Flatironed Natural: cannot hold a curl!?!?!

[Mecca_Goddess]

Hello Ladies...

I am a 4a/b natural that wears my hair straight (about 80% of the time).

I have finally been able to get "relaxer like" results , but I cannot get my hair to hold a curl.
Even when I use a curling iron (which I hate to do b/c its just too much heat), flat iron, velcro rollers or flexirods.

I recently tried using some Chi hairspray

with flexirods and although the curls looked great when taken down- the curls fell in 20 mins. (did't take any pics... I was soooo after the curls fell)

Of course I cannot use anything like lotta body b/c my hair will DEF revert with the use of any water based product.

So.... what is your regimine for curling your hair once it has already been flatironed straight?

 

[Detroit2Dallas]

try sabastions shaper, thats the BEST holding spray I've been able to find for myself and clients. Also, try pin curling hair after you curl it, while its still warm so that it cools with more body.

 

[Mecca_Goddess]

try sabastions shaper, thats the BEST holding spray I've been able to find for myself and clients. Also, try pin curling hair after you curl it, while its still warm so that it cools with more body.

sounds like an interesting idea... how "hard" does it hold?

I think I spotted this product at my local marshalls or tjmaxx.... where do you buy yours from?

 

[lovenharmony]

Sorry to say, but it sounds like you may have heat damage. If your natural hair cannot hold a curl, that means the hair bonds have been broken because of too much heat. maybe a protein treament along with using setting lotion and rollersetting can hold your curls longer.

 

[Mecca_Goddess]

Sorry to say, but it sounds like you may have heat damage. If your natural hair cannot hold a curl, that means the hair bonds have been broken because of too much heat. maybe a protein treament along with using setting lotion and rollersetting can hold your curls longer.

It's def. NOT heat damage.

But rollersetting sounds like a possible option...

 

[glamazon386]

You may have taken it too straight with the flat iron or curling iron. I would curl it with an iron and then pin curl. Sleeping on flexi rods overnight gave me curls. They did drop as the day went on though.

 

[zamaih]

I would try using flexi rods or pin curling right after you straighted, as suggested above. Or not using the flat iron to straighten, but to curl skipipng the Straightening part all together. Or just doing one pass, and the 2nd pass is curling. After the hair is already pin straight, the curls are most likely going to fall. Also, I've found that curls last longer after the hair is a little oily already.

Have you tried caruso rollers? I sold my curling irons after I used them. They are great after your straight hair is a few days old. I use L'oreal Elnett hair spray after I use them. HTH!

 

[Detroit2Dallas]

sounds like an interesting idea... how "hard" does it hold?

I think I spotted this product at my local marshalls or tjmaxx.... where do you buy yours from?

its a combable hold, meaning that you can style comb through your hair and it will still have a curl. The wind can blow through it and it will fall back into place.

Also hair not holding a curl does not necessarily mean you have heat damage. dont believe that, its not that simple, everyones hair is different. i've been doing hair for the past 9 years and I've dealt with many many many different hair types and textures. I'm not sure on your hairs condition but I'm not just going to assume your hair is heat damaged.

 

[Poohbear]

Try using perm rods on your ends.

 

[Mecca_Goddess]

You may have taken it too straight with the flat iron or curling iron. I would curl it with an iron and then pin curl. Sleeping on flexi rods overnight gave me curls. They did drop as the day went on though.

I haven't tried pin curling.... may try that..

I would try using flexi rods or pin curling right after you straighted, as suggested above. Or not using the flat iron to straighten, but to curl skipipng the Straightening part all together. Or just doing one pass, and the 2nd pass is curling. After the hair is already pin straight, the curls are most likely going to fall. Also, I've found that curls last longer after the hair is a little oily already.

Have you tried caruso rollers? I sold my curling irons after I used them. They are great after your straight hair is a few days old. I use L'oreal Elnett hair spray after I use them. HTH!

I def. need to do some comparison shoping and get some before and after pics using caruso rollers

its a combable hold, meaning that you can style comb through your hair and it will still have a curl. The wind can blow through it and it will fall back into place.

Also hair not holding a curl does not necessarily mean you have heat damage. dont believe that, its not that simple, everyones hair is different. i've been doing hair for the past 9 years and I've dealt with many many many different hair types and textures. I'm not sure on your hairs condition but I'm not just going to assume your hair is heat damaged.

