Is pressing your hair better than flat ironing it?

[seraphim712]

I went to my mom's house this week to visit a few days during my spring break. I noticed that she used a stove top pressing comb to straighten out her hair each morning which left it soft and smooth and afterwards she would apply a small amount of Africa's Best Ultimate Herbal Oil w/ Ginseng to her hair.

I asked her if she could press my hair which she did, using the same process she does with her hair, and I can tell you that the results were better than me flat ironing my own hair!!! My hair was smooth and soft all the way down to the ends(which were smooth). I took some of the hair oil and sealed my ends. Finally that night before going to bed, I wrapped my hair in my satin scarf and the next morning, my hair was softer and silkier than ever with alot of body.

So the question is: Is pressing your hair with a hot comb better than flat ironing? I know may not be all the time, but does a hot comb cause more or less damage to hair?

BTW: The Africa's Best seems to be an excellent staple product. The ingredients consist of nothing but oil, vitamin E, and herb extracts. An wonderful combinaton I must say!!! My mom said she got it from Walmart for about $3.00.

Here's a pic:

Ingredients
Soy Bean Oil, Walnut Seed Oil, Kiwi Fruit Extract, Olive Fruit Oil, Castor Seed Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Carrot Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Tocopherol Acetate (a synthetic vitamin E), Safflower Oil, Calendula Extract, Yarrow Extract, Cucumber Extract, Carrageenan Extract, Ginseng Extract, Sage Extract, Comfrey Extract, Aloe Extract, Fragrance

Another link about Africa's Best Herbal Oil
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=1295236

I'm sorry if I'm a little late in finding out about these hair products lol. I just discover these wonderful things this past December with the help of you ladies on LHCF. LOL

 

[seraphinelle]

I never liked the hot comb, because it made me uneasy. Someone using a hot comb close to my scalp... shaky hands... yikes!

I also don't like that you can't control the heat like a flat iron.

But I think it can work better for some people, and maybe not others.

 

[seraphim712]

BUMPING for more replies

 

[toyztoy]

BUMPING for more replies

What she said!!

 

[seraphim712]

What she said!!

 

[cocosweet]

I learned years ago that stove hot combs and me don't mix. I tried it once and I watched a section of hair that was 2inches wide and 10 inches long literally disintergrate before my eyes. After that, I moved on to electric pressing combs and heat controlled flat irons.

 

[Bint Yusef]

Hot combs probably are best to avoid, unless you have an electric one with temp settings. You cannot control the heat on the stove top hot combs. A lot of the newer flatirons have all kinds of technology built in to protect the hair as much as possible, and you can control the heating as well.

I cannot even imagine anyone hotcombing everyday and having healthy hair. Wow!

 

[xDestinedx]

my mother used to hot comb her hair from the stove all of the time...

she had extremely thin hair...it was long....but very thin...you could see her scalp in some places.... I dont know if the hot comb had anything to do with it...but ...she claimed it ran in the family....my hair isnt thin...and last time I seen grandma...she had a thick plait at midback.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I think in general pressing combs are more damaging than flat irons. Electric pressing combs are better than stove combs, IMO, becasue of the heat control.

I must say though that I've had some presses that have not left me with damaged sections. It takes a skilled person to do a good press that lasts without causing damage.

In this order:
Electric flat iron
Eletric pressing comb
Pressing comb

HTH
{DI}

 

[Sweetcoco82]

My aunt who has been doing hair for over 20 years says that pressing combs are better then flat irons. She says that a pressing comb runs through your hair and that flat irons cause more friction on your hair. I used to use a electric hot comb about 2 times a month. Never had any problems with it at all. To me it does seem like a flat iron would cause more friction. Your squeezing your hair between to pieces of metal. It seems like there would be more pressure on your hair and tugging. I have yet to use a flat iron. I am kinda tempted to use a maxiglide. But then again my hair blowdries straight.

