Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the diff?

[Vshanell]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

For me the key to flat ironing natural hair is to "pre-stretch" the hair before trying to flat ironing it. You can do this various ways.....rollerset, wrap, banding, braiding. I prefer to rollerset in one ponytail or band. This makes all the difference because it's easier to straighten and takes less heat.

 

[xquizit01]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

-Straightening with Suave Humectant Conditioner usually does the trick for me. I use the conditioner as a leavin-in. Sorry.... I don't have any pics!

Here is the "Naturals Who Straighten" link:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=196649

 

[remnant]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

Ladies what about the burning smell?????
Any suggestions?????
edited

 

[Soliel185]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

For me the key to flat ironing natural hair is to "pre-stretch" the hair before trying to flat ironing it. You can do this various ways.....rollerset, wrap, banding, braiding. I prefer to rollerset in one ponytail or band. This makes all the difference because it's easier to straighten and takes less heat.

I agree. If you know that you will be straightening you need to begin prepping FROM THE BEGINNING. Deep condition using a conditioner geared toward smoothing and moisturising hair. Follow with a rinse to close your cuticles like ACV or Porosity Control - I re-add a little con or a leave in and use MB and then smooth my hair into a bun with my denman to airdry - this way my hair is already smooth, tangle free, and pre-straightened. I blowdry my damp hair for a few moments to stretch further, before using the comb-chase method to straighten with my Sedu. If you let your hair to begin to dry loose, it will start to kink up and be resistant to straightening. The more you can pre-stretch/straighten and prepare your hair, the better your final result will be, and the less time the actual straightening process will take.

PS: not completely natural yet - transitioning (4a/b) from texlax (6 mo) So my hair is textured.

 

[clever]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

I agree. If you know that you will be straightening you need to begin prepping FROM THE BEGINNING. Deep condition using a conditioner geared toward smoothing and moisturising hair. Follow with a rinse to close your cuticles like ACV or Porosity Control - I re-add a little con or a leave in and use MB and then smooth my hair into a bun with my denman to airdry - this way my hair is already smooth, tangle free, and pre-straightened. I blowdry my damp hair for a few moments to stretch further, before using the comb-chase method to straighten with my Sedu. If you let your hair to begin to dry loose, it will start to kink up and be resistant to straightening. The more you can pre-stretch/straighten and prepare your hair, the better your final result will be, and the less time the actual straightening process will take.

PS: not completely natural yet - transitioning (4a/b) from texlax (6 mo) So my hair is textured.

Yes!!You are so on point with this response!Using a smoothing conditioner and stretching and laying the hair flat as possible while drying make all of the difference for a straight press!

 

[Millahdoowop]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

Rollersets? That reduces the amount of heat I use on my hair. Actually when I dry my rollerest under the dryer, the hair on the roller gets pretty straight and all I have to do is flat iron my roots, if I'm wearing it curly. Other than that, I'll put the flat iron all the way through to wear it straight. That and use a light heat protectant. Last time I used a serum...

 

[hairmaster]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

What have you tried/regimant?
What flat iron are you using?

 

[beautifulisaunderstatment]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

The secret is good heat and NO products. I keep tellin yall...

NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS. No serum, no heat protection, NOTHING.

Just condition your hair really well, for at least 45 minutes under the dryer & rinse. Then blow dry and flat iron with NO PRODUCTS. When you're done, add a drop of serum to your hair and wrap for at least an hour. Salon results & swang every time.

I will 3rd this as well. If you use anything use a TEENY TINY BIT. My hair is better off without so much weighing it down. BUT I have to say 3 things in total

1. I MUST stretch my hair out first, flat ironing a fro proved HORRENDOUS
2. I MUST chase my brush or fine toothed comb with the flat iron, only flat ironing proved horrendous
3. Little to NO leave ins, they coat the hair and the flat iron and my hair ends up being greasy or non-moving.

 

[aja1121]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

The secret is good heat and NO products. I keep tellin yall...

NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS. No serum, no heat protection, NOTHING.

Just condition your hair really well, for at least 45 minutes under the dryer & rinse. Then blow dry and flat iron with NO PRODUCTS. When you're done, add a drop of serum to your hair and wrap for at least an hour. Salon results & swang every time.

Yeah I definitely agree...........AND be careful. Doing this on a weekly basis (without proper conditioning) caused my hair not to revert all the way

 

[sydwrites]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

I have to agree with all who said to pre-stretch as much as possible. Banding or rollersetting now that my hair is a little longer works okay for me when im trying to reduce heat, but blowdrying my hair really straight ( conair infinity) with just a heat protectant and maybe a little sunsilk de-poof gives me that 'so you decided not to do the natural thing anymore?' response. I just got my MB so ill see how that does.

