Naturals Who Get Their Hair Pressed Often?

[upandcoming]

Hey ladies,

I honestly think I'm done with relaxers. Every year since I've had relaxers my hair has just gotten extremely short, my hair is really 4z and it's just not working. Growing up I went to the salon every two weeks and had hair that was BSL until I was 15. I had APL until I was 17. Now I'm almost 22 and my hair is a bob and only 10% of what it used to be. Part of it too is also just change of climate, stress, etc, but I think the biggest culprit is relaxers. I know many women have long, healthy hair with relaxers but my hair has been damaged so much I can't take it anymore. I also burn easily etc....

Long story short: can ladies who get their hair pressed/flat ironed etc with 4b hair give me some advice? I will most likely have to get it pressed every two weeks, maybe a little more, but I'm convinced that's healthier than what I am doing now because at this point I also relax and have to still straighten etc.

Please give me any advice.

 

[aa9746]

I would like to know too. I'm natural but my hair wasn't retaining with pressing.

 

[aa9746]

 

[pmichael52172]

Do a search on Naturals who press and tons of good threads will come up. I'm transitioning and press the natural part only and found these threads to be full of information.

 

[tallnomad]

I'm going to start getting my hair pressed on Friday and will be doing so every two weeks.

I did this a couple of years ago, and my hair seemed to be growing well. The salon I go to really focuses on healthy hair practices--they do steam treatments, rollersets and use minimal heat. They also use really good products.

I think if you press your hair yourself, learning how to do a rollerset will ensure that you don't have to use a lot of heat on your hair, because it will almost be straight from the set itself.

I've also been trying to compile a lot of ideas for protective styles while pressed for the duration of the summer. I looked at Reg'sWife's album and she had a wonderful tutorial on bunning. Although she has BKT and uses a baggie with the bun, I thought it would be helpful to modify this with a silk cap saturated in oil to protect my ends while bunning.

Also, review Pinkskates' information. I sent her a message asking her about protective styles, but haven't heard back from her yet. But, I read somewhere (in a post) where she stated she wasn't a big fan of protective styles. So, it seems as if she just has good practices regardless and her hair has thrived without protective styling.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[aja1121]

Take a look at my album. If you want bone-straight pressed hair be prepared to loose your natural texture a little. Some call it heat-damage, others call it "trained". My hair is trained, but it is extremely healthy and I retain length. I also retain my style even with all of this east-coast rain every damn day.

Oh and my hair is blown dry with a paddle brush and either flat-ironed or curled with marcel.

 

[upandcoming]

Update my hair is a COARSE 4B but I've been transitioning since April without the big chop and I wear my hair done every day. The trick? I have two small tracks that help fill in the areas of weaknesses and I press/curl every 14 days. No major breakage yet.

 

[nikki2229]

Thanks for the update.

 

[locabouthair]

Take a look at my album. If you want bone-straight pressed hair be prepared to loose your natural texture a little. Some call it heat-damage, others call it "trained". My hair is trained, but it is extremely healthy and I retain length. I also retain my style even with all of this east-coast rain every damn day.

Oh and my hair is blown dry with a paddle brush and either flat-ironed or curled with marcel.

I agree. I was going for that bone straight look and got straight ends plus some parts of my hair were burnt off. That happened in a salon.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Hey upandcoming I totally feel where your coming from I felt if I went natural my hair would be thicker stronger and longer and thats exactly what happened

I am a very tightly coily 4a with 4b edges

I just pressed my hair last week and this was the result: http://blackmasterpiece.com/?p=320

Also if you check out my blog you'll see a couple of other posts on how I press my hair and keep it striaght till the next wash. I feel that straightening as a natural is most successful when you have thick coarse strands that can take it

I've been natural just over 4.5yrs

 

[virtuenow]

I initially planned on flat ironing often - as in every 2weeks to once a month. I have not stuck to any strict flat ironing regimen- and I don't really plan to do so. But I do it when I want a straight look (and sometimes its back to back monthly)- and it has been a total upgrade from the relaxed hair days. I was flat ironing my relaxed hair sometimes every other day! And I know many relaxed people (most) who continue to flat iron on top of relaxed hair- at least once a week or more! Now you do the math! Once you embrace and learn some other natural styles, then you will probably want to shift it up some (keep them guessing!).

Off topic:
Like Pinkskates, I do not like "protective" styling and avoid it as much as possible. Black women should not be confined to believing they have to wear buns and tied down hair in order to gain length. If that is already the style you wanted then I understand.

Back on topic:
However, I think flat ironing is 100% more healthy than relaxing any given day. The people with the longest and healthiest hair that I know are all naturals who press/flat iron.

