Natural 4a/4b's tell me how you straighten

[Rapunzel*]

i attempted to straighten in November and it just all went wrong. I want to know what products you use and your technique. i recently brought a 1 1/2 conair infinity flat iron it goes to 395 degrees. when i straightened i had it at 360 it took forever for me to blow dry because my hair kept curling up. maybe i should have detangled with my denman but i didnt know where it was.i used the sunsilk heat protectant and the conditioner i had already used poo the day before........maybe i should habe did a braid out first? or banded it?used different products? or should i purchance an electric hotcomb? when i went to the shop in 08 she had to use a hot comb first, then flat iron on me last, maybe thats what i need. ladies i need your advice. i also tryed the chase the comb thing but my other flat iron was bulky so it was very difficult. i got frustrated and attemted the wet to dry when i finished my hair had poofed right back up so i co washed and threw some twists in my hair.............

 

[ShaniKeys]

It really depends on the amount of straighteness I'm trying to achieve. When I want supersleek hair I use my flat iron (400-450° F, not recommended of course!), I always use a heat protectant (Heat Glide by Redken is really good). But sometimes I like to straighten my hair before braiding, so that I don't lose alot of hair when the person who's braiding my hair combs it, so then I do a rollerset, the result is still kinda puffy. There are other natural hair gurus here who can be more thorough of course, I hope Afrolinda chimes in aswell.

 

[ryanshope]

Im not natural...sorry...but my 6 month new growth is like a baby fro. Did u try blowing it out first with a brush? What kind of protectant did u use? What works best for me is flat ironing my hair in thin pieces with my Sedu.

 

[Rapunzel*]

It really depends on the amount of straighteness I'm trying to achieve. When I want supersleek hair I use my flat iron (400-450° F, not recommended of course!), I always use a heat protectant (Heat Glide by Redken is really good). But sometimes I like to straighten my hair before braiding, so that I don't lose alot of hair when the person who's braiding my hair combs it, so then I do a rollerset, the result is still kinda puffy. There are other natural hair gurus here who can be more thorough of course, I hope Afrolinda chimes in aswell.

well maybe i should u 395 degrees and trust me i want a relaxer straight look lol. i guess 4 hundred wouldnt be so bad because we never know how hight the heat is at a salon....i need a good heat protectant i was thinking about aveda too i know pink skates uses that one.i dnt worry about staightening befor doing singles because i braid my own hair....i hope afro linda comes in too and i really apprieciate your help. does your hair revert back?

 

[Rapunzel*]

Im not natural...sorry...but my 6 month new growth is like a baby fro. Did u try blowing it out first with a brush? What kind of protectant did u use? What works best for me is flat ironing my hair in thin pieces with my Sedu.

no i never tried it with a brush i hear ppl doing it with their denman brush but i dont want a lot of breakage you know. i would love to have a sedu but i dont. i might exchange this one if i dont like it for the conair steam flat ironi think id like that one.

 

[ShaniKeys]

well maybe i should u 395 degrees and trust me i want a relaxer straight look lol. i guess 4 hundred wouldnt be so bad because we never know how hight the heat is at a salon....i need a good heat protectant i was thinking about aveda too i know pink skates uses that one.i dnt worry about staightening befor doing singles because i braid my own hair....i hope afro linda comes in too and i really apprieciate your help. does your hair revert back?

I believe Afrolinda uses Aveda Smooth Infusion (don't know if this is the correct name though). She started a thread about how she straightens her hair (http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=256125&page=3&highlight=). My hair does revert backespecially if there's alot of humidity or wind.

 

[Born Again Natural]

Maybe I shouldn't be contributing to this thread because my "old" way....infuses on O-L-D, is very damaging to your hair.

but....

I use the good ole' straightening comb....i know - i know it's bad and that's why I have stopped (pics in fotki).

The good thing is I have learned and I am now heat free and continuing till the end of the year!

