"Sealed" Ends??

[Leslie_C]

\"Sealed\" Ends??

What do sealed ends mean to you? A stylist just told me my ends frizz out in the humidity bc they need to be sealed? The impression I get is that they need to be sealed with heat(blow dryer, flat iron) but dont these things damage your hair? This was a dominican salon so I know they promote hair health.

she said if they are sealed that it helps with dryness and breakage, but I havent been using heat so I dont know how to do it otherwise. But I do understand what she means because when I got it set and flat ironed at another salon they were sealed all week and my hair was smooth and soft and didnt break when combing. but when I airdry I seem to have problems daily with this. Its like it makes sense but at the same time it doesnt since heat is damaging.


What do u think?

 

[Redpoetess1]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

Well Robin on www.growafrohairlong.com says this: "After conditioning & towel squezzing, I section the hair and apply a medium sized amount of pressing oil (ultra sheen). I fold aluminum foil around the ends.(half way up the section of the hair most of the time) then I take a non-electric barrel iron or curling iron hot flat iron or barrel iron and clamp it over the aluminum foil for 5-7 seconds. I make sure I only cover the aluminum not the hair. Then I keep the foil on until it's cooled. This will help a great deal with your ends if your ends have been constantly dry. The ends will soon stop shedding because you're locking in moisture down to the cortex."

 

[Redpoetess1]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

And to answer your question...I don't think that it is damaging because she is probably going to place some type of oil on the ends before she applies the heat with the foil. It makes perfect sense to me especially the foil because it seems like it would press the oil or lock it in with your hair.

 

[buffalosoldier]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

I just bought that ultra sheen satin cream press to try to stop my ends from frizzing when i straighten. Im hoping it works

 

[Poohbear]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

Here's what Tracy posted in her Bootcamp for Colored Girls thread:

Another thing I'm going to do to make sure the cuticle stays happy is a sealing treatment (just one, the heat too often can be a bit much on colored hair if you do it TOO often, as well as pull color from the hair) about 3 weeks after I color. I wet my hair, towel dry gently, and put some Olive Oil on my midshaft and ends, and wrap about 6 locks of the now oiled hair in foil. Then I go over the foil with a flat iron. I just squeeze and move - no sliding - to get the heat evenly on each part of the shaft. A few seconds is enough to do the trick. But be careful not to touch your damp hair with the iron.

HTH!

 

[Erica78]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

adding to favorites

 

[Innocent_Kiss]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

Good post

I'm going to defintely start doing this when I take this sew-in out!
*bumping for others*

 

[Lovelylocs]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

I tried this a few times, but didnt really notice a difference in my hair. Should it take a lot of times before i notice a difference?

 

[Tracy]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

It's not the kind of thing that you notice a difference in the look or the feel of the hair, LL.

It's more a preventative measure - to lock moisture into the cortex of the hair. It helps minimize breakage on hair that is overprocessed and is having trouble retaining moisture. You notice the difference then, over time.

You can also "seal" the ends using rinses. The high PH and composition of the product keeps the cuticle layer from raising. A raised cuticle appears frizzy and having the cuticles raised exposes the cortex and leave the hair open to damage.

Keeping the cuticle as tight and as closed as possible is key to retaining length in my experience.

 

[Lovelylocs]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

[ QUOTE ]
Tracy said:
It's not the kind of thing that you notice a difference in the look or the feel of the hair, LL.

It's more a preventative measure - to lock moisture into the cortex of the hair. It helps minimize breakage on hair that is overprocessed and is having trouble retaining moisture. You notice the difference then, over time.

You can also "seal" the ends using rinses. The high PH and composition of the product keeps the cuticle layer from raising. A raised cuticle appears frizzy and having the cuticles raised exposes the cortex and leave the hair open to damage.

