Hair and the tangles

Get ready to blow-dry. Start with washed and towel-dried hair. Spray in any styling aid you like. I like to part my hair in sections going from top to bottom and spraying along the part (imagine your head is a globe and you are parting along lines of longitude--from N Pole to S Pole) so that one step covers a large part of my root but also gets the spray the longer parts of my hair. Be sure to comb the product through, and have your hair parted the way you prefer.

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  Step 2
  Blow dry your hair in sections from the nape (bottom) of the neck to the top, using the brush to straighten it out as you dry. This protects the top portions from getting too over-heated (damaged). Once your hair is just slightly damp (mostly on the ends) flip back over, comb out any tangles, and begin to dry it in the style you're hoping to achieve. This is where the brush does most of the work.
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  Step 3
  Heat up your flat iron to a setting that's right for your hair type--coarse and thick needs high heat, fine hair usually only needs low heat. Prep your hair with a shine spray that protects your hair from heat styling. Make sure your hair is brushed through and ready to go!
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  Step 4
  Begin straightening hair with your iron. I always work from the top down, because the bottom area of hair close to your neck won't need much attention since it will be covered by the top sections of hair.
  Take a chunk of hair, set it in the iron (be careful of 'crimping' a line into your hair with the edge of the flat iron) and run it along the whole hair shaft from top to bottom. Repeat along entire head, going over any section that could use some 'refinement'.
  
  The best part about using a flat iron is you can go over any areas again that didn't come out quite right until your hair is as straight as you like.

Step 1

Make best friends with a wide-tooth comb. Gently work out tangles starting from the ends and working your way back to the roots. After combing, you may brush with something else if you like. Illustration is a Mason Pearson comb, handmade in Switzerland. It’s expensive, but reviewed very highly for detangling ability without hair breakage.

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  Step 2
  Comb hair before shampooing. And don’t lather your hair on top of your head while shampooing. Instead, work the shampoo into your roots and squeeze it down your hair to the ends. Magazines say because shampoo is drying, you should avoid shampooing the ends, but I wash the ends anyway.
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  Step 3
  Use a separate conditioner after washing. I use a separate conditioner even when using a shampoo/conditioner combo. Magazines also say to condition the ends only and avoid the roots … this I do. For children, you can get by with a single kids’ shampoo/conditioner combo.
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  Step 4
  After washing, towel-dry your hair with care. Do not rub your wet head vigorously … instead wrap with a super-absorbent microfiber hair towel. Use a detangling or lightweight conditioner spray before combing wet hair. I’ve been using Sunsilk lately, but I also like Pantene, Aussie, and L’Oreal De-Tangling Spray for kids.
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  Step 5
  Systematically dry your hair, meaning don’t wave the dryer around like a madwoman. And be careful when flipping your hair over to dry underneath ... sometimes I get tangles doing this myself.