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Naturals: What is your best straightening method?
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MsBoinglicious
Well-Known Member
I am a natural and i find that blowdrying is a BIG nono for me. My ends look crazy. My hair straightens better when set wet and my ends come out looking like they are relaxed when dry. I would suggest you do a nice cleanse and deep condition. rollerset your hair and flat-iron (if you really just have to have it) with a heat protectant. my pic in my siggy was my first rollerset and i don't think it would have came out any better than that.
Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll
Well-Known Member
Blow drying and then flat ironing, I visit a salon and get silky results, i haven't the skills to do this myself - yet.
hothair
Well-Known Member
I'm now 80% natural and to get my hair straight preparation is everything. I wash with Joico smoothing shampoo do a DC under a steamer for 20 mins with ORS Replenishing Conditioner, rinse, put some Joico smoothing conditioner for 2 mins and rinse out. I use a dimesize amount of castor oil then blowdry on medium heat when hair's 80% percent dry I flat iron section by section using a serum (any one). HTH
PinkSkates
New Member
I get silky straight results using my tension/stretch blow dry method, then I press my hair straight with my old-school hot comb.
Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll
Well-Known Member
I've been using this same technique for the last few years with my daughter and i was amazed at how well it works, i did it on my hair and got great results. She's waistlength natural and it keeps me from flatironing her hair (she's 9). Ofcourse, I hadn't coined the phrase, tension/stretch method, but I knew it worked for us. Glad you shared it with others...
I get silky straight results using my tension/stretch blow dry method, then I press my hair straight with my old-school hot comb.
BiRacialBarbie
New Member
i shampoo and condition my hair with ORS products. I rinse out all the conditoner. Wring my hair out gently, trying to get as much water out. Then i use keracare oil in my hair.. i pour about a quarter size in my hand and then rub it in. Here is a pic of it
http://www.avlon.com/images/eoils_r5_c4.jpg
Anyways then i comb it through, and blow dry using the comb attachment. Once it is in a giant fro, i section it off into about 4 sections. (bottom half, middle half, and then i split the top half into a top left and a top right) I hot comb the section i am doing 1st (usually the bottom) then i use a CHI flatiron to straighten it, using the "chase the comb" technique. There is a flat iron comb at walmart for 5$. Its called like "ion infused straightening comb" or something like that, and i use that to hold my hair taught while flat ironing it. This comb saves me about 20 extra minutes.
Anyways.. i do the whole head. the fastest ive ever done the whole thing was 35 minutes. I know some people like dont like to blow dry their hair while wet, because it makes it poofy. But honestly, my hair is so dang curly i can not see myself combing my dry curls apart. It is painful!! Hope this helps
http://www.avlon.com/images/eoils_r5_c4.jpg
Anyways then i comb it through, and blow dry using the comb attachment. Once it is in a giant fro, i section it off into about 4 sections. (bottom half, middle half, and then i split the top half into a top left and a top right) I hot comb the section i am doing 1st (usually the bottom) then i use a CHI flatiron to straighten it, using the "chase the comb" technique. There is a flat iron comb at walmart for 5$. Its called like "ion infused straightening comb" or something like that, and i use that to hold my hair taught while flat ironing it. This comb saves me about 20 extra minutes.
Anyways.. i do the whole head. the fastest ive ever done the whole thing was 35 minutes. I know some people like dont like to blow dry their hair while wet, because it makes it poofy. But honestly, my hair is so dang curly i can not see myself combing my dry curls apart. It is painful!! Hope this helps
Supervixen
Well-Known Member
DITTO! I looooooooove this method. I use the ponytail rollerset, (low-heat) flat iron the roots, and do a loose wrap at night. It lasts longer than any flat iron and I have SOOOOOO much body.
I have been having the best results with applying lacio lacio as a leave in then doing about 10-12 braids letting them dry for about 3-4 hours (or overnight) after that I unbraid and apply some sabino moisture block and today I added a little bit of Redken Smooth down heat protector and my hair is amazing. Looks totally relaxed.
TheQueenBeeMaya
New Member
I go to my stylist (I haven't got the skills to do it myself) and she presses and flat irons it, a picture can be seen in my siggy
ADB
Well-Known Member
The bolded sounds like me. Just make sure you get a deep conditioner first when your using heat.
