Do you have any helpful hints for flat ironing the back of your own hair?

You just kinda have to contort your arms lol. And of course, practice makes perfect.

Get a hand mirror, and use it in conjunction with your bathroom mirror to see what’s going on with the back of your hair first. Iron a little, then look again. Repeat until desired affect is achieved (or your arms are so tired you can’t hold them up anymore). That’s basically what I do.

Make sure you have a lightweight flat iron. When I got my new one, I noticed what a huge difference it made, makes the process so much easier. Start with the underneath, clip up all your hair except one section and straighten the free section atleast twice, going over with a fine tooth comb between each pass of the iron. Then let down another small section and continue.

Clip your hair up and do it in layers. Do a section, the let down another layer of hair and do it – and so on until you are finished. It is easier dealing with smaller portions at a time.

If you need to, you can brush the top layer up straight up over your head and iron it flat, then just touch up the roots if needed.

It is also easier if you are able to use both hands so you aren’t stretching across the back of your head.

Get a significant other and teach them how to do it. My husband always does the back of my hair.

Start with a cubical head.

Most importantly get a high quality straightener. Nothing fries hair better than a $20 walmart special. Look for one that is ceramic and tourmaline, and ionic. Another important feature is temp control. Don’t use a higher temp than what your hair type calls for. Do not try to straighten hair when it is damp unless you have a flat iron made specifically for it. One of mine is a Chi wet to dry, and even then hair can only be slightly damp. First start off by spraying your hair with a thermal protectant. This seals your hair, preventing the iron from doing serious damage. Untreated hair will become dry, brittle, and frizzy with heat styling. Section the hair and work slowly. Make small managable sections. One or two passes through each section is all you need, the less the better. Most people pull the iron through 4 or five times really quickly, that’s bad. Just put your chin down and use one hand to find your section. use the other hand to place your iron and then use the section holding hand to apply pressure to the other end of the iron. One hand at each end of the iron ensures a nice even heat. Let cool before trying to brush it into place. If youre going to use a comb, do not use a fine tooth unless you have extremely course hair. Also buying a carbon comb is a good idea. I’ve seen plastic combs actually leave little chunks in hair because someone let it get too hot.