Burning ends

Dubois007

Dubois007

New Member
I was talking to her friend and she told me that when she was young a mother instead of trimming her ends with a scissors, she burned them with a candle. Has anyone tried it? Is it better than the scissors?.
Sound like It could be an alternative for dusting...
 
A black man was profiled on the news once, for using this technique at his barber shop. I don't remember why he said he did it, but that people in his family had used the technique for some time. Control and shape were two of the reaosns, I think. He said that he has a steady clientele that come in and will only let him trim their hair that way and won't go to any other barber.


What he did was apply the flame to the hair and smooth his hand over the hair very quickly. The fire went out right away, and the client was left with a trim that looked as if it had been done with scissors. No little black balls on the ends of the hairs as one might suspect. These were men with closely cropped, natural hair.
 
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I saw a report on the news years ago about a white guy who had a barber shop that specialized in doing haircuts this way.
 
I'm not saying it doesn't work...but I would be scared to try and I wouldn't trust anyone to try it on me.
 
I haven't heard of this, but would never do it. Anything that is on FIRE will never come near my head. Same goes for glue.
 
I never heard of this technique. I'd be curious to see it. I don't know if I'd try it, but I'd definitely like to see it.
 
Wow!! those are big flames. What's interesting is that the barber said that with this technique there is no split ends. My friend explained me how her mom did it. She would braid her hair in medium braids and hold the tip of the braid between her two fingers and burned the end very quickly with the flame of the candle and her mother never set her hair on fire
 
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Ok...that picture reminded me of Micheal Jackson and the Pepsi Commercial fiasco!

Not a smart idea. Melting your hair is never a smart idea. When hair has been melted, it looses all of its internal moisture. So for long hair, that would mean that the ends would feel hard and brittle. They would indeed break off eventually. Putting fire to anything destroys it...it does not make it better.

I wonder if this method was also thought about after viewing stylist who melt the ends of synthetic braids to seal them. I have seen a stylist bring out a lighter (which according to Cosmotology Liscencing boards is against the law to have OPEN FLAMES in a establishment that uses FLAMABLE sprays such as oil sheens, hairspray etc!!) and melt the end of a braid. I asked her why she did that out of fear that she was going to put MY hair in danger since I was sitting next to her station! She said to "keep the synthetic hair braid from unraveling".

Really, the guy can loose his liscence for doing that. I wonder if the guy had any oils or gels on his hair? I hope and pray not.
 
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:nono:....I don't think I could do this. Just the thought of one of the ambers from the flame catching on to another area of my hair scares me...especially if I have some products in my hair that are flammable! :eek:

They say this helps prevent split ends...I wonder how your hair would look after pulling it back into a ponytail...would it look like those people who burn the ends of their braids...like someone melted your hair??

Naw...I'll stick to scissors!
 
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Synthetic hair looks melted when burned because it's synthetic. Also, you can not do this on chemically treated hair...it's strictly for naturals. I would be nervous to have mine done, because anyone can make a mistake, but I am nervous to get trims, too, so who knows :grin:.
 
Hey ladies!!! My great grandmother use to do this, her grandma was full blooded cherokee and she did her ends like this. Needless to say her hair was wasit lenght so she had a lot of hair to work. I would only do this with extremely long hair.
 
paishens said:
Hey ladies!!! My great grandmother use to do this, her grandma was full blooded cherokee and she did her ends like this. Needless to say her hair was wasit lenght so she had a lot of hair to work. I would only do this with extremely long hair.
Click to expand...

Why did she do this? Do you do it?
 
I would never do that. I have seen people break out a lighter to melt the ends of synthetic hair and it lights up quick! I've also seen the hair sealed with hot water....the hair was put inside a pot full of hot water. That was strange to see too.
 
My moms friend use to do this when she was younger. Back then she had the most long thick waist length gorgeous hair. Its still pretty now but she keeps it shoulder length. Anyway, we were discussing split ends and thats how it came up that she use to have her ends burned. She said it was the best way to rid of ends.
I'm not brave enough to try it!
 
Pookylou she would singe the ends to keep them from splitting. No I've never done this my hair caught on fire as a teen and I'm scared to death to purposely do it.
I look at pictures of her on her death bed and her hair was extremely long and white on the top but it would fade to her darker shade toward the ends it was quite beautiful
 
I found some more info on this.
Apparently it is performed on wet hair. Some twist a small piece of hair, run the fingers back up the twist to make all the ends poke out and singe the hairs that stick out. It's supposed to seal the ends very well.

And what about this guy who will cut your hair with fire + blindfolded! :eek:
"Hairstylist with eyes shut

Thought of styling your hair by burning it? Or letting your hair dresser blindfold himself and then chop your lovely locks to shape?