The picture in my signature is my hair after visiting the salon.
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TheQueenBeeMaya
New Member
ADB
Well-Known Member
AtlantaJJ
Well-Known Member
I have not straightened my hair in months but when I do again, I will either do the braid set or roller set first to dry and then flat iron using the chase the comb method with Sabino Moisture Block. I am also considering getting a hot comb (one of the new electric ones) to get my edges straight.
Hot combs scare me...lol. I say do the comb-chase method. I haven't had to do the comb chase method since I started doing the braids first. They really straighten out my hair plus the amazing thing is I have also turned DOWN the heat and it still looks very straight. I was doing about 400F before (going over it 1x-2x) and now it's down to about 340F (I go over it 1x-2x, mostly 1x). I'll try for 320F next time and see how it goes.
I am all for finding the easiest and least damaging way to work with my hair
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lawyer2be371
New Member
for me a pressing comb, I have yet to get satisfied results with a flat iron, My hair is super thick and it just takes to much, my beautican can run a pressing comb through my hair and ends, and I will come out looking like I had a fresh relaxer
dlove
Active Member
Most of the time I air dry but get the very best results by scrunching nickel amount in 4 sections of my head with Sabino Moisture Block- ends first then roots-, blow drying using the tension method, adding a little more SMB concentrating on the ends , one press with the straigtening comb, one press with the ceraminc flat iron for a smooth bump. I maintain it with Hairveda Shikaki oil throughout the week. The results? People on the job ask " Did you perm your hair?"
AtlantaJJ
Well-Known Member
That makes sense, pre-stretching the hair takes away the bulk of the battle actually!! Thanks for pointing that out! Saves time and potential damage. Can't beat that!Hot combs scare me...lol. I say do the comb-chase method. I haven't had to do the comb chase method since I started doing the braids first. They really straighten out my hair plus the amazing thing is I have also turned DOWN the heat and it still looks very straight. I was doing about 400F before (going over it 1x-2x) and now it's down to about 340F (I go over it 1x-2x, mostly 1x). I'll try for 320F next time and see how it goes.
I am all for finding the easiest and least damaging way to work with my hair
DDTexlaxed
TRANSITION OVER! 11-22-14
My best one so far is on my air dried hair. I just section, put some heat protectant on the section, and curl it on low heat with my ceramic curling iron. After each section is curled, I reinforce it with a mesh roller. It's my best low heat regimen so far! I detangle my hair in the shower before attempting this. I think this is my best roller set yet.
I detangle my hair in the shower before attempting this. I think this is my best roller set yet.
zzirvingj
New Member
After 6 years of being natural, I have finally found a straightening method that gets me the same results that I get in Too Groovy salon, which is where I usually go when I want to press my hair out. I just started doing this, so I can't say that one particular step in the process is the most integral to getting the best results, but rather, that all of these steps together give me straight, shiny, flowy hair.
Here is my process for straightening my hair on wash day:
1. Pre-poo w/avocado and olive oil with a shower cap on for 1 hour. Rinse.
2. Wash with a clarifying shampoo (i.e. Aveda Detoxifier). Rinse.
3. If doing a protein treatment, add in protein next (i.e. Aveda Damage Remedy or Aphogee 2-step). Put hair in 8 twists, slightly detangling with my fingers as I twist each section. Rinse out protein treatment.
4. Apply a deep conditioner to twists (i.e. ORS pack). Steam hair for 20 minutes. (I steam by wetting a towel, microwaving it, wrapping it around my hair, and putting shower cap on. Then sit under a dryer to "keep steam going.")
5. Rinse hair in shower. Detangle hair, one twist at a time (twist each section back up as you're done detangling it). Use Lekair Cholesterol and Denman brush to detangle. Rinse.
6. Apply a nickel-sized amount of leave-in (i.e. Giovanni Direct). Towel dry hair and add nickel-sized amount of heat protectant (i.e. IC Fantasia Serum in pink bottle) to damp hair. Dab a teeny tiny bit of oil (i.e. jojoba or olive or castor-like half a pea-sized amount) on the ends only.
