We all want healthy, luscious hair that looks like we’ve just walked out of a hair salon after a fresh blow dry. Problem is we don’t all have the time or money to visit our local salon every day. The beauty about hair straightners is you can achieve salon results from the comfort of your home.
Of course, it helps to have a few handy hacks to perfect the technique and ensure your tresses do not suffer from heat damage. Here, skincare scientist Dr Michelle Wong gives us the her top tips to protect and straighten your hair.
1: Invest in a quality hair straightner
No one really wants to spend half their pay-check on a hair straightener. But damaged hair costs more time and money than even the priciest straightener.
Don’t focus too much on the price but on the quality of the hair straightener. You really want to invest in a hair straightener which has hair-protecting features such as quality materials, temperature control capability and hair damage reducing technology.
2: Make sure you set the right amount of heat for your hair
Heat settings are designed to meet the needs of different types of hair – finer hair will often straighten best with lower temperatures, while thicker hair may need a higher setting. Using a hair straightener with multiple heat settings such as the Panasonic EH-HS99 is recommended.
As well as finding the right temperature setting, it’s also helpful to have a consistent and stable temperature across the whole of the plate. You’ll often find that lower quality straighteners that promise fast and high temperatures will have inconsistent heat across the plate – this means some areas of hair might be over or under heated, giving an overall poor result.
3: Good technique matters
Section your hair and run the straightener over a small area. This way you know your hair is being effectively styled, and you can easily track progress without unnecessarily reapplying heat. Another pro-tip is to hold the section of your hair taut and gently pull the iron downwards from the root to the tip – this slight tension will allow you to comfortably glide and improve straightening performance.
4: Use a hair protectant
This is the golden rule. If you want healthy, damage resistant hair while heat styling you need to use a heat protectant. Always ensure you read the product’s directions and apply before or after straightening. The combination of a good quality heat protectant and hair straightener will effectively protect your hair shaft, reduce damage and breakage, and keep EH-HS99 Hydrating Hair Straightener. This hair-styler is equipped with protective nanoe X technology, high-performance ceramic plates and advanced adjustable heat controls to reduce heat damage.
The Panasonic EH-HS99 Hydrating Hair Straightener is priced at $279 RRP and is available from Amazon Australia and Myer. For further information, please visit www.panasonic.com.au
