• Hair straightening can be a risky procedure.straightening hair image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com
  
  Hair straighteners are used to iron hair into being straight instead of curly or frizzy. While people may be willing to pay a high price for beauty, hair straighteners carry with them some potential dangers and negative effects. These possibly harmful effects should be carefully considered before using such a product yourself.
  
  

Hair Damage

• The straightening process uses very high temperatures to literally iron your hair straight. IndianMomsandBabies.com warns that prolonged use could result in hair damage. Straighteners can burn your hair and cause follicle damage, hair breakage and even hair loss. Furthermore, the heat involved can damage your hair's protein, leading to breakage, dry hair and split ends. Using straighteners in conjuncture with hair dye may be too much for your hair to handle. The chemicals in hair dye are typically unhealthy for your hair, so mixing that with burning your hair into submission can cause extra damage.
  
  

Multiple Users

• IndianMomsandBabies.com suggests not sharing a hair straightener with other people. Any damaging parasites or organisms in their hair can be transferred to you. For example, if your spouse has dandruff and uses your straightener, the dandruff may transfer over to you via the straightener. Fortunately, the solution is as simple as making sure everybody in the house who straightens their hair has their own straightener.
  
  

Burning

• If you happen to accidentally touch your head with the straightener, it could cause serious pain. The utmost precaution should be used when dealing with such a hot device to avoid getting burnt during use. Be careful and mindful not to touch the hot parts of the straightener and you'll be fine.
  
  

Child Safety

• Special care should be taken in homes with children when hair straighteners are used. Since hair straighteners get so hot, having them where children can reach them is a dangerous gamble. Curious children may also be tempted to try straightening their own hair, which could be very dangerous. The simple solution is to keep the hair straightener in a safe place out of reach for children. When you're using it, make sure they're not close by and never leave a plugged-in hair straightener unattended.
  
  

Chemical Straightening

• Even chemical hair straightening methods can be dangerous. The chemicals used can typically irritate your skin, eyes, scalp and hair. Consider consulting with a beautician before a chemical treatment because the process often requires different mixtures for specific types of hair.