Thank you for understanding that.
I hair is in pretty darn good condition. I have the normal issue (SSKs and few splits here and there), but I use a heat protectant religiously and DC regularly.
My protein/moisture balance is good to go as well.

Try using flexirods or perm rods on your ends.

hmm.... perm rods??? I may have to have a weekend experiment with all these suggestions.

Keep 'em coming ladies...

 

[NikStarrr]

To get curls that last while my hair is straight--I have to use rollers and leave them in for some hours or overnight.

 

[westNDNbeauty]

Like other...I suggest flexi-rodding or pin curling immediately after you straighten.

I'm like you and my hair doesn't hold a curl if I try to curl 2-3 days after intial straightening. I started curling immediately after I've flat ironed and curl every night thereafter and my curls last throughout the day...and if I curl consistently for 3 days after initially flat ironing, my curls are still there with just pin curling for the remainder of the time my hair is straight.

 

[Mecca_Goddess]

Like other...I suggest flexi-rodding or pin curling immediately after you straighten.

I'm like you and my hair doesn't hold a curl if I try to curl 2-3 days after intial straightening. I started curling immediately after I've flat ironed and curl every night thereafter and my curls last throughout the day...and if I curl consistently for 3 days after initially flat ironing, my curls are still there with just pin curling for the remainder of the time my hair is straight.

What kind of pins are you using for your pincurls???

 

[Sunshine_One]

I agree with all the above suggestions of rolling your hair. I have used all the above, flexi's and perm rods. But I find them less than comfy to sleep in. So I invested in 2 types of satin rollers. The foam covered in satin and the satin pillow. I also pin curl. What method I use depends what I feel like doing that night.

I agree with Nikstar, I need to have my hair rolled for a period time to lock the curl in. I also suggest you try the Caruso Steam rollers. They work very well for me now on my straigtened natural hair. Suprisingly the caruso's work better for me now than when I was textlaxed. I hated how puff they made my hair then. I've had my carusos's since 2003. Brand new box was just sitting my hair closet...until I viewed this thread:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=398440&highlight=caruso

It was nice to be able to utilize a past PJ purchase!!!! They worked so well that I went to Sally's and purchased additional large and jumbo rollers.

Below are links to the satin rollers I mentioned up post:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/s...id=Shopping_Feed_Products_Google_Free_Listing

http://www.probeautywarehouse.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PB-14800

The above links were for informational purpose only. So you can see what your looking for. Not sure about the ordering from the retailers. I have seen both types of rollers by the Goody brand in my local CVS. The Goody brand satin pillow are brown. I have the Diane pillow and Goody foam/satin rollers.

I'm not sure how tight you like you curls. I tend to like mine looser. I often use the technique in this video with great success. It's by a former member Macherieamour:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Macheriehair

HTH

ETA: The curls in my siggy pic were done after I straightened. I used a hot tools curling iron...they did not last....I used my caruso's for curls the next day.

 

[BostonMaria]

Maybe its too hot outside. In the summer my hair goes from straight, to curls at the end, to FRIZZ. That whole disaster takes like 20 minutes LOL

 

[NaturalPath]

Sorry to say, but it sounds like you may have heat damage. If your natural hair cannot hold a curl, that means the hair bonds have been broken because of too much heat. maybe a protein treament along with using setting lotion and rollersetting can hold your curls longer.

I think thats just a hair myth......

 

[hair4romheaven]

TBH most people with straight 4B hair..it seems the hair doesn't hold a curl..it looks like an ashy curl that falls after a few minutes to an hour. I hope you find the answer as I am a true 4B with little to no 4a hair so I feel your pain.
I keep hearing about heat training which may be an option for me just not sure yet.

 

[JJamiah]

I love that Beach Wave VIdeo by Macheriehair, THat is the same set I am wearing in my Siggy, LOL, I love it and it does look great. It doesn't last in this humidity though.

Next time I am going to use a little HOlding spray on my hair after I have set it

I agree with all the above suggestions of rolling your hair. I have used all the above, flexi's and perm rods. But I find them less than comfy to sleep in. So I invested in 2 types of satin rollers. The foam covered in satin and the satin pillow. I also pin curl. What method I use depends what I feel like doing that night.

