Created: 4/22/2008 7:06:35 AM 
By Julia Crowley First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Sleek, straight and silky, it's the way many woman want to describe their hair right now. People with short hair, long hair, flat hair and even curly hair are all trying to achieve the look.
Marcia Haines has naturally curly hair but has always wished she had straight hair. So most mornings she uses a flat iron to straighten her hair.
"The flat iron is easier and quicker," says Haines. "But I think the hair tends to be more damaged and it's a lot dryer when I do that."
Many hair stylists will agree that using a flat iron too often can damage the hair.
Pamela Hilton, the owner of Salon on the Square in San Marco, recommends using a flat iron no more than twice a week.
But for women who want the straight, sleek look everyday she says it's better for your hair to use a blow dryer and round brush to straighten it.
Many woman watch their hair stylists use these tools but it's then hard to achieve the same style at home. But Hilton says there are several tricks to make it easier.
First she recommends blow drying without a brush. "The most important thing when you are straightening your hair is to get most of the moisture out before you use your tools," says Hilton.
She also says the products you use are important. She mixes in her hands Aveda's Hang Straight Smoothing Serum and a shine serum by Aveda. Then she applies the mixture to the whole head of hair.
"The products protect the hair when you are putting the heat on it," says Hilton.
One of the key tricks of the trade is the tension applied with the brush. "You need to keep the hair really tight on the brush while you do quite a few turns of the wrist to pull the curl out," says Hilton.
Also when using a round brush on the very bottom section of your hair, Hilton recommends pulling the hair down with the brush. But on all other sections she says you want to lift the brush and hair up.
"You want to go up with the brush as far as you can to get lift," says Hilton. "So you don't drag the section down."
After you have finished blow drying with heat, Hilton then says to use the cool setting. "It helps to use the cool setting on the dryer at the very end to seal and close the cuticle," says Hilton.
And she finishes off the look with a small amount of shine serum in the hair.
For woman with curly hair who don't have time to blow dry their hair, there are more permanent options. "There are permanent straighteners," says Hilton. "With that method your hair will grow out and you'll have to have touch-ups." This method cost about $75 to $80 about every six weeks.
The other option is a semi-permanent straighter. "That method softens the cuticle," says Hilton. "Instead of growing out, the hair will fade out from this method." So it requires updates every four to six weeks at a cost of about $90.
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