looking at another thread and decided to ask

[Black Hoya Chick]

is flat ironing wet hair ok? like that wet-to-dry technique thing?

 

[naturalgurl]

I heard it's ok but it's still scurry to me. I've yet to use the flat iron. My personal no heat challenge was up in October. But I found a new love and tried roller setting, trust me it works on ALL hair....now back to your question, I want to hear the responses too...

 

[SparklingFlame]

A Maxiglide uses a steam burst, which is the basically the same thing as flat ironing wet hair. Steam is created and introduced into the hair shaft.

Many people use the steam burst feature on the Maxiglide, myself included, and no one has reported any damage.

Mt 2cents.

 

[Jas123]

I wouldn't, but maybe some of the other ladies will chime to let you know if this is ok or not

 

[Encore]

I wouldn't I feel like its burning my hair I like steam treatments, but I feel like that's too much direct heat.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

i voted no. just becuase i dont like sizzle. makes me think of bacon....mmmm

 

[hairaboutit]

i voted no. just becuase i dont like sizzle. makes me think of bacon....mmmm

I'm w/ you Adora. Just the thought of my hair sizzling makes me cringe. Reminds me of the press & curl w/ grease combo from back in the day

 

[orchidgirl]

No...I tried..(When I was hair challenged I was young then and had hair to spare.lol) And my hair hated me for months. I had breakage and my hair went hard as bricks. It was if all moisture and texture was stripped out of my hair. I did it our of shear impatience. Please don't try HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED.

P>S> I have not used the maxi but correct me if i am wrong...but you use it on dry hair? Too introduce steam on dry hair is O.K ...to use such high heat (no steam) on follicles is like putting water on a hot frying pan...it strip the hair of moisture. That is just my experience....

 

[Nonie]

Been doing it since I was in my teens and I didn't even use protectant back then. I'd do it with a pressing comb. Never had issues and I get the best press ever. I previously posted a few threads on this and if you missed them here you go:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=281943
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=286697
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=288013

There are combs (I mean flat irons) made for this purpose and it is believed it locks in moisture. There's is also the school of thought that it can cause splits in the strands by creating a hot bubble, so that's one thing to consider.

Personally after my April experience with it, where I pressed this hair to this using heat protectants this time and didn't have even the slightest whiff of burning hair during the press, or after the press, or even when I washed it. And seeing my hair revert beautifully the minute shampoo touched it again WITHOUT ANY SMELL OF BURNED HAIR (a first for me) convinced me that I now have the straightening technique down pat.

I used to be one of those who was a bit afraid of heat, even though I've never had any issue with reversion but after April 2009's press, I am no longer afraid of heat. BTW, in case you don't know, Irresistible has used this method for years and I'd not call her hair damaged by any stretch of the imagination.

But to each her own.

 

[Amber_moon]

I do.

As a matter of fact I swear by it, I will ONLY flat iron my hair damp. Dry heat scares the crap out of me. And I experience more breakage if I dont mist my hair with water before I flat iron.

I would never flat iron hair that was soaking wet (like just out of the shower wet) though that seems dangerous to me too (because my hair is more brittle when its sopping wet) but I will mist my hair with a spray bottle of water (and then heat protectant over it) before I run the flat iron over it. Its only about 20% moist at that point.

 

[Nonie]

Just wanted to post an article on this method and how it came about.

There have been man innovations in flat iron technology; ceramic plates, tourmaline plates and flash heating. The latest innovation is wet to dry flat irons. Wet to dry flat irons are becoming more and more popular because they avoid the need to first blow-dry your hair and produce straighter, shinier hair for those with particularly curly of difficult to manage hair.

Applying any heat to your hair damages it. Therefore when you first blow-dry your hair and then use a flat iron to straighten it, you're subjecting your hair to high temperatures not once but twice! You can apply hair serums to your hair to help protect the damage of heat, but if you use a flat iron often you can cause your hair follicles to dry out, which in turn causes frizziness and split-ends.

Manufacturers have realised that first drying your hair before using a flat iron to straighten it puts your hair at twice the risk from heat damage. The answer has been the development of wet to dry flat irons. Using a wet to dry flat iron doesn't eliminate heat damage but it means you can avoid the high temperatures involved in blow-drying your hair. The follow is a review of three of the best wet to dry flat irons on the market today.

Corioliss Tourmaline Ceramic Wet to Dry Flat Iron comes highly recommended. This flat iron from Corioliss comes with 1.75" tourmaline plates. Tourmaline plates produce many times the number of negative ions than do ordinary ceramic plates. Negative ions close the cuticle layer to create a smooth, silky hair surface and seal in the hair’s natural moisture. Corioliss wet to dry hair straighteners also come with a Ceramic Far Infrared Heating System.

