A lot of us have hair that can only be tamed in the hands of a stylist. Unfortunately, consistent styling can damage your hair. And, if you find you find yourself struggling every morning with a blow dryer in one hand and a straightener in the other, you might wonder if there are simpler, less hair-damaging ways of straightening your hair.
Unfortunately, there isn’t an all-natural way of getting salon-style straight hair. However, there are ways to tame your frizz, make your hair silky, and get them to look slightly more straight than before. Here are a few that are worth the try.
1. Wrap Your Hair Tightly
This method works well for people with slightly curly and wavy hair. If you’ve got tightly curled hair, you might need to set them with rollers before trying out this method. Here’s how you can go about wrapping your hair.
- Before going to bed, divide your hair into 4 sections and apply a setting lotion to each. If you have layers, you might need to make a few more sections.
- Wrap the sections around your head from the direction of growth.
- Using a wide-toothed comb, comb the sections on the right towards the left and pin them against your head using a hair clip. Do the same with the sections on the left.
Unpin your hair in the morning and style as desired. Additionally, you could sleep with a silk scarf on to avoid frizz.1
2. Roll Your Hair
Using rollers is the old-school way of getting your hair to stay straight. It’s important to note that the more curly your hair, the larger the roller you’d need. Here’s how you can go about trying this method.
- Once you’ve washed your hair, let them dry slightly and apply a leave-in conditioner to your hair.
- Divide your hair into 4 sections. Shorter, layered hair would need more sections.
- Tightly roll each section of your hair and secure with hairpins. Be sure to avoid overloading each roller and have a thin section of hair for each roller.
Let your hair dry naturally and then unroll each section of hair. It’s important not to sleep with rollers in your hair as that might cause damage to your roots.2
3. Pull Your Hair Into A Bun
This method works well if you have fairly straight or slightly wavy hair. However, if you have curly hair, you should skip this method. Here’s how you can go about this technique.
- Comb damp hair to ensure there aren’t any knots in it.
- Set your hair in a high ponytail and slowly wind it into a bun.
- Cover the buns with a silk scarf and go to bed.
In the morning, take down your bun and style your hair with your fingers. Additionally, you could use a leave-in conditioner before you tie your hair into a bun to avoid frizzy and tangled hair when you wake up.3
4. Blow-dry On The “Cold” Setting
An easy way to avoid damage due to heat is to use the “cool” setting on your blow-dryer while styling your hair.4 And, if you’ve got wavy or slightly straight hair, this technique is believed to give you temporary straightness. Here’s how you can go about it.
- Once you’ve washed your hair, let them dry slightly.
- Divide your hair into several small sections, and secure each with a hair clip or a rubber band.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner or a setting lotion to each of the sections.
- Using a rounded brush, dry each section at a time, starting from the bottom and working your way up. If you have a fringe, dry that first and then start again from the sections at the back.
- As you blow dry, hold the ends of your hair taut for a few seconds. This is believed to keep them straight and get rid of any excess moisture.
Once your hair is dry, run a straight brush through your hair and check for any damp sections. Additionally, you could use a setting spray to help your blow-drying efforts to last longer.5
5. Apply Coconut And Lime To Hair
This tip focuses on smoothening out your hair for a silky straight look. And, although there isn’t enough research to back it up, it might just help you get temporarily straight hair. Here’s how you can go about combining the two.
- Combine the juice of two limes with the puree of a fresh coconut, including both, the meat and the water.
- Place this mixture in the fridge overnight to give it time to thicken.
- The next day, apply this mixture all over your hair, starting at the roots and ending at the tips.
- Leave it in for about half an hour and then rinse your hair.
For better results, you could use rollers or wrap your hair post this technique. However, be sure to skip using a conditioner if you do so. Additionally, you could comb your hair thoroughly and continuously as it dries to achieve a straight look.6
6. Tie Your Hair With Hair Bands
This technique doesn’t have a lot of research to back it up, but it mirrors the basic straightening techniques used in the 1800s to straighten hair. Back then, women tied their hair to pieces of cloth to force them to stay straight. In this technique, you could use hair bands instead.7 Here’s how you can do this.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner to damp hair before going to bed.
- Section your hair into 2 parts and then section each of those parts into 4 parts.
- Tie the hair bands at equal distances from each other, starting from the neck.
In the morning, remove all of the bands and you should have straight hair. It’s important to remember not to tie the hair bands too tightly as this will give your hair waves.
7. Try A Banana Mask
This tip works best when combined with any of the other techniques mentioned above. It is believed to make hair smoother, more manageable, and straight. Here’s how you can go about making a banana hair mask.
- In a bowl, mash a ripe banana and add two tablespoons of honey to it.
- Apply this to your hair and using a wide-toothed comb, run this mixture through your hair allowing.
- Allow the mixture to dry completely before washing your hair.
Comb your hair continuously with a wide-toothed comb once it’s damp, for better results. This technique is likely to work for you if you have slightly wavy hair.8
It’s important to note that the above-mentioned techniques are worth a try, they might not give you pin-straight hair. Additionally, some techniques might work better for your hair than others.
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