7. Blow dry hair with ceramic/ionic dryer and denman brush, one twist at a time, concentrating on getting the roots as straight as possible.
8. Section hair into 4-5 parts and flat iron using GVP iron, starting at back section. Flat iron in extremely small/thin sections (starting from the root as close to the scalp as possible)-sections are no wider that an inch and like a quarter-of-an-inch thick.
9. When finished, my hair is stick straight. I roll with big rollers and put on a satin cap. Then take out rollers in the morning for big bouncy curls (they usually fall though LOL).
Seems like alot of steps...maybe cuz it is
It's just what happens to work for me right now. This is the best I've ever been able to straighten my hair at this point. A few of the things that I think that are integral to getting the results I've been getting:
-Applying tension to the hair when blow-drying. I comb a section of hair, hold it by the end, and run the dryer along the shaft of my hair. Then use my Denman and blow dryer together to straighten it out fully. It's very important to blow the roots straight. I find I can't get my roots straight with the flat iron if the roots aren't already practically straight from using the blow dryer.
-Steaming the hair seems to be a very important step in locking in moisture in my natural hair.
-Hair must be fully detangled during the detangle process to avoid over-combing the hair come time to blow dry it.
-I love the IC Serum....it makes my hair smooth and "silky" Also helps with reversion a little.
-Flat ironing in very small sections (as mentioned above) is soooo important to me. Also, when flat ironing, I start slowly from the root, and then swipe a little faster towards the end....so the ends of my hair aren't getting as much heat as the roots (if that makes sense).
Ok, I feel like I just wrote a book. LOL....
Here is my process for straightening my hair on wash day:
1. Pre-poo w/avocado and olive oil with a shower cap on for 1 hour. Rinse.
2. Wash with a clarifying shampoo (i.e. Aveda Detoxifier). Rinse.
3. If doing a protein treatment, add in protein next (i.e. Aveda Damage Remedy or Aphogee 2-step). Put hair in 8 twists, slightly detangling with my fingers as I twist each section. Rinse out protein treatment.
4. Apply a deep conditioner to twists (i.e. ORS pack). Steam hair for 20 minutes. (I steam by wetting a towel, microwaving it, wrapping it around my hair, and putting shower cap on. Then sit under a dryer to "keep steam going.")
5. Rinse hair in shower. Detangle hair, one twist at a time (twist each section back up as you're done detangling it). Use Lekair Cholesterol and Denman brush to detangle. Rinse.
6. Apply a nickel-sized amount of leave-in (i.e. Giovanni Direct). Towel dry hair and add nickel-sized amount of heat protectant (i.e. IC Fantasia Serum in pink bottle) to damp hair. Dab a teeny tiny bit of oil (i.e. jojoba or olive or castor-like half a pea-sized amount) on the ends only.
7. Blow dry hair with ceramic/ionic dryer and denman brush, one twist at a time, concentrating on getting the roots as straight as possible.
8. Section hair into 4-5 parts and flat iron using GVP iron, starting at back section. Flat iron in extremely small/thin sections (starting from the root as close to the scalp as possible)-sections are no wider that an inch and like a quarter-of-an-inch thick.
9. When finished, my hair is stick straight. I roll with big rollers and put on a satin cap. Then take out rollers in the morning for big bouncy curls (they usually fall though LOL).
Seems like alot of steps...maybe cuz it is
It's just what happens to work for me right now. This is the best I've ever been able to straighten my hair at this point. A few of the things that I think that are integral to getting the results I've been getting:-Applying tension to the hair when blow-drying. I comb a section of hair, hold it by the end, and run the dryer along the shaft of my hair. Then use my Denman and blow dryer together to straighten it out fully. It's very important to blow the roots straight. I find I can't get my roots straight with the flat iron if the roots aren't already practically straight from using the blow dryer.
-Steaming the hair seems to be a very important step in locking in moisture in my natural hair.
-Hair must be fully detangled during the detangle process to avoid over-combing the hair come time to blow dry it.
