Hi guys,

I understand that this is possibly a taboo subject in this forum but I’m gonna put it out there anyway. Don’t get me wrong I understand that heat isnt great for my hair and I’m open to being educated etc, however I’ve also been told by other naturals on other forums that a little heat hair and there will not damage your hair beyond repair as long as you do it properly and protect your hair. These naturals have been able to grow healthy waist length and bra strap length hair, a few of you may know of pinkskates from the longhaircareforum and nikstar who can be found on your tube or at her blog which I think is http://www.nikstarwashere.com (google it lol). As a newbie to the forum, I’m all for learning new things about my hair in its natural state and how to care for it etc, however I for one went natural because as much as I wanted to embrace my natural hair texture I also enjoyed the fact that I could change my hair and have it straight without having to put chemicals in it.

So does anyone else straighten their hair from time to time, I’m up for trading notes on your process, products and issues you may have with it. Like I mentioned before, I know heat isnt our best friend but I do think every so often if managed well it wont kill us.

sorry if it sounds a bit random i copy and pasted it from my diary as i couldnt be bothered to type it all out again lol i know i’m lazy
I straightened my hair last night after washing, i had my hair in 4 sections put in four pony tails to stretch the hair then plaited the ends in two and air dried till about 80% dry.
I then used my keracare silken seal protector and blow dried each section on a low heat, I then tried for the first time nikstar’s comb chase method, which is using a small tooth comb and then doing one swipe with my GHDs it left my hair straight but nice and thick I hate to see flat and thin straightened hair. I love the results no snagging no crispy ends, no burnt smells just easy hair that I can throw into a bun. for bed I put it in a loose ponytail and put some rods at the ends to make the pony tail curly for tomorrow.

Nikstar can be found on http://www.nikstarwashere.com i abolutely love her hair

There’s actually a straightening

Well, there used to be a straightening forum category, but it seems to have disappeared. I guess we’ll wait on Keisha Jo’s verdict

Also, everyone is different - so there are people who have hair that can tolerate a large amount of heat and other (probably me) not so much!

angel_sista - 10 March 2011 09:28 AM

everyone is different - so there are people who have hair that can tolerate a large amount of heat and other (probably me) not so much!

I totally agree with this.  Each person’s mileage may vary, you can also practice ‘healthy heat application’ with your hair reverting for a while, and then one day realise your texture is slightly loosened, or one bad job and you end up with severe heat damage/breakage… There are so many variables at play.

Oh, and I haven’t used direct heat for over a yr now and before that I wasn’t a DIYer so sorry I don’t have any tips to share, only horror stories, reckon I’ll keep those to myself.

I am afraid I have to agree with Angel-sista what works for someone else with heat application may not work for another person.  Most of us have been there with the heat damage I mean.  I have not relaxed for around six months now.  Feels so good

We did have a board but we removed it as hardly any of our members used it or were interested in the topic.

ok, i have had heat damage in the past but i found that was when other people straightened my hair, since i’ve been doing it myself its been ok. I guess i jsut like the change and maybe just thought there would be other curly girls on here who straightened from time to time. I used to wear hair my hair straight quite a lot i’m now trying to limit it to once or twice every 3 months

Hi,

don’t worry you’re not alone! I too straighten my hair. Sometimes it’s nice to have a change. Also straightened hair is somewhat easier to deal for me as I can for a week before having to wash it, so if I know that I’m going to busy I straighten it.

I try not to make a habit of it though, possibly only 4 times a year.

lol thank god i’m not alone, i understand the affects but i been doing well havent straightened in a while i used to do it every month but i’ve cut that down a lot and have learnt to deal with my natural hair. i found it difficult at 1st i guess it takes time to build a relationship withyour hair lol.

what serum do you use when straightening and do you do it yourself @ToTheSky

ToTheSky - 21 March 2011 06:17 PM

Hi,

don’t worry you’re not alone! I too straighten my hair. Sometimes it’s nice to have a change. Also straightened hair is somewhat easier to deal for me as I can for a week before having to wash it, so if I know that I’m going to busy I straighten it.

As above - and when my curls have vanished. Sniff.

I don’t think the forum is anti-straight hair… just pro-curl!! :D

I agree.  I’d straighten my hair far more often if it wasn’t for the heat damage, just for variety.  But, given that my hair really can’t cope with heat from straighteners, I’d rather try to find ways of making it look better more naturally.  Am envious of anyone whose hair can cope with straightening etc though!

naturelsoul - 28 March 2011 02:55 PM

lol thank god i’m not alone, i understand the affects but i been doing well havent straightened in a while i used to do it every month but i’ve cut that down a lot and have learnt to deal with my natural hair. i found it difficult at 1st i guess it takes time to build a relationship withyour hair lol.

what serum do you use when straightening and do you do it yourself @ToTheSky

Yep, it definitely took me a while to learn to love my hair!

I do straighten it myself using hair straighteners. I don’t usually a use a hair serum but I usually leave some conditioner in and ensure I use heat protector as well.

i was actually contemplating straightening my hair for a lecture im going to give. but i was too busy and just got bored at the idea. last time my hair was straightened - my mom did it for me lol

i love seeing how long its grown, but other than that, i just stick it back into a donut bun. i know, tres droll lol

I sometimes straighten my hair with my favorite flat iron the Karmin G3 Salon Pro, plus I use a heat protector to protect my hair from any damage and it’s nice to have a change, it feels good to have straight hair but I love my curls too