Anyone transitioning from heat damage???

I've been natural for about 8 years and absolutely LOVE it, always have. One of the best things about being natural is the versatility and the ability to still wear my hair straight just without the harsh chemicals. So for the last 8 years, I have avoided chemicals but never let my flat iron out of sight and I AM PAYING FOR IT NOW!!! I should have seen the signs: curl loosening over the years but I ignored it and in early 2010, I realized that the curls I had fought so hard for have been ruined. Don't get me wrong most of my hair is still nappy (I use nappy as a term of endearment) but I now have some sections that appear straight. So I decided to throw out my flat iron and blow dryer and get back to basics!!

I said all of that to ask: Are there any other ladies who have been natural, taken the journey and are now faced with heat damaged tresses? How did you recover? I've been doing bantu knot outs and I love them! Any other ideas? products?

My sister experienced the same thing. She had been natural about 6 or 7 yrs, but got her her pressed religiously. Her ends were just too straight to hold any curly styles so she BC'd about 5 mths ago. He hair has grown alot & it's curly/kinky again.

Curly cutie just wanted to say i love your hair. what hair curl is that? And did your curl loosen as it got longer?

Thank you. That's actually a result of the heat damage. Pressing / blow drying your hair too often will cause the curls to stretch. I used to get pressed every 2 weeks! At the time of this picture my hair was a little pass shoulder length and pull up into a pony, but i've cut it since then to get rids of some of the looser curls so now its about bra strap length. But hair type wise... I think i'm mostly a 4a??

mrsrenaissance wrote:My sister experienced the same thing. She had been natural about 6 or 7 yrs, but got her her pressed religiously. Her ends were just too straight to hold any curly styles so she BC'd about 5 mths ago. He hair has grown alot & it's curly/kinky again.

yeah i don't think I'll be BCing again. I'm just cutting little by little. It seems to be recouping fast though! and mostly all is curly again except the top... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Well you're on the right track so I'm sure it will grow fast! Good luck

Try deep conditioning and giving it TLC constantly.. I believe i'm a 3c/4a (i guess) and I had a little heat damage in the front of my hair due to wearing a sew-in and trying to blend it with the extensions....i deep conditioned constantly and the curls started to come back..hope this helps!

thanks. I've been trying to condition as much as possible. I would just chop the section but it's my front too so I just have to deal... never again!! lol

I have naturally curly/wavy hair. For about 3 years a used a chi flat iron on a regular basis. About 4 months ago I stopped using the Chi and I got an Amika instead because I was told it was better for my hair because it was completely ceramic. I got great results with both flat irons but the Amika was a lot easier and quicker at getting my hair straightened. After using the Amika for two months I noticed my hair was no longer curling up as it had my entire life (including while using the Chi) after washing it. The longest I've gone without using the Amika is a week. I've tried new shampoos and even a couple protein treatments. My hair looks horrible when I just wash it, just flat and few waves, so I can't wear my natural curls as I had done in the past, and I'm stuck straightening it even when I don't want it straightened. I want my curls back. What do I do?

Okay thanks curlie


Amich well you need to get rid of your Amika. You said your hair was fine with a chi but the amika burnt your curls straight so go back to a chi before your hair falls out.

also use a heat protectant