Are there any naturals retaining length using low/med heat blow outs regularly?

[CurlsBazillion]

I'm on the verge of a major set back due to SSKs if I continue my regimen as is. I've come up with a plan to help combat these knotty ends. I planned to finger comb 80%-100% of the time and keep my ends moist and oily daily, but I started thinking about the tension method as a way to prevent SSKs all together. I want to M&S then allow my hair to air dry 75% of the way, and follow that with low/med heat tension blow out bi weekly (I would say monthly but I can not go that long with out pooing and DCing). The reason why I am running this by yall is because I am nervous that the frequent use of heat (even though its not alot of heat) will hinder my length retention in the long run.

Are there any natural heads using a regimen similar to this gaining length and healthy strands?
Is the heat worth having SSK free hair?

 

[coyacoy]

i am interested in responses to this as well - thanks OP!

i currently stretch my hair w/the blowdryer on cool for the same reasons you mentioned in your orig post. i have thought about using some heat, but am a little concerned about set backs........tia

 

[coyacoy]

Oh i should mention that oil rinsing has helped tremendously with ssks
...maybe try that if u haven't
..i still get more tangles though when I'm not stretched

Sent from my DROID3 using DROID3

 

[ChristmasCarol]

DayDreamist

What you described is Longhairdontcare's regimen and it seems to be working for her! She NEVER air-dries her hair.

I blowdry/flatiron my hair whenever I feel like it - might be every 2 weeks, might be 8 weeks. I also blowdry/press all three of my daughter's hair whenever they want. They have TBL/WL/BSL hair.

But, in the end, you have to do whatever your hair likes - I guess some hair doesn't like any direct heat and other hair can grow to very long lengths utilizing it regularly. You'll just have to monitor any changes in the condition of your hair once you start using heat. Good luck!

 

[Mandy4610]

I have started a similar regimen too because the ssk were getting on my nerves.
So far I can't tell what kind of difference it's making but I will do it for 3 months and then see what happens.


Sent from my iPhone 4 using LHCF

 

[CurlsBazillion]

Oh i should mention that oil rinsing has helped tremendously with ssks
...maybe try that if u haven't
..i still get more tangles though when I'm not stretched

Sent from my DROID3 using DROID3

I love oil rinsing with grapeseed oil. I don't do it every wash day, only if my hair is very tangled to begin with.

@DayDreamist

What you described is Longhairdontcare's regimen and it seems to be working for her! She NEVER air-dries her hair.

I blowdry/flatiron my hair whenever I feel like it - might be every 2 weeks, might be 8 weeks. I also blowdry/press all three of my daughter's hair whenever they want. They have TBL/WL/BSL hair.

But, in the end, you have to do whatever your hair likes - I guess some hair doesn't like any direct heat and other hair can grow to very long lengths utilizing it regularly. You'll just have to monitor any changes in the condition of your hair once you start using heat. Good luck!

I remember longhairdon'tcare only washing her hair once a month and I figured this was key to keeping the heat minimal. Since I'll be doubling the heat I want to try redken anti snap leave in. I hope my hair likes the changes I'm about to make

 

[NappyNelle]

What were you using to seal your ends before? (Was it castor oil? I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly.) I don't think the low heat blowouts will hinder your process as long as you keep your hair super moisturized... and still keep your ends protected.

OT: How do you do your oil rinses? We have similar hair, so I'm being nosey.

 

[CurlsBazillion]

NappyNelle I seal my ends with grapeseed oil most of the time. I wish I had castor oil, I will be buying castor oil and avocado butter for my ends next week, for sure! I do my oil rinses with grapeseed oil and what I do is after I shampoo I put about 2-3 hand fulls of oil in my hair and then I gently pull my hair apart to allow the oil to loosen tangles. Then I smooth down my hair (idk how else to describe it) and then I'll rinse it out after about 3mins with warm water.

