It's Friday night and you've spent over an hour attempting to fry your hair into sleek, straight submission with a pile of expensive products. Your try-it-at-home blowout has become a bit of a … process. The air smells of singed hair, your arms are aching from the effort, and you have flat iron battle scars to prove your pain. Then comes the most painful part: you leave your house and your waves reemerge, as wild and crazy as they please. Of course, waves and curls can be completely chic and on-trend, but if getting straight hair is what you want, then straight hair is what you should get.
While you may be tempted to believe that you'll never be the boss of your hair and should just toss your flat iron in the bin, you can actually straighten just about any texture or length when you practice the right techniques -- no torture involved.
That’s why we’ve partnered with L'Oréal Paris: to help you laugh at your missteps and learn how it’s really done. Even if you’ve been wielding a blow dryer and a flat iron since middle school, we’re here to remind you that a quick refresher course, and a few great products, can go a long way.
STAGE ONE
It all starts with a long look in the mirror. You examine your perfectly sleek hair from every angle: straight-on, from your Good Side, from your Bad Side, and from the back with the help of some handy mirror tricks. “Nothing can go wrong,” you sigh happily. A tiny bird lands on your shoulder.
STAGE TWO
You pass a reflective surface and give it a sly glance. (Sure, it’s vain, but you’re only human.) Turns out your red carpet-ready 'do is anything but. Clearly your mirror at home is full of lies and it will need to be replaced immediately.
STAGE 3
You rush to the bathroom to “fix” the situation.
STAGE 4
Is there a reset button for your hair? Or for, um, your whole day in general? Is this a thing that can be invented? (You actually Google this.)
STAGE 5
Yep: It’s “messy bun” and “shrug emoticon” time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
BUT WAIT! THERE'S STILL HOPE!
Here’s a handy step-by-step guide to getting it straight and making it stick. Read below to see how some help from the right products, tools, and methods will have you rocking your newly straight locks anywhere from a night out to a day at the office – all while leaving your flat iron at home.
This post is sponsored by L'Oréal Advanced Haircare Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight, L'Oréal's first haircare system able to seal in straight hair for up to 48 hours*.
*Based on using complete system with heat styling tools.
Illustrations: Helen Tseng; Flowchart: Liz Minch
