Flat ironing

I have been heat free now for over a year. I am happy with the health of my hair and the length. I am getting to the point where I am curious as to how it would look straightened but am scared to death of heat damage and the posssibility that my curls won't pop back in afterwards. Any suggestions? I'm thinking that if I rollerset it first then flat iron that they will be less heat? Rather than blowfrying? Please help..

I would completely air dry, then braid it to stretch it out, quick blowdry on light heat, then flatiron on minimal heat. and the most important.....HEAT PROTECTANT! Ive used the generic chi from sally's and it worked well. Also, the Got2b line at Walgreens was really good and affordable. Post results!

Thanks Quincie, i most certainly will. I think it's better if i try it now versus the warmer months hot due to reversion issues. lol..

quincie1479 wrote:I would completely air dry, then braid it to stretch it out, quick blowdry on light heat, then flatiron on minimal heat. and the most important.....HEAT PROTECTANT! Ive used the generic chi from sally's and it worked well. Also, the Got2b line at Walgreens was really good and affordable. Post results!

I second everything she said. It best to straighten on dry, stretched hair. I saw this method of blowdrying and thought it was great... instead of blowdrying using the comb attachment through ur hair. Hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/mwedzi#p/u/12/TNMUwq3X2IE

Good advice in this thread. I wanted add that setting your hair on magnetic rollers is great way to stretch your hair. I find that it keeps my ends really smooth. Below is some natural flat ironed hair inspiration for ya! Warning: Serious hair porn ALERT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL5XOGB9KsU

http://public.fotki.com/Reniece20

thanks guys for the helpful info! I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to in the near future and I will be sure to post pics.

Sooo. I decided to treat myself and go to a beauty salon and get my hair flat ironed. I haven't been to a salon since 11-2008, when I decided to stop using heat on my hair..

Well, I didn' t know anybody, so I went to a girl that came highly recommended to me from my relaxed haired coworker that sits in the cubicle right beside me. I was apprehensive, but when she explained to me that the stylist has natural hair and has other clients that are natural, I figured she would be a good choice. Then when I found out she was only going to charge me $40.00, I got all excited and made the appt.

Soooo.....I get there, get in her chair. She has a head full of straight hair.. She does not even bother to talk to me about my hair. She did comment on how pretty it was. It was all curly from a still fresh 4 day old wasn n go. She told me she used to wear her hair in twists, but now she just flar iron it all of the time. She put the shawl around my shoulders and took me to the shampoo bowl and began to scrub, scrub, scrub my hair. It felt like my scalp was bleeding she was scrubbing so hard. I used to love getting my scalp scrubbed when I was relaxed, I don't understand why it hurt so much today. I can only figure the relaxers were making my scalp tough?

Anyway, after scrubbing my scalp raw, she took me to the chair and proceeded to rip through my hair with a comb with nothing I mean NOTHING on it. My naked hair! Then she lightly blow dried it into fluffs in sections. Then she got the flat iron out and proceeded to flat iron it in small sections. NO HEAT PROTECTANT OR ANYTHING! I asked her, "aren't you going to use something?" and she was like, no, i flat iron naked. And I normally am the type that won't complain while a beautician is doing my hair, instead, i would just go home and change my hair if I didn't like it. However, I have been working on this beautiful hair of mine for over a year. Taking care of it and making sure to comb it a certain way, and loving it, etc.. Not all of that just to have her mess it all up in one sitting.

She proceeded to explain to me that she never uses anything to flat iron and that she does her own hair that way and her other clients. I said, but I don't want heat damage, and I want my curls to pop back in when I wash it again. She assured me they would. I didn't believe her, I was mad, but I was kind of stuck. Sitting there thinking to myself, Do I just get up and leave with this big bird's nest on top of my head? (what would you have done??). I even tried to figure out how I could get out of there, and how much would I have to pay her for what she's done so far??

Well, against my bettter judgement, I decided to stay in the chair...since I'd come so far and I had to be at work later.. Anyway, after she finished flat ironing, she did spray a light oil on my hair. I kept asking her what she was using, she answered but didn't answer and made sure the can was turned away where I couldn't see what it was. Yes, I know all the tricks...

My end results, beautiful, bouncing, flowing hair. It looks so silky and soft and straight. However, the experience was so bad.. I can't really enjoy my hair like I should. And i'm so nervous about the heat damage. How can anybody flat iron without using anything? Then I started to wonder and hope, maybe all of the conditioning and care I've been giving my hair protected it against the heat? I'm hoping so. I'm so, sooo hoping that when I wash my hair again, the curls will be there as normal.