I have a question or two for you since we have similar hair.
How do you achieve super moisturized hair without going over and causing breakage?
Have you tried RedKen anti snap leave in before?

 

[NappyNelle]

DayDreamist Thanks for the directions. I'm going to try your oil rinsing technique soon. Castor oil is too thick for me to rinse with, but it's perfect for my ends. I like using grape seed to seal along the length, but I found it too light for my ends.

I haven't tried Anti-Snap, but I did want it for my first flat ironing session. I've read reviews that it is pretty effective for fine strands as long as it's followed with a quick conditioning.

I try to keep my hair super moisturized by steaming with a moisturizing conditioner after shampooing, and then a protein balanced conditioner with a cowash during the next wash. My cowash conditioner has a little protein in it too. I never realized how important protein would be to keeping the cuticle strong, yet porous enough to accept and retain moisture. The products I'm using are AO HSR & GPB, and Giovanni SAS.

ETA: I'm looking through my Fotki friends now to look for the people that did use this method to decrease the knotting. I'm not sure why I'm having such a hard time remembering their screen names. erplexed When I find them, I'll post for you.

 

[Beverly Ann Properties]

I blow out my hair 1x a month to get rid of shed hair. The heat has not had an effect on my hair at all. I experience SSK with wash and gos. I also prepoo with oil to eliminate tangles and SSKs. This has helped me tremendously.

 

[ImFree27]

I'm on the verge of a major set back due to SSKs if I continue my regimen as is. I've come up with a plan to help combat these knotty ends. I planned to finger comb 80%-100% of the time and keep my ends moist and oily daily, but I started thinking about the tension method as a way to prevent SSKs all together. I want to M&S then allow my hair to air dry 75% of the way, and follow that with low/med heat tension blow out bi weekly (I would say monthly but I can not go that long with out pooing and DCing). The reason why I am running this by yall is because I am nervous that the frequent use of heat (even though its not alot of heat) will hinder my length retention in the long run.

Are there any natural heads using a regimen similar to this gaining length and healthy strands?
Is the heat worth having SSK free hair?

I think mwezi does this method or I remember her talking about it.
I need to try this method because I have been getting a lot of SSKs, I cut them though, but I'm tired of cutting it, I'm do tension method next week when I wash my hair.

 

[ItsMeFre]

I actually decided to do a method similar to this for the new year. I have been getting SO MANY single strand knots and split ends and I think the culprit is airdrying and not regularly stretching my hair.

This is my new regimen:
- Wash 1x a week
-Deep Condition on dry hair before every wash
- Use a leave-in after each wash
- Blowdry on cool after each wash
- Style (braidout, twist out, or bun)
- Moisturize and seal every morning and night (because my hair has been SO dry this winter)

Also, I will be dusting every 2 months.

Hopefully the blow drying and dusting will help to cut back on ssk & split ends, but we'll see!

 

[CurlsBazillion]

I blow out my hair 1x a month to get rid of shed hair. The heat has not had an effect on my hair at all. I experience SSK with wash and gos. I also prepoo with oil to eliminate tangles and SSKs. This has helped me tremendously.

I'm not a consistent prepooer, it just really depends on my mood which is something I need to give a solid shot.

I actually decided to do a method similar to this for the new year. I have been getting SO MANY single strand knots and split ends and I think the culprit is airdrying and not regularly stretching my hair.

This is my new regimen:
- Wash 1x a week
-Deep Condition on dry hair before every wash
- Use a leave-in after each wash
- Blowdry on cool after each wash
- Style (braidout, twist out, or bun)
- Moisturize and seal every morning and night (because my hair has been SO dry this winter)

Also, I will be dusting every 2 months.

Hopefully the blow drying and dusting will help to cut back on ssk & split ends, but we'll see!

Same here! I plan to dust when needed as well, probably on a schedule but I know I need to get a seek and destroy routine down packed if I ever want to get past APL.

