Straightener Effects With No Straightener?

[Vanille_]

My hair is about 1a ... sometimes 1b ish, but mostly 1a. However, I can't find the secret to getting my hair smooth and sleek like I used to with the straightener. Is there any secret to it? Does it require finding the right shampoo and conditioner? Is there a particular oil that's best for the job? Aloe? What can I do?

ETA: My hair was really smooth in my siggy but that was after leaving the salon. She used chi silk and a hair dryer. I'm not sure if the shampoo and conditioner she used helped too. When I use chi silk and a hair dryer, it works a bit... but still not the same effect.

[jacqueline101]

Get s straightening serum and a straightening brush and brush it smooth. Straightening brush looks like two brushes attached.

[rainfortheend]

I can tell you what doesn't work. :P
This has been going around Pinterest.

http://pintester.com/2013/02/brown-sugar-hair-straightener/

[Vanille_]

I can tell you what doesn't work. :P
This has been going around Pinterest.

http://pintester.com/2013/02/brown-sugar-hair-straightener/

Awww. Too bad. Looks so easy.

[Ocelan]

My hair is about 1b and tbh I have never used a straightener so I don't know if there's some special smoothness or sleekness that comes from it. However my hair gets really smooth and sleek, even more so than usual, when I brush my hair when it's half-dry and keep brushing every now and then while the hair is drying but still damp. I used to always brush wet before my LHC days and because of this thought that my hair was stick straight. Maybe do this with a leave-in conditioner for extra smoothness?

[Bagginslover]

I'm a 1b too, and if my hair was much straighter, it would have no body at all ;)
If its the shine you're after more than the straightness (is that a word?) try shine serums, or oils. I've recently started oung further up my length as well as my ends, and its so shiny! Just add a little at a time so you don't end up looking greasy.

[rowie]

I've had much luck with using a very strong sulfate clarifying shampoo and with heavy cones like in the Pantene conditioner (cause curls, waves and wurls don't like sulfates). Then when my hair is damp, I will put my hair into a ponytail position and then wrap the whole length with a wide silk ribbon. It takes the whole day for this to work so plan ahead. Once I remove the ribbon my hair is straight like it has been partially flat ironed. The trick is binding the hair so that it sticks out straight and does not bend. To avoid a ponytail mark i'd bind the hair starting at least a little lower than shoulder. Thanks for starting this thread. I think I'll keep an eye out for other tips. Jacqueline, where do you get a straightening brush?

[torrilin]

The effect you're liking might not be due to the blow out, or even the silicones.

In college, one of my roommates noticed that sometimes my hair would just hang really straight, and other times it was more floaty. (she was a curly in the 3a/3b range or so) She asked about it once. The difference? How much conditioner I used as a leave in. Days where a lot got left in gave a sleeker look, and she much preferred it.

Some of it is also probably due to technique. One of the things that makes curly hair look curly is that curls clump. Straight hair tends to not be good at clumping, and straight hair in clumps can look a bit odd. A lot of the time newer posters will describe it as looking "dirty" "messy" or "like rat tails". I would tend to describe it as looking "wet" since one of the stages my hair goes through when drying is a really clumpy stage. If I comb my hair during this stage, I'll get hair that seems more separated into individual strands and drier, but it won't actually be dry. If I can just leave it alone and let the clumps dry naturally, they'll break up on their own and my hair will look sleeker. Using a scrunching motion to break up the clumps gives a sleeker look than combing or brushing does too.

I don't know that these tricks will *always* work on all straight hair for a super sleek look. But it doesn't take a lot of effort to try using some regular conditioner as a leave in, or compare the effects of combing dry, plain air drying and scrunching. Generally the more I go all out on curly methods, the straighter and silkier my hair looks. This doesn't seem to be the case for everyone... But if you know curly methods don't work, that should help you narrow down methods that will!

[RavenBaby]

For me the more (deep) conditioner I leave in my hair (like not wash it all out completely) the move curly my hair is.

[Vanille_]

When you say leave in, do you mean put conditioner in my hair and hop out of the shower and let it sit a while? Then come back and rinse it?

[torrilin]

Nope, I mean leave it in. Period :). If some doesn't get absorbed by your hair, it'll rinse out the next time you wash. Some conditioners are specially formulated to be left in. Most conditioners can work as a leave in, tho they don't say so on the label. Some conditioners have ingredients that are a problem if they're left in tho most of those are pretty obviously not real good for long hair, like ethanol. For initial experiments, your regular conditioner is the right place to start.

Conditioner is just a mix of oily stuff and water, with some emulsifiers to make it creamy. Leaving in conditioner isn't a whole lot different from oiling your hair. Straight up oil doesn't work well on my fine and straight hair, but conditioner does. It's easier to spread through my hair.

The worst case scenario is you use a dime or quarter's worth of extra conditioner, don't like the effect, and you maybe wind up washing your hair a bit earlier than usual. If you're going to try it, start with a small dab, see what happens. If you find you like the effect, you can see if more is better.

Some people will just not rinse their hair thoroughly after they put in conditioner. That can work too. Again, the worst case scenario involves washing your hair early.

Moisture encourages curl formation tho, so if you're curlier than you think... the effects could be a bit unexpected. On the other hand, in my hair "encourages curl formation" means "pretends to have actual volume", so it's kind of a mixed bag for effects. 1c just isn't very curly, and the wave pattern I have is unnaturally regular, so enhancing it increases the sleek effect. (even at maximum wave level, a lot of curlies would say my hair is straight :) )

[WaitingSoLong]

Ok, my experience is not what most people would say is...recommended.

As you can see, I have straight hair. When I take my hair pics, there is only one way I can consistently get the straightest, sleekest hair for my photos: I wash and condition lightly, rinsing well. (I use Pantene Ice Shine S&C). But then I take the last foot of my hair and I wash it with liquid hand soap. Specifically Dial. Then I blowdry it with technique used for sleeking hair (only point dryer in direction of hair, comb gently while drying). I do use heat but not much, my hair never feels hot and I keep my hand between the stream and my hair so I know it doesn't get too hot.

The ends will hand perfectly straight and sleek every time (I have waves in my under canopy). I only do the last foot because of how drying the process is, and then after the photos I slather serum on it! But the more I condition it, the less it will lay perfectly flat.

Once in awhile I have had some weird magic combo of products or something and my hair hangs lank and sleek, with a weight to it that keeps it from flyaways. Upon attempting to duplicate the results, it always fails. Even if I know exactly what I used, etc. I think the weather may be a factor, too, but I can never tell. My luck it is like at 67% humidity or something and not a tick above or below and the moon must be in Leo or something. LOL.

But I will say, nothing does it quite like a flat iron. I have never seen such results duplicated another way.