Get Rid of a Straight Parting

Woman wearing her hair short, with a parting
Photo: Giulio Fornasar/Shutterstock
Q: I've had this really stubborn straight part in my hair for as long as I can remember, and I'm getting tired of it. I'd love to be able to just run my hand through my hair and brush it back without that obvious line showing up. Is there a way to train my hair? What's the best approach to finally get rid of this parting for good?
 
A: You're definitely not alone in this struggle. Many people deal with persistent natural parts that seem impossible to break. The good news is that with the right technique and some patience, you can train your hair to break free from that stubborn line.
 

Shower & Blow-Drying

The most effective approach starts right in the shower. After you've shampooed and conditioned, give your hair a thorough rinse, but immediately start disrupting that parting pattern. Use your fingers to push your hair in different directions while the water is still running through it. The hair’s hydrogen bonds break when wet, making your hair most pliable and receptive to reshaping in this state.
 
Once you're out of the shower, the real work begins. Grab a blow dryer equipped with a concentrator nozzle and set it to medium heat. As you blow dry, use a brush or your fingers to sweep the hair back and forth in a crisscross motion over the part.
 
The key is to dry the hair 100% with the dryer. If you leave it 10% or 20% damp to air-dry, the remaining moisture will pull the hair right back into its old groove. Once the roots are completely dry in your desired direction, hit them with your blow dryer's cool shot button for a few seconds. Heat shapes the hair, but cold air locks that new shape into place.
 

Consistency

This process requires real commitment. If your part has been there for years, your hair has developed a memory, and you might be fighting a cowlick at the scalp. Breaking this pattern typically takes anywhere from two to six weeks of consistent daily effort.
 
You can speed up the process overnight by brushing your hair back and securing it loosely with a soft silk scrunchie, flat no-crease clips, or a wide headband while you sleep to keep the roots trained backward.
 
During this training period, lightweight styling products can support your efforts. A flexible-hold mousse applied to damp roots gives you structure without stiffness. Root-lift sprays and dry shampoos are also great tools because they add volume at the scalp, keeping the hair lifted so gravity doesn't pull it back into that familiar split.
 

Get Professional Help

If you've been working at this for several weeks with zero movement, a professional consultation can make all the difference. A skilled stylist can evaluate your scalp's growth direction and create a cut with strategic layering or texturizing. Redistributing the weight of your hair makes it far less likely to fall back into that old parting line, giving you the brush-back style you're looking for.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
Basic parting techniques
 
Should a girl part her hair on the side or in the middle?
 
How long (after a buzzcut) will it take to make a part line down the middle of the head go away?