 

[Amethyst85]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

I agree with Pokahontas on the pre-stretching.

I braid my hair and leave it to airdry. This loosens the curl, doesnt require heat from a hairdryer and also sections the hair into easier chunks to straighten.

My hair is so thick it would take forever to straighten it on my own so it makes a huge difference to do it this way

 

[Dak]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

Ladies what about the burming smell?????
Any suggestions?????

I find with some products, like Moisture Block, when I use the flat iron I see steam, I believe that is just the product.

Occasionally I need to wipe the flat iron off with a towel, I can start noticing a burning smell from the product that gets on the iron.

But never a burning smell from my hair!

 

[Soliel185]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

I find with some products, like Moisture Block, when I use the flat iron I see steam, I believe that is just the product.

Occasionally I need to wipe the flat iron off with a towel, I can start noticing a burning smell from the product that gets on the iron.

But never a burning smell from my hair!

Yeah - the burning smell can be from your flat iron alot of the time, and then at smell gets into your hair. I wipe down my plates with some rubbing alcohol, and then wipe it down with a damp cloth to get all the old product off.

 

[clever]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

I find with some products, like Moisture Block, when I use the flat iron I see steam, I believe that is just the product.

Occasionally I need to wipe the flat iron off with a towel, I can start noticing a burning smell from the product that gets on the iron.

But never a burning smell from my hair!

I always got that steam when I a glosser or pressing creme.Redken heat glide also gives me a burnt smellI must not mix with with my iron.I don't have any of these problems with chi silk infusion.I agree w/ Soliel on cleaning the plates.

 

[lnana04]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

After the wash/condition, the pre-stretching and gentle blow-drying, I part my hair in tiny sections and have the flat-iron follow a brush instead of small-tooth comb. It's best to make sure your hair has no tangles in it. This method makes my ends and roots come out smooth, since the brush is stretching the hair before the flat-iron straightens it.

 

[Marand13]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

-really good dc
-blowdrying or rollersetting first
-using a denman d12 in front of the iron (its like a comb with 3 rows of teeth)
-less products

 

[cieramichele]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

Wow! you hair is sooo pretty......

Anyhow to answer your question.

ONE THING????
I have two.....

Steam treatments
Sabino moisture Block

The exact combo I was going to post.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

................

 

[adw425]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

Great thread...

 

[FeelinIt]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

-erence

I have to get this straightening thing TO-GE-THER...lol

Product, Heat and Technique.

There is no one thing that makes a press great, well maybe the HEAT.

Shamp and cond with a frizz buster combo or a line that is geared toward smooth and straight hair.

While hair is damp apply frizz serum and a straightening aid. I use Easy Straight Flat Iron Serum. Works great on my 4a/b hair. Use as directed. I saturate 4 sections of my hair with it. It makes the blow dry part easy.

Hair should be in 4 sections and blow dry each section straight on med or high heat.

What works GREAT on my hair is a good OLD SCHOOL pressing comb with back teeth. Your hair gets a good press twice in one run. Press small sections.

Test your hot comb by placing it on tissue paper. If the paper goes black immediately....too hot.

Test lightly at the ends FIRST. Why? Well if it is too hot and you start at the root, well then you may end up losing all of the hair from damage.

Run the comb through quickly while applying pressure. Run the comb through both the back and front side of the sectioned off hair.

Work from the back to the front. Take your time and don't rush.

Extra tips:

-Use good products and equipment. Don't skimp on quality.
-Don't use too many products or heavy products before pressing. Your hair will have no movement and may end up looking stiff.
-When washing and shampooing hair, don't pile or handle hair roughly. Wair and cond hair in downward motion.
-Condition well
-Do not use glycerin. It will not give you good results as it HOLDS moisture which means a puffy look.

Remeber less is more and perfect your technique. Keep trying and be patient and you'll get a great press.

Use frizz free and/or anti-humidity products to aid in a smoother long lasting press.

 

[Mena]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

How much product do you use?

Product, Heat and Technique.

There is no one thing that makes a press great, well maybe the HEAT.

Shamp and cond with a frizz buster combo or a line that is geared toward smooth and straight hair.

While hair is damp apply frizz serum and a straightening aid. I use Easy Straight Flat Iron Serum. Works great on my 4a/b hair. Use as directed. I saturate 4 sections of my hair with it. It makes the blow dry part easy.

Hair should be in 4 sections and blow dry each section straight on med or high heat.

What works GREAT on my hair is a good OLD SCHOOL pressing comb with back teeth. Your hair gets a good press twice in one run. Press small sections.

Test your hot comb by placing it on tissue paper. If the paper goes black immediately....too hot.