Scared? Don’t be. Rush to Nadeem Ahmed at Rex Salon in Sector 17. This young hair stylist promises to make your problem of split ends disappear by burning the ends with a medicated candle. So adept is he in styling the hair, and familiar with the structure of head that with a blindfold on, he can give you any style that you want.

This young hair stylist is also an expert beautician (he can cure your skin problems with numerous herbal products devised with the help of dad Haji Shakeel). He is a computer whizkid and works as a public relations officer at Mohali’s Indus Hospital. “In fact, I learnt hair-styling techniques by surfing various hair-stylists’ sites on the Net.

Nadeem says that once he was on the Net, and he read how men in the earliest civilisations would cut their hair using sharpened stones. “It was then that I embarked upon the idea of using fire to cut hair and do away with the problem of split ends and have a better grip of hair. Since a normal candle would burn my own hands with wax, and would also emit a foul smell when in contact with hair, I devised my special candle - a medicated cotton wick, laced with wax for the job,” says Nadeem, as he demonstrates his skill on a customer.

In fact, Nadeem wanted to make a career in computers. “I did my course in computer programming from here, and then shifted to Mumbai for higher education. There I opened a cyber cafe, while looking after my dad’s Mumbai parlour. But slowly my interest in honing my hair styling skills got the better of me, and I closed the cafe and pursued my career as a stylist.”

But how many of his customers are willing to try the ‘candle cut” or are ready to experiment with him as he works blind-folded? “The candle cut is gaining popularity and 10 per cent of my daily customers try it, when we recommend, and list out the benefits. But styling with a blindfold is not everyone’s favourite,” he says. TNS"
 
Here is an article I found on another hair board. Apparently she singed her hair.

"Long Hair Care Circa 1912
Written By: Jennifer Bahney

A Longhairlovers.com visitor, Norm from the U.K., sent the following article from Every Woman's Encyclopaedia-Volume 7, published in 1912. The article features an interview with international opera singer Aline Vallandri, who was known for her gorgeous, floor-length locks.

Mlle. Aline Vallandri
HOW I TAKE CARE OF MY HAIR.....
Mlle. Aline Vallandri, the famous Cantatrice, who has the Most Wonderful Hair in Europe, tells her Secrets to an Interviewer for Every Woman's Encyclopaedia.

In addition to her many qualities as an artist and to her charming personality as a woman, Mlle. Vallandri, as is well known, is renowned for the wonderful beauty of her hair, which forms a veritable golden mantle about her, and reaches to the very ground. So wonderful a gift of Nature has taught its possessor many things for preserving it , and in the following interview she kindly gives readers of EVERY WOMAN'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA the benefit of her experience.

It is not difficult to set down the rules I follow for taking care of my hair. Greatly as I prize and value my gift, I am no slave to it, for I devote only about three quarters of an hour every day to its care. If women generally did the same, I have no doubt that in a short time they would soon notice an improvement in the condition of their hair.

The first essential, in my opinion, is to keep both the scalp and hair perfectly clean. It may seem superfluous to say that to women who realise the necessity of keeping the whole body clean. Especially is this the case with regard to Englishwomen, who have a bath every day. I am perfectly certain that much washing of the hair with water is bad. As a matter of fact, I wash my own hair as seldom as possible. I cannot give any exact interval of days or weeks when the hair is to be washed, for that depends on circumstances.

In the dark, foggy days, when there is much dirt and soot in the air, the hair naturally gets more dirty, and may therefore require more frequent washing than in the light, bright days of summer. Still, even under these conditions, it is possible by much brushing to avoid any excessive use of water.

When the hair is washed, it should be allowed to hang down until it dries naturally in the air, as I do not believe in rubbing it with a towel or using hot irons for the purpose of driving off the moisture. Those things are bad- very bad. Hot irons ruin the hair. The woman who uses curling tongs courts disaster. The heat dries up the natural oil which is supplied by the little oil glands at the roots of the hair and keeps it soft and moist. The result of tongs or of heat is to make the hair brittle, so that it breaks off short. It stands to reason that if you are constantly breaking the hair it will never get long.

Only once in my life did I ever have my hair curled with curling- tongs. That once taught me my lesson. The hairdresser used irons which were too hot, and he burnt a lot of the hair in the middle of my head. Since that day no hot irons have ever been put near my hair.

