Hair Straightening Serum Really Worth Buying

While the products aren't as expensive as, say, a Dyson dryer, they're still more than your usual drugstore picks. That leads us to the obvious question: Are Olaplex products really worth the money? The short answer would be yes, they are. For more in-depth reviews, we asked Glamour editors with different hair types to put the line to the test. Scroll on for the best Olaplex products you'll want to add to cart for your best hair yet.

hair straightening serum really worth buying

The cell membrane complex (CMC) is intercellular matter. CMC consists of cell membranes and adhesive material (cement) binding the cell membranes between two cuticle cells, two cortical cells and cuticle-cortex cells. The most important layer of the CMC is called the beta-layer, and it is considered to be the intercellular cement and it is sandwiched by other layers from each cell. The CMC and the endocuticle are very vulnerable regions to the chemical treatments such as bleaching, dyeing and hair straightening/perm procedures. Also, the everyday grooming and shampooing friction may disrupt the CMC.[3,4,5]

To reach variety of styling, very curly hair is frequently straightened by pressing or by chemical relaxing/straightening. But, as the fiber is extremely sensible and prone to breakage it is not unusual that curly and straightened hair do not achieve long length and breaks during the growing process.[9,37,38,39,40,41,42,43]

Disulfide bonds are cleaved using an alkaline reducing agent; then the hair is mechanically straightened using a comb during the reducing phase to restructure the position of disulfide bonds between new polypeptide keratins. They also react with peptide bonds, hydrolytically cleaving this linkage, producing acid and amine groups, and producing residues of aspartic and glutamic acids. The relaxers are applied on prewashed hair and after usage, must be rinsed off with running water. They provide the most permanent hair straightening but if applied with the wrong technique may cause scalp burns and hair breakage. The pH of alkaline straighteners varies from 12 to above 13. Hair is sensitive to pH value changes and alkaline solutions swell the fibers and open the cuticle scales. This can make the hair susceptible to friction, lowering its resistance and strength.

Hair straightening needs to be repeated every 12 weeks or longer. The emphasis should be only on new growth hair since repeated treatments can lead to hair breakage, which usually occurs at the junction of the new growth and previously treated hair. Careful application to new growth only and previous conditioning of the hair can help prevent excessive breakage. In the work of Shetty et al., the most common adverse effects reported after chemical hair straightening were: Frizzy hair in 67%, dandruff in 61%, hair loss in 47%, thinning and weakening of hair in 40%, greying of hair 22%, and split ends in only 17%.

The mode of action of the formaldehyde is different from the others relaxers because formaldehyde or other aldehydes are not hair straightening products. The hair is remodeled straight because water breaks hydrogene bonds of the keratin molecule as happens in a regular blow-dry. The newly redesigned keratin is then kept in this shape because the formaldehyde crosslinks the keratin filaments in such a perfect alignment that the hair is now set straight and shines like no virgin straight hair is capable of. The light that strikes the hair reflects from the realigned keratin filaments and brings the effect of a brighter shiny hair. A study by Simpson and Crawshaw[60] which analyzed the reactivity of formaldehyde and wool keratin, found that formaldehyde forms cross-links with the keratin amino acids; arginine, lysine, tyrosine, histidine, and the amide derivatives of aspartate and glutamate.

Shrestha et al. found that children prenatally exposed to formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, perchloroethylene, or acetaldehyde in the third trimester had an increased odds of Wilms' tumor per interquartile increase in concentration.[67] Couto found a relationship between pregnancy, maternal exposure to hair dyes and hair straightening cosmetics, with and early age leukemia.[68] Mazzei et al. analysed home made hair straightening products containing formaldehyde and verified that the antibacterial activity was detected in all creams with positive mutagenicity induction. They concluded that the creams showed an intense genotoxic response.[69]

Galiotte et al. in a study evaluated the genotoxic risk to 69 female hairdressers exposed daily to chemical substances such as hair dyes, waving and straightening preparations and manicurists' products by the Comet assay test (single-cell gel electrophoresis) The hairdressers showed a higher frequency of DNA damage that could be associated with the hairdressers' occupational environment, where different chemicals are chronically manipulated and inhaled. Considering that this profession in many countries, including Brazil, is not officially regulated, it is not discarded that the use of BKT may have some influence in the data of this work.[55]

I liked that the formulation contains a mix of ceramides and keratin. It coats every strand before you get to straightening and makes the process much easier. And also keratin helps replenish lost protein in damaged hair due to heat.