-I love the IC Serum....it makes my hair smooth and "silky"
Also helps with reversion a little.-Flat ironing in very small sections (as mentioned above) is soooo important to me. Also, when flat ironing, I start slowly from the root, and then swipe a little faster towards the end....so the ends of my hair aren't getting as much heat as the roots (if that makes sense).
Ok, I feel like I just wrote a book. LOL....
Nonie
Well-Known Member
OK, I can now share the straightening method I used this time for the first time. Don't know if I will call it my best but it's definitely an improvement on my previous methods in terms of being more careful with my hair. I will confess that in the past, I don't think I paid attention to heat protectants, and was guilty of pressing my hair bare. 
First, I undid my twists a few at a time, detangled with fingers, then applied GPB and Giovanni Magnetic Restructuring conditioner to provide slip so I could run a comb through it. After every few twists were detangled, I would put them in a plait then move on to another set. Took forever to get through my whole head, reminding me again why I always wash in twists or braids and never this way.
Once all hair was in plaits, I went to bed in a plastic cap--too tired to deal with my hair. In the AM, I shampooed with Organics Italian Red Grape Shampoo (love the smell) using the long "undo-comb-rebraid" process. Did the same thing rinsing. Then I applied CHI Infra Treatment Thermal Protection Conditioner by undoing each plait and applying to small sections at a time using fingers the way you'd apply relaxer. I wanted to make sure every strand was coated, then combing through. I didn't rebraid this time but left the hair out. I left this on for a spell...a little longer than the time suggested (I think they suggested 5 mins at most...or sth that short). I didn't use heat, nor did I use a cap. This was my hair with CHI on it:
After rinsing it off, I put the wet hair into plaits immediately and since I decided to stretch my hair with Curlformers rather than rollersetting or blowdrying, I would undo a plait and finger part to install a Curlformer till I had about 80 in my head. And this was the result. (I kept some ACV solution nearby to dampen hair if it dried by the time I got to a particular curl section):
Then since I am a veteran wet-to-dry presser but always just used water on bare hair,
I decided to be cautious this time and wet my hair not with water but with John Frieda Heat Defeat spray and then flat iron. This way I would provide have some protection while still getting the wet-to-dry effect. My hair looked like I think it would look with a blow-out by the time I'd run the flat iron through every section:
Then I applied John Frieda Thermal Protection serum and went over my entire head once again and I was happy with the results I got:
Flat Iron used: Babyliss Pro Ceramic Straightening Iron
(Incidentally, I was thinking that it was only 230 degrees F but I now believe that's celsius not Farenheit
so I guess I was in the high temperature zone I thought I was avoiding. *swallows hard...GULP 
erplexed* Oh well...too late to cry over spilled milk. At least this time I did try to take some precautions and use heat protectant.
My hair is too light to swing so I always wear it up when straight unless I braid it so there's some concentrated weight in sections. But that kinda reminded me why I love my curly hair. While it's such a breeze to comb through my hair when straight and to whip into a style, there's really very little I can do with it besides wearing it up. Couldn't find my zigzag bun thingy so I could rock a cute do, so I just put my hair in a plait and tucked the end under. *yawn*
Oh and for anyone who's wondering, no, I'm not yet at APL.
(But I blame it all an the SHS that chopped my hair off in Feb 2007, never mind any bad practices I might be guilty of. 
) And anyone crazy enough to trim like I do ie twist by twist, be warned: you probably have different lengths: My left side's shorter than my right. But I'm not too bothered by that. It's not like I wear it down or straight so that it'd bug me. Also I can see the effects of not wearing protective styles despite the regular trims 
. Can't wait till my hair's long enough to make it into a bun when shrunken curly so I can really start taking care of my ends by 24/7 protective styling. All the things I just talked about in this paragraph were evident when I got home and as I was changing, it occurred to me to ask hubby-mine to take a pic:
ETA: What a difference outdoor light makes eh? Looks so dull and more like a blowout than a press in the indoor pic, ie not as sleek as it did earlier in the day. Oh well, maybe I'll do better next time...depending on whether my hair survived this press or not....
Just wanted to slip in this last photo of my hair before I braid it. What I would have given as a kid to put my hair in a pony tail! I hope one day I can do this with curly hair...but otherwise I'm pretty happy.
