Straight, Sleek Hair Styles

Today the "in" look for teens through womanhood is the straight, sleek hair styles that exude confidence, poise, and style. Unfortunately, most of us were not born with perfect hair. We fight curls, frizziness, coarseness, fineness, color (or lack thereof), and downright contrariness when it comes to our hair. We even go so far as to rate how our day is going by a "good" or "bad" hair day. A woman may be impeccably dressed with perfect makeup, nails, and accessories, but if her hair is a mess, she does NOT look good. Conversely, if her hair is gorgeous, she still looks good. So, I think it's safe to say that a woman's hair is either her best or worst asset. To get the straight, sleek styles that so many women admire these days, there are a few "must haves" to get this trendy look.

Assuming you have a good haircut, the first step in creating your sleek "do" is selecting a shampoo and conditioner which address the difficult areas of your hair. Determine the factors that make your hair challenging and look for products that correct these flaws. You will need a shampoo and conditioner that lend themselves to the straight styling and anti-frizz look. Ask your hair professional for suggestions. He/She is most familiar with your hair and the products which will work well for you.

After the shampoo and conditioning are done, a finishing product should be used on wet hair which will enhance your ability to achieve the straight style you are pursuing. Again, there are numerous products available for use before blow drying your hair, and individual hair needs will vary. Personally, since my untamed hair is coarse, colored, and frizzy, I swear by the products that contain sunscreens, vitamins, and SILICONS. They make lackluster hair shiny and manageable. Some of the best finishing products on the market are Citre Shine's Miracle Anti-Frizz Serum, John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Hair Serum, Marc Anthony's Simply Straight Instant Straightening Cream, Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum, an Herbal Essence's None of Your Frizziness.

After applying the finishing product, dry your hair with a hair dryer which is designed to give you the desired results. Not all hair dryers are equal. For fly away or fine hair, select a product that has ionic heat like Hot Tools Anti-Static Ion Professional. This dryer uses negative ions to eliminate static and conditions hair with a moist heat that seals in moisture. If you straighten your hair more than once a week, use a dryer with an infrared heat feature since it dries hair from the inside out and causes less damage to the hair (CHI Rocket Professionals). If humid climate wreaks havoc on your tresses, try a dryer that features crystals like Metropolis Z-Ion Zirconia. This dryer feature uses zirconia crystals to counteract the charge that creates frizziness and results in glossier hair.

Once you have applied the finishing product and dried your hair with a good quality dryer, it is now time to add the crowning touch with a flat iron. To protect against heat damage from a flat iron, you should use a heat protector. Although some of the finishing products mentioned earlier have heat protection properties, I still find it helpful to use a heat protective spray. Some of the most effective heat protectant products are Tresemme, Tigi S Factor, Keratase's Ciment Thermique, GHD Thermal Spray, and Redken Heat Glide.

Straight, Sleek Hair Styles

Again, like hair dryers, flat irons are not all the same. Some of the best rated flat irons (at least 4 stars out of 5) are Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic, Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion, HAI Convertable Ceramic, CHI Ceramic, GHD Classic Styler Hair Straightener and BaByliss. Personally, I have a CHI Ceramic flat iron and have been very pleased with it.

To create a dazzling straight style, your hair should be straightened in small sections. I use metal hair clips to separate my hair into sections. Beginning with the bottom layer of hair, I take a small section of hair, spray with the heat protectant, and apply the flat iron next to the roots and slowly glide the iron along the hair section to the ends with a smooth, straight motion. This process is repeated until all hair sections have been straightened.

Finally,if desired, use a finishing spray (hair spray). I skip this step since the finishing product and heat protectant seal my hair, making hair spray unnecessary. Also hair spray will create a stiffer effect and prohibit your hair from having silky, flowing texture and movement.

After following each of these steps carefully and using good products and appliances to straighten and enhance your best hair features, you are now ready to step back and admire your beautiful tresses. Put on your fashion best, go out on the town, and get ready for lots of compliments!