How to Straighten Curly Hair and Keep it Healthy, Too!

If you have curly, unruly and frizzy hair, then you are probably familiar with the daily battle in the bathroom to keep it under control. For years I started off my day with an arsenal of tools such as blow dryers, straightening irons, balms, and gels just to end up with a puffy, parched, frizzy mess a few hours later. I couldn't understand exactly what I was doing wrong, but I knew that my hair was unhealthy, unmanageable, and in need of some serious help. While I received tons of valuable advice from great stylists in my area, my hair success was actually achieved through plenty of trial and error. The tips I am about to share with you can save you a whole lot of bad hair days-and money, too!

The first tip I would like to divulge is probably the most valuable, and one I wished I had listened to. Before you can utilize any products or tools to attain sleek results, you absolutely must start off with healthy hair. Think of your hair as a fine work of art-an artist wouldn't make use of a canvas that wasn't pure and fresh, would they? You cannot use products that help "mend" split ends. While these products may help condition, they only conceal frayed and ragged ends and do not have the power to actually "fix" your hair. Split ends need to be cut completely off--and not on your own! Only a good stylist who actually invests ample time in cutting your hair and has experience with curly locks can properly assess the damage and decide how much hair needs to be chopped. Cutting off hair is never fun since it only grows on average ¼ inch per month, but it is a necessity.