 

[stargazer613]

I'm natural, and I have to do both press and flat iron in order for my hair to get as straight as I want it to. I own a Golden Supreme stove pressing comb, and although it gets very hot, I let it cool for a few seconds and wave it around in the air to cool it down before I apply it to my hair. And whenever a stylist/or family member would press my hair, they would blow on it to cool it down or keep a fan on to reduce the temp. I've been pressing my hair for years (usually every two weeks, less in the summer) and my hair hasn't thinned out or shown significant damage.
I had one of those electric pressing combs and tossed it after about a year because it didn't get hot enough for me, but it came in handy when I was in college and needed to do touch ups in the morning before going to class.

 

[seraphim712]

I agree with everyone about stove top hot combs can damage your hair since there is no heat temperature. My mom however the hotplate setting on about 4 before she put the hotcomb on the eye. After the comb heated up, she let it cool down for about 3 min and then used it on my hair. It didn't cause any damage to my hair since she was careful not to pull through my hair or let it get too hot.

I think it would be better to use a comb with temp settings so you don't have to worry about burning your scalp or hair. I personally think the oil helped alot after my hair was pressed. It sealed in alot of moisture.

 

[Glitter]

I've had my hair done with both a flat iron and a pressing comb and I personally think it's about technique. My hair got incredibly smooth with a Chi and some biosilk. When I asked the woman who did my hair, she said it was all in the wrist and the amount of pressure you apply to your hair.

My has been incredibly straight due to pressing comb. The woman who did my hair for many years was great at getting the hair smooth (it did, however, take about 3.5 - 4 hours to get your hair done).

Practice makes perfect in any venue if you want your hair silky straight. I just think that electric flat irons are safer due to the ceramic plates that many of the top quality ones use. Plus, the technology - in terms of heat adjustment and automatic head transfer within the device - is incredible.

HTH

 

[CurliDiva]

Not that I've straigthen my hair in over a year, but I have childhood flashbacks of the sound of the grease sizzling and the smell of the pressing comb.

I will get a maxiglide when I'm ready to wear my hair straight.

 

[GoldenBreeze]

I don't know if a pressing comb is better than a flat iron as far as tools go, but I have never been able to get as good of a press with a flat iron as I can with a pressing comb. I never learn how to use the combs that you put on the stove, but have been using an electric pressing comb for 30 years. I can say that I've never, thank God, burned out any of my hair nor had any hair that didn't revert back to curls and coils.

 

[hairmaster]

STOVE TOP PRESSING COMBS CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE HAIR, BUT YOU CAN'T
BEAT THE OLD PROS LIKE MOM TO KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.

 

[Jas123]

I think pressing combs are worst for your hair because 1) No heat control 2) Frying hair with heated metal and 3) Combing hair with those small teeth causes alot of friction (and heat) whereas Ceramic flat irons (and they must be pure ceramic) are 1) Flat and smooth, no friction 2) Heat control and 3) Heated Ceramic on hair seals the cuticle from within and can be healthy for hair as long as you don't abuse them.

 

[XXXtacy]

I don't know if a pressing comb is better than a flat iron as far as tools go, but I have never been able to get as good of a press with a flat iron as I can with a pressing comb. I never learn how to use the combs that you put on the stove, but have been using an electric pressing comb for 30 years. I can say that I've never, thank God, burned out any of my hair nor had any hair that didn't revert back to curls and coils.

Since I do not have a perm, my choices of straightening my hair would be pressing comb or flat iron. Occassionally I frequent an old school beautician who presses my hair. It is the best. The new stylist don't use pressing combs. I always feel like my roots are never that straight. I have and can press my hair. I don't do it often.

 

[happylocks]

No matter what I use my hair turns into a frizzy puff. I would say DONT GET AN ELECTRIC PRESS COMB. I toss mine in the trash if it burned my hair completely out, I have a blad spot in the front of my hair. It mess up and burned my hair off. If I would use on it would be on the stove.