Now most products avoid silicones as it builds up on your hair. But this Body Shop serum washes off easily, and if you can always use a clarifying shampoo once a week to get rid of any product build-up.

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a hair straightening serum. These include the ingredients, how it will work on your hair type, and the price. Here are some tips to help you choose the best serum for yourself:

I vividly remember the first flat iron my curly-haired family ever owned. It was thick and left our hair looking fried, with clamp marks at the root. Basically, I looked like Witch Hazel from Looney Tunes. It wasn't until college that I discovered the Paul Mitchell flat iron, and I've been using different variations of it since. It proves that the right tool makes a difference, and I've seen it work its magic on several different hair textures and curl patterns. It's worth every penny.

The plates on this Ion Style+ model are 1 inch, which is a pretty good size for straightening, as well as creating a natural-looking curl. I currently use the similar 1.25-inch Ion Smooth+ model ($125), which is also a good choice if you are used to maneuvering bigger tools (it even comes in hot pink). Go with the smaller Style+ if you're inexperienced or have shorter hair. Both have been updated with a digital interface since I first tried them.

The T3 Lucea ID hair straightener would be in our top spot if it wasn't so expensive. But it might be worthwhile if you're concerned about hair damage. Most hot hair tools claim to cause less damage than the competition, but the T3 actually delivers with a unique temperature-finding feature the company calls HeatID Technology. To set the right temperature, select your hair features via the touch controls on the iron's handle: texture (fine, medium, coarse), length (short, medium, long), and if your hair is color-treated. It will then suggest a heat level. I also love its Refresh Mode for touching up hair later at a lower temperature based on previous settings.

It takes some trial and error, but you can also return Amika products bought directly from its website within 30 days, and Sephora also has a solid return policy. Just keep in mind that a straightening brush is not a blow-dry brush and should not be used on wet hair. We do have a recommendation for the latter below.

A blow-dry brush can dry and straighten your hair in one step. But like the straightening brush we recommend, it doesn't work for all curl types. We have a few options in our Best Hair Dryers guide, but the Revlon One-Step is our favorite. It's affordable, easy to use, and got WIRED senior associate editor Adrienne So's hair smooth and dry in 10 minutes. It didn't become a cult favorite by accident.

After an average of nearly 11 years of follow-up, women who had reported using hair straightening products were almost twice as likely to have developed uterine cancer than those who did not, after adjusting for other factors that might affect risk. Women who had reported frequent use of straighteners (more than 4 times in the previous year) were about 2 times more likely to develop uterine cancer.

Some women might choose to limit or avoid the use of hair straightening products, based on the limited information available so far. For those who are concerned, there are also other things you can do to help lower your risk of endometrial cancer (the most common type of uterine cancer), such as:

The ends of my hair are layered (and fried) so they were never going to go pin-straight. Japanese hair straightening makes my hair a little bit straighter but at a greater cost to my wallet and with harsher chemicals.

I love the best JUVEXIN treatment to play with my curly and frizzy hair. Harmless and pure natural. Formaldehyde free. Only one application keeps my hair straight, smooth and soft for upto 5 months. Derived from pristine sheep through a natural and friendly process. I get this treatment every six months. A little bit an expensive one but the price worth it because of its tremendous results. I will never ever go back to any other treatment.

Following over 33,000 women for almost 11 years, a study by the National Institute of Health found that the women who noted frequent use (more than four times in a year) of chemical hair straightening products were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer, than those who did not use those products.

The smoothing brushes work really well on my hair, and with little effort. While I would use the curling barrels for an evening out or a special occasion, I can see myself using the smoothing brushes regularly to tame my sometimes unruly hair.

The Sister Study is really the seminal event that triggered the flood of hair relaxer lawsuits. The study found that frequent use of chemical hair relaxers (over 4 times per year) over long-time periods increased the risk of uterine cancer by 150%. 041b061a72