How Often to Clean Brushes
Although I so strongly disapprove of washing the head with water, it is possible, as I have said, to keep the scalp and the hair quite clean by brushing it. To do this, perfectly clean brushes are absolutely necessary. My own brushes are washed every day. When once a brush has been used it is never allowed to touch my hair again until it has been thoroughly washed and dried. Doing this regularly becomes a matter of routine, and it takes scarcely any time at all, although I know only too well that when these things are done only occasionally they seem to take a great deal of time.

Another reason for brushes taking so much time when they are only washed occasionally is that they are really dirty, and to clean dirty brushes must necessarily take longer than to wash those which have only been used once. If you think of it, it is no more nice to brush your hair with dirty brushes which have not been washed for two or three weeks than it is to dry your face with a towel which has not been washed for the same time.

Every morning when I get up my maid brushes my hair. As it is so long I have had to have a specially high stool made to sit on. the maid brushes both my scalp thoroughly and my hair from the roots to the end for half an hour. The other quarter of an hour I devote to dressing it for the day.

In addition to keeping the hair perfectly clean, this brushing prevents the possibility of any scurf or dandruff-and scurf is death to the hair. It may come because the hair is too dry, or it may be due to the hair being to greasy. To whichever cause it is due it should be cured at the very earliest moment it is seen, so that it may not cause the hair to drop out, as it most assuredly will if it is neglected. I should strongly recommend the doctor being called in when there is scurf, but sometimes a home remedy like "golden ointment," which is a compound of mercury, will cure the condition rapidly. In that case, what I have said about washing must be ignored for the time. The ointment must be well rubbed into the roots of the hair at night, and washed out the next morning. In the course of a week of this treatment the scurf ought to be quite cured.

If the hair is very dry, it is a clear indication that the little oil glands are not supplying enough nourishment. This must, therefore, be supplemented by the use of a little good brillantine. It is not a good thing to put it on all over the hair. What should be done is to dip the tips of the fingers into the brillantine and rub it well into the scalp until you feel a distinct tingling. The result of this massage causes the blood to circulate very freely in the scalp, and so takes to the oil glands the material they need to make the oil they secrete. at the same time the glands are stimulated to take up the oil which has been rubbed into the scalp, so that the massage acts in a two-fold manner.

Dry hair is invariably dull hair. Now, there is an undoubted beauty in seeing hair shine and reflect the light. This effect is produced by the natural oil, supplemented by the use of a brush.When, therefore, the natural oil is absent, it is well to put the smallest quantity of brillantine on the palm of the hand, and then rub the bristles of the brush over the palm. In this way they get an infinitesimal quantity of oil on them. This little is, however, quite sufficient to make the hair shine without being enough to damage the hair in any way, provided that the brush is used enough.

The Value of Massage
I need scarcely say that as the oil glands improve in health by the massage, the need for even the exceedingly small quantity of artificial oil will be done away with, and the daily brushing will be quite sufficient to give the hair that wonderful sheen and lustre which are so desirable.

One of the Queens of France, who was famous for the beauty of her hair used to make her maid brush each of the four strands, into which she divided her hair when it was dressed, a hundred times. And her hair always grew luxuriantly and kept its beautiful youthful appearance all her life.

Another advantage of brushing the hair so much is to give a sensation of great lightness to the spirits. Indeed , a headache can often be cured by massaging the aching part and then well brushing the hair.

People often ask me whether I believe that cutting the hair and singeing the ends with a lighted taper is beneficial for the growth. I am quite sure they do great good. I have the ends of my hair cut and singed very often.

With many people the ends of the hair have a great tendency to split. In the first place, if these ends are kept cut, the splitting will be prevented, and, in the second, if the ends have split, the cutting will prevent the split from proceeding farther and ruining the hair.

Just as the gardener cuts the branches of the young trees to make them grow stronger, so it would appear, it is necessary for us to clip the ends of our hair if we would have it attain the most luxuriant growth of which it is capable. Indeed, the habit of the gardener in taking care of the beautiful flowers which are entrusted to his keeping might well, and should undoubtedly, be followed by every woman with regard to her hair and that of her daughters.

It was no doubt this care bestowed on my hair when I was a girl which helped to make it grow so long. As a matter of fact, when I was a child I was not noted for the length of my hair. It was no longer than that of any of my companions. By the time I was thirteen or fourteen it had reached my waist, and many girls have hair as long as that. It was when I was sent to a convent to finish my education that my hair began to grow luxuriantly. One of the nuns had a special lotion which she used for her hair. She gave me the recipe for it, and I have used it ever since. Unfortunately, I cannot make the recipe public, as I promised to keep it a secret. Every doctor, however, can give a prescription which, if persevered in, will make the hair grow.

