4 hour flat iron job vs. 20 minute job

anon123

Well-Known Member
When I wanted my hair cut to even up the bottom layers at the end of last year, I flat ironed as best as I could. I did it over 2 days, starting in the evening and finishing the next morning. I guess it took me 4 hours. I did it by small sections using the comb chase method. This was the result (after the cut):

postcut3.jpg



I decided I would try to blow dry and flat iron each week for a while. Just long enough to knock a little of the kink out of my hair so it wouldn't take so long to detangle and wouldn't knot up so much. I'm plagued by single strand knots and my hair takes soooooooooo long to detangle regularly. So every week since the cut, I've blow dried and flat ironed. That's 3 times total including the flat iron before the cut. This last time I did big sections and didn't use a comb at all. I just flat ironed big sections pulling for some tension. It took about 20 minutes This is the result:

20minflatiron.jpg


So it's straighter now after 20 minutes than it was after the first 4 hour job! All it took was a few consecutive flat iron jobs to get my hair to the point where it can get straight enough (for me) in a very short period of time.

This is the level at which I want my hair. It's also faster to detangle. I just have to see what I have to do to maintain it at this level. Maybe flat ironing once every 2-3 weeks?

I am making sure to note the state of my hair after every wash to make sure I'm not getting any straight pieces or split ends. I'm really mostly concerned about split ends, because that's the one hair problem I never really had.
 
Your hair is absolutely gorgeous :love:. Oh, sorry got sidetracked. I would go with the 20 minute job.
 
I love your hair.

Umm, will you do mine next? Should I straighten again that is as straight as I want. I have not straightened in 2+ years and I am fearful.
 
Your hair and you look terrific in that second picture. :)

That seems a really short amount of time for "heat training" take place. Do you think it is your hair changing to the consecutive use of heat, or is your technique simply getting better? Maybe both?
 
Your hair is ....sooooo cool i just thinking about your twists :lick:
oh well i have at least 3 more years to go :ohwell:
I WILL CONQUER :bud:

definately the 20 minute job...although i would think that the 4 hour job would look better :drunk:

Thank you for making thank the lord im still natural
 
wow...using heat that often, no matter how strong your hair looks is never a good idea IMO. also i kno a lot of ladies on here who did use that much heat didn't see the damage right away but after awhile all that catches up to them. idk.. becareful i guess... but i wont say too much b/c im sure you kno way more about natural hair than i do.
 
Your hair looks so incredible! Isn't it amazing how much difference technique makes?

ETA: Oh, I see it isn't technique, it's very slight heat training. Wow!
 
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Your hair and you look terrific in that second picture. :)

That seems a really short amount of time for "heat training" take place. Do you think it is your hair changing to the consecutive use of heat, or is your technique simply getting better? Maybe both?

I really don't think it was technique. It's the same technique I used for this flat iron job:

flatironmirrorside-vi.jpg


Except the above took me 2-3 hours while the 2nd photo in the OP took 20 minutes. In the photo above, I did much smaller sections. In the photo in the OP, I did big sections. No more than 15 sections for my whole head.

The thing about "training" is that it can be a lot more subtle than most people think. People think of heat training as a bunch of straight pieces or hair that does not revert at all. But it can also be really slight. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say my hair is now heat trained. But it is definitely responding better to heat than it was just 3 weeks ago.
 
wow...using heat that often, no matter how strong your hair looks is never a good idea IMO. also i kno a lot of ladies on here who did use that much heat didn't see the damage right away but after awhile all that catches up to them. idk.. becareful i guess... but i wont say too much b/c im sure you kno way more about natural hair than i do.


I will be careful. I think from this point on I will not flat iron weekly, but will try to keep it up at least once every 3 weeks. My cousin is a heat-trained natural who gets her hair flat ironed every few weeks and it is past her waist. But I will pay attention to my hair.
 
:love4: I knew i wouldnt be dissapointed coming in ur thread!!!!!

The 20 min job looks about the same.... jsut the ends are smoother in the 4 hour job.

I love how smooth and thick it its :yep:
 
20 minute job! I :love2: your hair!

How often do you wash your hair? Can your hair stand that much heat?
 
I always love your hair!

I was wondering though, how come you don't use an electic/traditional straightening comb?

Thanks! I don't really like the electric pressing combs, but I have a traditional one. That used to be the only way my hair was straightened back when I was a straight natural. I tried that, too, not too long ago. It took 3+ hours and looked like this:

pressfront-vi.jpg


Which is slightly misleading because it had shrunken a little by the time I took the photo. But it was no more straight than the 20 minute flat iron job above.

20 minute job! I :love2: your hair!

How often do you wash your hair? Can your hair stand that much heat?

Thanks! I wash weekly. It remains to be seen how much heat my hair can stand. I will monitor it closely as I go.
 
The results are beautiful mwedzi! So pretty. I'm also in love with your braid in your siggy. I'm looking through your vids right now to see how to make it ;)

Have you tried a maxiglide to straighten your hair? It works wonders for straightening and it uses steam to straighten which is a healthier alternative IMO.
 
The results are beautiful mwedzi! So pretty. I'm also in love with your braid in your siggy. I'm looking through your vids right now to see how to make it ;)

Have you tried a maxiglide to straighten your hair? It works wonders for straightening and it uses steam to straighten which is a healthier alternative IMO.

Thanks! The videos for how to make the ornaments in my siggy are here:
Elastic hair tie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMkyB5OtSw
Banded ponytail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i49LrTASnWc

I've never used a Maxiglide. I have a Solia. Maybe when day I'll try a Maxiglide.
 
Phenomenal Mwedzi!!

I would definitely stick with the 20 minute regi.

I'm thinking of doing this too..straightening my hair a little more often to chill it out a bit. I'm having trouble retaining length because of single strand knots.

I'm hiding my hair with half wigs for the Winter plus I'm in the baggy challenge and also twisting to retain length but when the Spring comes around I think I may try Maxigliding every 2-3 weeks to see how that goes.

I don't know how to post pics with my Mac right now but I have a pic of my Maxiglided hair in my profile.
 
Everytime I look at your hair, it gets prettier and longer! So thick and healthy!:grin: If your hair can take the heat right now, then I say go right ahead and flat iron it a little more than usual. Your past regimen has helped to build in strength and balance in your strands to tolerate heat now. Remember that ole saying about whatever you remove, you must replace. Just keep it balanced, and know that pressing or flat ironing can remove some of the moisture from the hair, and make it more susceptible to dryness and breakage. So you might have to up your conditioning (DC's, protein/moisture balance, even add a little more oil) to your reggie. I know you'll keep it in check, cause you are awesome and doing a phenomenal job with your hair's progress!
 
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