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There are several methods to straighten your hair and the choice of method finally depends on the type and health of your hair, how permanent you want it to be as well as the other treatments, such as hair color, for which you have opted. The less damaging methods used to straighten hair are: hair irons, wet-to-dry straightening and blow-outs, while traditional relaxers, Japanese thermal straightening and finally the Brazilian straightening can damage the hair to quite an extent.
The hair iron and wet-to-dry straightening methods use heated plats which are applied to the curly strands to straighten them. While the hair ironing method is done over dry to hair to iron out the curls, the wet-to-dry straightening method uses a blow dryer and hair iron in combination to both dry and straighten the hair at the same time. Similarly the blow-out straightening method involves blow drying and combing the hair straight, but this is not very good for extremely curly hair. None of these methods produce long lasting results and though they do not damage the hair much, they should not be used too often because the excess heat applied to the hair can eventually damage it.
If you are using traditional relaxers to straighten your hair, you are basically applying chemicals on your hair to breakdown its natural structure and liberate it from its natural curve. This method of straightening hair lasts till the new hair starts growing from the roots, but it can weaken the hair leading to breakage, dryness and split ends. The Japanese thermal hair straightening method uses heat in combination with a chemical product that results in oxidation which in turn changes the hair's structure making it release the natural curl. Though not as harmful as the chemical treatments used in traditional relaxers, this method too can damage hair especially hair that has been previously treated with chemicals or hair that is extremely curly. Finally the Brazilian hair straightening method manipulates the keratin found in the hair to get rid of the natural curl and straighten it. This method actually changes the make-up of the hair artificially and is considered to be the safest of the more permanent hair straightening methods, but can still lead to a certain extent of hair damage.
It is recommended to consult a stylist who can judge the type and health of your hair and accordingly choose the right method to straighten your hair and minimize the damage. If you are going to opt for a hair straightening procedure you should be prepared to take extremely good care of your hair.
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