 

[Whimsy]

Girl, try a maxiglide

 

[Rapunzel*]

I believe Afrolinda uses Aveda Smooth Infusion (don't know if this is the correct name though). She started a thread about how she straightens her hair (http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=256125&page=3&highlight=). My hair does revert backespecially if there's alot of humidity or wind.

thank you for this link=] and i want something that doesnt revert back i would love to have straight hair for a week. maybe some silk infusion?

 

[Rapunzel*]

Maybe I shouldn't be contributing to this thread because my "old" way....infuses on O-L-D, is very damaging to your hair.

but....

I use the good ole' straightening comb....i know - i know it's bad and that's why I have stopped (pics in fotki).

The good thing is I have learned and I am now heat free and continuing till the end of the year!

thanks i might use the straightening comb. ill just use a white towel to see if its too hot and if it not ill be pressing my way to straightness lol.

 

[Victorian]

When I first went natural, my first couple straightening attempts didn't go so well -- hair puffed up before my eyes.
It takes some experimenting to figure out what your hair will respond to best. For ME, the most important thing I figured out is to wait until my hair is almost dry before I blow dry. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but previously I was using the blow dryer on wet hair figuring that it would be better to start straightening while it was easy to stretch out. Turns out my hair doesn't like that. Instant frizz ball, and even after flat ironing it would revert really fast.

So after pretreatment, shampoo and con, and a small amount of leave in (especially on the ends), I let it start air drying in 3 or 4 little buns. I can't leave it loose or else it will dry too fast and the coils will be too "set." I need the hair to be stretched a little and still pliable. Then when my hair is about 80% dry I apply whatever I'm using to blowdry (I recently started using Ojon Hair Tamer which I'm already in love with ), and blowdry with a hot air brush. I can't get the whole brush + hair dryer thing down--not coordinated enough I guess The hot air brush is waaaayyy easier for me, and if my hair is conditioned properly and I don't put too much extra stuff in it, the brush just glides through my hair.

Then flat iron in small sections, starting from the back. I use a small amount of serum (I have a million of them from my days as a major PJ...) My favorites are Elucence Silk Hydrating Elixir (lighter) and Giovanni Frizz Be Gone (Heavier, like Sabino, which I also have ).
The flat iron itself really does matter, at least for me. My new Sedu is a million times better than my old ceramic-coated Conair "Ion shine" or whatever it's called.

The pic in my siggy right now is from last night -- that press is a week old and was taken at the end of the day after letting the Chicago wind whip through it. Still straight. NEVER would have happened with my old techniques. I'm doing my hair today (got the pre-con under a plastic cap right now, actually). I'll try to take some pics as I go and post later.

 

[Born Again Natural]

thanks i might use the straightening comb. ill just use a white towel to see if its too hot and if it not ill be pressing my way to straightness lol.

The comb is such a guilty pleasure of mineI just had to stop because I was noticing heat damage and I was starting not to care about the damage because my press outs were looking better than a newly applied relaxer....which was addictive. So I went cold turkey and gave away my combs. But like you said just test the temp (old school style lol) and don't abuse the usage and you should be ok...I guess

 

[ShaniKeys]

thank you for this link=] and i want something that doesnt revert back i would love to have straight hair for a week. maybe some silk infusion?

Afrolinda uses Sabino Moisture Block and she swears by it. She wraps her hair at night to keep it smooth all week.

 

[Rapunzel*]

When I first went natural, my first couple straightening attempts didn't go so well -- hair puffed up before my eyes.
It takes some experimenting to figure out what your hair will respond to best. For ME, the most important thing I figured out is to wait until my hair is almost dry before I blow dry. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but previously I was using the blow dryer on wet hair figuring that it would be better to start straightening while it was easy to stretch out. Turns out my hair doesn't like that. Instant frizz ball, and even after flat ironing it would revert really fast.

So after pretreatment, shampoo and con, and a small amount of leave in (especially on the ends), I let it start air drying in 3 or 4 little buns. I can't leave it loose or else it will dry too fast and the coils will be too "set." I need the hair to be stretched a little and still pliable. Then when my hair is about 80% dry I apply whatever I'm using to blowdry (I recently started using Ojon Hair Tamer which I'm already in love with ), and blowdry with a hot air brush. I can't get the whole brush + hair dryer thing down--not coordinated enough I guess The hot air brush is waaaayyy easier for me, and if my hair is conditioned properly and I don't put too much extra stuff in it, the brush just glides through my hair.

