My Every Day Hair Routine + How to get perfectly straight hair

Hey everyone!
Today I thought it would be fun to do an every day hair routine post to show you what I do in the morning to get my hair ready for the day ahead.  Also, my hair is really curly and thick naturally, and I always have people who know this fact coming up to me and asking how i get my hair so perfectly straight and thin, so i thought I'd include a kind of tutorial on how to getting perfectly straight hair that STAYS straight throughout the day.


Washing

I wash my hair every other day because washing your hair every single day can be bad for your hair and strip it of natural oils and moisture.  Today is Friday, which means it's hair washing day!  So below are the steps I take for washing my hair...

Step One: combing it out. 
Before i get in the shower, i like to comb my hair out just to get any knots out to make my hair easier to deal with once in the actual shower.

Step Two: Shampoo 
 I take a dollar coin sized amount of Herbal Essenses 'None of your Frizzness' and wash my hair from the nape of my neck down.   After i rinse it out, i squeeze more out, and start washing my scalp salon style.  I rinse and repeat one more time.  I love Herbal Essenses 'None of your Frizzness' because my hair is a little frizzy, and this shampoo really helps smooth my hair, also it has a fusion of mandarin creme and pearls and it smells absolutely divine).

Step Three: Conditioner
Following my shampoo, i use Pantene's breakage to strength shampoo from below my ears down, focusing on my ends.  I like to apply this by brushing it through my hair with my fingers.  I rinse that out, and comb through my hair with a brush (I know that damages your hair, but it's a nasty habit) to get it nice and knot free.


Step Four: Conditioning Hair Mask
Next I apply my 'Hair Clean Therapy Mask'.  I purchased a few bottles of this in Italy 3 years ago, and I don't think it's available in the United States or Canada.  If you know different, please let me know below because I'm on my last bottle and I'm not going back to Italy for another 2-3 years.  I pump it twice and apply it through my hair from scalp to ends, focusing on my scalp.  While I wait for it to settle, i do what ever else i need to.  After about 5 minutes I rinse it out.  This mask 'invigorates and refreshes the scalp and gives hair new life'. It has a lovely refreshing mint scent.  This mask makes my hair feel soft and smooth.

Step Five:  Condition
Yeah, i'm weird, i know.  After i put my hair mask in, i use some more conditioner.  This time i only massage it through the ends of my hair.  I rinse it out.

Step Six: Rinsing in Cold Water
I wash my hair in Luke-warm water but after i'm done washing it, i like to rinse it in cold water because cold water seals the hair follicle and makes my hair more shiny.  I never recommend washing your hair in hot or cold water as both can be damaging. 

Step Seven and Eight: Drying and Products!
After i get out of the shower, I dab the excess water out of my hair with a towel.  It isn't recommended that you wring your hair out, or throw it up into a towel as that can be damaging.
Next I apply a pumpful of the Macadamia Natural Oil Nourishing Leave-In Cream, and spritz about 4 sprays of the Healing Oil spray throughout my hair, and comb through my hair again.


Step Nine: Drying
Lastly, I leave it to dry naturally. 

Styling

Step One: Heat Tamer
Okay, so first I apply my tresemmee heat tamer spray all over my hair, and comb it to distribute the product. 

Step Two: How I Straighten my Hair
My first tip is to invest in a good straightening iron, if you don't own a good straightener you won't get good results.  I use the Paul Mitchell pro tools express ion style, and it works better for me then the Chi and every other iron I've used, I often compare it to the Croc (I'm going to be reviewing the PM straightener shortly). 

My next tip is it's all about the layers.  Use thin layers to get best results.  Straightening thin layers will result in smooth, thin straight hair.  This obviously takes more time, but the results are amazing. trust me.

Use a comb.  When you straighten your hair you should use a regular comb to follow your straightener through your hair.  This is a tip I learned in my salon and it really helps keep your hair thin.

If you have curly hair, keep as close to the roots as you can without burning your scalp.  If your hair is straight but you're leaving your roots curly, that's going to result in puffy looking hair.  

Those small tips make a big difference in the way your hair turns out, so that's how i straighten my hair and that's how I  get it so "thin and straight and perfect", it usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half.

Step Three: Product
After i've straightened my hair, i apply Paul Mitchell Smoothing serum from the hair above my ear down to the tips.  I've heard people complain that this makes your hair greasy, but it doesn't.  Don't use a full pump of product in your hair.  Simply tap the pump a little to dispense a little less than a pea size amount, and that should work great.  My Paul Mitchell Smoothing Serum review

And that is my hair routine!  I don't straighten my hair every day, and i would never recommend it as it is very damaging.  But there's my 'every day' hair routine, i hope you enjoyed it and let me know what your every day hair routine is below!