Anyone who straightens their hair knows it takes both time and skill, and they wish they had more of both. Sam Villa, founding partner of the Sam Villa brand and education artistic Director for Redken 5^th Avenue advises stylists to “slow down to speed up,” meaning slow down the pass with the flat iron so heat and compression can straighten hair faster.

STEP ONE: Wrap dry (brush in X pattern with blow dryer directing heat on top of the brush) hair with the an ionic blow dryer and paddle brush, stretching hair to reduce curl pattern and help smooth (if hair is already dry, skip this step).

STEP TWO: Section hair in half above the ear, so the crown/top layers are pinned up and the rest is left down.  Very quickly, randomly compress sections in the bottom half with a straightening iron – you don’t need to be precise here, because no one sees this hair. Coarser textures need more compression and a slower pass.

STEP THREE: Take down a section from the top half (all the hair that everyone does see) and pass the iron slowly (remember: slow down to speed up). Again, coarser textures need more compression and a slower pass.

STEP FOUR: Continue taking down sections until the entire top half is straightened.

PRO TIP: Compression – "Judge accordingly," says Villa. "Fine hair needs less compression and a quicker pass and curly hair needs more compression with a slower pass. It all comes down to the amount of pressure you put on the handle. The further away your hands are from the plate, the less compression and the closer to the plate, the more compression."