How to Straighten Fine Hair Without Damaging It

By Leah Williams •  Updated: 08/27/22

Anyone trying to straighten fine hair is worried about it getting damaged. Fine, thin hair is delicate and more prone to breakage than thick hair. Could you possibly get away with having fine, straight hair with zero to minimal hair damage?

Lucky Curl walks you through several options to keep your fine hair straight all day and protect your locks from more damage.

How can I straighten my fine hair without damaging it?

There are several options to do hair straightening for this hair type. We classify the methods into two: ones that use heat and ones that don’t.

Choosing whether to apply heat or not in straightening depends on your preference. If you’re in a hurry, you can apply heat, provided you use techniques to prevent your hair strands from overheating (and burning).

More prep time for styling hair means you can do other heatless options for straight tresses. Mostly, these methods need you to wait for a whole night and see results in the morning.

Heat-Based Straightening

With heat styling tools in the core of every straightening routine, it’s hard not to whip one out and straighten your hair with a flat iron or use a blow dryer to give it volume!

Heat-based straightening involves using a blow dryer or a hair straightener to keep hair straight and smooth.

Blow drying

We’re all familiar with blow-drying; a blast of hot air dries hair, closing the cuticles and leaving it frizz-free. This activity doesn’t take long for fine hair.

Flat Ironing Hair Straight

A hair straightener or flat iron is a handy tool to have around when you want sleek, frizz-free hair. Always use a heat protectant before running the hot tool through your hair to avoid damaging your strands. A good rule of thumb is to keep the temperature at 365 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

Choosing this route to keep hair straight means you have to protect your hair from the heat. Use heat protectants each time you blow-dry or iron to minimize hair damage. Opt for flat irons with ceramic plates-these lessens damaged hair due to heat.

Heatless Methods to Straighten Fine Hair

These methods won’t completely give you the stick-straight hair dryers and hair straighteners can provide, but they’re great for giving your natural hair a break from the heat. Zero heat damage!

Using Hair Products for Straight hair

Use products specifically for straight hair, like a smoothing shampoo and conditioner. These products give moisture, weigh down your hair, and relax your wet hair. Let your hair air-dry after.

Brushing

You can also brush your hair to distribute the scalp oils, smoothening and making hair straight in the process (don’t tug on your hair, or you’ll risk breakage).

You can use your fingers too to give body and form to your hair, but we prefer a sectioning comb like this OneRosus Rat Tail Combs for a smooth mane.

Hair Oils

Applying some oils, like coconut oil or argan oil, mixed with a few drops of essential oils of your choice, can help your hair retain its style with no heat. Just like shampoos and conditioners for straight hair, these oils slightly weigh down hair.

Apply these after washing your hair, or let the oils soak during a long shower.

Hair Pinning

Another interesting method involves putting wet hair in a tight ponytail and smoothening it with a rat-tail comb. Next is to wrap and pin the rest of the hair tightly around the head. A Youtube video shows how this method is done for long hair.

Wrap up

You don’t have to suffer from damage in exchange for smooth locks. You can brush and style it straight with our without heat. It is a good practice to wear your natural hair without heat styling for healthy hair.

If you like straighteners, you might want to check out our best flat iron for fine hair recommendations.

Remember to use a shampoo and conditioner that works best with a straightener, Curlies!

Leah Williams

Leah Williams is the founder of Lucky Curl and has been in the hair care and styling industry for the last 15 years. Since then, she has developed incredible expertise and a deep understanding of how to treat and style the most difficult hair types and is passionate about sharing her knowledge with the readers of Lucky Curl.

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