Are you tired of frizzy hair or curls that won’t behave? You don’t have to keep your hair tied back to keep it under control; you have another option. Straightening your hair smooths frizz and relaxes curls leaving you with manageable locks. It sounds great, but how do you know which types of hair straightening methods are best for you? What about potential pros and cons?
Ready to straighten your hair but don’t know where to start? Here’s everything you need to know about straightening hair.
Types of Hair Straightening Methods
Hair Straightening Method | Key Takeaways | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hair Rebonding |
Chemicals, heat to restructure bonds, multiple steps |
Lasts 6-7 months; retouches cover new growth only, never overlap already-treated hair |
Chemicals damage the hair shaft; split ends, breakage, hair loss |
|
Hair Relaxing |
Chemicals applied to restructure bonds, takes 1-2 hours |
Least expensive option, results last 3 months |
Chemicals damage the hair shaft; split ends, breakage, hair loss |
|
Thermal or Japanese Reconditioning |
Heat and chemicals to straighten, multi-step process, follow-up treatment |
Straight hair, easy to maintain, can last 6 months |
Damages the hair shaft, expensive, takes several hours |
|
Keratin Treatment |
Smoothes frizz, softens tight curls, gentler on the hair fiber than relaxers |
Conditions hair, gentler on the hair fiber than relaxers, can last 6 months |
Does not straighten hair, results may not look great when roots grow |
|
At Home Perms |
Boxed kits that soften curls with caustic chemicals |
Widely sold, but the chemistry is easy to get wrong; stylists advise booking perm services professionally |
Results don’t last long, do not entirely straighten |
Hair Rebonding
The bonds in your hair determine its shape, whether it is straight, wavy or curly. Rebonding uses chemicals and heat to relax and break the bonds down, allowing you to restructure your hair.
It’s a multiple-step process that takes anywhere from three to eight hours for hair rebonding. Longer, thicker hair will take several hours to restructure.
- Shampoo and dry your hair. Conditioner is not applied during this step.
- Your hair is divided and sectioned off to ensure each strand is chemically coated.
- The relaxer stays on only for its labeled processing time, usually 10 to 20 minutes, never longer.
- Your hair may then be steamed; timing depends on the system and your hair.
- The relaxer is shampooed out, and a deep conditioner is applied.
- Your hair is straightened with a flat iron.
- A chemical neutralizer is applied to secure the bonds and left on for thirty minutes before rinsing out with cold water.
- Your hair is dried and re-straightened with a flat iron.
Hair rebonding typically lasts six to seven months. Women with fast-growing hair may need to get their roots touched up about every three months.
Hair Relaxing
Hair relaxing is less expensive than rebonding, and the process only takes one or two hours.
Chemicals are applied to restructure hair bonds and rinsed off after the label processing time, typically 10 to 20 minutes. Your hair is conditioned, dried, and straightened with a flat iron. Results usually last around three months without any touchups.
Unlike rebonding, relaxers do not remove all curls from your hair. It does smooth frizz and loose hairs.
Here are the pros and cons of chemical hair straightening (hair rebonding and relaxing).
Pros
- The treatment only takes a couple of hours.
- It is the least expensive of the salon hair straightening options.
- Results last three to seven months, depending on the method.
- New growth keeps its natural texture, though added length and weight can make curly roots hang a little straighter.
Cons
- The chemicals straighten your hair by breaking down the protein bonds inside the hair shaft, which weakens it.
- Split ends and breakage are common with chemical straightening.
- Hair loss can occur over time.
- You should not perm chemically straightened hair, and you should wait at least two weeks before coloring it.
Thermal or Japanese Reconditioning
Japanese reconditioning uses heat and chemicals to straighten your hair, similar to rebonding. It is also a multi-step process.
- After washing and separating your hair, a relaxer is applied.
- The relaxer is rinsed out, and heat is applied with a straightening iron.
- Chemicals are reapplied to secure hair bonds.
You must return to the salon in three days for a follow-up treatment that solidifies the hair bonds. Your results will last up to six months, but you may need a root touch-up.
Japanese hair straightening uses a combination of treatments that can leave you silky straight hair but can also damage it.