I agree with Nikstar, I need to have my hair rolled for a period time to lock the curl in. I also suggest you try the Caruso Steam rollers. They work very well for me now on my straigtened natural hair. Suprisingly the caruso's work better for me now than when I was textlaxed. I hated how puff they made my hair then. I've had my carusos's since 2003. Brand new box was just sitting my hair closet...until I viewed this thread:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=398440&highlight=caruso

It was nice to be able to utilize a past PJ purchase!!!! They worked so well that I went to Sally's and purchased additional large and jumbo rollers.

Below are links to the satin rollers I mentioned up post:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/s...id=Shopping_Feed_Products_Google_Free_Listing

http://www.probeautywarehouse.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PB-14800

The above links were for informational purpose only. So you can see what your looking for. Not sure about the ordering from the retailers. I have seen both types of rollers by the Goody brand in my local CVS. The Goody brand satin pillow are brown. I have the Diane pillow and Goody foam/satin rollers.

I'm not sure how tight you like you curls. I tend to like mine looser. I often use the technique in this video with great success. It's by a former member Macherieamour:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Macheriehair

HTH

ETA: The curls in my siggy pic were done after I straightened. I used a hot tools curling iron...they did not last....I used my caruso's for curls the next day.

 

[Sunshine_One]

I love that Beach Wave VIdeo by Macheriehair, THat is the same set I am wearing in my Siggy, LOL, I love it and it does look great. It doesn't last in this humidity though.

Next time I am going to use a little HOlding spray on my hair after I have set it

Yes indeed girl!!!!! I am dealing with that ISSUE right now. For some reason.... I decided to go and get my hair set and lightly blown out @ the dm salon on Saturday. Let's just say my hair is currently up in a high bun and will probably become a braid out tomorrow. Thirty five bucks down the drain...

 

[knt1229]

I had the same problem as you with my natural hair. You need to apply setting lotion to your hair before you flat iron. This way you can create curls with the flat iron and they will hold.

What I do is wash, condition, etc. Then I moisturize, add setting lotion, and rollerset. Once dry I flat iron and re-curl my hair with the flat iron. The curls hold. The next time I am going to try to skip the rollersetting and see if I get the same results. I figure I should since it's the setting lotion that is creating the hold and not the rollers.
Good luck.

FYI...it's not heat damage as another poster suggested. I don't use heat often and my natural hair will not hold a curl without setting lotion. My relaxed hair never needed setting lotion to hold curls...go figure.

 

[zzirvingj]

That's me on the left in the black:

I know it's hard to see but my hair had been flat ironed, then pin curled into the most beautiful curls 2 days earlier. And this is how it looked by the end of that same day lol

I personally cannot hold a curl on my flat ironed natural hair--especially in this heat. And it's not heat damage for me, either; it's just the nature of my natural hair--once straightened dry it doesn't want to be curled. Like Nikstar (and I think Glamazon said as well), I'd have to have rollers or flexi-rods in my hair to set the curls.

Even then, they don't hold as well as if my hair was "set while wet". Sometimes I wanna try stronger holding sprays/products but stylists don't tend to use enough of it, or it just doesn't work on my hair. And I am a little bit scared of using those kinda holding products along with the heat it takes to curl it after already straightending it, you know?

Maybe there is a solution to this and I'm subscribing to hear other people's thoughts/experiences. But in the meanwhile if I absolutely have to have curls that last that will require setting while wet, whether it be a rollerset or a flexirod set...

 

[Miss*Tress]

When my hair is flat-ironed it doesn't hold a curl either; actually it doesn't even curl. I've tried the curling iron, sleeping in rollers, etc. and the hair just hangs down straight with maybe a bit of body to it.

 

[Goombay_Summer]

I never could get my relaxed or now natural hair to hold a curl for very long. I start out with very beautiful bouncy curls but as the day progresses my hair gets straighter. There are many factors that I've attributed to this phenomena such as the humidity because I live in S.Fla, the length of the hair, and perhaps the hair being heavy (a hairdresser once described it that way).

 

[Poohbear]

hmm.... perm rods??? I may have to have a weekend experiment with all these suggestions.

