For Christmas I want to press my hair...

[Purtygurly]

I was going to relax it, I have more than 2.5 inches (by Christmas I'm hoping that it'sll be closer to 3 inches) of new growth. I can't relax now because my scalp had exzema on it, and is still sore. I want it to heal COMPLETELY before I put any chemical as caustic as a relaxer on it. I'll wait until January.

So I decided just to straighten the new growth on Christmas. It'll the the first and probably only time I've done it.

This is what I plan to do... do a hot oil treatment, wash my hair with elasta qp shampoo for relaxed hair, deep condition with humecto mixed with humectress and oils. Rinse out and apply all my leave ins and oils, then roller set and let it air dry. Then when I wake up in the morining, I'll put either dudley's cream press, or ultrasheens (which one is better?) on my new growth then I'll press only the new growth.

Does that sound good?

I need to buy a pressing comb though... will one of the electric one's work good enough? Or do I have to buy the one you put on the stove? How hot should I let it get?

 

[Purtygurly]

anyone??

 

[serena]

An electric one would probably be better, especially one with different heat settings. It's much harder to control the temperature of the combs that you heat up on the stove. I'm not a pressing expert, but I gather that the setting you use depends on your hair type. The instructions that come with the comb should give you an idea of the heat settings to use for different hair types. Be sure to test your comb first on a piece of white tissue paper, or a paper napkin, etc. If it scorches the paper, it's too hot for your hair, and you need a lower setting.

 

[Brownie]

I rarely use my pressing comb, but I have one that plugs in. It doesn't have any settings, but it never gets too hot. It gets just hot enough to do the job.

By the way, pressing your new growth shouldn't be a problem if you take your time, and do one small section at a time---don't use too much pressing oil either. Some people here use flat irons or curling irons (hairlove) to straighten the new growth. I've also noticed that my new growth stretches out pretty well just by blowing it out, but it depends what kind of style you're trying to create for X-mas.