Hairdresser shares ‘best’ way to straighten hair – and mistake that causes most damage

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Hairdresser Ricky Walters has shared the most common mistakes people make when straightening their hair – including running the plates over more than once and burning knots

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Ricky Walters demonstrates ‘correct’ way to use straighteners

These days it seems we’re frequently being told we’re doing this or that ‘wrong’ – even when it comes to the simplest of tasks like filling an ice cube bag or washing our clothes.

And now there may be another thing to add to the list of mistakes we’re making and it’s all to do with your hair.

According to a hairdresser, many people have been straightening their hair wrong and causing unnecessary damage to their locks.

Speaking to The Mirror, Ricky Walters, the owner of Salon64 in London, has shared the biggest mistakes people make when using hair straighteners and the ‘best’ way to use the device on your hair.

The expert claims the most important thing to do is to ensure your hair is heat protected and carefully brushed out to ensure there are no knots and tangles that you’re going to go over with the straighteners.

He then demonstrated how to avoid causing nasty damage with the straighteners by combing down the lengths ahead of the heat tool.

“Use a comb as you go to avoid straightening over knots so they don’t burn into the hair,” urges Ricky.

And you shouldn’t run the plates over each section of hair more than once, according to the pro as this is another surefire way to ruin your hair.

For those who want to straighten their hair but are worried about split ends or already have damaged ends, the expert advises avoiding the ends of the hair and leaving these natural.

He adds that this is a trend he has also seen when people are curling their hair, as they leave the ends out of the curling tongs when they use them.

And for anyone with small baby hairs around their face, Ricky recommends investing in a pair of tiny straighteners if you plan on styling these, instead of using large straighteners.

“When working around the hairline, tiny straighteners are better for baby hairs,” he explains.

“Larger straighteners, with bigger plates, are trickier to use on these as they’re better for larger sections.”

These tips come after the experts at Salon64 previously shared how to recreate a salon-worthy blow dry on your hair at home. To give it a go for yourself, you’ll need a hairdryer, heat protectant, volume spray and round brushes.

Be sure never to take a brush to soaking wet hair as this will damage it, instead start by rough drying the hair until it is 80 to 90 percent dry. Then you can go in with the brush and start ‘moulding’ the hair into curls and waves, or brush it out for a sleeker look.

A smaller brush will help create tighter curls, while a big brush will give a smoother finish.

To keep curls in for longer, you can clip them up to create pin curls and leave them to set on your head until you’re ready to go out. Add some flexible hold hairspray and you’re ready to go!

Do you have a hair care tip to share? We want to hear all about it. Email [email protected]