For my "No" or "Low" Heat ladies....

[NowIAmNappy]

I have only used heat twice in the almost 6 years of being natural. I learned that washing my hair mid day and letting them dry overnight works best for me for styling in the morning. I love updos, twists, twist outs, braid outs, Bantu knots, buns, etc. my hair thrives without heat as I have some fine to medium strands.

 

[koolkittychick]

It's been so long since I've used heat on my relaxed hair that I don't even own heat styling tools any more--just an old, beat up cheapo hood dryer that I use for deep conditioning and the occasional roller set. Since I protective style with buns and braids 90% of the time, it hasn't been much of a problem for me, but when I want to do my hair fancy, roller sets or curlformers are my go-to styles for that stuff. And just as an incentive, I just want to let you know that when I ditched the heat and started protective styling in earnest, I was able to retain 3-5 inches in growth a year as opposed to the 1-2 inches I retained when I was using heat. Just something to think about as you decide how heat-free you want to be.

 

[yodie]

Ladies, your posts are encouraging. I wasn't comfortable wearing "heat free" styles in my younger years because I was trying to be cute and I equated cute more so with straight styles. Not anymore. I welcome the low to no heat in 2014. My shrinkage is a beast, so I'm still working on it.

 

[JessieLeleB]

I went from BC to natural to flatiron causing damage to BC to No Heat ever natural 2yr to attempting flatiron with protective products loved the results but hate that my hair is heat sensitive and lost some curl pattern going back to No Heat! For now... I love straight tho

 

[Poohbear]

Poohbear and SherylsTresses,

You both are where I want to be.
Poohbear, what length is your hair when straightened?

Poohbear and SherylsTresses, do you twist your hair with anything to hold the style for two weeks? Right now I only use a leave in and oil. I love it.

I really am determined to make it through this year with minimal heat in order to accomplish my goal.

yodie, my hair is still in the APL/BSB range when straightened. I cut several inches off back in April 2013. I recently dusted my ends last week, nothing major. I'm hoping this new routine of avoiding heat for real this time will allow me to retain more length than I have in previous years when I used alot of heat.

I currently use plain ol' water and Dax pomade to braid my hair and then unravel for a braidout. This combination has done pretty good for holding the style. I just recently discovered that I can get away with not rebraiding every night. Instead, I'll wear my hair in a high bun at night to keep the braidout style. Twistouts don't really hold as well for me as braidouts do so I haven't done them for awhile.

 

[yodie]

Bumping this thread. How are the rest of you no/low heat ladies doing?
I'm going strong and plan on keeping it that way.
tapioca_pudding, this thread really set me off on a GREAT hair journey. Hi buddy!! Happy New Year.

 

[Lilmama1011]

i hope you ladies are doing well

 

[faithopelove23]

First post. I've enjoyed my time as a long time paid lurker on this site (tee hee), but its time to break out of the shell. I really need support for this no heat endeavor. Ive noticed recently that my previously BSL hair has over the last few months (about three), been inching up to armpit length. I'm not sure what's causing the change, but i'm committed to nipping it in the bud, NOW. I had my weekly flat iron routine down pat, but now I'm finding myself in unchartered territory with my commitment to no heat. I wore my very first 2 strand twists today. They aren't bad, but I definitely need practice. I'm truly looking forward to reading about all of you ladies' experiences. I need all of the inspiration/ knowledge I can gather! HHG.

 

[yodie]

My goddaughter is spending the weekend with me. She said she wants to wear more natural styles and wanted me to try a twist out on her hair. She's 14 with brastrap length. We brought Taliah Wajid's Curly curl cream from Sally's. I used that for a twist out and it looks GREAT. She loves it. We were twisted twins. I'm a proud godmom.

 

[faithopelove23]

@ yodie : That's great. I'm taking note of the Taliah Wajid. Will have to try. Thanks. My twists came out pretty moisturized, but I used like 4-5 products to achieve the look. I'd really like to use no more than 2 really effective products to twist. Also, my twist style wasn't very full, so I'll have to work on parting and placement to get the look that I want.

 

[yodie]

faithopelove23, I don't use a lot of products. I use a leave in, oil mixture, and twist. I've never even used the Taliah Wajid product, but I want to try it. Too much product dries my hair out and causes breakage. I wouldn't have that problem if I washed my hair every other day, but I don't want to do that. Too much manipulation.

I don't have a lot of length to my twist outs, so I wear it in a pinned up style. Usually my hair swells up some. I also flip my head over and manipulate my roots a bit to give my hair height.

 

[Solila]

I haven't straightened my hair in years and to be honest, I dont miss heat. Lol

 

[yodie]

Checking in! I did the Design Essentials Treatment last night and had to straighten. Wow! The difference in my hair since I laid off the heat is amazing. I do have some color on the ends of my hair that I need to continue to trim, but overall my hair is growing. My nape used to be so chewed up and nonexistent. You would never know that now. Loving my hair!!!!