One thing which I find disconcerts some women, and is even a matter of grave concern, is that, at times, their hair falls out. Mine does, too. Sometimes, indeed, it comes out almost in handfuls. So much has come out that I have a great big box full of these "combings." I never worry about it. I know from experience that just as the hair falls out, so it grows again. It is the law of nature. "
 
Something about this is contradictory:


FlowerHair said:
Here is an article I found on another hair board. Apparently she singed her hair.

"Long Hair Care Circa 1912

HOW I TAKE CARE OF MY HAIR.....
Mlle. Aline Vallandri, the famous Cantatrice, who has the Most Wonderful Hair in Europe, tells her Secrets to an Interviewer for Every Woman's Encyclopaedia.

In addition to her many qualities as an artist and to her charming personality as a woman, Mlle. Vallandri, as is well known, is renowned for the wonderful beauty of her hair, which forms a veritable golden mantle about her, and reaches to the very ground. So wonderful a gift of Nature has taught its possessor many things for preserving it , and in the following interview she kindly gives readers of EVERY WOMAN'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA the benefit of her experience.

It is not difficult to set down the rules I follow for taking care of my hair. Greatly as I prize and value my gift, I am no slave to it, for I devote only about three quarters of an hour every day to its care. If women generally did the same, I have no doubt that in a short time they would soon notice an improvement in the condition of their hair.

The first essential, in my opinion, is to keep both the scalp and hair perfectly clean. It may seem superfluous to say that to women who realise the necessity of keeping the whole body clean. Especially is this the case with regard to Englishwomen, who have a bath every day. I am perfectly certain that much washing of the hair with water is bad. As a matter of fact, I wash my own hair as seldom as possible. I cannot give any exact interval of days or weeks when the hair is to be washed, for that depends on circumstances.

In the dark, foggy days, when there is much dirt and soot in the air, the hair naturally gets more dirty, and may therefore require more frequent washing than in the light, bright days of summer. Still, even under these conditions, it is possible by much brushing to avoid any excessive use of water.

When the hair is washed, it should be allowed to hang down until it dries naturally in the air, as I do not believe in rubbing it with a towel or using hot irons for the purpose of driving off the moisture. Those things are bad- very bad. Hot irons ruin the hair. The woman who uses curling tongs courts disaster. The heat dries up the natural oil which is supplied by the little oil glands at the roots of the hair and keeps it soft and moist. The result of tongs or of heat is to make the hair brittle, so that it breaks off short. It stands to reason that if you are constantly breaking the hair it will never get long.

Only once in my life did I ever have my hair curled with curling- tongs. That once taught me my lesson. The hairdresser used irons which were too hot, and he burnt a lot of the hair in the middle of my head. Since that day no hot irons have ever been put near my hair.

How Often to Clean Brushes
Although I so strongly disapprove of washing the head with water, it is possible, as I have said, to keep the scalp and the hair quite clean by brushing it. To do this, perfectly clean brushes are absolutely necessary. My own brushes are washed every day. When once a brush has been used it is never allowed to touch my hair again until it has been thoroughly washed and dried. Doing this regularly becomes a matter of routine, and it takes scarcely any time at all, although I know only too well that when these things are done only occasionally they seem to take a great deal of time.

Another reason for brushes taking so much time when they are only washed occasionally is that they are really dirty, and to clean dirty brushes must necessarily take longer than to wash those which have only been used once. If you think of it, it is no more nice to brush your hair with dirty brushes which have not been washed for two or three weeks than it is to dry your face with a towel which has not been washed for the same time.

Every morning when I get up my maid brushes my hair. As it is so long I have had to have a specially high stool made to sit on. the maid brushes both my scalp thoroughly and my hair from the roots to the end for half an hour. The other quarter of an hour I devote to dressing it for the day.

In addition to keeping the hair perfectly clean, this brushing prevents the possibility of any scurf or dandruff-and scurf is death to the hair. It may come because the hair is too dry, or it may be due to the hair being to greasy. To whichever cause it is due it should be cured at the very earliest moment it is seen, so that it may not cause the hair to drop out, as it most assuredly will if it is neglected. I should strongly recommend the doctor being called in when there is scurf, but sometimes a home remedy like "golden ointment," which is a compound of mercury, will cure the condition rapidly. In that case, what I have said about washing must be ignored for the time. The ointment must be well rubbed into the roots of the hair at night, and washed out the next morning. In the course of a week of this treatment the scurf ought to be quite cured.

If the hair is very dry, it is a clear indication that the little oil glands are not supplying enough nourishment. This must, therefore, be supplemented by the use of a little good brillantine. It is not a good thing to put it on all over the hair. What should be done is to dip the tips of the fingers into the brillantine and rub it well into the scalp until you feel a distinct tingling. The result of this massage causes the blood to circulate very freely in the scalp, and so takes to the oil glands the material they need to make the oil they secrete. at the same time the glands are stimulated to take up the oil which has been rubbed into the scalp, so that the massage acts in a two-fold manner.

