Here’s the thing about hair – they’re as unpredictable as the weather sometimes. On date night, your hair could be knotted, frizzy, and looking like a whole mess, and on a stay-in Sunday, your hair could be looking like it belonged in a shampoo ad. Bad hair days are almost like temper tantrums, if you will.
Those who have unruly hair most of the time would constantly be trying to find out how to get smooth straight hair that’s easy to manage. And if you’re on the lookout for these tips, here are some practical ones that are easy to follow.
Hair care tips: How to get smooth straight hair
Washing your hair
Are you guilty of feeling like your shower wasn’t clean enough if you don’t emerge from the bathroom looking like a boiled lobster?
Scalding hot showers feel oh-so-relaxing, but they actually do more harm than good.
Besides stripping your hair of natural oils (leaving your hair feeling drier and looking duller), hot showers can dry out your skin too. Experts from Scissor Tech also suggest paying due attention to your scalp to remove any built-up, so make sure you massage it gently when washing your hair.
Don’t: Wash your hair with hot water.
Do: Turn the temperature down and shower with lukewarm water instead!
Shampoo and conditioning
Shampoo should be concentrated on the scalp – it’s the only area that really needs cleansing with all the natural oils and dead skin cells. Focus less on the lengths and ends of your hair when you shampoo to avoid stripping your hair of its natural moisture, and in turn prevent your hair from looking dull and dry.
On the other hand, conditioner should be applied from mid-length to the ends of your hair. Don’t condition your roots as the conditioner will weigh down your hair, and can even cause oily scalp, dandruff, and hair loss because it’s just that hard to get out from your scalp!
Don’t: Apply shampoo on lengths and ends, and conditioner on roots.
Do: Apply shampoo on the scalp, and conditioner from the mid-length down to the ends.
Drying your hair after a shower
Admit it, we’ve all done this before when we wanted a quick way to dry our hair – wrapping our hair in a towel post-shower. But did you know that doing so could damage your hair? Bath towel fibres are usually quite rough, and throwing your hair in a towel could cause your hair to weaken and break more easily in the long run.
You may also start to notice that your hairline is receding, and that’s because the weight of the towel and wet hair could be tugging on the edges of your scalp.
At the same time, if you rub your hair dry using a towel, you’re likely to ruffle the cuticles of your hair, causing it to be even frizzier than before.
Don’t: Towel dry your hair.
Do: Lightly squeeze out excess water from your hair, before patting and squeezing the rest of the water out with a cotton T-shirt that’s way gentler than a towel!
Blow-drying your hair
You might feel like blow-drying your hair just causes more frizz and tangles up your hair. But, throw a round brush into the mix and you’re all set for smooth, straight hair! Using a round brush in the direction you’re blow drying, gently work the brush through your hair.
After a long day out, it’s just so tempting to flick the switch and put the hair dryer on high heat, but direct heat on wet hair will just lead to more long term damage. While drying your hair on low heat will take more time, bear in mind that those extra few minutes will save you lots of worry and money on haircare products trying to fix your damaged hair in future!
Don’t: Blow-dry your hair haphazardly or on high heat.
Do: Use a round brush and blow-dry from the roots to the ends on low heat or a cool setting.
Detangling your hair
We totally get how annoying it is to be stuck with a tangled mess of hair after a shower but we’re gonna stop you right there. Don’t reach for that brush, or comb for that matter, because you could actually be ripping out more hair when going through your wet hair and that’s a big no-no.
Instead, if you find that there’s knots and tangles that you can’t seem to *gently* pry apart with your fingers, opt for a wet brush that has much softer bristles and a leave-in spray.
When detangling your (dry, of course!) hair, start off with a wide-toothed comb to get those big knots out, followed by running your brush from the length of your hair down to the ends. Gently hold your hair at the scalp as you brush down to avoid pulling too much at your scalp. After you’ve worked through those knots and tangles, you can brush your hair from the scalp down.
These will ensure that your hair is less frizzy so you have a better chance at achieving smooth, straight hair.
Don’t: Brush or comb wet hair, or straight from the scalp.
Do: Wait for your hair to dry before combing with a wide-toothed comb, followed by a brush.
Using heat tools on your hair
Whether you’re using a hair straightener or curling iron, you don’t have to turn them up to the highest settings! Keeping them on the low or medium settings will do just fine with less heat damage to you hair.
We’re here crossing our fingers hoping that you don’t use your heat tools on wet hair. Always, always let your hair dry completely before using a heat tool. There’s that TikTok trend where you put a straightening iron on your hair and match the sizzles according to the beat of the 20th Century Fox intro theme, but your hair should definitely not be sizzling – that trend has got a big “Do not try this at home!” sign slapped all over it!
