@Muse can you explain the bold? I flat iron my hair and I braid it when flat ironed for bed. Before I discovered Curlformers, I braided it to stretch before flat ironing. So I don't follow how it's conterproductive to braid hair if going to flat iron. That's what a lot of naturals do. Please 'splain.
When you braid you are adding waves to the hair. That's what I'm trying to get rid of. I wash, blow dry, and flat iron. In my current routine I don't see where braids figure in. I should add that a few years back I use to air dry in braids and then flat iron and I felt it was counter productive then so I stopped. So I am speaking from personal experience. Maybe those braids weren't done right...