 

[lilyofthenile]

Beautifulbrwnbabydol blows out her hair about once month... not sure if this is a great example but she has some wonderful tips on it and she seems to be retaining a lot of length.

 

[LongLeggedLife]

Im retaining using high heat regularly.
Do the sections on medium, then run over the whole thing with high to finish it off.
My hair was like 'b!tch, please' when I tried that 'cool' mess. :smh:

 

[CurlsBazillion]

LongLeggedLife High Heat and retaining? Girl u said a mouthful there! I see Chi heat protectants are your fave which is what I've been thinking about trying. I like using grapeseed oil to flat iron my hair but I do it often so since I'm about to up the heat I need to up the protection. My question to you is do u M&S throughout the week after your blow outs?

 

[curlycrocheter]

I'm on a pretty high heat regimen as well. Before I BC'd, I would wash every 10 days, DC, blow dry (I'm not very good at blowdrying my own hair so most of the time I air dried over night) and flat iron.

It worked really well for me. My hair is very coarse and very prone to SSK's. When I started my HHJ, I cut heat out completely. Cold turkey. 5 months later I decided to straighten and suffered the setback of all setbacks. The SSK's were soooooo bad that I could barely get a comb through the last 5-6 inches of my hair.

I learned a valuable lesson; HEAT IS NOT THE DEVIL! Improper use of heat, or being ignorant of how to effectively use heat to retain length/maintain healthy hair is the real issue.

Sorry my response is so long. I just feel like heat gets such a bad rep around these parts sometimes. It's really not the enemy. So by all means, incorporate heat into your routine. Just make sure you pay attention to your hair and adjust accordingly.

 

[CurlsBazillion]

^^^ Hearing so many bad things about heat really had me nervous but thanks to yall I really ain't scared lol. SSK's will stop me from retaining length more than anything else will and I'm glad to know i have an option to at least try. curlycrocheter What type of adjustment have you had to make in order for high heat use to work for you?

 

[southerncitygirl]

you'll need to up your protein/moisture levels and also throw in some ceramides, in fact i would do that now as well ( my hair has thrived with an increase in all these with little to no direct heat) i would never straighten my own hair but if i wanted to go the salon 2-4 times a month, my stylist knows what to do so i don't end up with heat damage. i don't straighten often these days but i have had times when it wasn't so spaced out and my hair was fine. everybody doesn't need high heat levels.....its important that i get a good blow dry and then i can be flat ironed with lesser heat.

 

[curlycrocheter]

DayDreamist There are a couple that I've made.

1) You have to know which kind of heat protectant works for you. They are not all created equal. I've tried TONS of them. I find that serums (Chi Silk Infusion, Fantasia IC, etc) tend to weigh my hair down. Serums leave my hair greasy looking and limp. I get very little "swang" when I use them. Then you have the liquid kind or sprays.(Organix Brazilian Keratin Flat Iron Spray, John Frieda Full Repair) I like those kind. They leave my hair feeling silky and soft, but it takes a lot to get full coverage. My personal favorite is Got2Be Crazy Sleek Flat Iron & Blowdry Lotion. A little goes a long way, my hair is soft, bouncy, shiny, and has lots of "swang"

2) You have to pay attention to the products you use when doing just blow outs. I've suffered from "crunchy" blow dry hair, as well as just plain huge frizzy hair. Again, I'm not very good at blowdrying my own hair.

3) Make sure to incorporate protein. Heat can cause the hair to become weak and brittle. So I will do a moisture DC, then cowash with a protein condition before I use heat. Or vice versa.

4) I never thought it mattered much, but GREASE is really good to have if you use heat. Besides my HP, I mostly use natural products. So the grease I use is by Njoi Creations Sweet Coconut Pomade. I use a dab just before using heat, and daily to M&S my ends.

I'm being long-winded again. Those are some of the most important things to consider when adding heat as a regular part of your regimen. I'm giving examples based on my experience and my hair of course. But I hope to have helped in some way.

