How to get smooth hair

October 3, 2010 4:41 AM

I have coarse shoulder length hair that I blow dry and use med heat of straight iron to smooth, but it especially gets frizzy in humid weather. I use a straight iron and hair products to smooth it. When I go to beauty shop the beautician uses a 400 degree straight iron that gets it super smooth and straight, however I don't want to damage my hair using high temp on it daily. I have used these products on my hair to try to achieve smoothness: John Frieda Luminouscolor Glaze Clear Shine, Matrix Sleek Look Blow Down Extreme Creme, Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum, Aveeno Nourish & Style Soft Hold Gel Creme. Would a pomade help achieve this? I really like Heidi Klum's current hair style, and my could look like it if I could get it as smooth as she gets hers
posted by sandyp to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

To be completely realistic, your hair will blow dry smoother and way less frizzy if you don't blow dry it every day. I have chin length thick wavy & frizzy hair, and my hairdresser cuts it into layers so that adding product + air drying and then brushing looks decent. Not, obviously, Heidi Klum smooth, but fine enough for work.

OK, lecture over, you should make sure that you are using heat protect products. I've used both schmancy salon brands and drugstore ones, they will really both work fine. When you blowdry, are you using a large diameter roundbrush and blowdrying over that brush? I never even need to use a straight iron to get my hair super straight if I do the round brush thing.

I'm less convinced that certain products will do the trick than blowdrying less often and using "proper" blowdry technique.
posted by lyra4 at 4:47 AM on October 3, 2010

Have you tried that Brazilian Keratin Treatment? I have straight unfrizzy hair but everyone I know with frizzy, curly, or wavy hair who's had it done has LOVED it for quite a while after the treatment itself.
posted by pomegranate at 4:48 AM on October 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

YMMV, but 2 weeks ago I tried the Garnier Blow Dry Perfector It's like a home version of a Brazilian. You wash this foul smelling stuff in, rinse it out, put more weird stuff in, then blow dry and flat iron. Results are supposed to last up to 7 washes, cost about $8.

People noticed my hair was very shiny and straight, but it was a pain in the arse to do.

My normally wavy long hair is still completely non-frizzy at the 2-weeks+ point (but the waves are back).

FWIW, I've had the best hair results with getting an amazing cut that worked with my waves, and I never style it anymore, just wash at night, put in some silicone goo and let it air dry. Maybe some Elnett hairspray in the morning to make it shinier (after a rough tousle).

Once I stopped blowdrying and straightening, my hair really did look much healthier.
posted by dzaz at 5:46 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've come to believe that, for my hair anyway, there doesn't seem to be any really cheap way of doing what you're asking. I've currently got one of those nano treatments that your hairstylist puts in [I used to get the one where you just buy the leave-in nano treatments that you do once a week, and now I have the one you let THEM do once every six weeks], but they're pricey. Awesome results, but $100 or so bucks every six weeks. Means I can almost wash and wear though, which beforehand was impossible to even fathom.

A slightly less pricey option, which I really did find successful as well [and in conjunction with the nano-thing means I put NO after shower product in my hair at all!] is the Living Proof Shampoo and Conditioner stuff.
Sorry, I only figured out expensive crap to solve my problems :(
posted by atomicstone at 6:20 AM on October 3, 2010

Do you own a good blowdryer? I have this Elchim and there is a difference in the smoothness and shine to my hair when using this dryer versus the discount department brands I've used before. I love this dryer. When I first started using it I got loads of compliments. Of course this is heat and heat damages hair. This dryer dries the hair faster and I don't notice any damage.

Also heat but not as damaging are hot rollers. Hot rollers can give you smoothness and shine without frying the hell out of it with a 400 degree plate singeing the hair. You might shun rollers because you don't want curly hair but I find I can get an almost straight bouncy style with rollers and get the smoothness and shine. You might try jumbo hot rollers (I own this set) or heated Velcro rollers. Tutorial here.

This next bit may not be what you're looking for but... you cannot change the texture of your hair. Stop fighting it. I have learned this the hard way. I have semi-coarse, color treated, fragile hair. Work with your texture not against it. If I were you I would invest, borrow a friends, or go to the salon and save straightening for very special occasions (twice a year). For the rest of the year, work with your texture and keep your hair healthy. Ask your stylist to style your hair without the iron and see what she does. Do that.