Bottom line, I will defenitely do more research before letting anybody else put a finger in my hair. I mean it. Also, I will not try to find someone cheap.. I understand that I have to be willing to pay the price to find a good, natural stylist. Why do they have to cost so much more anyway?? Is it because our hair takes so much more time?

Veela wrote:Sooo. I decided to treat myself and go to a beauty salon and get my hair flat ironed. I haven't been to a salon since 11-2008, when I decided to stop using heat on my hair..

Well, I didn' t know anybody, so I went to a girl that came highly recommended to me from my relaxed haired coworker that sits in the cubicle right beside me. I was apprehensive, but when she explained to me that the stylist has natural hair and has other clients that are natural, I figured she would be a good choice. Then when I found out she was only going to charge me $40.00, I got all excited and made the appt.

Soooo.....I get there, get in her chair. She has a head full of straight hair.. She does not even bother to talk to me about my hair. She did comment on how pretty it was. It was all curly from a still fresh 4 day old wasn n go. She told me she used to wear her hair in twists, but now she just flar iron it all of the time. She put the shawl around my shoulders and took me to the shampoo bowl and began to scrub, scrub, scrub my hair. It felt like my scalp was bleeding she was scrubbing so hard. I used to love getting my scalp scrubbed when I was relaxed, I don't understand why it hurt so much today. I can only figure the relaxers were making my scalp tough?

Anyway, after scrubbing my scalp raw, she took me to the chair and proceeded to rip through my hair with a comb with nothing I mean NOTHING on it. My naked hair! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Then she lightly blow dried it into fluffs in sections. Then she got the flat iron out and proceeded to flat iron it in small sections. NO HEAT PROTECTANT OR ANYTHING! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I asked her, "aren't you going to use something?" and she was like, no, i flat iron naked. And I normally am the type that won't complain while a beautician is doing my hair, instead, i would just go home and change my hair if I didn't like it. However, I have been working on this beautiful hair of mine for over a year. Taking care of it and making sure to comb it a certain way, and loving it, etc.. Not all of that just to have her mess it all up in one sitting.

She proceeded to explain to me that she never uses anything to flat iron and that she does her own hair that way and her other clients. I said, but I don't want heat damage, and I want my curls to pop back in when I wash it again. She assured me they would. I didn't believe her, I was mad, but I was kind of stuck. Sitting there thinking to myself, Do I just get up and leave with this big bird's nest on top of my head? (what would you have done??). I even tried to figure out how I could get out of there, and how much would I have to pay her for what she's done so far??

Well, against my bettter judgement, I decided to stay in the chair...since I'd come so far and I had to be at work later.. Anyway, after she finished flat ironing, she did spray a light oil on my hair. I kept asking her what she was using, she answered but didn't answer and made sure the can was turned away where I couldn't see what it was. Yes, I know all the tricks...

My end results, beautiful, bouncing, flowing hair. It looks so silky and soft and straight. However, the experience was so bad.. I can't really enjoy my hair like I should. And i'm so nervous about the heat damage. How can anybody flat iron without using anything? Then I started to wonder and hope, maybe all of the conditioning and care I've been giving my hair protected it against the heat? I'm hoping so. I'm so, sooo hoping that when I wash my hair again, the curls will be there as normal.

Bottom line, I will defenitely do more research before letting anybody else put a finger in my hair. I mean it. Also, I will not try to find someone cheap.. I understand that I have to be willing to pay the price to find a good, natural stylist. Why do they have to cost so much more anyway?? Is it because our hair takes so much more time?

After having sooo many bad experiences with beauty salons as a relaxed head and a natural, letting someone anywhere near my head is NO TREAT! Never, ever again, I do my own hair.

I know that's right! The flat ironing is just such a task. I hate to have to try to do it myself... I know I want to try it again in like another several months.. maybe year...But I am definitely going to do my research..whew..

When I was relaxed the process was a little different but pretty much the same. I got washed, deep condition, then they would use a heat protectant serum like a dime size and run it through my hair. Afterwards, I would sit under the dryer with either rollers, a wrap, or combed straight down. With rollers, they would use the comb to smooth out the hair. Wet wrap, they would use a regular comb being very gentle. Combed straight down would be with a wide comb. After my hair was dry, he would use a blow dryer for like 2 seconds to smooth out everything then flat iron. I would have that swang and beautiful bouncy hair. With the roller sets, he would wrap my hair with a comb brush then use a wide comb to style and maybe touch up twice with the flat iron at places with dents. After, a light mist of protectant and sheen spray. With naturals that I've seen, it was pretty much the same process except some would steam their hair. Sometimes, he would use a ceramic hot comb or the root control at the roots only.