Also, use a heat protectant so your hair can be shielded from heat damage from the tools.
Don’t: Blast up the heat settings on your heating tool.
Do: Apply a heat protectant on your hair before you use the tool.
Give your hair a break and some TLC
As much as we all love rocking that Ariana Grande ponytail, and tight hairstyles that are just so irresistibly chic and sleek, it’s important to give your hair a break sometimes! Tight hairstyles put pressure on your scalp and can lead to long-term hair loss, bald spots, and receding hair lines.
At the same time, kinks can be created by tight hair bands, which can thwart your plans on how to get smooth straight hair.
Don’t: Do tight hairstyles too often.
Do: Wear your hair down more often and rock that all-natural style! Lower and looser ponytails and softer high ties will also help alleviate the weight on your scalp.
Products to try: How to get smooth straight hair
Hair masks
Moroccanoil Smoothing Mask for Hair
Formulated with a high concentration of argan butter, this conditions frizzy, unruly hair so that it becomes more manageable.
You’ll also love that it’s fragranced with the Moroccanoil signature scent, a blend of spicy amber and warm florals, so your tresses smell good all day.
Retails for S$67. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Living Proof PhD Night Cap Overnight Perfector Glowing online reviews
This no-rinse “mask” contains time-release conditioners to give you smooth and manageable hair overnight.
Lasting up to five shampoos, this makes your hair colour look more vibrant and delivers smooth, shiny hair that you’ll love.
Retails for S$42. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Tresemme Keratin Smooth Anti-frizz Hair Mask Most affordable
Formulated with Argan Oil and Keratin, both of which are known for their great hair-smoothing properties, this helps detangle and tame hair within one wash.
Retails for S$14.90. There’s an ongoing promotion at the time of writing. Click on the link to check for latest price.
Moist Diane Extra Smooth & Straight Hair Mask
Created for frizzy and coarse hair, this tames unruly hair by blocking excess humidity in the air while maintaining the moisture balance of your tresses.
You’ll be surprised how your hair looks straighter after using this hair mask even without using a flat iron!
Retails for S$18.90. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Hair oils
Percy & Reed Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational No Oil Oil for Thick Hair
If you have dry, coarse, damaged, and rebellious hair, you’re going to love this product.
Infused with a special frizz-fighting pomegranate seed oil, this nourishes and repairs hair so that it is easier to manage. You’ll see silky hair that’s smooth and easier to straighten afterwards.
Retails for S$33. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Kerastase Oleo Relaxing Smoothing Hair Oil
Created for thick, unruly hair, this frizz-controlling hair oil has a special blend of ingredients that moisturises and adds shine to your locks.
It even protects it against heat, so you can use it to prep your hair before applying a heating tool!
Retails for S$57. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Lucido-L Argan Rich Oil
This non-greasy treatment oil helps de-tangle hair while preventing split ends. Helping dry and frizzy hair restore smoothness and shine, the oil also has a light floral fragrance that you’ll love.
Retails for S$16.90. Click on the link to check for promotions.
mise en scene Perfect Serum
We used to stock this up when we travel to Korea and are so glad they’re finally readily available in Singapore.
This nourishes damaged hair, thanks to its formulation of argan oil, royal jelly extract, and rose protein.
Promising to improve seven symptoms of damaged hair in three days, this oil-serum is available in several variants, but we’re most in love with the Rose one because of how nice it smells!
Retails for S$15.90. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Heat protectants
Ouai Heat Protection Spray
This spray protects your hair from heat damage when you use heating tools, thanks to the thermal polymers packed in its formula.
You’ll love its lightweight texture and floral fragrance.
Retails for S$44. Click on the link to check for latest promotions.
IGK Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Anti-Frizz Smoothing Blowout Hair Balm
This unique product is a heat-activated anti-frizz balm that mimics the effect of a keratin treatment that you get at a salon.
Apply this thick cream during blow-drying and watch it melt into your hair, delivering sleekness and shine without weighing it down. Promising 72 hours of frizz control, you can enjoy smooth and straight hair for days, literally.
Retails for S$48. Click on the link to check for promotions.
Phyto Phytovolume Volumizing Blow-Dry Spray
Repairing damaged hair while protecting it from heat, this delivers moisture to hair so that it is more resistant and manageable—all while adding volume simultaneously.
Retails for S$40.25. Click on the link to check for promotions.