Test lightly at the ends FIRST. Why? Well if it is too hot and you start at the root, well then you may end up losing all of the hair from damage.

Run the comb through quickly while applying pressure. Run the comb through both the back and front side of the sectioned off hair.

Work from the back to the front. Take your time and don't rush.

Extra tips:

-Use good products and equipment. Don't skimp on quality.
-Don't use too many products or heavy products before pressing. Your hair will have no movement and may end up looking stiff.
-When washing and shampooing hair, don't pile or handle hair roughly. Wair and cond hair in downward motion.
-Condition well
-Do not use glycerin. It will not give you good results as it HOLDS moisture which means a puffy look.

Remeber less is more and perfect your technique. Keep trying and be patient and you'll get a great press.

Use frizz free and/or anti-humidity products to aid in a smoother long lasting press.

 

[PinkSkates]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the difference?

Having some one who really knows what they are doing in your hair with heated tools;whether it is yourself, a friend, or a pro stylist.

 

[Pheonixx]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

The secret is good heat and NO products. I keep tellin yall...

NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS. No serum, no heat protection, NOTHING.

Just condition your hair really well, for at least 45 minutes under the dryer & rinse. Then blow dry and flat iron with NO PRODUCTS. When you're done, add a drop of serum to your hair and wrap for at least an hour. Salon results & swang every time.

As soon as I read this I had to cosign.
That IS true.
You're hair will be flying all over the place.
I never blow-dried though.
I just washed, DC'd and wrapped my hair wet with wrap lotion.
Woke up. Used a DAB of moisturizer. Literally
Flat-ironed...and wrapped it again.
It'd be like butter.
All you need is a good amount of heat and tension.

But since joining this site---lol ya'll got me so dayum paranoid I'm afraid to do like I used to. So when I flat-iron I use leave-ins and heat protectant and serum. LOL
I try to use as little as possible.
Chi Silk infusions goes a long way. I havene't flat-ironed in a minute but I do remember finding it hard to get that 'salon silked' look with all these products...as evidenced by the old pic below.
It's straight--but not 'silked'.
Oh well...

 

[BostonMaria]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

In my 10 months I've been natural I've learned that the longer my hair gets, the harder it is to make it straight. Anyway I either go to the salon (easy way) or I:
- Co-wash and DC
- Rollerset
- Brush out my hair and apply Ion Straightening Iron Spray (I love this stuff)
- Flat iron

I think I need a better flatiron because my Revlon one was fine when my hair was short, but not anymore.

 

[lilsparkle825]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

I have to agree with all who said to pre-stretch as much as possible. Banding or rollersetting now that my hair is a little longer works okay for me when im trying to reduce heat, but blowdrying my hair really straight ( conair infinity) with just a heat protectant and maybe a little sunsilk de-poof gives me that 'so you decided not to do the natural thing anymore?' response. I just got my MB so ill see how that does.

I find with some products, like Moisture Block, when I use the flat iron I see steam, I believe that is just the product.

Occasionally I need to wipe the flat iron off with a towel, I can start noticing a burning smell from the product that gets on the iron.

But never a burning smell from my hair!

i tested this...on half my head i used chi iron guard, the other half i used MB. lets just say i ended up with a burn on my scalp from the iron guard (solia was 2 inches down from scalp, mind you) and it got returned IMMEDIATELY. i got it cause i thought using a spray heat protectant would be even better but the sizzling and stuff was just horrible. the MB side made no noise AND came out beautifully.

now all i gotta work out is this heavy handed thing cause no matter what y'all say i will never go without heat protectant. got me all paranoid and all. i have MB and chi silk infusion but i use too much.

 

[LovinLocks]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

The secret is good heat and NO products. I keep tellin yall...

NO ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS. No serum, no heat protection, NOTHING.

Just condition your hair really well, for at least 45 minutes under the dryer & rinse. Then blow dry and flat iron with NO PRODUCTS. When you're done, add a drop of serum to your hair and wrap for at least an hour. Salon results & swang every time.

Now see THIS is really catching my attention!!!

For one, I just saw the price of Chi Silk Infusion AND read a commentary at Follica by a person with thick, hair. Apparently this stuff is cost prohibitive for folk with African type hair (me), due to how much we have to use per application. (I was wondering about that too). That "dime-sized" application manufacturers say is a joke (at least for me).

Hmm, I'm liking the sound of Browndilocks' words. And, I only want to straighten on occasion anyway. For the most part I'm rocking air dried, natural (meaning however Jehovah made it) hair.

On I read. Wanna get this right, ya know.

 

[LovinLocks]

Re: Natural Ladies with flat iron success:What's that ONE thing that makes all the di

info is in my siggy.........

I don't see the siggie. Any of you see it????