How Often Should You Straighten Your Hair?

June 24, 2024 by Pranay David

Important: This article is for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer for more details.

Straightening hair is one of the popular ways of styling them. Whether you straighten hair with flat iron or ceramic plated straightener, it makes them look stylish. However, using heating hair styling tools comes with great responsibility. Improper and excessive use of such tools can do more harm than you have ever thought.

So, how often should you straighten your hair? Keep reading to get answers to all your queries related to straightening and understand ways to reduce the risk of damage.

Article Contains

Straighten Your Hair
Is Your Hair Suitable For Styling With Heating Tools?
How Often Should You Straighten Your Hair Without Damage?
How Can I Prevent Hair Damage While Straightening Them?
Can I Straighten My Hair Twice A Week?

Straighten Your Hair

Is Your Hair Suitable For Styling With Heating Tools?

You may need to consider a few things if you have one of these hair types-

Damaged Hair– If your hair is already damaged, avoid using heating tools that heat up excessively. You do not want to make your hair dry, fragile, and prone to breakage, right?

Thick Hair– For thick hair, flat iron with large plates will work the best as it will cover more hair at a time, reducing your styling time. The same is advised for curly hair.

Short and Thin Hair- A thin iron will be the best for such a hair type. But, again, be cautious about high temperature as thin hair are prone to easy damage.

If your hair are not ready, you should better avoid using a straightener. How to know whether your hair is ready for straightening or not?

Dry hair– Do not use a flat iron or straightener to make your hair dry. It will cause more harm than help, extracting all the moisture and essential oils and damaging them excessively.

Clean hair- Your hair should be clean before you consider styling it with heating tools. If the hair is dirty, the oil and grease will stick, making them look dirtier.

Note: Always remember to use a thermal protectant on hair when you think of using heat styling tools to prevent frizz and dry hair. Additionally, make sure you use ceramic plated straighteners as they provide protection to hair compared to flat iron.

How Often Should You Straighten Your Hair Without Damage?

Excessive use of hair styling tools makes hair prone to damage. If you often use them before heading out of home, you need to keep a few things in mind-

Do not straighten hair more than once in 48 hours. Once you have used heating tools like flat iron or straightener, the hair loses its moisture, making them dry. Straightening again will make them dehydrated, leading to brittle and fragile hair.
If you use a straightener after 48 hours and the hair looks frizzy and dry, extend this gap to three days between each straightening session. It will help hair to heal and recover.
Use one heating tool in a day. If you have used a hair dryer, avoid using a straightener, as all the heating tools absorb the moisture from hair strands and make them dry.
When hair are straightened in the correct ways, they stay straight until you wash them. So, try to maintain your freshly straightened hair for at least three days.

How Can I Prevent Hair Damage While Straightening Them?

Thermal protectant- The best way to prevent the damage is to use heat or thermal protectant on your hair each time you straighten your hair. They are designed to coat your hair with a protective shield and minimize damage.
Ceramic coated straighteners- You should always invest in straighteners with ceramic or titanium coating that do not damage hair as much as a flat iron.
Temperature adjustable straighteners- Always use heating tools that allow you to adjust the temperature by degrees, not just by low and high settings.

Can I Straighten My Hair Twice A Week?

Yes, you can, but keep its drawbacks of it in mind. Even though it will make you look good, straightening hair often can cause long-term damage to them. Dry, frizzy, fragile, and weak hair are common outcomes of too much hair straightening.

If, due to some reason, you cannot avoid using heat styling tools, keep the hair damage preventive measures in mind, like using hair protectant and ceramic plated straighteners.

For many women, using a hair straightener is the most common way of styling their hair. Since different types of hair straightening devices are available that are easy to use and give instant results, it seems the most feasible option.

However, before using them, you should be aware of the possible pros and cons to prevent hair from getting damaged. So, make the right choice and maintain the sanity of your hair.

You Might Also Like: