Pressing Natural Hair

[Premierepearl08]

I'm going to get my hair pressed and trimmed tomorrow. The problem is that I have pressed only twice in the last 2 years, so my hair is not used to being worn straight. I was contemplating trying Mr. John's advice and getting it pressed every week or every other week. My hair is very happy in humidity and will puff up at a moment's notice, espcially because I am in the South where it's humid all of the time! How can I keep my hair straight enough until I can get it "trained"? What products do you guys use? How long will it take for my hair to get used to this? Help!!! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[BlkMane]

When my hair was natural, I used Wildgrowth Oil to press (hot curl). It made my hair extremely straight.

I would wash my hair, conditioner, then apply WGO to my wet hair (sometimes mixed with Kiehl's Silk Groom). I would braid it in 6 braids and let it dry overnight (that aids in smoothing the hair).

Next day, I would hot curl (run the hot curler down small sections of hair) and bump the ends. My hair looked extremely straight and would last at least a week...of course, unless it was very humid=summer.

WGO is the best "pressing" product that I've used.

(I cannot have my hair pressed with a hot comb. It's a little too intense for my hair. It would make it break.)

 

[Premierepearl08]

Thank you so much! I got it done today and I've gotten many compliments on its length and thickness, but there is no telling how long it's going to stay this way. I'm personally praying that this style will last for at least for 1 good week. I'm thinking of getting my hair professionally pressed every 2 weeks and buying one of those ceramic flat irons for those in between times. When you used to get your hair pressed, how often did you do it?

 

[hairfanatic]

Hi Premierepearl,

The thing that really helps my hair in the summer is the KMS Flat Out Relaxing Balm. It helps with getting my hair straighter and keeps it from reverting. You will have to use a clarifying shampoo system every 4 to 6 weeks because the KMS has cones in it and it WILL build up on the hair after a while and make your hair look ashy.

I like it also because it seems to protect my hair well from the heat. I was also using the Dudley's Pressing cream but, I want to go back to the KMS because I do get a few breakouts when I use Dudley's. I think it's because of the mineral oil that's in it.

 

[BlkMane]

I used to press my own hair with the curling iron. When I had it done in the salon (not very often), they would do it by blow drying my hair first, then running a flat iron over it in sections. And I must say, it looked really good. People that didn't know me probably thought it was a relaxer.

I attempted this salon method ONCE at home, but I wasn't good at it. I did much better using my curling iron.

I used to straighten my hair sometimes weekly (in the winter). (Because wearing curls in the winter and having to wet my hair daily grew old very, very quickly.)
Hardly ever straigtened it in the summer.