 

[NappFrizz83]

this video might help you..the presses are gorgeous and silky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXFgoTT1mU8

 

[locabouthair]

Hey upandcoming I totally feel where your coming from I felt if I went natural my hair would be thicker stronger and longer and thats exactly what happened

I am a very tightly coily 4a with 4b edges

I just pressed my hair last week and this was the result: http://blackmasterpiece.com/?p=320

Also if you check out my blog you'll see a couple of other posts on how I press my hair and keep it striaght till the next wash. I feel that straightening as a natural is most successful when you have thick coarse strands that can take it

I've been natural just over 4.5yrs

Your hair looks lovely!! You did such a good job straightening it!

 

[virtuenow]

Hey upandcoming I totally feel where your coming from I felt if I went natural my hair would be thicker stronger and longer and thats exactly what happened

I am a very tightly coily 4a with 4b edges

I just pressed my hair last week and this was the result: http://blackmasterpiece.com/?p=320

Also if you check out my blog you'll see a couple of other posts on how I press my hair and keep it striaght till the next wash. I feel that straightening as a natural is most successful when you have thick coarse strands that can take it

I've been natural just over 4.5yrs

Hi BMP, what is the new technique you're using?? Is it the comb chase method?? Awesome method, I agree. I just tried a new straightening technique on my last blow dry step- that I thought would never work on my 4b hair.

The blow dry tension method!! It gets my hair even straighter than the comb attachment? I see some people use this technique to avoid heat or manipulation, but that's not really my motivation. I'm not too worried about heat or blow dry combs at this point, so don't get me wrong. I was looking for a straighter blow dry regimen, and I found it! I may do a post in support of this technique for those who straighten. I couldn't find any indpendent posts on it, surprisingly! But this youtube video helped me to get the technique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us6r3H0xpMk

Take small sections (as you would w/comb attachment), turn the heat up (i refuse to ever blowdry my hair w/cold air, that makes no sense to me!), stretch the hair straight w/your hands and run the blowdryer up and down the piece of hair.

 

[Country gal]

I have been getting my hair straighten by blowdrying and flat ironing. I have been natural for 4 years. I actually prefer straight hair on me. The first couple of years I limited the heat. I had some breakage earlier in the year so I had my hair trimmed down to wear it was more even. It has grown back. My hair is really healthy. As a kid I had thick natural hair and it use to get pressed. I have no desire to get a relaxer again.

 

[worthy2b]

does it revert completely when you all work out?

 

[Ronnieaj]

does it revert completely when you all work out?

Not for me. I just put it in a ponytail or bun while I work out, and I wrap it after I'm done. I find that if I take my hair out of the ponytail to let the scalp breathe while I drive home, then wrap it once I'm home, I only have to flat iron the very roots of my hair the next day, and often only the top and exterior, and not all the way through.

 

[worthy2b]

Not for me. I just put it in a ponytail or bun while I work out, and I wrap it after I'm done. I find that if I take my hair out of the ponytail to let the scalp breathe while I drive home, then wrap it once I'm home, I only have to flat iron the very roots of my hair the next day, and often only the top and exterior, and not all the way through.

Thank you just did the Big Chop. Just getting information for future reference.

 

[jennboo]

I initially planned on flat ironing often - as in every 2weeks to once a month. I have not stuck to any strict flat ironing regimen- and I don't really plan to do so. But I do it when I want a straight look (and sometimes its back to back monthly)- and it has been a total upgrade from the relaxed hair days. I was flat ironing my relaxed hair sometimes every other day! And I know many relaxed people (most) who continue to flat iron on top of relaxed hair- at least once a week or more! Now you do the math! Once you embrace and learn some other natural styles, then you will probably want to shift it up some (keep them guessing!).

Off topic:
Like Pinkskates, I do not like "protective" styling and avoid it as much as possible. Black women should not be confined to believing they have to wear buns and tied down hair in order to gain length. If that is already the style you wanted then I understand.

Back on topic:
However, I think flat ironing is 100% more healthy than relaxing any given day. The people with the longest and healthiest hair that I know are all naturals who press/flat iron.

I agree with the bolded. All the black girls i've known to have long, thick, gorgeous hair were pressed naturals.

I do think pressing is the lesser of two evils, but both can damage your hair. However, if you can get your hair straight with the use of heat rather than toxic chemicals, I'd go for the heat.

Both are damaging (relaxers right away, heat when it is constant and over a period of time) but imo chemically damaged hair looks way worse than heat damaged hair in it's straightened state.

I had my 4b hair washed, deep conditioned, blow dried, pressed, and curled at a salon every two weeks, religiously, for about 2.5-3 years (middle school/high school). Heat damage was only apparent when my hair was worn natural (burned-straight pieces/length sticking out from a mass of kinky hair, puffs looked horrible, two-strand twists looked worse). When it was straight, it was silky, smooth, full, thick and healthy-looking...because of the uniform straight texture.

I think if you plan to wear your hair straight all the time pressing is better for the appearance of the hair than relaxing, imo. Just be careful with the frequency of pressing if you want to rock your hair in its natural 4b state from time to time, it can ravage your texture and your natural hairstyles may not look as good..