Advice needed from heat trained naturals

[natstar]

Ladies-

Im having a difficulttime straightening my hiar with my blow dryer and flat iron. I want to start doing it more often (1x per month) but after trying it yesterday, its not appealing. I had sooo many broken hairs and my ends never got straight. Here is what i did:

shampoo/ deep conditioned for 30 mins. detangled thoroughly

Sprayed in a light leave in
Applied heat protectant
Blow dried using tension method
Applied light heat protectant
flat ironed (solia iron) with comb chasing the iron at 370 degrees
AND then I tried doing the dry saran wrap

It never got silky straight, It just looked blow dried-and the ends tangled so much that when I used the paddle brush i got all these little broken hairs everywhere. What can I do to make this better? Should I go to a salon for a few times and then it may get better? Im at a lost and I don't want anymore damage from this.

 

[Poohbear]

You may want to try blowdrying with a comb attachment rather than the tension method. The tension method didn't work for me because my hair is super shrinky and tightly coiled. The comb attachment stretches and smoothes my hair well enough to flat-iron it with success. I use a Chi iron and only have to pass through each section once or sometimes twice. You can check out pictures of my natural hair straightened in my fotki album. There's a link to it in my profile. Hope that helps.

 

[pet]

I agree with Poobear...try a comb attachment. The tension method didn't work for me either because my hair gets tangled very easily. If done right, much hair will not come out when using a comb attachment...do it in small sections. As Poobear said, using a comb attachment will get the hair a lot straighter, so the flat iron will not have to do much work. I use a babybliss flat iron when I don't use a hot comb.

Also, if you shampoo'd and deep conditioned, you really don't need to spray in a light leave in. It can also be the heat protectant that you are using...what do you use? And lastly, technique is the key! Make sure that you move the flat iron slowly down each section...many people are afraid of the heat so they go through sections fast to avoid burning their hair...all that does is leave you with blowdried looking hair, and you either end up going over the section more than you want to, or doing extra things to the hair to get it straight. Go over each section slowly like 3 times (but not too slow!), and hold the section at the end as the flat iron is coming down...this will ensure that the hair is really being straightened by the plates. If your having a comb chase the iron, then you can't really hold the hair...your relying on the plates to keep it together.

HTH!

~Pet

 

[BostonMaria]

Do you think its the flatiron? Because I used to own a Paul Mitchell flatiron but it would leave my hair poofy. I bought a Chi and haven't had a problem since.

Do you think you might need a trim?

 

[natstar]

Do you think its the flatiron? Because I used to own a Paul Mitchell flatiron but it would leave my hair poofy. I bought a Chi and haven't had a problem since.

Do you think you might need a trim?

I thought about my solia flat iron, but I don't think its that. Also, I trimmed a week before my attempt and right after as well. Right after I blow dried, I noticed that my ends and hair in general, wasn't as straight as when I get it blow dried when i did go to a salon, so I think the blow drying method may be a abig issue.

Im thinking if my blow drying method isn't the best, my hair won't get straight regardless. With this attempt, after I blow dried, it looked more liked I brushed my hair out rather than blow dried it.

 

[natstar]

Do you think its the flatiron? Because I used to own a Paul Mitchell flatiron but it would leave my hair poofy. I bought a Chi and haven't had a problem since.

Do you think you might need a trim?

I agree with Poobear...try a comb attachment. The tension method didn't work for me either because my hair gets tangled very easily. If done right, much hair will not come out when using a comb attachment...do it in small sections. As Poobear said, using a comb attachment will get the hair a lot straighter, so the flat iron will not have to do much work. I use a babybliss flat iron when I don't use a hot comb.

