More washing = more heat

[HairQueen]

I was planning on increasing my deep conditions from once to twice per week. But then I thought that's pointless because I will be using heat twice as much?

I know y'all going to say airdry etc etc but I can't I just look an awful mess when I air dry especially the more my new growth starts to come through.

I'm 4a/b relaxed any ideas please?

Thanks

 

[Nonie]

Why are you considering increasing your DCs? And have you ever tried to airdry in Curlformers or in banded pony tails? How about airdrying in braids and getting a braid-out?

 

[mstokes2008]

Have you tried rollersetting rather than flat ironing? You could rollerset and then do a silk wrap to get it straight, that way you don't need as much heat as usual

 

[Raspberry]

I know you're not a fan of air drying but since using heat more than once a week isn't advisable, maybe you shouldn't totally give up on it. I find that the air drying techniques used make a world of difference.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

I use heat weekly with no issues. But, I only wash my hair once every 7-10 days. Why do you feel the need for two DCs a week?

 

[Raspberry]

Have you tried rollersetting rather than flat ironing? You could rollerset and then do a silk wrap to get it straight, that way you don't need as much heat as usual

So you know I had to YouTube "silk wrap".. the results are awesome. Is there anyway to cut down the 2 hours it takes?

 

[HairQueen]

Why are you considering increasing your DCs? And have you ever tried to airdry in Curlformers or in banded pony tails? How about airdrying in braids and getting a braid-out?

Hiya

Because I've been on this board for 5 years now and my although my hair has changed wonderfully for the better, there just still seems to be something missing. It reapeats the same pattern in the EXACT same spots by becoming dry in the middle and the crown etc. Its like a vicious cycle that I can't escape so I thought I have to try something different.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

Hiya

Because I've been on this board for 5 years now and my although my hair has changed wonderfully for the better, there just still seems to be something missing. It reapeats the same pattern in the EXACT same spots by becoming dry in the middle and the crown etc. Its like a vicious cycle that I can't escape so I thought I have to try something different.

How do you apply your conditioner? I found a BIG difference in just taking the time to comb the conditioner through my hair to distribute it completely. It could be the weather changing and you may need a different type, or heavier conditioner?

 

[HairQueen]

Have you tried rollersetting rather than flat ironing? You could rollerset and then do a silk wrap to get it straight, that way you don't need as much heat as usual

Rollersetting takes so looooong though! Maybe I'm lazy but I can't even be bothered to do that once a week let alone twice.

 

[HairQueen]

I know you're not a fan of air drying but since using heat more than once a week isn't advisable, maybe you shouldn't totally give up on it. I find that the air drying techniques used make a world of difference.

I look such a mess when i airdry! I don't know how you ladies do it and still look so beautiful

 

[HairQueen]

I use heat weekly with no issues. But, I only wash my hair once every 7-10 days. Why do you feel the need for two DCs a week?

My hair is always dry always breaking in the same places, its like a viscous circle.

 

[HairQueen]

How do you apply your conditioner? I found a BIG difference in just taking the time to comb the conditioner through my hair to distribute it completely. It could be the weather changing and you may need a different type, or heavier conditioner?

I just spotted all they typing mistakes in my quote -sorry! I'm at work and trying to type quickly without anybody seeing lol!

I guess I should spend more time applying it properly, the whole thing is just so time consuming. I guess I just feel that after 5 years on this board my hair should be better than this by now. Don't get me wrong, it looks healthy etc but to me I keep seeing the same pattern over and over where it breaks in the same spot and it gets me down.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

I just spotted all they typing mistakes in my quote -sorry! I'm at work and trying to type quickly without anybody seeing lol!

I guess I should spend more time applying it properly, the whole thing is just so time consuming. I guess I just feel that after 5 years on this board my hair should be better than this by now. Don't get me wrong, it looks healthy etc but to me I keep seeing the same pattern over and over where it breaks in the same spot and it gets me down.

I think a lot of people have a "special patch" of hair that just can't get right. I know I do! And I even remember a thread about it earlier this year.

Just watch your combing, brushing, and manipulation to see if you put extra tension on that spot. When you distribute your conditioner, let it marinate on your hair a minute or so and then comb it through. Give it a chance to soften your hair first and distributing it should be a lot easier.

 

[HairQueen]

I think a lot of people have a "special patch" of hair that just can't get right. I know I do! And I even remember a thread about it earlier this year.

Just watch your combing, brushing, and manipulation to see if you put extra tension on that spot. When you distribute your conditioner, let it marinate on your hair a minute or so and then comb it through. Give it a chance to soften your hair first and distributing it should be a lot easier.

Ok so I'm not the only one with a bad spot then? That's good to know. It gets me down because that one spot means that every time I go for a trim it ruins the rest of my healthy hair because it all gets cut shorter because that one spot always looks so much worse than the rest of my hair.

