Newly natural paranoia?

QueenFee

QueenFee

New Member
Any of your new or seasoned naturals get paranoid when you straighten for length checks? I recently straightened my hair with my feather flat for a length check and couldn't even enjoy it! I spent the whole time wondering if my curl pattern is damaged! I didn't even use a lot of heat and I did use heat protectant but I was still so PARANOID! You would think I was a mother who lost her child in the mall or something! (yes it was that serious)


You couldn't imagine the horror I felt when at the first shampoo the section I feared would never return to it's curly glory DIDN'T! I didn't even look at it after that, just shampooed two more times, and DC for like four hours. I was so pissed off! Until I washed it and it slowly began to snap back:grin: This experience honestly made me never want to use heat EVER AGAIN! Like seriously I might go on straight through summer with no heat, I can't take the suspense and paranoia! :lachen:
 
lol I straightened my hair for a length check. I wore it straight for a little and I didn't like it. I just felt so different. I was so happy to wash my hair and see it revert back.

I don't get paranoid that it won't revert back because my hair is so thick and coarse that when i do straighten it, the rest of my hair straightens but the ends are sooooo fluffy. It takes A LOT of heat to get it pin straight.
 
I've only straightened my hair twice and every time I'm scared that my hair won't return to normal...I was going to straighten when I get to APL but now I don't even think it's worth the possible setback.
 
I have yet to straighten my entire head, I'm waiting for the 3 year mark. However I did straighten one piece that got straight in one pass and immediately curled back up when I wet it, but I was terrified that it wouldn't. As long my hair is in a healthy condition and I take the proper precautions, I'm not as afraid as I was about straightening.
 
And this is why I only want to straighten once a year, if that. I usually miss my natural texture immediately after anyway. :lol:
 
now i do try to be careful but not to long ago i didnt care if it came back or not. i think you just have to know the limits of your hair. Now I use a heat protectant,low heat(340 or less) and do frequent protien treatments and DC to preserve as much curl as possible. i wear my hair straight most of the time.
 
So paranoid that I haven't straightened it at all in 2 years!
I just had very horribly damaged hair all the time I don't know how to safely flat iron my hair and i'm just not interested in doing it at all at this point.
 
Every. Single. Time. It never fails. I'm scared. The first time, I took pictures and immediately washed it out I was so afraid. The second time I forced myself to wear it. So I wore it for a 2 days but I missed my curls SO much and was so worried that I washed it out.
 
Well how much heat protectant are you supposed to use to be safe?

The bottle most often says a dime size or 1-3 pumps. Is that enough?
 
GaiasDaughter24, I am the same way! That is why I might never go back to a relaxer because as soon as it's straight I can't even enjoy it because I miss my texture!

MizzBrown, I would follow the directions and use a low heat

leiah wow 2 years! I can deff feel that because transitioning now and looking at the
damn little strings f'n up my fro game just irritates me to no end! I told my SO that if the hair didn't revert I would cut it all off LOL I felt like I would have been set back a whole nother year.

Napp how does protein preserve the curl? I've heard that it can help revert the hair back faster if it hasn't been damaged by the heat but no one ever says how or why it works =)
 
I just BC'd yesterday and a friend asked me if I would straighten and I decided I would in about 6 months or so.
 
Ok, I'm not newly natural but I don't really get paranoid that my hair won't revert. Never did when I was newly natural either. But I do get very bored with my hair straight. I'm already starting to get bored and I only straightened it yesterday. :S
 
I did my first full flat iron in December, 6 months post BC. I was SO paranoid about it, about my kinks not reverting, about undoing all the hard work I'd put in for those 6 months, that I washed it out after 2 days lol. I didn't even enjoy it. Ironically, the mini-length checks I do every few months on a small section in the back of my head don't bother me. *shrug*

It made me realize I'm not really a straight-haired girl anyway. I'll probably only be doing full flat iron jobs once/year now, for documentation purposes only.
 
Last edited:
Nope. I went natural to "free" myself from all the hair worry, knowing that I could actually do more things to it and it still remain pretty healthy. I refuse to let over-worry about altering my curl pattern box me in. I run my hair, my hair doesn't run me! haha


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
 
Yes I am terrified to straighten my hair. I would be mortified if I had damage to my hair due to heat. At this point the only length check I will do is by stretching my curls out. Heat damage has me SHOOK.
 
I'm not newly natural...been natural for years and I'm SUPER paranoid. I have a sew-in weave right now & i have some leave out. I regret getting this sew-in because i'm afraid my leave out hair is gonna get heat damage. I've straightened my whole head a handful of times...sometimes my hair reverts perfectly..sometimes I get heat damage. I just never know whats gonna happen. I was planning on leaving in this weave for 2 months but it's most likely not gonna last that long because i'm so paranoid about my leave-out...lol
 
No. My mother pressed my hair throughout my childhood. I didn't live with straight hair, for the most part my hair was natural loose or braided but it was often heat straightened for special occasions. Never once had an issue with it not reverting. In fact it started reverting on it's own the same day. My mother was the go to lady in our neighborhood when other people wanted their hair straightened. Never saw anyone's hair not revert. If you know how to press your hair or you have it pressed by someone who knows how to do it then you have nothing to worry about. If you don't know how to use heat tools then you shouldn't use them.
 
This is soo funny! This happened to me just this morning... All my life I've been frying and dying my hair with relaxers and I was afraid to use the hot comb! LAWD!!!
 
QueenFee said:
Napp how does protein preserve the curl? I've heard that it can help revert the hair back faster if it hasn't been damaged by the heat but no one ever says how or why it works =)
Click to expand...

well i think protien helps to reinforce the curl so that when it is straightened it would be less likely to get permanently stretched. i dont know the exact chemistry of it. i will have to look into that.
 
I'm newly natural. My one year mark will be in August. I haven't straightened my hair yet, but if I do I'm going to do a roller set. I think its easier to damage your hair when having to blow dry and then flat iron your hair whereas opposed to using just one heat source, (hooded dryer) to straighten your hair.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mandy4610
HEAT DAMAGE PARANOIA
Replies
6
Views
1K
Mandy4610
Mandy4610
NewYorkgyrl
  • Poll Poll
What heat protectant does your stylist use?
2
Replies
43
Views
14K
Computer Blue
Computer Blue
MissJ
For $20 she can wash, blow out, and flat iron my type 4 longish natural hair!
Replies
12
Views
2K
Keen
Keen
MsLizziA
Hair specialists straightens hair with 0 heat protectant
Replies
21
Views
3K
Victorian
V
bibirockz
When is you next DIRECT heat "treat"?
2 3
Replies
80
Views
5K
bibirockz
bibirockz
Back
Top