The Maxiglide MX-597 One Step Hair Straightening Iron is cheaper than the Corioliss and it also comes with steam burst technology. This Maxiglide flat iron comes with two sets of ceramic plates; the first set is the usual smooth ceramic plates found on most flat irons, and the second set of plates has small teeth like a comb, which help to detangle hair and brush it as the same time. Maxiglide claim that, just as you use bursts of steam when ironing out creases in your clothes, so too you use steam to straighten out stubborn curly hair. This sounds great but there are some minus points with the Maxiglide wet to dry flat iron. First off, the appliance has a water reservoir for the steam, which means that the unit is a little heaver and bulky making it difficult for some to use. Also, the plates are 4 inches wide making it a little unwieldy. Finally, some have complained that the detangling pins of the ceramic plates, far from helping to straighten hair, but actually make the task harder to accomplish. But despite these complaints, many find the Maxiglide MX-597 One Step flat iron an excellent hair straightener.

The Remington Wet 2 Straight flat iron is the cheapest of the three wet to dry flat iron. Its cheapness probably reflects the lack of features offered by the other two, but the Remington flat iron is excellent value for money. Unlike the Maxiglide, the Remington Wet 2 Straight does not come with steam and but, like the Maxiglide, it also doesn't have tourmaline plates like the Corioliss wet to dry flat iron. The Remington flat iron does come with dual voltage, so you can use it all over the world. Also it comes with a generous 2-year warranty: both Maxiglide and Corioliss offer only a one year warranty.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a cheap wet to dry flat iron, then the Remington Wet 2 Straight flat iron is an excellent product. If you have hair that just doesn't seem to straighten - and you've used other flat irons - you could give the steam burst flat iron from Maxiglide a try. If money is no problem and you want the best wet to dry flat iron, then the Corioliss Tourmaline Ceramic Wet to Dry Flat Iron is the one to go for.

Follow the links to find a lot more information about the Remington Wet 2 Straight Flat Iron, the Corioliss Tourmaline Ceramic Wet to Dry Flat Iron, or the Maxiglide flat iron.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Cassidy

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-The-Best-Wet-To-Dry-Flat-Iron?&id=537555

 

[Nonie]

Just wanted to add, instead of using water for my wet-to-dry in my April 2009 press, I used a wet heat protectant as the "liquid" for my wet hair. So I basically wasn't boiling water on my hair but was using a product that is meant to protect hair from heat damage, a product meant to be used on hair that is then touched with a hot iron, and then did the wet-to-dry press with that. I used John Frieda Frizz Ease Heat Defeat. I then followed that single pass with another single pass but this time with hair well coated with a heat protectant serum also by John Frieda. I couldn't change a thing about this.

 

[Irresistible]

Thank you Nonie, yeah was just about to chime in and say it's the best for my hair hands down

(have videos of me doing this on my youtube as well)

Been doing it since I was in my teens and I didn't even use protectant back then. I'd do it with a pressing comb. Never had issues and I get the best press ever. I previously posted a few threads on this and if you missed them here you go:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=281943
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=286697
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/for...d.php?t=288013

There are combs made for this purpose and it is believed it locks in moisture. There's is also the school of thought that it can cause splits in the strands by creating a hot bubble, so that's one thing to consider.

Personally after my April experience with it, where I pressed this hair to this using heat protectants this time and didn't have even the slightest whiff of burning hair during the press, or after the press, or even when I washed it. And seeing my hair revert beautifully the minute shampoo touched it again WITHOUT ANY SMELL OF BURNED HAIR (a first for me) convinced me that I now have the straightening technique down pat.

I used to be one of those who was a bit afraid of heat, even though I've never had any issue with reversion but after April 2009's press, I am no longer afraid of heat. BTW, in case you don't know, Irresistible has used this method for years and I'd not call her hair damaged by any stretch of the imagination.

But to each her own.

 

[orchidgirl]

I do.

As a matter of fact I swear by it, I will ONLY flat iron my hair damp. Dry heat scares the crap out of me. And I experience more breakage if I dont mist my hair with water before I flat iron.

I would never flat iron hair that was soaking wet (like just out of the shower wet) though that seems dangerous to me too (because my hair is more brittle when its sopping wet) but I will mist my hair with a spray bottle of water (and then heat protectant over it) before I run the flat iron over it. Its only about 20% moist at that point.

Thanks for the info...I've only done it once, and didn't work for me ...but
I 'm glad that others have tried it and worked for them. (Just speaking out of a bad experience.)

 

[Nonie]

I do.

As a matter of fact I swear by it, I will ONLY flat iron my hair damp. Dry heat scares the crap out of me. And I experience more breakage if I dont mist my hair with water before I flat iron.

I would never flat iron hair that was soaking wet (like just out of the shower wet) though that seems dangerous to me too (because my hair is more brittle when its sopping wet) but I will mist my hair with a spray bottle of water (and then heat protectant over it) before I run the flat iron over it. Its only about 20% moist at that point.