Then flat iron in small sections, starting from the back. I use a small amount of serum (I have a million of them from my days as a major PJ...) My favorites are Elucence Silk Hydrating Elixir (lighter) and Giovanni Frizz Be Gone (Heavier, like Sabino, which I also have ).
The flat iron itself really does matter, at least for me. My new Sedu is a million times better than my old ceramic-coated Conair "Ion shine" or whatever it's called.

The pic in my siggy right now is from last night -- that press is a week old and was taken at the end of the day after letting the Chicago wind whip through it. Still straight. NEVER would have happened with my old techniques. I'm doing my hair today (got the pre-con under a plastic cap right now, actually). I'll try to take some pics as I go and post later.

thats what happened to me it kept getting curly and you knoe how 4a/b hair gets tightly curld and the only way out if to comb it i will try the mini buns next time. and did i mention that my hair dries so dog on fast when i want to straighten. i think i need a blow dryer with a comb attatchment.

 

[Rapunzel*]

The comb is such a guilty pleasure of mineI just had to stop because I was noticing heat damage and I was starting not to care about the damage because my press outs were looking better than a newly applied relaxer....which was addictive. So I went cold turkey and gave away my combs. But like you said just test the temp (old school style lol) and don't abuse the usage and you should be ok...I guess

lol and itll be one of mine too because the stylist at the shop had to use it on my first.....then this imfra shine flat iron lol.

 

[Rapunzel*]

Afrolinda uses Sabino Moisture Block and she swears by it. She wraps her hair at night to keep it smooth all week.

ok thats what ill use then i just dnt lie to order online the extra shipping and the whole 9

 

[strawbearysweet]

How in the world do you all wait to blowdry your hair till it's almost dry??? Do you know how many combs I have broken even when my hair is mostly wet! I blowdry with biosilk and olive oil moisturizer. Then I press and then I flat iron. I have a pic in my siggy from one time I straightened. Came out silky just like I like.

I hate to blow dry though so since I got my Sedu this week I am going to see If I can cut out that step. If not I will cut out the pressing comb b/c I know that is alot of heat. I have heard great reviews on the sedu so I am thinking I can get the same results...hopefully.


My shrinkage

 

[Rapunzel*]

How in the world do you all wait to blowdry your hair till it's almost dry??? Do you know how many combs I have broken even when my hair is mostly wet! I blowdry with biosilk and olive oil moisturizer. Then I press and then I flat iron. I have a pic in my siggy from one time I straightened. Came out silky just like I like.

I hate to blow dry though so since I got my Sedu this week I am going to see If I can cut out that step. If not I will cut out the pressing comb b/c I know that is alot of heat. I have heard great reviews on the sedu so I am thinking I can get the same results...hopefully.


My shrinkage

wow you have a lot of shrinkage! your hair is beautiful though........i dont have a sedu or those fancy flat irons so i might have to go with the flat iron.ill have to see if i cn flat iron on damp hair that would be fine but not almost dry i do want to try the tension method but the blow dryer gets hot on the tips of my fingers lol.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Bumping. Any more tips?

 

[SUPER SWEET]

I first condition my hair really well. I've been using Apoghee products(moist shampoo and 2min) and a homemade conditioner too. I do a 15 min steam treatment via DIY with the homemade conditioner. So once I rinse all the conditioners I don't blow dry immediately.I add to my hair greentea reconstructor, GVP infusion and a dime of sabino to each 1/2 of my hair. Braid my hair into 4 sections. I then blowdry with a comb attachment once I feel my scalp drying out.
. I just cant get the hang of the round brush and got mad tangles from trying. Once I'm dry I do very small and thin sections of flatironing with my GVP iron.
Here is the results from tonight....I haven't had a relaxer in 15 months I have to go get my hair evened because my chop was a disaster. So i just phony pony or bun with the sleekness achieved.