Dry hair is invariably dull hair. Now, there is an undoubted beauty in seeing hair shine and reflect the light. This effect is produced by the natural oil, supplemented by the use of a brush.When, therefore, the natural oil is absent, it is well to put the smallest quantity of brillantine on the palm of the hand, and then rub the bristles of the brush over the palm. In this way they get an infinitesimal quantity of oil on them. This little is, however, quite sufficient to make the hair shine without being enough to damage the hair in any way, provided that the brush is used enough.

The Value of Massage
I need scarcely say that as the oil glands improve in health by the massage, the need for even the exceedingly small quantity of artificial oil will be done away with, and the daily brushing will be quite sufficient to give the hair that wonderful sheen and lustre which are so desirable.

One of the Queens of France, who was famous for the beauty of her hair used to make her maid brush each of the four strands, into which she divided her hair when it was dressed, a hundred times. And her hair always grew luxuriantly and kept its beautiful youthful appearance all her life.

Another advantage of brushing the hair so much is to give a sensation of great lightness to the spirits. Indeed , a headache can often be cured by massaging the aching part and then well brushing the hair.

People often ask me whether I believe that cutting the hair and singeing the ends with a lighted taper is beneficial for the growth. I am quite sure they do great good. I have the ends of my hair cut and singed very often.

With many people the ends of the hair have a great tendency to split. In the first place, if these ends are kept cut, the splitting will be prevented, and, in the second, if the ends have split, the cutting will prevent the split from proceeding farther and ruining the hair.

Just as the gardener cuts the branches of the young trees to make them grow stronger, so it would appear, it is necessary for us to clip the ends of our hair if we would have it attain the most luxuriant growth of which it is capable. Indeed, the habit of the gardener in taking care of the beautiful flowers which are entrusted to his keeping might well, and should undoubtedly, be followed by every woman with regard to her hair and that of her daughters.

It was no doubt this care bestowed on my hair when I was a girl which helped to make it grow so long. As a matter of fact, when I was a child I was not noted for the length of my hair. It was no longer than that of any of my companions. By the time I was thirteen or fourteen it had reached my waist, and many girls have hair as long as that. It was when I was sent to a convent to finish my education that my hair began to grow luxuriantly. One of the nuns had a special lotion which she used for her hair. She gave me the recipe for it, and I have used it ever since. Unfortunately, I cannot make the recipe public, as I promised to keep it a secret. Every doctor, however, can give a prescription which, if persevered in, will make the hair grow.

One thing which I find disconcerts some women, and is even a matter of grave concern, is that, at times, their hair falls out. Mine does, too. Sometimes, indeed, it comes out almost in handfuls. So much has come out that I have a great big box full of these "combings." I never worry about it. I know from experience that just as the hair falls out, so it grows again. It is the law of nature. "
Click to expand...

So she strongly dissaproves of heat on the hair but singes her ends? :confused:
She also does not use water to wash her hair, just a brush? :confused:
If she trims her hair regularly then why does she need to singe the ends?
If she singes the ends frequently and this does "great good" how does she keep getting split ends?

I dont think I can follow this advice.
 
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pookeylou said:
Something about this is contradictory:
So she strongly dissaproves of heat on the hair but singes her ends? :confused:
She also does not use water to wash her hair, just a brush? :confused:

I dont think I can follow this advice.
Click to expand...
In this woman's time, heated tools used on the hair were much different than today. Quite often when they said "hot iron" they meant hot iron. The temperature was unregulated and no thermal hair care products existed.
 
Boadicea said:
In this woman's time, heated tools used on the hair were much different than today. Quite often when they said "hot iron" they meant hot iron. The temperature was unregulated and there no thermal hair care products existed.
Click to expand...

Whooo! This is deep. Ok, I saw that the advice is from 1912!

Even still, hot iron or curling iron, she is right when she says these implements dry out and burn the hair.

The "burning the ends" routine, whether it is from 1912 or 2012 sounds dangerous.

Fire and hair do not mix!
 
I agree Pookeylou, a lot of things that she did to her hair I would never do. Especially the part about rubbing mercury in my scalp!! :nono:
 
cosigning with reformatio, when I was younger and dumber I was playing with fire (yes I admit it!) and I bent over looking closely at the flame...the next thing you know my head (my bangs) caught on fire! I was able to quickly wash it out and I have a lot of hair so no one knew! Needlesstosay I would never try this method...speaking from a bad experience!
 
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