Straightening naturally curly and frizzy hair at home is a real task, if you ask us. And even if you manage to straightem your hair (by some stroke of luck), the amount of stress and damage your hair would go through is unfathomable.

But fret not, ’cause we’ve got some incredible tips that’ll help you style your curly, coily and frizzy strands with minimal damage. Yea, really!

Read on for all the deets…

straighten hair with less damage

Always cleanse your hair first

Make sure your hair is clean and free from product build-up before heat styling your hair. Thouroughly wash your hair with a mild shampoo before straightening your hair.

straighten hair with less damage

Use a deep conditioning treatment

Apart from using your normal conditioner post shampooing, it is also important to use a hydrating hair mask -- this helps prevent breakage and makes straightening curly hair a lot easier. Additionally, applying a bit of leave-in conditioner such as the TIGI Bed Head Ego Boost Leave-in Conditioner and Split End Mender goes that extra mile in not just preventing breakage, but also protecting your strands.

straighten hair with less damage

Work in sections

When moisturising and straightening your hair, it is really important that you divide your hair into small sections. This ensures that each strand is properly coated in conditioner and is properly straightened from root to tip. For ease of use, always pin up the sections you aren’t working on to keep them out of the way.

straighten hair with less damage

Use a heat protectant spray

Skipping on a heat protectant spray before heat styling is like committing a cardinal sin in the beauty world. Remember to use an alcohol-free heat protectant such as the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray to protect your hair and prevent your hair from drying out.

straighten hair with less damage

Ensure your hair is completely dry before using heat

Before straightening your hair, ensure that it is 100% percent dry. Allow it to air dry if you have the time; but if you don’t, once your hair is about 70-80% dry, go in with your blow-dryer on the lowest setting. Use a round brush to comb the hair properly and give it some lift.