How To Straighten & Smooth 2A, Fine-Medium Density Hair Want to add a straightening treatment to your service list that's made without formaldehyde and other harmful ingredients? amika’s first salon-only treatment smooth over is a two-step treatment used to straighten or smooth while reducing frizz in all hair types. The smooth over priming shampoo is used to cleanse and prepare the hair before applying the heat-activated frizz-fighting treatment. Ahead, amika Stylist Collective member Pekela Riley (@pekelariley) demonstrates how to straighten and smooth 2A, fine to medium density hair without damaging it. What to know about each product: pro smooth over priming...
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Before you begin, set realistic expectations based on your client’s hair texture using this chart.
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Start by washing the hair with amika’s pro smooth over priming shampoo to cleanse, clarify and create a blank canvas for the treatment to penetrate the strands. Towel-dry the hair when finished.
Pro Tip: Rinse and repeat as necessary for thicker, more coarse hair.
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Bring your client back to the chair to apply smooth over frizz-fighting treatment. Wear gloves and give your client a chemical drape to wear while treatment is being applied.
Then, section the hair into quadrants—you will be working from the nape of the neck up toward the front hairline. Take one-inch subsections and begin spraying the treatment four to six inches away from the hair, keeping the spray a half an inch away from the scalp. Finish by combing through each subsection to ensure the product is fully saturating all hair.
Pro Tip: Avoid accidentally applying the treatment to the scalp by holding each section at the root using your gloved finger.
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Let the treatment process uncovered, without heat for 20 minutes. While the treatment is processing, heat your flat iron to the following temperatures depending on your client’s hair type:
Color-treated & chemically-treated hair:
Fine hair: 360 degrees Fahrenheit
Medium to coarse: 410 degrees Fahrenheit
Virgin hair:
Fine: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Medium to coarse: 420 degrees Fahrenheit
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After processing, blow-dry hair straight using a high heat setting with a round or paddle brush until 100 percent dry.
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Next, depending on the density of the hair, flat iron quarter to half inch subsections to lock-in the treatment. Starting from the nape of the neck, work the flat iron from roots to ends with three to five passes per section.
Depending on hair type and condition, if your client’s hair is damaged and porous, only straighten in three passes.
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Rinse hair using only water (no shampoo). Apply a conditioner or mask, then rinse.
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To complete the treatment, blow-dry until 100 percent dry with a round or paddle brush and flat iron or silk press to see final results.
Here’s how much stylists can make by adding amika pro smooth over treatment to their service list:
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