paging all naturals- pressing issue

[deborah11]

i have been transitioning for 10 months with approximately 4-5 inches of new growth- wavey texture. i still have about 6-7 inches of relaxed ends in some places. the back and lower sides are almost completely nature. i plan on transitioning until i have 8-10 inchs of natural hair. i would like to press my hair sometimes maybe once or twice a month. i have been practicing pressing on a couple of sections (mainly my bang area) with very little success. i am using a ceramic flat iron, on 8-10 (25 highest level), ultra creme sheen press. i am unable to get my hair straight. the waves remain nd sometimes frizzies. i am getting frustrated. i don't want to relax again but i know i will not make it , if i can't wear my hair straight at least a couple of times a year. i don't like bone straight hair, never have, but this is rediculous. i see other naturals on this board who press with success so why can't i. am i doing omething wrong ?i am unwilling to go to a PROFESSIONAL-- don't trust them anymore; enuf bad experiences with them to last a life time--no thank you. your help / responses appreciated.

 

[deborah11]

bump, can anyone help me . thanks

 

[LadyDee]

Are you blowdrying your hair? I have to blowdry mine first. I have tightly coiled hair that shows no mercy to the no heat thing. Try blowdrying on medium and then pressing.

 

[deborah11]

yeap. i did blow dry on low first. maybe the curling iron was not hot enough. i am afraid to turn it up too high because i am afraid that i might cause damage to my hair. how often do u press? do u press wit a hot comb or curling iron. i know i won't try a hot comb becuse i a afraid of that. i am detemined to cautiously figure this thing out. thanks for your reply.

 

[nijilah]

I straightened my hair recently just so that I could trim it. After washing and conditioning, I applied wild growth hair oil to my hair and air-dryed my hair in plaits. After my hair was completely dry, I applied a tiny bit more of the wild growth to my hair and then flat ironed my hair. I have the Unil temperature control ceramic plated flat iron. It is quite an expensive flat iron but it is the only one that really gets my hair straight.

 

[lauren727]

usually when i press my hair, i use a large barrel curling iron on one of the 3 highest levels (depending on how humid it is). the curling iron i use is curl master select (from Sally's). i blow dry my hair with Dudley's creme press and straighten my hair with the curling iron. i have been using dudley's for about 10 years now to press my hair and it always makes my hair look like it was relaxed. flat irons work great on relaxed hair, but for me and my curls, it's not enough. i know you said you don't want really super straight hair, right,so maybe try blowdrying in smaller sections to get it as smooth as possible, then when you straighten it, you can control how straight you get it by smoothing the curling iron down the hair shaft either slower(for straighter hair), or faster (for more a more textured look). i also have an electric hot comb (im also scared to use the "stovetop" one)but i only use it to smooth out my ends or edges if absolutely necessary. i know this all seems very damaging, but i have been using heat on my hair for years now, and i dont have damage. i just make sure that i use thermal protectors on my hair like leave in conditioners, and i let my hair rest every summer by not using heat, also during the winter and spring if it is not too cold, anyway, hope this helps a little and sorry for the really long reply!

 

[pressncurl]

Hi, Deborah. I've been pressing my hair myself for 6 years; my mom did it before that. I use a pressing comb. I have the one by Gold n Hot with heat settings up to twenty, and I press on 14 or 15.

I'm wondering it you are not using enough heat --

I know it's a shocking thing to say. I really don't advise blow drying because it was extremely damaging to my hair. Instead, I make sure to moisturize my hair with my leave-in conditioner and oil mix and detangle before it dries. Then I use the ultra sheen just before I press. Ultra Sheen's satin press really does a great job protecting the hair from heat damage.

 

[pet]

Well, I DON'T press my hair, my mom does it. After I finish washing my hair, I put Apex pressing oil on it when it is damp (the pressing oil works better when it is on damp hair, it seeps in better), then I air dry it, and after it is dried I braid it up. The NEXT day, I get it pressed with a hot comb. I think a hot comb is the best way to press hair. And I also think that leaving your hair natural overnight, makes the hair press better the next day.