Thinking straight?
Curls, waves, and wild corkscrews are some of God's great beauty gifts, but try telling that to a woman with straight-hair envy. If that's you, there are new techniques and treatments that make it easier than ever to achieve. Use our guide to end up silky, sexy...and absolutely never fried.
The best at-home blow-out for curls
* Towel-blot, then apply a heat-protective product (try Blow Heat Is On, $18) for less damage; it'll also give you humidity resistance.* Using a natural-bristle round brush, start at the hairline: It can be the hardest spot to do. Then work around your head in two-inch sections.
* Don't shake the nozzle from side to side as you work; this can rough up the cuticle and create flyaways. (News to us!)
* Finish each section with a quick blast of cool air to lock in the shape.
* Try a long-lasting frizz-fighter such as Avon Advance Techniques Frizz Control Lotus Shield, $12, which helps hair resist humidity for up to three days.
The Salon Straightener for Curls
WHAT TO ASK FOR: Keratin treatment (also known as KT or Brazilian straightening). A mix of proteins and fixatives is applied from roots to ends, blown dry, then pressed with a flat iron to seal in the solution. "It actually makes your hair look and feel healthier," says Alysia Read, owner of UnSprung Salon in Portland, OR. "The seal gradually wears off over a few months, so there's no telltale line of demarcation," adds Rodney Cutler, who owns three salons (one in humid Miami!). KT isn't brand-new, but now you have options: make your hair pin straight or with a hint of wave that you can easily blow out. And the price has gone down, from about $350 to $250.
HOW TO KEEP IT HEALTHY: Unlike most chemical treatments, KT can be used on colored hair. There has been concern over the active ingredient, which, when flat-ironed, emits vapors that can contain formaldehyde. But chemist Doug Schoon, president of Schoon Scientific in Dana Point, CA, who tested the air quality in salons doing KT, found formaldehyde levels to be within the safe range set by OSHA, the organization that regulates workplace safety. His recommendation: Make sure your salon is well ventilated. We add: Skip cheap-o treatments at hole-in-the-wall spots. Also, avoid shampoo with sodium chloride, as it will break down the keratin coating faster. (Try Bumble and Bumble Mending Shampoo, $28.)
I TRIED IT! "The Brazilian blowout changed my life. My frizzy curls used to take two hours to blow out. Now I have shiny hair that I wear wavy or blow superstraight in 15 minutes." —LISA COOPER, Boca Raton, FL
The best at-home blow-out for waves
* Towel-dry your hair, then spritz on a non-silicone-based protective spray such as Hair Rules Blow Out Your Waves, $20.* Using a natural-bristle round brush, wind your hair tightly around it and pull taut. Use the concentrator nozzle attachment to direct heat toward your ends, zapping flyaways as you go.
* When hair is almost dry, switch to a finishing brush: big and round, with a metal or ceramic core.
* Apply a lightweight finisher to the ends of hair. Try John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Crème, $6.
The Salon Straighener for Waves
WHAT TO ASK FOR: You can go with KT, but you're also the best candidate for Japanese straightening (a.k.a. thermal reconditioning, or TR). The advantage of TR — in which a relaxing solution is flat-ironed into hair — is that it's permanent, and wavy is the one type of hair where it's barely noticeable as it grows out. TR will cut your styling time (and thus the scorching effects of the blow-dryer) down to almost nothing, says New York City salon and spa owner Paul Labrecque. "You can let your hair air-dry, and it'll still come out straight as a line." That said, it's very pricey, about $400 to $800.
HOW TO KEEP IT HEALTHY: TR isn't recommended on bleached or highlighted hair; chemical overload can lead to breakage, Labrecque says. And touch-ups, which can be done on new growth only, are tricky — be sure your technician has tons of experience. One new trend is to alternate it with KT, so you get mega-straightness without quite as much damage. And always use moisturizing products (such as Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, $4.50 each).
I TRIED IT! "My hair was wavy and coarse — I hated it. Now I can let it air-dry, and it hangs stick-straight. I can feel the wind blow through actual locks of hair!" —TERESA MARTIN, Sandy, OR
The best at-home blow-out for kinks
* Towel-blot hair to get out excess water.* Use a protective balm to lock in moisture while keeping frizz at bay, like Living Proof No Frizz Straight Styling Treatment for Thick to Coarse Hair, $24.
* Use a blow-dryer with a plastic comb attachment at the nozzle. "It's the attachment everyone throws away," Dickey says. "I used to too, but it's the best tool for smoothing the hair." Move the comb slowly from roots to ends and let the heat do the work.
* When hair is dry, go over it with a flat iron — just one pass per section — for the perfect finish.
* Remember to stay healthy. The goal is to not blow-dry your hair more than once or twice a week.
The Salon Straightener for Kinks
WHAT TO ASK FOR: Texturizing, which is a milder, less-damaging form of relaxing. It reduces frizz by about 80 percent so your curls are looser and more defined — and it makes it infinitely easier to blow-dry them straight, says Dickey (one name, like Madonna), owner of Hair Rules Salon in New York City. (Stylist to Nia Long and Natalie Cole, he's seen pretty much every curly-hair treatment known to man — and he did the hair for this photo shoot.) The newest, least-damaging technique, he says, is "selective texturizing, in which the texturizer is applied to just the extra-frizzy, tough-to-straighten areas around the hairline, the nape of the neck, or the crown of the head." Either way, texturizing is an investment — but a sound one, because it's permanent. Treatments run from $150 to $800, depending on how much hair you have and how much of it you straighten.
HOW TO KEEP IT HEALTHY: If you're making the switch from conventional relaxing to texturizing, all traces of your previous treatment must be gone (i.e., grown out and cut off) or you'll risk serious breakage. And don't re-texturize already-treated areas; just touch up your roots. Stay away from sulfates in shampoos, which can be too drying. Try Free Your Mane Sulfate Free Shampoo, $16.
I TRIED IT! "I've never been happier with my hair. I love that I can wear it both curly and straight without damaging it. I can get a sleek look when I have time to blow it dry, or just wash, go, and look great in curls." —NIA-YA ANDREWS, New York City
3 rules of the chemically straight road
1. Home haircolor can wreak havoc on chemically treated hair of any type. So if you've done any straightening treatment, talk to your salon pro before you color at home.2. Patience is a virtue. These processes can take anywhere from one to six hours, so always bring a good book and pack some snacks.
3. Don't do any of these if you're pregnant or nursing; the chemicals haven't been tested for the safety of your little one.