 

[CurlsBazillion]

you'll need to up your protein/moisture levels and also throw in some ceramides, in fact i would do that now as well ( my hair has thrived with an increase in all these with little to no direct heat) i would never straighten my own hair but if i wanted to go the salon 2-4 times a month, my stylist knows what to do so i don't end up with heat damage. i don't straighten often these days but i have had times when it wasn't so spaced out and my hair was fine. everybody doesn't need high heat levels.....its important that i get a good blow dry and then i can be flat ironed with lesser heat.

I plan to up my protein and I love ceramide oils, I need my wheat germ oil right now. I'm about to try AO GPB as a way to get the protein my hair needs.

curlycrocheter You were far from long winded, I actually like long post from most members I'm seeing a theme in the winter about heavily sealing the ends and I will try the Njoi Creations pomade along with trying different butter and oil combos on my own.
Now that heat protectant thing seems like it will be a trial and error situation. Since I do blow outs and flat iron on alot of my friends and family's hair I want to buy a few different kinds to try out and if I don't like it I'm sure another head will.

 

[AmyRose92]

Nice question, OP. I've been thinking about blow drying my hair on cool on a weekly basis now since my hair is almost APL and I'm tired of wearing wigs xD But I'm so used to being so heavy-handed with moisturizer so that my hair stays soft for days at a time underneath my wig but I know that'll change if I start blow drying on the regular. So, if you don't mind me asking in your thread OP, are regular heat-using naturals keeping your hair moisturized? Are you concerned with reversion? Is it okay to apply a heavy moisturizer (e.g. shea butter) prior to blow-drying?

 

[CurlsBazillion]

^^^ Those are some great questions, especially how to keep heat stretched hair moisturized. I know a lot of ppl use oils such as coconut oil to get moisture that way.

 

[Geminigirl]

I've been wasnting to for this every two weeks to because I tried to go a month Luke LHDC but my hair started getting damaged. I need to DC atleast every two weeks. How and when to incoperate protein and what are cermacides?

excuse my typos i hate it as much as you.

 

[curlycrocheter]

If I may DayDreamist & AmyRose92 The grease I listed, Njoi Creations Sweet Coconut Pomade, is a good moisturizer for stretched hair (hair that's been blowdried/flat ironed) because it's coconut oil based. I find in the winter time, plain coconut oil is too difficult to use because of the potential of it freezing in your hair.

As for reversion; it's difficult for me to get my hair 100% straight no matter what I do. My roots always have a little wave to them, but I'm fine with that. To ward it off though just try to avoid water based moisturizers, and wear a shower cap lol.

It never hurts to experiment with different products before you blow dry/or flat iron. Try the shea butter and see if works. If it doesn't, move onto the next one.

Geminigirl I will either do a protein DC before I use heat, or use it to cowash on my next wash day. Ceramides are found in oils mostly, like wheat germ oil. I'm not 100% sure but they kind of act like protein and help repair damaged hair....I think.

 

[MzSwift]

I'm the same way @Geminigirl
I've come the conclusion that I'm still going to do monthly heat (once I reach BSB). I'm going to rock the heat style for 2 weeks and then do my regular wash/DC and then rock a PS for 2 weeks.

I use a protein tx with every wash so that (or every other wash) may be a good way to incorporate that. You can add ceramide oils to your DC or use to rub on your hair as a during the week as a sealant. When I rocked my straight-ish hair last month, I rubbed a small amount of grapeseed oil on my hair every other day. I also add safflower oil to my DCs.

HTH!

ETA: I also concluded that I'm not going to blow dry. I have 4 of them and it doesn't matter which one I use, there's always small hairs in the sink. I'm going to band my hair instead and then do a low flat iron. It will give me the same poofy results I seek. If I want sleek, which I doubt, I'll just turn it up a little.

GL ladies!

