The reason your hair still waves and kinks inappropriately after using your ghd...

Is simple.

I figured it out  while watching the very awesome Brad Ngata perfectly straighten the luscious locks of my delightful and stylish beauty editor (Yazmo) the other day. And I had that light bulb moment, that really delayed one considering my job, and realised every hair stylist does it when straightening hair. All of them. And yet, even after seeing it roughly 1563 times, I still wasn't doing what they did when using my ghd at home. And my hair was always curling at the ends, or mischievously throwing in kinks here and there. It never looked as perfect as when they did it in salon. 

And here's why.You have to first comb the section of hair you're straightening. Comb the section with a fine-toothed comb, and then follow immediately after with your styler/irons. The combing, obviously, gets rid of all knots and smoothes the hair making life really easy and fun and enjoyable for the styler/iron to glide through without a care in the world. The result is smooth, dead-straight hair and no naughty waves or curling up at the ends.

Of course, using a Definitely Excellent thermal protector before you style your mop helps your cause, too. A lot. Oh come on now. You know my thoughts on this. It's Kerastase Ciment Thermique. As for my thoughts on a fine-toothed comb? They extend as far as that chemist on Bondi road and the $4 comb bucket.

Comments

[Jade Wright]

Thanks for the great information. I use a Karmin flat iron and I've had a lot of hair success lately. It makes my hair shiny.

[KJ]

Yup, i have SUPER curly hair (well, maybe not super, maybe SJP curly) and I've been doing this since my first ever hair straightener with the scratchy metal plates. I have to disagree re the combs... nothing beats the mason and pearson tailcomb for this little task. No offence to the bondi road chemist folk.

[cc]

By the way YeahBut, 'alot' is two words, and Fruity IS cool.

[hayley]

Hi guys - ghd have also posted some styling videos on the Australia's Next Top Model website (in similar style to the fabulous one Zoe did for Harper's). There are 3 vids that show how to use the ghd styler and salon styler to create different looks...

http://fox8.tv/antm/#/thelook/

[Jessy]

Um yeahbut get a life and don't read this blog if you're gonna be a bitch, your the odd one out or cant you see that.

Fruity, I read your post then asked my flatmate who is a hairdresser if it was true and she said that combing thru first is the only ONLY way you get it straight and she always tells her clients that because the comb styles it then the irons set it!!

[Sara.aka spooky ghost w no name :)]

I too used to have the same problem, I would divide my hair into section and then smoth out a section and run my hands over each time, my hairdresser told me this was why it always curled because it would get oils and sweat(NOICE!) all over my hair and then make it lose the straightness. Thats why it needs to be dry I guess before we straighten.. no more kinks, although I have melted quite a few fine tooth combs since then! :)Thanks for the tip Fruity..

[cc]

I've been using (and loving) Ciment Thermique since you first posted about it. Only trouble is that it can be hard to find because it sells out very quickly.

[Bunny]

I have been curling my hair with my GHD for ages now. It took me soooo long to work out how to do it though. I found the DVD that came with the GHD was useless. I am not good at following the visual instructions, they also went really fast on the DVD, too fast for me.
My advice is to use the GHD on SMALL sections of hair starting from the bottom. And go SLOW, the slower you go the better the curl. Basically you want to start at the roots and put the small piece of hair between the tongs, then you have to TWIST the iron around and then really slowly move it down the piece of hair. It takes practice, but one day it just clicks.

[dot]

Yes. They mention this in the ghd dvd (that you get with the straightener) :)

[Charlotte]

you're so right Fruity, my hair always straightens better when i use a fine comb rather than a brush.

And I learned to curl my hair with my GHD from the video you did on the harper's site! although i can't for the life of me find the link now..

[Sunili]

Oh Fruity can you please-please-please SHOW the curling-with-straiteners thing on Primped.com.au too? I have read a billion how-tos but can't, and am considering buying ghds just for the goddamn DVD they hype. But I don't have the 300 schmackeroos.

[YeahBut]

Ok Zoe we get it.you visit the chemist on bondi round ALOT, are you trying to tell us that you live in Bondi perhaps? you are SO cool.

[Kat]

Yep, this is so true!! I saw a stylist doing it on Australia's Next Top Model of all places, and then it clicked, and now I always do it. Definitely makes for a smoother finish. Also, doing smaller sections works well too - takes longer but gives a much better result!

[Fruity]

Without being too cryptic and infuriating, when Primped.com.au launches in July, we will show you ("show" being the operative word) precisely how to do this so that you need never slam your ghd down in frustration with wonky wavey half-fried curls again.

Exciting, exciting...

[Alex]

Alana, I hear you! I end up with a 'curling ribbon' effect when I try to curl with my straightener. I suspect the curl is more a result of my scraping off a layer of my hair than the heat working its wavey magic. Have never managed to master this trick - and spent a disasterous 'Good Ship Lollipop' day at the races last year. I've since bought a curling wand (thick barrel) for attempted-SJP waves.

[alana]

oh fruity, you are so right! i recently acquired a ghd and tried without a comb and it was a complete mess... definitely a convert to the comb (and thermal protectant) technique now!
wondering though if any of you ghd savvy fruits has any advice on how to get lovely big loose curls from the humble regular ghd, withuot having to invest in the big salon one..? i seem to end up looking all goodship lollypop when i try to curl, instead of all fabulus and carrie bradshaw-esque... not really a great look for my face shape!