Newly Natural and Confused! HELP!

[TPayne75]

After transitioning for 11 months I finally got rid of my relaxed ends in Jan. Feels SO nice and I've been enjoying my natural curls!!! I flat ironed my hair for the first time a few days after the BC but noticed the ends of my hair felt really rough, bushy, and wouldn't hold a hot curl. I figured I needed to get my ends trimmed up some so away I went to the beauty school to get a shampoo, blow out and dry trim. I was told that I had alot of damage on my ends so I got about an inch cut off all over. The student did an awesome job considering she's never worked on "textured" hair before! After a week of wearing my hair straight I washed and went back to my curly, low maintenance fro.

Today I was inspired to go "straight" just to check the length of my hair. When I flat ironed my hair....I have those same crazy ends to my hair AGAIN!!! The ends won't lay flat at all or hold a curl. The ends don't appear to be split or damaged. I don't use heat on my hair that much since I've been natural. I usually wash and air dry. I don't put alot of products in my hair either so I'm totally confused about what my hair is doing and why!!erplexed I really don't want to have to get another inch cut off. I'm really frustrated about my hair now!

Do you think the ends are still damaged, split, scab hair or what?? I'm baffled!!!

Any advise or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[BlaqBella]

What did you use to straighten?

 

[PeanutButterandHoney]

This happens to me.. it's just the curls being Pressed DOWN vs being straightened out.

I personally solved this by employing more tension towards the ends while drying (I blow dry so I started doing the round brush i.e. the Dominicans)

 

[TPayne75]

What did you use to straighten?

I used this natural hair & scalp oil called Black & Bosse

 

[nikki2229]

Did you blow dry before hand?
Did you use the comb chase method?
Sometimes for naturals, you have to get the ends pretty smooth before flat ironing.

 

[peachykeen]

This is exactly what happens when you get your relaxed ends chopped off. Its rarely talked about, but it happened to me as well. I have had to learn to press harder or add more tension at the ends of my hair when I flat iron. This may not be the healthiest thing but its the only thing that works.

That is the one draw back to big chopping or chopping the relaxed ends. You have to learn to deal with non straight ends. This natural hair thing is no easy task.

 

[virtuenow]

Peachy, you are right, this topic is rarely discussed. You just aren't getting your ends straight at all. It sounds like your texture is very tightly coiled (like mine)-- The comb chase flat iron method is the best thing for getting your ends straight. Otherwise, your ends will always feel rough-- and as misleading as it is, this is not a damage problem, but a technique problem. I wish I had learned this earlier! I lost a lot of inches due to cutting when I would straighten hair and think my ends were dmgd.