Yeah, I too have trouble with holding curl on my ends after my natural hair has been straightened. I have found that perm rods work the best for holding curl since they are smaller in circumference. I would apply some oil or grease to my ends and then roll my ends up around the perm rods.

I don't why I suggested flexirods at first because they don't work for holding a curl very longer either. They work for when my natural hair isn't straightened though. Maybe really really skinny flexirods might work.

 

[texasqt]

I had the same problem as you with my natural hair. You need to apply setting lotion to your hair before you flat iron. This way you can create curls with the flat iron and they will hold.

This is what my old stylist would do at the salon before drying my hair straight or wrapped under a hood dryer and I think it contributed to my curls holding. I don't/haven't used setting lotion at home unless I'm roller setting so I'm having a 'duh' moment now. The curls I can keep are when I use my Carusos and sometimes when I use a 1 inch barrel iron. When I use my 1.5 iron I'm left with a nice bump on the ends that will last for a few days (I wrap at night which contributes to the curls relaxing). Let us know when and what you figure out.

 

[freecurl]

I've had a problem with retaining curls on both relaxed and natural hair. I attribute this problem to my hair being fine. In fact, the last time my hair was professionally done, the stylist recommended curling with the curling iron right after blow drying (avoiding the flat iron/straightening comb) because my hair was too soft. And still, even with holding spray, the curls only lasted about an hour.
So I agree with the other ladies, in order to maintain curls, I would probably have to do a strong set, with tighter curls, good holding product, and keeping the rollers/rods etc. in for a longer period of time.

 

[LayneJ]

I think you should try Caruso steam rollers. I love them. If you can believe it, the steam will not cause your hair to revert.

Perm rods work really well too. Unfortunately, I have to sleep in them to achieve the results I want, so that is why I personally prefer the steam rollers.

I have attached pics of my straightened hair, curled with Carusos at various stages in my hair journey, so you can see what kind of curls I am able to achieve with the rollers. HTH!

 

[ashleymichelle1]

When my hair is pressed it will not hold a curl no matter what i do to it...i did bantu knots and it literally lasted 30 mins...it was adorable at first then the curls fell.

But i've hearded good things about those caruso rollers so you may wanna look into those.

 

[UrbainChic]

Its definitely not heat damage. Its just what straight hair does. This is why you hear people with naturally straight hair constantly complaining they can't do anything with their hair ( makes me very grateful for the super versatile hair I have). IMO If your hair isn't moving, its probably lacking elasticity and moisture. It should be falling.


That said now we need to figure out how to get your curls to stay! I too only have a limited amount of time with curls when my hair is straight, especially in the hot humid summer, unless I use so much hairspray my hair is hard-- then it doesn't move at all.

What I recommend if you want to have curls that last longer than 20 minutes/ 1 hour is rolling your hair over night then applying some (not a lot of) hairspray in the morning before you take the rollers down, and also spray them quickly right when you take them down. The hot iron is really like an in case of emergency thing, I cringe every time i curl my ends, because I am always afraid I will *** them up in the process.

Another idea is to actually rollerset your hair so it initially dries into the curl form, ( rather than being straight hair that is now going to be curled) and then blow out and or flat iron the roots. That should look pretty nice considering you are about BSB/BSL

I've also heard great things about carusos but I don't have them.

Lastly, I think the culprit is most likely the summer heat and humidity. I have the same kind of thing happen that many of you described, straight-curl-frizz, all within 20-40 minutes. You might have better luck when things cool down

Hope that helps!

 

[zzirvingj]

I think you should try Caruso steam rollers. I love them. If you can believe it, the steam will not cause your hair to revert.

Perm rods work really well too. Unfortunately, I have to sleep in them to achieve the results I want, so that is why I personally prefer the steam rollers.

I have attached pics of my straightened hair, curled with Carusos at various stages in my hair journey, so you can see what kind of curls I am able to achieve with the rollers. HTH!

Your hair is very pretty Layne And the color is GORGEOUS!

I may have to try the Caruso steam rollers...about how long do your desired results last with these? A couple of hours? A whole day? Do you roll or pincurl the curls at night?

I love the big bouncy curl look...are you able to achieve tighter curls than the ones in these pics as well? Sorry for all the questions!