Q: I was wondering about a thio straightener like Easy Straight or Ogilvie Straightener. I have curly hair that is coarse
and frizzy on the top of my head and then soft and almost straight on the sides and back. Can I use a thio straightener to make the
top a little less curly and less frizzy but not straight if I just put the product on and don’t comb it through? What about if I
put it on for less time? I want my hair to be curly but just more manageable and blend in with the rest to the hair better and I
don’t want to go and get a perm to blend all the curls. Thanks.
A: You may find that you will want to comb the product through the hair, since not doing so will likely not provide you with any
appreciable benefit. The tension on the hair is what reorders the wave pattern once the “straightening lotion” has begun to break
the chemical side bonds. I would suggest using a wide tooth comb or hair pick, as opposed to any finer tooth combs, since this will
limit the amount of tension placed on the hair.
You can also do a targeted straightening only on the curliest parts of your head by using
cotton pads or cotton balls to apply the “straightening lotion” only to the portions of the hair you want to straighten. Section
off the are you want to work with and secure the rest of the hair out of the way with clips. You may also want to cover the hair
that is not to be straightened with a cholesterol product or conditioning cream to prevent any exposure or dripping.
Just remember that the “neutralizer” for most of these products is hydrogen peroxide, and you
can therefore possibly have some lightening of the haircolor. This depends on the porosity of your hair and can be more pronounced
if you have artificially colored hair. If you use permanent haircolor, try to schedule to use the straightener a week or two before your next color retouch.