Pros
- You get straight hair that is easy to maintain
- Results can last up to six months
- The attractive straight style has enduring appeal
Cons
- The combination of heat and chemicals damages the hair shaft
- It is an expensive treatment that takes several hours
- Once you have the sleek, straight style, it is hard going back to curly locks
Keratin Treatment
You aren’t going to get perfectly straight locks with a keratin treatment, but it will smooth out frizz and soften tight curls. It is also called a Brazilian blowout treatment. It is gentler on the hair fiber than relaxers, but many keratin and Brazilian blowout products can release formaldehyde gas when heated, so ventilation and a patch test matter.
One more ingredient deserves attention: glyoxylic acid, the active in many newer formaldehyde-free smoothing systems. France’s health and safety agency ANSES has linked these products to cases of acute kidney injury and now advises against using them. Check the ingredient list before you book, and if you feel nauseated or develop back or stomach pain within a day or two of a treatment, seek medical care promptly.
After your hair is washed and sectioned, a keratin solution is applied, and a flat iron locks it into each strand.
It is an expensive treatment but results last up to six months. Keratin treatments moisturize your hair as it straightens, but the treatment can have a few downsides.
Pros
- Keratin conditions your hair during the treatment helping to smooth frizz and add a healthy shine
- It is gentler on the hair fiber than relaxers, though keratin and Brazilian blowout products can release formaldehyde gas when heated
- The treatment can last up to six months with minimal root treatments
Cons
- The treatment does not entirely straighten your hair
- You may not like how your style looks when your curly roots grow over the straighter bottom half.
At Home Perms
At-home perm kits are sold at most drugstores, but perm chemistry is unforgiving, and stylists advise having it done professionally. Know what you are buying: a boxed perm kit reshapes hair with its own waving and neutralizing chemistry, while a boxed relaxer straightens; they are different products, and neither result simply disappears when your hair gets wet. Resist chasing results with a hot flat iron on freshly processed hair.
Results are far less controlled than a salon treatment.
Pros
- The kits are inexpensive, readily available at most drugstores, and easy to use
- Chemicals are less concentrated than at a salon, but at-home kits still use caustic ingredients that can burn skin, irritate the scalp, and damage hair, so patch test first and follow the label exactly.
- Less time-consuming than a visit to the salon
Cons
- Results do not last as long as those from a salon
- At-home kits do not entirely straighten thick or tight curls
- The chemicals can permanently damage your follicles
Hair Styling Tools
You can avoid chemicals and high salon prices using the tools you have at home. Almost every bathroom has a blow dryer. Combined with a round brush, you can straighten and smooth curls.
A hot comb by itself or with a blow dryer is another option. You get a sleek look with a smooth texture.
Electric or hot brushes work great on thick and fine hair. The large bristles heat up to smooth and straighten your hair as it dries.
Pros & Cons
You won’t have to worry about chemicals, but your styling tools can still damage your hair. Heat from flat irons, hot brushes, electric combs, and blow dryers can damage the hair shaft.
The results are temporary. Your straight hairstyle lasts until it gets wet or humidity levels climb too high. You must also incorporate it into your daily beauty routine for straight hair.
Hair Straighteners and Potential Side Effects
Chemical Hair Straightening
Chemistry varies by product. Traditional relaxers use lye (sodium hydroxide) or thio-based chemicals, not formaldehyde. Formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing ingredients are mainly a concern with keratin and Brazilian blowout smoothing treatments, which can release formaldehyde gas when heated with a flat iron. Formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen, and the fumes can cause side effects.
Inhaling the chemical fumes as the solution is applied to your hair can result in respiratory issues. Your nose and eyes may become irritated, along with your scalp. If you experience any of these side effects, stop the treatment and rinse the chemicals out of your hair.
Before you change the shape of your hair, take a minute to look over the advantages and potential downsides. You don’t want to make the wrong choice when it comes to your hair.
Summing Up
When it comes to types of hair straightening methods, you have plenty from which to choose. Each has its advantages and downsides.
The suitable method for you depends on the style you want and the amount of damage you want to do to your hair.
You get the best and longest-lasting results with chemical treatments. They are also the most expensive and damaging to your hair. At-home kits do the same amount of damage with fewer results, but it is an inexpensive semi-permanent option.
Styling tools do the least damage to your hair for temporary results.
It comes down to how much time and money you are willing to spend to straighten your hair.