Keeping the cuticle as tight and as closed as possible is key to retaining length in my experience. quote]
Thanks Tracy. You know so much!!! lol

 

[Tracy]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

[ QUOTE ]
Leslie_C said:
What do sealed ends mean to you? A stylist just told me my ends frizz out in the humidity bc they need to be sealed? The impression I get is that they need to be sealed with heat(blow dryer, flat iron) but dont these things damage your hair? This was a dominican salon so I know they promote hair health.

she said if they are sealed that it helps with dryness and breakage, but I havent been using heat so I dont know how to do it otherwise. But I do understand what she means because when I got it set and flat ironed at another salon they were sealed all week and my hair was smooth and soft and didnt break when combing. but when I airdry I seem to have problems daily with this. Its like it makes sense but at the same time it doesnt since heat is damaging.


What do u think?

[/ QUOTE ]

Leslie - what your stylist means is essentially the same thing. Heat IS damaging if used too frequently because over time it can singe the cuticle and destroy it completely. If used in moderation however, the hair can respond well to heat. When you "seal the ends" in the way your stylist means, the heatng implement is used to soften the outer layer of the hair and change the overall shape of the strand from curly to straight. In the process, if they are used properly, they can direct the cuticle downward, smoothing it out and allowing it to dry that way so that further manipulation (daily styling etc.) doesn't result in breakage.

Think of a child sliding down the roof of a house. The roof has shingles. If all those shingles are going in the right direction, the child's trip down will be uneventful. If some of the shingles are sticking up though, the child may take a few panels off with him as he slides down and Mom and Dad are going to have to call the roofers to make some repairs.

The shingles are the cuticle of your hair, the child is your comb/brush/bun donut etc.

Hope that wasn't even MORE confusing. I'm SO bad at making things clear.

 

[Leslie_C]

Re: \"Sealed\" Ends??

Tracy, I GET IT! that makes perfect sense! so maybe some of the heat advocates around here are right, heat is only bad if used too often(like every day) once a week or every two weeks isnt really harmful.

I may have to rethink my regimen. Im going to keep doing this co washing and frequent washing thing along with air drying for a couple of weeks, tracking my breakage/shedding.
Then Im going to get a wash and set(probably flat ironed and wrapped), and make it last for a week, wrapping at night and throwing in some rollers here and there for body. Im going to compare my breakage and shedding for two weeks straight doing that as opposed to no heat and constantly fighting my hair.

I swear I had hardly any hair coming out at all when I was getting my hair done like that every week or two, but now it seems to be working against me(little hairs in the sink and on the floor). Maybe a happy medium would be to alternate roller wraps with no flat ironing, with getting the flat iron?

 

[Course24]

Re: "Sealed" Ends??

Hey Tracy

Can you do this method with grease on dry hair that's frizzy? My hair is very coily, tangled, and frizzy once i'm doneing washing and conditioning and ready to blow dry. BTW, I have an electric flatiron and I was wondering if I use wax paper Over the aluminum foil to seal would that be better since I don't own a mercel iron of any kind and it's not in direct contact with the metal plates of the flat iron. Give me your thoughts on this anyone who may know. Thanks

 

[nyc_beauty]

Re: "Sealed" Ends??

Hello is there a way to add this thread to a favorites list. If so let me know I'm new to the boards.

 

[Isis]

Re: "Sealed" Ends??

Hello is there a way to add this thread to a favorites list. If so let me know I'm new to the boards.

Whenever you respond to a post or create a thread, you can always click on User CP on the upper left end of the menu and you'll get all the threads that you prefer. You can always "unsubscribe" if you don't want the same threads to appear anymore. So it's like a favorites list.

 

[crazyabouthair]

Re: "Sealed" Ends??

I also think your stylist means your cuticles need to be sealed but instead of with heat I was thinking more along the lines of using a ph balanced shampoo and conditioner like porosity control or keracare. Products with a LOW ph will help close the cuticles to keep humidity out and thereby minimizing frizzies.

 

[carolina_belle]

Re: "Sealed" Ends??

I heard about this method and never tried it. To piggback on LL's comments, I am also glad Tracy is back in full effect. She is my hair inspiration and is always full of useful information. Can this be done with an electric flat iron?