First, I undid my twists a few at a time, detangled with fingers, then applied GPB and Giovanni Magnetic Restructuring conditioner to provide slip so I could run a comb through it. After every few twists were detangled, I would put them in a plait then move on to another set. Took forever to get through my whole head, reminding me again why I always wash in twists or braids and never this way.
Once all hair was in plaits, I went to bed in a plastic cap--too tired to deal with my hair. In the AM, I shampooed with Organics Italian Red Grape Shampoo (love the smell) using the long "undo-comb-rebraid" process. Did the same thing rinsing. Then I applied CHI Infra Treatment Thermal Protection Conditioner by undoing each plait and applying to small sections at a time using fingers the way you'd apply relaxer. I wanted to make sure every strand was coated, then combing through. I didn't rebraid this time but left the hair out. I left this on for a spell...a little longer than the time suggested (I think they suggested 5 mins at most...or sth that short). I didn't use heat, nor did I use a cap. This was my hair with CHI on it:
After rinsing it off, I put the wet hair into plaits immediately and since I decided to stretch my hair with Curlformers rather than rollersetting or blowdrying, I would undo a plait and finger part to install a Curlformer till I had about 80 in my head. And this was the result. (I kept some ACV solution nearby to dampen hair if it dried by the time I got to a particular curl section):
Then since I am a veteran wet-to-dry presser but always just used water on bare hair,
I decided to be cautious this time and wet my hair not with water but with John Frieda Heat Defeat spray and then flat iron. This way I would provide have some protection while still getting the wet-to-dry effect. My hair looked like I think it would look with a blow-out by the time I'd run the flat iron through every section:
Then I applied John Frieda Thermal Protection serum and went over my entire head once again and I was happy with the results I got:
Flat Iron used: Babyliss Pro Ceramic Straightening Iron
(Incidentally, I was thinking that it was only 230 degrees F but I now believe that's celsius not Farenheit
so I guess I was in the high temperature zone I thought I was avoiding. *swallows hard...GULP erplexed* Oh well...too late to cry over spilled milk. At least this time I did try to take some precautions and use heat protectant. My hair is too light to swing so I always wear it up when straight unless I braid it so there's some concentrated weight in sections. But that kinda reminded me why I love my curly hair. While it's such a breeze to comb through my hair when straight and to whip into a style, there's really very little I can do with it besides wearing it up. Couldn't find my zigzag bun thingy so I could rock a cute do, so I just put my hair in a plait and tucked the end under. *yawn*
Oh and for anyone who's wondering, no, I'm not yet at APL.
(But I blame it all an the SHS that chopped my hair off in Feb 2007, never mind any bad practices I might be guilty of. ) And anyone crazy enough to trim like I do ie twist by twist, be warned: you probably have different lengths: My left side's shorter than my right. But I'm not too bothered by that. It's not like I wear it down or straight so that it'd bug me. Also I can see the effects of not wearing protective styles despite the regular trims . Can't wait till my hair's long enough to make it into a bun when shrunken curly so I can really start taking care of my ends by 24/7 protective styling. All the things I just talked about in this paragraph were evident when I got home and as I was changing, it occurred to me to ask hubby-mine to take a pic:
ETA: What a difference outdoor light makes eh? Looks so dull and more like a blowout than a press in the indoor pic, ie not as sleek as it did earlier in the day. Oh well, maybe I'll do better next time...depending on whether my hair survived this press or not....
Just wanted to slip in this last photo of my hair before I braid it. What I would have given as a kid to put my hair in a pony tail! I hope one day I can do this with curly hair...but otherwise I'm pretty happy.
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mscocoface
Well-Known Member
Hmmmmm, Mscocoface taking notes. I am going to a Debutante Ball next Saturday and I am debating if I should take down my twists just for next weekend and do the method Mwedi did or this one.
I think this would be the first time in 4 or 5 years I will have used heat other than for deep conditioning. Either way I may need to start on Wednesday just to be ready Saturday.
Still thinking...............
I think this would be the first time in 4 or 5 years I will have used heat other than for deep conditioning. Either way I may need to start on Wednesday just to be ready Saturday.
Still thinking...............
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