Pressing vs. Blowout

[afrodeutsche]

So I've been contemplating on wearing my hair straight, just for a change of looks. I straighten my hair with a Sedu flat iron for length checks, but I never am able to get it totally straight how some of you guys have it.

It already starts with me being to lazy to 'prestraighten' my hair with a blowdryer. It already takes me about a half an hour to dry into a fro. So 'prestraightening' will probably take me an hour to do... or maybe I'm just clumsy. Then flat ironing take another 30 - 45 min.

One time I got a Dominican blowout. That was like four years ago and I liked it. My hair was . I can't replicate all that work for obvious reasons mentioned above.

So I didn't know about presses until this year ... Yea... Anyways... All I've been seeing is hotcomb + hair = but maybe that's just due to my personal ignorance.

So my question to the ladies here:

1) What damages your hair the least? And how do you prep your hair?

2) Are there issues with reversion or your curl structure changing?

3) What will get my natural hair straighter?

4) Which method keeps your hair straight the longest?

Thanks!

 

[afrodeutsche]

My bad... I just realized that there's already a huge support thread for straightened naturals.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

1) What damages your hair the least? And how do you prep your hair?

I think the method that would be least damaging to your hair is to have it air-dry stretched in braids or twists.

I wash, condition and DC my hair in 10 braided sections, never unraveling untill I'm ready to blowdry. When I blowdry I take one section down add IC fantasia Pink Bottle serum and blowdry using my Andis 1875 Tourmaline-Ionic Blow Dryer. I then I bantu knot the finished section and move on to unravel and straighten the next. Here are my results with that.

I used to have a firm belief that I couldn't get my roots and edges straight without a hot comb.....then I got my MaxiGlide and between how straight the Andis 1875 got my hair and the detangling pins. I was able to completely eliminate the hot combing step with lasting silky results which was really exciting and time saving.

2) Are there issues with reversion or your curl structure changing?

If you straighten back to back for extended periods of time, you will experience a loosening of your hair texture inevitably. If you only straighten sparingly and you do it with the right techniques tools and heat protectants it shouldn't alter your curl pattern.

3) What will get my natural hair straighter?

I've found the IC Fantasia Serum and Spray to be wonderful. I use the serum for the blowdrying step and the spray for flat-ironing

4) Which method keeps your hair straight the longest?

Blowdrying then Flat ironing

 

[bluediamond0829]

So my question to the ladies here:

I wouldnt do the Blowout too many times...i did it like 2 to 3 times and noticed that my hair wasnt the same after the first time so I rather press my hair then do Blowouts. Even though i thought at first the blowout gave me much more body and made my hair look thicker. But now that i press my hair and taking my vitamins my hair is much thicker.

1) What damages your hair the least? If you meant either blowouts or pressing. I would believe the pressing damages the hair the least. Blowouts I dont believe they used any heat protectant and its alot of heat being used.

And how do you prep your hair? I usually dont use alot of products on my hair because the more products you use the less body you will have and it will weigh my hair down. I have fine hair so i dont need alot of products to weigh my hair down.(I learned this at a salon that i started going to for my steam treatments). Usually if im doing my own hair i wash, dc,(if im not being lazy i'll do a steam treatment), and then rinse, after that i spray with Aphogee Tea Tree,(this Sunday when i washed i used some Fermodyl 519), and then i blowdried my hair in sections. after that i put about less than a penny size amount of Chi silk infusion through my hair. Then I used my flat iron to straighten the hair and then used a big curling iron to give more curl. After that i wrapped my hair and in the morning im ready to go to work.



2) Are there issues with reversion or your curl structure changing? I really havent noticed a difference with my curl pattern. And my curls are just as tight when i wet my hair and it reverts. Again everyones hair is different. And i do alot of steam/hydration treatments so it cuts down on my hair reverting. After i had got a couple of steam treatments and had my hair pressed i thought for sure one time when it was raining or misting that my hair was going to turn into a curl or go poof. But it didn't.

3) What will get my natural hair straighter? I really dont have anything in particular that you could use to get your natural hair straighter. One system that I have also used that was pretty good was Mizani's Thermasmooth its really good.

4) Which method keeps your hair straight the longest?

I mean really both keep my hair straight the blowout and the pressing. But now that my hair is getting thicker and longer i perfer pressing. I will never go back to doing a blowout. The only thing i loved about blowouts was the rollersetting.

Thanks!