 

[jwhitley6]

My aunt who has been doing hair for over 20 years says that pressing combs are better then flat irons. She says that a pressing comb runs through your hair and that flat irons cause more friction on your hair. I used to use a electric hot comb about 2 times a month. Never had any problems with it at all. To me it does seem like a flat iron would cause more friction. Your squeezing your hair between to pieces of metal. It seems like there would be more pressure on your hair and tugging. I have yet to use a flat iron. I am kinda tempted to use a maxiglide. But then again my hair blowdries straight.

I agree with you 100%. I'm surprised there are so many pressing comb haters on this board . It is so much better for your hair than clamping it down in a flat iron. I use a ceramic flat iron sometimes and it's okay, but there is nothing like a good press! When I press, I get comments all the time on how healthy, soft and bouncy my hair is. Flat ironing gives a totally different effect and I notice that my ends are NOT very happy after I flat iron .

 

[jwhitley6]

STOVE TOP PRESSING COMBS CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE HAIR, BUT YOU CAN'T
BEAT THE OLD PROS LIKE MOM TO KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.

I learned from my mother who was a beautician in North Carolina back in the day. I use the old school pressing combs and can even use the old school marcel curling irons. I've been pressing my own hair for over 15 years.

 

[Ntrlmystik]

I flat iron my hair because it takes less time. However, when I use a pressing comb, I get a better press. Its all about technique and that is something that takes experience and practice. Before I had a relaxer as a child, my mother used to press my hair all the time and it was thick and retained its length. I also pressed my hair myself bi weekly, when I was natural the first time around and my hair was sleeker than when I flat ironed it. I only wear my hair straight twice a year so a maxiglide is good enough for me but if I was gong for a straight look on a regular basis, I would use a pressing comb.

 

[seraphim712]

I agree with you 100%. I'm surprised there are so many pressing comb haters on this board . It is so much better for your hair than clamping it down in a flat iron. I use a ceramic flat iron sometimes and it's okay, but there is nothing like a good press! When I press, I get comments all the time on how healthy, soft and bouncy my hair is. Flat ironing gives a totally different effect and I notice that my ends are NOT very happy after I flat iron .

I agree with you, and I noticed the same thing with both the pressing comb and the flat iron. When I use my flat iron, my ends are always crunchy, dry, or frizzy; but when my mom used the pressing comb, my hair had alot of body to it, and my ends were sealed.

I don't have anything against the flat iron. I personally think that I need to get one with heat control since my current one doesn't have that option which probably explains the frizzy ends.

 

[glamazon386]

I was told by my stylist that the comb does more damage because the teeth are actually pulling your hair straight. He said the pressing comb makes the hair too straight and when you wash it you could have pieces that won't go back. He said it's better to use the flat iron. Which is what he used on my hiar. But I mean as long as it's not being used at too high of a temperature I don't really see what the problem is. Flat irons can damage just like a pressing comb or even a blow dryer. If it works for you and your hair is healthy then I'd say do what you feel you need to.

ETA: It also could just be technique. Someone else is going to do a better job at pressing or flat ironing your hair more than likely bc they can see what they're doing. Especially if you have a lot of hair. And I would assume someone who has been trained properly would do a better job than you doing your hair yourself. I know my hair would be a hot mess if I tried to press or flat iron it myself. So I'm not even gonna go there. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Poohbear]

My aunt who has been doing hair for over 20 years says that pressing combs are better then flat irons. She says that a pressing comb runs through your hair and that flat irons cause more friction on your hair. I used to use a electric hot comb about 2 times a month. Never had any problems with it at all. To me it does seem like a flat iron would cause more friction. Your squeezing your hair between to pieces of metal. It seems like there would be more pressure on your hair and tugging. I have yet to use a flat iron. I am kinda tempted to use a maxiglide. But then again my hair blowdries straight.

WOW! This makes so much sense!

 

[MsSharee06]

I will always love the pressing comb over the flat iron. Pressing makes my hair feel nice and soft. When I 'm stretching my perm sometimes I tend to just press out the roots and not the ends; thats only if my ends are straight. But it just depends.