Also, have your tried any argan oils, such as Moroccan Oil? I bought the Agadir brand oil from my salon and I love it. It helps tremendously in keeping the look of healthy hair. I use a nickel sized amount and smooth through my hair from the ears down. I leave it in and blow-dry or allow to air-dry. There is no greasy residue. It's smooth and frizz-free. I'm afraid pomade would be too thick and wet looking. I think you would have difficulty styling it. It's used as a finisher to achieve a piece-y or wet look.
posted by Fairchild at 6:23 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Here is the tutorial for Cloud 9 Velcro rollers on YouTube. This is not a company promoted video.
posted by Fairchild at 6:26 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

I have the same hair type, but rarely let it grow even to shoulder-length because it's so thick that it sort of takes over. Here's what helps me:

- If you want straight hair without flippy ends, a use a paddle brush, not a round brush, when blow-drying your hair. This definitely helps me cut down on the flat-ironing as well. I like natural bristle brushes, not ones with plastic bristles.

- Use a microfiber towel, not a terrycloth one, and squeeze the water out of your hair -- don't rub, as that increases frizz.

- Make sure your hair is moisturized. Consider using only conditioner on your hair. Shampoo definitely strips my hair and makes it frizz more. I used the co-wash method, where you use a cheap conditioner to "wash" your hair, followed by a richer conditioner. I promise, your hair won't smell or look dirty after about a week of adjusting. However, this actually make my coarse hair too soft and sort of lifeless, so I use a sulfate-free shampoo about once a week. I also use coconut oil or olive oil to moisturize my hair.

- If you can get away with it, don't wash your hair every day, even if you are only co-washing. This cuts down on the whole routine of using the hair dryer and flat iron every day. You can pull it back in a ponytail to avoid getting it wet, then just use the iron for touch-ups as needed.

- I use a CHI flat iron set to about 350 degrees. I've heard arguments that the high heat is actually less damaging because you only have to make one pass with the iron in order to straighten it.
posted by runningwithscissors at 6:28 AM on October 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Forgot to add that MOP defining cream has been great for me, and that using the concentrator attachment on the hair dryer also helps.
posted by runningwithscissors at 6:32 AM on October 3, 2010

Another vote for a good cut and leaving it long enough to wear up on the days it will not behave. the only way to straighten my hair properly is to go to the salon and I'm not doing that very often.
posted by fshgrl at 2:17 PM on October 3, 2010

There's the Japanese/Thermal Hair Straightening system. It's pretty popular in the East Asian community. It's permanent on the treated hair, so depending on how fast your hair grows, it can last 6-10 months. I've done it twice. I would continue to get it done, but (1) it's pretty expensive, $200+ (2) it takes forever, 4-6 hours. When I had it done, brushing my hair takes <5>
I would do some research on the salon and the treatments they use before getting it done. I've heard stories about using cheaper treatments that can damage your hair.

Here are some before/after pics from a salon, although you can google Japanese Hair Straightening or the Chinese term 離子燙 for more pictures.
posted by jyorraku at 3:54 PM on October 3, 2010

I think the open HTML tag ate my sentence up there. :p

It should be "less than 5 seconds, it just falls straight".
posted by jyorraku at 3:58 PM on October 3, 2010

Could you go with the frizz maybe? I went through teenagehood with frizzy coarse hair, trying to brush and blowdry it smooth. It stayed puffy, I hated it. I discovered then that my hair is actually naturally curly (woo!), but it only curls if I coax it to when it's drying. I've a feeling that there are other women with hair like mine that COULd be curly if they stopped brushing it.. I'm learning from this website.
posted by hannahlambda at 4:30 PM on October 3, 2010

I know you asked for product but in case this helps, I 2nd jyorraku's suggestion for Japanese Hair Straightening, sometimes called Magic Perm. My friend who has very coarse hair (her parents are black & puerto rican), goes religiously every 3 months & suggested i go. I went and it really was like magic. My issues is that i have very thick wavy hair. it came out bone straight and lasted a good 6 months. The new growth is the part that will come in as your natural texture and you can go back every 3 months to get the new growth done. My mother (who has thicker/coarser hair than me) went and my aunt who has thinner but curly hair also had it done. We all love it. it was no maintenance since your hair, wet or dry, looks exactly the same.

As for the Brazilian treatment, it's a conditioning that's given to your hair so your hair gradually becomes its natural state, unlike the japanese straightening. good luck!
posted by UltraD at 9:21 AM on October 4, 2010

I just had a Brazilian Blowout and while it has done wonders for the frizz, my hair isn't as straight as I would like it to be. I use the Living Proof line of products to help it get (and stay) straight. I wash it no more than every other day.

Also, I don't shampoo below my ears. Conditioner only to keep the length soft (similar to what runningwithscissors said).
posted by getawaysticks at 1:35 PM on October 5, 2010