Nearly Natural Hair Straightening Solutions:Short Hair

Curly locks can be a bear, but a few easy techniques for short hair will get you a tame look that's just right without harsh chemicals or a day long trip to the salon.

As seen on TV...picture perfect healthy hair has shine, bounce, and life.

To get your curly hair to behave like the stars of commercial famelet's start with these basics:

Bring On The Shine

Dead ends, and over conditioning hair can cause dirt to cling to hair making it look dull and fizzy.

Start with a trim to clean up...a good wash with a mild shampoo then finish with a hot oil treatment or condition and rinse very well.

Control with bounce.

Having bone straight hair might seem like a dream, but it's not always as flattering as hair with perk.

Keep the pep by finger combing and or reverse brushing once styled hair is dry.

It's also an old wives tale that tells curly girls to leave in conditioner.

The facts: Leaving conditioner on dry hair not only attracts dirt, it weighs hair down making it look greasy, dirty, and down right tired.

Once again...keep the softness, and ditch the excess conditioner down the drain.

Less Chemicals = More Life

Most curls don't need harsh chemical interventions like relaxers which can extinguish the life from hair.

Plus not all colorful women have the same hair texture so... experiment before damaging hair with chemical straighteners.

Depending on the thickness of each individual hair shaft, you might be able to get away with just a styling gel or a silicone based smoothing serum.

Then try the following styling methods with only the smallest amount of gels, moouses, and serums first to keep hair soft and natural.

The Wrap

Wrapping hair is an old method used to create a very smooth look that has a lot of bounce.

Wrapping can be used with most hair cuts, but it works really well with pixie styles (Cameron Diez) and short to shoulder length Bobs.

Start by combing a gel through wet hair. Roll two small sections of hair at the top of the head with two large curlers this will give you some lift.

Part hair on the left side, and comb it around the head...think spiraling... using clips if necessary to keep hair flat but...

the fewer clips the smoother the end result.

Use a cap or hood dryer for the smoothest look, or a defuser for the fastest drying time.

When the hair is completely dry, remove the two curlers and brush or comb hair in the opposite direction of the wrap.

To reduce static use a tiny amount of gloss drops or serum.

Large Rollers

In the 1960's straight hair was all the rage.

Back then groovy gals used tin cans to obtain the slick look.

Well... millennium babes can put their recyclables where they belong because fortunately commercial rollers got bigger over time.

Use only the hard plastic rollers and chose a size a little smaller than your hair length.

Comb through serum or add a small amount of gel to each section before you roll up the hair tightly then secure with a clip.

Once again...Use a cap dryer for the smoothest look, or a defuser for the fastest drying time.

Blow Outs and Straightening Irons

By far a blow out followed by the straightening iron, is the fastest method of straightening short hair but...

Blow drying and ironing hair can have some disadvantages under special circumstances.

• It's more physical work
• It only works well with hair longer than the ceramic iron's width
• The hair will frizz in humid weather.
• Your straight look will end at the point where you dared not get the hot iron closer to the scalp.

Blow Drying Tips

When blow drying hair start by dividing hair into left and right sections.

Starting in the front, take small sections of hair up in a brush near the scalp... and pull the hair tight.

Apply the heat keeping the hair drawn taut, dragging the brush through the hair section until it's dry.

Each section may take several swipes depending on how thick you hair is...or how thick the section of hair you are trying to dry is.

If you have longer hair, you might want to pin each dry section up so it doesn't get wet again.

Once all the hair is dry section hair off into front, top and back sections and secure with pony tail holders or pins.

Using the Ceramic Iron

You will have to experiment with different heat settings. If you can get away with using a lower heat setting...use it. Applying more heat than your hair can stand will damage it by creating split ends and breakage.

Starting with the back portion, pull the ceramic iron through small sections of hair from as close to the scalp as possible to the tips.

The smaller the hair section the smoother the end result.

You can rotate or flip the iron up, down or back depending on the look you want. Flip up for a "That Girl" flirty style, flip under for that seductive "Veronica Lake " look, or Flip back for the signature "Princess Diana" style.

Best Tip...Play With Your Hair

Play with different styling ideas and after awhile you will find the perfect one for your cut.

I actually found that if I secured my hair into a tight bun on a hot day... by evening I would have a full head of bouncy hair with just a hint of curl left behind by the bun.

Curly hair needn't be a curse.

Make peace with the beast and spend more time playing...and less time taming.