Sopping wet hair would not be a good idea because the water could trickle down to your scalp and scald you. So when we say wet-to-dry, we mean damp-to-dry.

When I did my press, I stretched my hair with Curlformers without heat and THEN I sprayed each section as I got to it to make sure the strands are well coated and moist with heat protectant, and then I'd press. It looked like it'd been blow dried but didn't feel dry or crisp. Then when all the sections had been wet-to-dry pressed, I smoothed heat protectant serum over them and went over them again taking small sections at a time to seal. It only took two passes. One wet-to-dry, and then one with serum. My hair didn't revert till I shampooed it.

 

[girlyprincess23]

PLEASE!!! If you are considering this don't do it!!! I did it 3 times in about as many months and it was the beginning of the end for my hair. I actually researched it (of course after I did it like a dodo head!) and I found out that my hair had become damaged (in the form of overporousness) because of the wet to dry flat ironing. Evidently when you wet to dry flat iron hair the water becomes trapped in the cuticles of the hair and then heats up, like beginning to boil, and a bubble forms and then pops apparently damaging the hair strand. I found the explanation online I will try to find it again. But long story short I did it with some stupid wet to dry flat iron from the BSS and my hair was never the same again. It was overporous would not retain moisture for nothing and was very weak. Nothing could fix it not hard protein not moisturizing and sealing nothing. Aveda damage remedy was helpful as well and L'anza reconstructor but the fact remained that the hair was irreperably damaged and it was just a matter of time before it all broke off and fell out. If you want to flat iron I think the best strategy, IMHO, is to wash it, DC it, moisturize and seal, allow it to airdry, softly detangle, apply a good heat protectant, and then flat iron on the lowest possible setting. Now I am not sure about damp flatironing because my hair was pretty wet and that could have been the reason but because I had that experience I prefer dry.

 

[Nonie]

PLEASE!!! If you are considering this don't do it!!! I did it 3 times in about as many months and it was the beginning of the end for my hair. I actually researched it (of course after I did it like a dodo head!) and I found out that my hair had become damaged (in the form of overporousness) because of the wet to dry flat ironing. Evidently when you wet to dry flat iron hair the water becomes trapped in the cuticles of the hair and then heats up, like beginning to boil, and a bubble forms and then pops apparently damaging the hair strand. I found the explanation online I will try to find it again. But long story short I did it with some stupid wet to dry flat iron from the BSS and my hair was never the same again. It was overporous would not retain moisture for nothing and was very weak. Nothing could fix it not hard protein not moisturizing and sealing nothing. Aveda damage remedy was helpful as well and L'anza reconstructor but the fact remained that the hair was irreperably damaged and it was just a matter of time before it all broke off and fell out. If you want to flat iron I think the best strategy, IMHO, is to wash it, DC it, moisturize and seal, allow it to airdry, softly detangle, apply a good heat protectant, and then flat iron on the lowest possible setting. Now I am not sure about damp flatironing because my hair was pretty wet and that could have been the reason but because I had that experience I prefer dry.

Thanks for this perspective.

The idea of a hot bubble causing a split in mid-strand made sense to me which is why while I've never had any heat damage, I avoided pressing my hair for years.

But now this doesn't worry me anymore because I am using a heat protectant in lieu of just water. The directions on the protectant I am using are:

"Spray on damp hair and blow-dry straight. For ultra-straightening, spray on small sections of dried hair immediately before using a flat iron."​

So I get to use the protectant exactly as it's supposed to be used and still get to do my wet-to-dry press and do it safely.

But Girlyprincess is right, this doesn't work for everyone so do it at your own risk. But I suggest using a wet heat protectant instead of water just because you won't be doing anything out of the ordinary. They are supposed to be used before you press so you can't help it that they make your hair wet . *shrug*

 

[ThePerfectScore]

I would be at least 80% dry because steam on your scalp hurts... this is why the Maxiglide ppl say don't use the steam close to the scalp. haha... But I'd never do it soaking wet.

 

[Amber_moon]

Thanks for this perspective.

The idea of a hot bubble causing a split in mid-strand made sense to me which is why while I've never had any heat damage, I avoided pressing my hair for years.

But now this doesn't worry me anymore because I am using a heat protectant in lieu of just water. The directions on the protectant I am using are:

"Spray on damp hair and blow-dry straight. For ultra-straightening, spray on small sections of dried hair immediately before using a flat iron."​

So I get to use the protectant exactly as it's supposed to be used and still get to do my wet-to-dry press and do it safely.

But Girlyprincess is right, this doesn't work for everyone so do it at your own risk. But I suggest using a wet heat protectant instead of water just because you won't be doing anything out of the ordinary. They are supposed to be used before you press so you can't help if they make your hair wet. *shrug*

I dont know about the bubble thing... seems a little erm... to me... but Nonie is exactly right about the heat protectant thing. You cant just use water... you MUST use heat protectant... and you should be using it whether your hair is wet or dry.