Straighten Up

     It is possible from reading my blog you may not realize I have curly hair.  Yep, frizzy, curly, wavy hair that has a mind of its own.  I sometimes let it be its wild crazy self but I do a lot of straightening it too.  If you have curly hair yourself, you know what a pain this can be.  The trick is finding a good routine that works for your hair and I am going to share mine with you today!

     First up are the products.  My hair would never behave on its own (curly or straight) and I am always on the hunt for products that work for my hair.  I did a full review on the Acure products earlier here.  I start by shampooing and conditioning my hair and I have been loving this set from Acure Organics.  Next I use the Pyhtokeratine hair mask (not every time but a couple times a week).  Be careful though, a little goes a long way with this mask!   After showering I apply one full pump of the Marula oil to my damp hair before blowdrying.  This helps my hair dry faster and also helps to calm the frizzies (and they need all the help they can get).

   Now that my hair is clean and dry I move on to the straightener.  It is important to note that not all straighteners are made the same.  My newest straightener was kindly sent to me by Gurin and is definitely worth mentioning.  It is a ceramic tourmaline flat iron and has 1.25"plates.  My previous flat iron had a 2" plate which is great but it is hard to get all my baby hairs with such a big plate.  This one is perfect for getting all those stubborn baby hairs (after having Amelia I had a lot of hair fall out and now it is slowly growing back but it is hard to tame)!  I love that it has a big range in heat settings, from 220F-450F.  I always try to find the lowest setting that works for my hair which ends up being at the 3/4 mark on this iron.  It is important not to use too hot of a setting to avoid damaging your hair.  That said, if you ever decide to do a smoothing or keratin treatment you will be pleased to know this iron goes up to 450F and will work well!  This Gurin flat iron also heats up remarkably fast, however there is no automatic shutdown so don't forget about it!

     Using my Gurin straightener I take 1" - 1 1/2" sections and slowly run them through the iron. To really get it stick straight sometimes I run each section through twice (be careful you straightener isn't too hot!).  I start in the back and work my way towards my face but whatever feels more comfortable for you works.  Once my hair is nicely straightened I take some more Marula oil and smooth it over the ends, just don't put it on your roots or it might look greasy.

      Above is my before and after (please excuse my terrible selfie skills) and as you can see I have very fluffy hair after blowdrying, and this is with products!  I feel like my hair was meant for the 80s but great hair products and an amazing flat iron have saved my hair from constantly looking like a fluffy mess.  Do you have any must have products in your hair routine?  Please share them below!

                     

Discolsure - I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.