Thanks for the advice about the conditioner too, I'll try that as well.

 

[ladylibra_30]

I use heat weekly with no issues. But, I only wash my hair once every 7-10 days. Why do you feel the need for two DCs a week?

I love your hair and I think it's gorgeous.

Are you using direct or indirect heat? Do you use a leave-in and/or heat protectant?

I'm deciding between transitioning and stretching for a very long time (I'm 5 months post relaxer now) and I was thinking of blowdrying. My newgrowth is so thick!

OP, what if you aridry 80 - 90% then blowdry? That might help.

 

[Your Cheeziness]

I love your hair and I think it's gorgeous.

Are you using direct or indirect heat? Do you use a leave-in and/or heat protectant?

I'm deciding between transitioning and stretching for a very long time (I'm 5 months post relaxer now) and I was thinking of blowdrying. My newgrowth is so thick!

OP, what if you aridry 80 - 90% then blowdry? That might help.

Thank you! I blow dry and flat iron with every wash. I blow dry on high towards the roots and low/cool to finish. I flat iron at 360. Anything less and it doesn't come out right. My hair is not relaxed bone straight which is important to note. I'd say there is about 30% texture left if that makes sense.

After I blow dry, I go straight to curling my hair. I don't straighten it and then go back and curl it. I get bouncy curls like in my siggy. In my avi, I straightened it and went back to curl it. I'm sure you can see a difference in volume there.

I do not use a leave in conditioner. I can't tell the difference between using it and not, so I just stopped. One less product I have to buy. I use the pink Fantasia spray as a heat protectant and One 'N Only Argan oil serum prior to blowdrying.

I don't air dry unless I'm in a rush. I don't like the way it comes out at all. I'm happy with my heat and my heat is happy with me. lol

 

[Nonie]

HairQueen, you sound very impatient and I think you need to cultivate patience and make time for your hair, or else save up and have someone treat it for you weekly. Nothing good comes out of laziness and not everyone can have magic hair that just grows w/o them making time to tend to it, and hair that has problems needs the most tender loving care.

I have ALWAYS applied conditioner as it were relaxer: part a small section, smooth condition from base (well close to base, coz I don't like it on my scalp) all the way to ends. Part another section and do the same. If hair is loose, I comb through then braid that hair to get it out of the way so I can focus on another section. If your crown is the one that needs the most care, maybe divided you hair into sections with the crown being one and let that be the first place you apply conditioner so it has time to "marinate" while you work on other sections.

Also the fact that a section has problems could imply your styling practices exert strain in that area, or it could also be an internal problem. Massages and being particularly careful with how you treat the area will help.

I don't know if you baggy, but that's helped a lot of people with drying.

You keep saying airdrying doesn't work for you. Have you tried airdrying braids? My natural hair gets very nicely stretched from airdrying. This is what it looks like when just left to airdry loose:

^^Very compact, tightly coiled hair that is hard to penetrate.

And this is what it looks like if airdried in braids:

^^Loose, stretched easy to comb hair. The waves I got were small because I made small braids. Had I done bigger ones, I would've had bigger waves.

I think if you airdried in braids, you'd get a very nice braid-out.

 

[Ronnieaj]

I concur that you may be straining that area too much. I would re-visit rollersetting. I know that it takes a long time; when I was relaxed I rollerset my hair exclusively (we didn't own a blowdryer), and it took me 30 minutes to set and 2-2.5 hours to dry. That was just what I was used to. Then I'd wrap it and be done, and my hair was great. I could easily rollerset my hair up to 12 weeks post.

If you give yourself a day, an afternoon, to just focus on your hair, condition the way Nonie mentioned, which is also what I do, rollerset the hair, do a silk wrap and then lay off the heat for the rest of the week, you may not need to up your DC frequency. In the end, it may not take much more time for you to really DC and rollerset your hair than it would to DC and style the hair twice a week.

Good luck!

 

[Raspberry]

I agree with @Nonie about applying conditioner like a relaxer and air drying with a braid-out. When I do a braid-out I airdry about 80% with a t-shirt, then use the blowdryer on cool for a couple minutes to seal the cuticle and enhance shine. Then I apply leave-ins, detangle, and put in 4 braids and go to bed. The morning result is tight waves with tons of bling.. the braid-out is a foolproof air-dry method IMO.

ETA: If you're having crown breakage, make sure you're not relying on ponytails too much..

 

[blackpearl81]

Have you considered braidouts? That's works exceptionally well for me while stretching...I also air dry with plenty of leave in and a scarf to smooth down my new growth..

 

[sunnieb]

Nonie that's exactly how I apply my deep conditioners!

HairQueen I'm relaxed 4 a/b as well. I used to deep condition 2x a week, but now I do it 1x a week and cowash 2-3x. I always airdry. Check out my airdrying album in my fotki for more ideas.

I don't have the patience to rollerset either, but I plan to start doing it soon.

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