Naturals who straighten frequently

[keepithealthy]

Hello ladies I've been natural for 3 years. I enjoyed my natural hair during that time. As my hair has gotten longer/thicker it's more work to care for on it's natural state. I've decided to wear my hair straight 50-75% of the time. I used to only straighten 3-5 times a year. I just need some tips on how to keep my hair healthy when frequently straightening.

I plan to straighten 1-2x month.
Protein treatment 1x a month.
Dc 2x a month.
I use CHI Silk Infusion or Super Skinny Serum as a heat protectant
I also use Avocado oil (my hair doesn't stay straight without some type of oil)

I guess I'm going to have to start ps'ing or bunning to continue retaining growth.

I'm really scared of thinning my ends and losing or not gaining progress.

Are any of you making progress using heat reguraly?

(p.s. I'm not interested in using a relaxer)

Thank you.

 

[BlaqBella]

Haven't finished reading the op yet have to make a run. But you will probably have to go by your how your hair reacts, i'm sure you've learned to pay close attention to it, especially when it comes to protein. But I have fine hair, and straighten-most times- weekly, and my hair loves protein weekly.

 

[Victorian]

But I have fine hair, and straighten-most times- weekly, and my hair loves protein weekly.

Ditto. I have fine hair and protein is my friend. This summer I've actually been around 60% straightened, I would say (mostly due to the heat and wanting to wet my hair more often). But normally I straighten 3-4x a month. When I'm wearing my hair straight exclusively I get my half inch a month like usual, no difference in length retention.

Just pay attention to your hair (especially ends). It's a process to land on the "holy grail" products/techniques for your new regimen, but it's no different than figuring out how to progress with any other regimen.

I do bun a lot, but I've always done that (it's pretty much the only way I wear my hair when it's curly, and I wore buns a lot back when I was relaxed too).

 

[Ann0804]

I'm a natural who six months ago straightened weekly by blow drying and flat ironing. Now I don't do it anymore. I would just recommend that you get a heat protectant like Redken's heat glide. In my experience those two serums are not great at protecting my hair from heat damage. There was never an issue with thinning ends/hair, but my hair did become protein sensitive (not sure why). Also, my growth progress was very slow, but this may not be the case for you.

 

[TheMenAllPause]

Im natural and wear my hair straight most od the time. Deep conditioning is the key for keeping my hair healthy. I usually dc overnight the day before I use heat. I use the PM Skinny serum as my heat protectant. My hair seems to be just fine...healthy and growing.

 

[RENIBELL]

Hello ladies I've been natural for 3 years. I enjoyed my natural hair during that time. As my hair has gotten longer/thicker it's more work to care for on it's natural state. I've decided to wear my hair straight 50-75% of the time. I used to only straighten 3-5 times a year. I just need some tips on how to keep my hair healthy when frequently straightening.

I plan to straighten 1-2x month.
Protein treatment 1x a month.
Dc 2x a month.
I use CHI Silk Infusion or Super Skinny Serum as a heat protectant
I also use Avocado oil (my hair doesn't stay straight without some type of oil)

I guess I'm going to have to start ps'ing or bunning to continue retaining growth.

I'm really scared of thinning my ends and losing or not gaining progress.

Are any of you making progress using heat reguraly?

(p.s. I'm not interested in using a relaxer)

Thank you.

,making progress with heat, i use a good heat protectant,dont straighten unless its wash day, use a good flat iron. use really good treatments.i.e nexxus emergencee,eggs,redken.
i have no heat damage.my natural hair is fine so every other thing(wash and go,twists,braids,roller sets)is just too stressfull

 

[Auburn]

Hello ladies I've been natural for 3 years. I enjoyed my natural hair during that time. As my hair has gotten longer/thicker it's more work to care for on it's natural state. I've decided to wear my hair straight 50-75% of the time. I used to only straighten 3-5 times a year. I just need some tips on how to keep my hair healthy when frequently straightening.

I plan to straighten 1-2x month.
Protein treatment 1x a month.
Dc 2x a month.
I use CHI Silk Infusion or Super Skinny Serum as a heat protectant
I also use Avocado oil (my hair doesn't stay straight without some type of oil)

I guess I'm going to have to start ps'ing or bunning to continue retaining growth.

I'm really scared of thinning my ends and losing or not gaining progress.

Are any of you making progress using heat reguraly?

(p.s. I'm not interested in using a relaxer)

Thank you.

Lol @ the bold. That was cute!

Have you thought of rollersetting? Make sure you have a very good products that protects your hair from heat and humidity. I recommend Sabino moisture block or lok n blok. If Chi works for you, awesome!

Over time, with using a flat iron, your curl pattern will loosen.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

We have several threads on this. Use the search engine under heat training or strait naturals. I don't know how to bump the threads, sorry.

 

[PinkSunshine77]

Here you go:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=196649&highlight=heat+train+naturals

 

[Poohbear]

,making progress with heat, i use a good heat protectant,dont straighten unless its wash day, use a good flat iron. use really good treatments.i.e nexxus emergencee,eggs,redken.
i have no heat damage.my natural hair is fine so every other thing(wash and go,twists,braids,roller sets)is just too stressfull

The bolded is what I think I've been suffering from AGAIN!

I've been avoiding heat since Aug/Sep and have been doing twistouts and sometimes braidouts and have split ends for days! erplexed And when I moisturize and seal my hair, these splits break off. I also sometimes go through my hair and pull the splits off. I'm sick of it.

I think it's because I have fine hair strands. Why haven't I learned my lesson yet?

I'm going back to straightening my natural hair soon once I get this new flat iron for Christmas. I just need to make sure I deep condition very well before blowdrying and flatironing.