Also, if you shampoo'd and deep conditioned, you really don't need to spray in a light leave in. It can also be the heat protectant that you are using...what do you use? And lastly, technique is the key! Make sure that you move the flat iron slowly down each section...many people are afraid of the heat so they go through sections fast to avoid burning their hair...all that does is leave you with blowdried looking hair, and you either end up going over the section more than you want to, or doing extra things to the hair to get it straight. Go over each section slowly like 3 times (but not too slow!), and hold the section at the end as the flat iron is coming down...this will ensure that the hair is really being straightened by the plates. If your having a comb chase the iron, then you can't really hold the hair...your relying on the plates to keep it together.

HTH!

~Pet

I used the Hask Straight Solution on damp hair before blow drying, then silk elements heat protecant (small amount) before flat ironing. Here are the links:

http://www.folica.com/Hask_Straight_S_d1752.html

Is there something better you think I should use? Im open to suggestions. thanks again

 

[Ronnieaj]

I use a paddle brush to flatiron my hair, and I actually like it better than the comb attachment. Me and those things never got along. I deep conditioned, used Lacio Lacio mixed with FHI Hot Sauce, then mixed PM Super Skinny and Gloss Drops on top. I was very lighthanded with all products. I lightly sprayed Aphogee Green Tea Restructurizer on the hair.

I section my hair in 8 and used my paddle brush with my blow dryer on medium heat and high speed. Took around 30 minutes. I added a very thin layer of Elasta QP Mango Butter to my ends and broccoli seed oil to the strands, then parted my hair in half and used Sabino MB on each half, nickel size each.

I flat-ironed with my FHI Runway and was thrilled with the results. This was probably my best blow dry/flat iron combo ever. Next time I'm going to rollerset first, and see how that works.

 

[SUPER SWEET]

One of the keys to getting that silky straight hair is ironing in small sections. It takes a long time but it works. Here's the You tube that helped me learn how to get almost salon results...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXFgoTT1mU8

 

[natstar]

I use a paddle brush to flatiron my hair, and I actually like it better than the comb attachment. Me and those things never got along. I deep conditioned, used Lacio Lacio mixed with FHI Hot Sauce, then mixed PM Super Skinny and Gloss Drops on top. I was very lighthanded with all products. I lightly sprayed Aphogee Green Tea Restructurizer on the hair.

I section my hair in 8 and used my paddle brush with my blow dryer on medium heat and high speed. Took around 30 minutes. I added a very thin layer of Elasta QP Mango Butter to my ends and broccoli seed oil to the strands, then parted my hair in half and used Sabino MB on each half, nickel size each.

I flat-ironed with my FHI Runway and was thrilled with the results. This was probably my best blow dry/flat iron combo ever. Next time I'm going to rollerset first, and see how that works.

Ronnieaj- what paddle brush did you use? I have a goody large one. Would that work? I will PM u this as well.

 

[Yetta]

You may want to experiment with air drying in ponytails or braids then flat ironing with a moisturizer. I use Hask and leave ins to detangle and section off my hair (when it was long, now that its short I just comb it flat and tie on a scarf). Then I use a good moisturizer like QP mango butter, or the new luster's pink moisturizer in a jar on small sections of hair that I comb thru right before I run the flat iron over it.

The moisturizer is the only thing keeping my hair from reverting and puffing in the humidity....when I use curl wax, grease, biosilk, or anything else I don't get smooth results.

Hope that helps!

 

[Ronnieaj]

I'm generic. I used a paddle brush from Sephora. A stylist used it on me with great results. Blowdrying in small sections really helped, as does flatironing in small sections. I also agree with taking your time to do the flatironing. I read in one of *fabulosity*'s posts about tapping the flatiron against the roots 2-3 times, then straightening, and that worked VERY well at getting the roots straight.

 

[glamazon386]

You may need a trim. Also try blowdrying with a comb or paddle or denman brush.

 

[melodies815]

Bumping just to see if there are more responses.

I will be length checking at year's end and I want to have my regimen down before I do it...so there will be no mistakes or setbacks.

I can't wait to see how my hair has grow at year's end...no breakage at all since the BC and living nearer softer water..

cj