has been softened in order to leave your hair looking super straight and shiny. This proves only needs to be done a few times a year, when curly regrowth starts to come out. Check out 12 Best Flat Irons for a list of more straighteners that Total Beauty readers love.