 

[Geminigirl]

If I may DayDreamist & AmyRose92 The grease I listed, Njoi Creations Sweet Coconut Pomade, is a good moisturizer for stretched hair (hair that's been blowdried/flat ironed) because it's coconut oil based. I find in the winter time, plain coconut oil is too difficult to use because of the potential of it freezing in your hair.

As for reversion; it's difficult for me to get my hair 100% straight no matter what I do. My roots always have a little wave to them, but I'm fine with that. To ward it off though just try to avoid water based moisturizers, and wear a shower cap lol.

It never hurts to experiment with different products before you blow dry/or flat iron. Try the shea butter and see if works. If it doesn't, move onto the next one.

Geminigirl I will either do a protein DC before I use heat, or use it to cowash on my next wash day. Ceramides are found in oils mostly, like wheat germ oil. I'm not 100% sure but they kind of act like protein and help repair damaged hair....I think.

Ok thanks. I am scared of protein because it makes the hard hard and tangly but I guess I will have to set aside a day and DC with protein with moisture after to get my hair back in balance for a smooth blow dry.

excuse my typos i hate it as much as you.

 

[LongLeggedLife]

@LongLeggedLife High Heat and retaining? Girl u said a mouthful there! I see Chi heat protectants are your fave which is what I've been thinking about trying. I like using grapeseed oil to flat iron my hair but I do it often so since I'm about to up the heat I need to up the protection. My question to you is do u M&S throughout the week after your blow outs?

Yes m'am, depending on the style, but I usually style nightly by twist/braiding it up using the Fekkai Glossing Creme** + some of whatever oil I have on hand for the ends.

**Wish I could find a less expensive alternative which works as well:/

 

[CurlsBazillion]

I'm the same way @Geminigirl
I've come the conclusion that I'm still going to do monthly heat (once I reach BSB). I'm going to rock the heat style for 2 weeks and then do my regular wash/DC and then rock a PS for 2 weeks.

I use a protein tx with every wash so that (or every other wash) may be a good way to incorporate that. You can add ceramide oils to your DC or use to rub on your hair as a during the week as a sealant. When I rocked my straight-ish hair last month, I rubbed a small amount of grapeseed oil on my hair every other day. I also add safflower oil to my DCs.

HTH!

ETA: I also concluded that I'm not going to blow dry. I have 4 of them and it doesn't matter which one I use, there's always small hairs in the sink. I'm going to band my hair instead and then do a low flat iron. It will give me the same poofy results I seek. If I want sleek, which I doubt, I'll just turn it up a little.

GL ladies!

This is a great idea. If I see my hair not responding well to the blow outs bi weekly I will switch up my regimen and blow out only once a month and stretch with banding once a month.

I've been wasnting to for this every two weeks to because I tried to go a month Luke LHDC but my hair started getting damaged. I need to DC atleast every two weeks. How and when to incoperate protein and what are cermacides?


excuse my typos i hate it as much as you.

This is why I am afraid to DC only once a month, maybe as the condition of my hair improves the longer it can go without a DC.

Yes m'am, depending on the style, but I usually style nightly by twist/braiding it up using the Fekkai Glossing Creme** + some of whatever oil I have on hand for the ends.

**Wish I could find a less expensive alternative which works as well:/

I was starring that Fekkai Glossing Creme down in walgreens....I should've bought it. I think I'll have to drop out of the natural products challenge


curlycrocheter I'm almost sure I can do this now. I already started last night. I DC'd with a mixture I make for breakage. Aussie Moist 3min miracle w/ molasses and honey (didn't have anymore wheat germ oil for it but I usually mix that in as well). I did this way just to give my hair to protein/moisture balance it needed. I also broke down and trimmed a 1/2 in. I hated to see my ends in such a horrible shape. I blew out my hair using silk elements heat protectant. I wear wigs so I got it braided today and to keep moisture I will mist with water and oil my hair daily.

 

[curlycrocheter]

It sounds like you are on the right track DayDreamist

Like I said, pay attention to the changes in your hair (if any) and just experiment until you get the results you like. HHG!!