The ceramic flat iron is used by many teenage girls and women as a temporary "fix" for moderate to extremely curly hair. This type of hair straightener provides the desired look of straight hair without making a permanent or long-term change.

Flat irons are hand-held and medium in size. Most are smaller than the average hair dryer and operate very similar to a curling iron. The portion of hair to be straightened is placed between the two heating iron pads and enclosed as the heat begins to straighten your curls.

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Benefits and Disadvantages

A major benefit of using a flat iron is the fact that the iron uses ceramic or tourmaline ions to gently heat the hair with infrared heat.

Frizz-free hair can be accomplished without damage from heat.

Another benefit is that the flat iron can be used as a tool to create a variety of hair styles - one every day if you wish. You'll never be bored with your hair style again!

A disadvantage of using the ceramic flat iron is the straightening results are only temporary. As soon as you wash your hair, you'll have to repeat the process. This can get quite tiring after a while.

Thermal Reconditioning

Thermal reconditioning is used for long-term straightening in conjunction with a flat iron straightener. To accomplish this, a cornstarch-based chemical is applied to the curly hair and then a heated flat iron is used to straighten the hair.

The results can last up to six months with some hair. This works well with hair that is very difficult to straighten using other methods.

Benefits and Disadvantages
Thermal reconditioning offers the benefit of long-term results, where using solely a flat iron would need to be repeated daily or with each wash.

A disadvantage, however, is that the process takes quite a while to complete - usually several hours. So you'll need to determine if it's worth the effort.

Chemical Hair Straighteners

Chemicals are sometimes used to straighten hair by breaking down the very structure of the hair and removing curl. If you're trying to straighten your hair from a previous curly perm and your hair is naturally straight, the chemicals will permanently remove those curls.

For natural curly hair, the curl will usually be removed until new curly hair grows in its place.

The chemicals most commonly used are sodium hydroxide, also called lye or guanidine hydroxide (no-lye.) Lye mixtures are more powerful than no-lye straighteners.

Benefits and Disadvantages
A benefit of using a chemical hair straightener is you can do it quickly. Instead of holding a flat iron for hours during a thermal reconditioning session or every day for temporary flat iron straightening, you can pour the solution on and comb the curls out. It's a fairly simple process.

Lye mixtures do have drawbacks. They can be damaging to the scalp and hair if not applied correctly.

No-lye mixtures can be drying to the scalp and irritating to the eyes or skin although they're not as harsh as the lye chemicals.

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Other Temporary Straightening Techniques

Other ways hair can be straightened temporarily are by using a curling iron or hair dryer.

Curling irons are "ironically" used to press the hair as well, causing a straightening effect.

Hair dryers (along with a brush or comb) are often used to straighten hair by combing and drying out the curl. With some hair textures, either of these methods can cause extreme frizziness.

No matter which method you choose to straighten your hair, you'll want to make sure it's safe for your hair. Determine if you want to create different hair styles frequently or stay with one permanent straight hair style.

Consult a beautician about what would work best for your hair. You'll be enjoying smooth straight hair in no time.