Seven steps to avoid heat damage for relaxed hair

[Lilmama1011]

Relaxed ladies don’t often think that heat damage applies to them because unlike with natural hair, you are not immediately able to see evidence of the damage.
But this is totally wrong and in fact relaxed hair actually more prone to heat damage having been through the harsh chemical process of a relaxer.
When you are flat ironing relaxed hair your are adding heat to hair that has already lost some of it’s innate strength and is also more porous than natural hair.
Eventually heat damage to relaxed hair will present as increased breakage and due to heat’s tendency to damage hair’s cuticles it may also present as hair that is even more porous which means that it has less elasticity and often feels dry and brittle.
Applying direct heat to relaxed hair by way of a flat iron or a curling iron should only be left for special occasions, and by that I mean your birthday or graduation, not your cousin’s wedding or a Wednesday!
But for those truly special occasions where you feel the need to wear your relaxed tresses ultra straight and silky smooth, there are a few things you need to do to prevent heat damage.


Step 1: Preparation
Before washing your hair, do a pre poo or hot oil treatment. This extra step protects your hair from getting stripped when using shampoo. Some oils will actually infuse into your strands adding strength, smoothing the hair shaft, adding moisture and shine.
Apply the oil or your prepoo of choice throughout your hair from root to tip to ensure even coverage. If doing a hot oil treatment you can do a simple treatment with one oil or you can combine oils with herbs that benefit hair to make the experience a little but more luxurious.
However you choose to get it done, hot oil treatments increase moisture retention which then increases hair’s elasticity which by all accounts is a win win situation.
Step 2: Washing
Cleanse your hair thoroughly to remove buildup and anything that would contribute to dullness when you flat iron your hair. If you need to use a sulfate shampoo to really get rid of hard to reach buildup or you were too heavy handed with the hot oil treatment then by all means do so.

 

[Lilmama1011]

However, to rid your hair completely of silicone build up, nothing works better than a sulfate containing shampoo.
Step 3: Deep Conditioning
Create a strong base by doing a protein treatment on your hair. Protein helps to add resilience to your hair strands so that when you do apply heat, your hair can withstand any damaging effects.
A protein treatment doesn’t always have to be a hard Aphogee 2 step treatment, when a good quality protein deep conditioner could accomplish a similar effect.
Choose your protein wisely, if you have not had a protein treatment in a while, use a product that contains hydrolyzed protein so that it can penetrate the hair shaft.
Always check the ingredients of your product to make sure you are getting what it is you need to prepare for your flat iron.
Using some heat has been show to be the best way to deep condition hair. Steaming is a great way of accomplishing this and is excellent for restoring moisture too, so if you haven’t tried it already invest in a steamer. Your hair will thank you for it!


Step 4: Detangling
Detangling is a very important step when trying to achieve a smooth finish with a flat iron. Detangle your hair gently but thoroughly using a wide tooth comb or a denman brush.
Separate your hair into sections so that you are detangling thoroughly and braid or lightly twist each section when you are done to prevent re-tangling. Always detangle starting from the ends of your hair working your way up towards the root.
Step 5: Air drying
Air drying is the healthy option in this case, especially if you know you are about to turn up the heat with a flat iron. It is totally understandable why natural ladies with tight coils would need to blow dry their hair first but relaxed ladies for the most part can get away without this step.
If you can avoid using heat twice during your heat styling session you are removing another potential area where you could pick up heat damage. Air dry your hair in the same braids you used for detangling or alternatively wrap your hair in rollers to stretch and smooth it ensuring your hair is completely dry before you begin flat ironing.

 

[Lilmama1011]

Now it is time to flat iron your hair. You have already set the best foundation beforehand so the actual process of flat ironing should be easy and your result will be smooth flowy hair.
Always use a good heat protectant on each section prior to flat ironing your hair to give it that extra umph of protection before using direct heat.
And for goodness sake always use a heat controlled hair tool. A marcel iron is not your best friend on your healthy relaxed hair journey so please refer to this article to see what the different features of flat irons are to help you pick a suitable iron.
Different hair types require different temperatures, so set the iron at the most ideal temperature for your hair always erring on the cooler side. After all your hair is already straight, all you are trying to do is smooth and silken it!
Flat iron your hair in small sections utilizing pins or clips to keep the hair you are not dealing with out of the way. Sometimes you can get away with just one pass of the flat iron depending on your technique but if you have to do two passes it is not the end of the world.


Use the comb chase method for a smooth finish. This means grabbing a fine tooth comb and placing it in front of the flat iron as you make the pass. The comb smooths your hair and removes tangles right before the flat iron runs over it to give you a smooth finish.
You have to be a bit ambidextrous (comfortable with using both hands) to do this method but if you simply can’t use your weaker hand, a flat iron with a built in comb may be right up your street.
Step 7: Shine (optional)
Using a product to add*shine is entirely optional once you have completed your flat iron because most times you will notice your hair’s natural shine come through and that might be enough for you.
But not all of us are fortunate enough to have highly reflective cuticles so using products geared towards shine is kind of like the icing on the cake. It gives your hair that added bit of help that practically screams soft and silky.
Some people also find that a touch of oil at the end helps with taming flyaways which is very helpful when you are preparing your hair for the night. Whatever method you choose to save your style overnight, covering your hair with a satin bonnet to keep your hair smooth and frizz free is a must.
For women with longer hair, wrapping it in a bun or doing a single braid is the best solution to saving your style and you get gorgeous waves in the morning!

 

[Lilmama1011]

http://www.blackhairinformation.com...t-ironing-relaxed-hair-without-heat-damage/3/

 

[Tatilove]

I heard that using a silicone conditioner will actually help protect the hair from the heat.

 

[PureSilver]

Thanks for this useful thread OP. I need some excellent suggestions and reviews on heat protectors. I have been watching a lot of Utube videos but many of them do not mention the heat protectors they are using and when they do, when its held up to the camera the writing is so blurry.

 

[Lilmama1011]

Thanks for this useful thread OP. I need some excellent suggestions and reviews on heat protectors. I have been watching a lot of Utube videos but many of them do not mention the heat protectors they are using and when they do, when its held up to the camera the writing is so blurry.

Tresemme heat tamer is a good one, cheap, smells good, popular and minimizes frizz (smooths the hair)

 

[Fine 4s]

Marking my spot even though I'm not due until the end of 2014 for my flat iron ...maybe even 2015! All I know is that I'm never going to a salon or allow anyone to use a marcel stove on my hair again. Growing out heat damage.

 

[Lilmama1011]

Marking my spot even though I'm not due until the end of 2014 for my flat iron ...maybe even 2015! All I know is that I'm never going to a salon or allow anyone to use a marcel stove on my hair again. Growing out heat damage.

Fine 4s I'm starting to believe salons are only good for roller sets and that's it, no trims and no straightening. I keep hearing horror stories with those two in it.

 

[BeautyBlvd]

The best way to avoid heat damage is to not use direct heat on your hair. Use rollers, flexi rods, roller-sets, and pin curls to your advantage!