Straight Hair Natural's Support Thread

[freecurl]

Subbing!!!

I remember last year I said I would straighten my hair more often to prevent SSKs and tangles, but I chickened out. I was so afraid of heat damage and split ends. I reviewed some of the earlier posters who initially said they would do this, and some of them did suffer some heat damage.
If I were to adopt this regimen, I would try to use a low heat regimen, ie. roller setting without flat ironing.
I have learned a lot from this thread.
Does anyone have fine hair and how did this method work for you?
If I decide to do this, I will definitely post pics.

 

[Imani]

Maybe try practicing on yourself so you won't be at the mercy of a hit or miss salon visit. You'll save $$ too. Good luck!

I've been practicing several times and every time I end up with dry crispy hair. I end up doing more harm than good. I DC, have a steamer, salon quality products/tools, etc.

 

[jreagins]

Subbing to this thread

 

[bludaydreamr]

I have read mixed reviews on SMB since there was a formula change, any naturals using it with good result?

 

[Missjae09]

Like so many others I :heart2: this thread. This summer I have been wearing natural styles because my scalp sweats and it's so hard trying to keep my hair straight in this hot weather. Plus I'm testing it out to see if I can retain more length by not using heat at any rate I plan to start wearing it straight. When I do straighten I an sure to use a heat protectant because I like for my hair to be silky straight. I haven't figured out how to fight reversion. I only straighten with flat irons. I did go to a salon where a hot comb was used and it broke my sensitive nape off.

When I was relaxed I used heat every day and my hair was healthy so I know that if you take care of your hair, the heat won't be a problem as long as you're not frying it.

 

[Janet']

Once I reach my goal length, I am going to incorporate heat regularly into my regimen...I love natural, no heat styles, but I love heat styled hair as well...I'm a balanced being (or try to be)! Once I start using heat again, I want to do it right because I don't want to have heat damaged hair so thanks to whoever bumped this thread up!!!

 

[Lucia]

I'll be straightening my hair more often this fall/winter just to change up the style. I think if you don't fry it and use good technique and DC more often it will be healthy. I used to straighten more often without any damage, this past spring/summer I haven't been using heat at all.

 

[redantz00]

I'll be straightening my hair more often this fall/winter just to change up the style. I think if you don't fry it and use good technique and DC more often it will be healthy. I used to straighten more often without any damage, this past spring/summer I haven't been using heat at all.

I completely agree!

 

[Charz]

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I always use the lowest settings for my straitening. My Instyler is perfect for the job! I can't wait to be free of relaxed hair. I will have so much more styling options!

 

[manter26]

Does anyone have any advice on heat damage? Can heat damaged hair be transitioned to heat trained for example?

I warned my sister over and over to stop going to salons. She went to a DS twice and JcPenny once, where she had her hair hot combed and flat ironed...all this within a month. The length of her hair is bone straight. Straighter than I've ever seen it with a relaxer even. The entire length is maybe 6 inches at most with 4" heat damage and 4b roots. I really don't want her to suffer breakage, but I just don't know what other options there are without BC'ing again.

 

[hothair]

For heat damage first thing is to do a protein treatment depending on the severity you can use Aphogee 2 min (mild) or the 2 step (strong) after that do a good moisturising DC, wash and DC a few weeks first the hair may just revert.

I'm still doing good with my bi-monthly straightening I dragged out my GHDs a couple of months ago for my last BKT and the results are still here, I think I may now stick to this for my BKTs. So still hoping for APL this Xmas so in a weave to retain as much as I can.

 

[DKO]

I am transitioning to texlax hair. I've gone 9 months with no relaxer then texlaxed. I am going to wait another 6 months if I can without texlaxing again. My goal is to texlax 2 times a year. In the meantime, I've been using Kera Care blow dry lotion and silken seal after applying their leave-in conditioner. I blow dry with a paddle brush then flat iron. My hair is extremely silky and straight. After a few days the roots are not as straight but the rest of my hair stays silky and straight until I wash it again. I found for my hair if I airdry and then try to flat iron, it will be frizzy on the ends and isn't as silky. I also get knots and more tangles. I guess my hair likes the heat better. I can rollerset then press the roots with a flat iron and achieve good results. Not as silky as using the flat iron but good enough.

I just bought the Mizani Thermasmooth system and I'm going to see if that will eliminate the poofy roots.

BTW, I either pin curl or just comb my hair back and tie my hair down tight with a silk scarf at night.

 

[tonia682]

I am soooooooo glad for this thread I am transitioning and have tried to straighten my hair 2X with a hot comb. My results were less than stellar...I can agree with the lady with the Chaka Khan hair. My roots when I am done look beyond fuzzy. Any help in this matter is appriciated!

 

[princessnad]

I really get horrible results when I blow dry. It ends up being rough and frizzy. My silky, swingy results are when I deep condition then airdry in twists, moisturize then section. I put a small amount of CHI silk infusion then the key step is to brush each section with a soft boar bristle brush then chase with the flat iron (CHI or Solia). It turns out beautifully and right now I'm on my second week with no sign of frizz.

 

[avyance]

I love Mizani Thermasmoothe. My roots are very straight and my hair has tons of swing!! I have very thick 4b hair and I am transitioning with the goal of not cutting off my hair.

 

[Mdmommy99]

My problem is never how to get my hair straight. It's always getting my hair to stay straight. I have a maxiglide and can get my hair sleek, perm straight on setting 5 but within an hour my hair looks puffy. It's still straight but it doesn't have that sleek look to it anymore. Any suggestions on how to keep the sleek look as opposed to the fluffy straight look that I have now?

 

[Ash-Lilly]

I like this thread. I'm sitting here lamenting over my single strand knots in my MBL natural hair and now think that I should try keeping my hair straight (or straighter) for a while.

 

[mostamaziing]

ihate when people ask me why not juss get a relaxer again -__- relaxers are too much of a hassle.

 

[tdwillis]

I am wondering if this can be done weekly without any heat damage? I love wearing my hair straight.

 

[ladytee2]

I have rollerset 3 weeks in a row. I still have not come out with a straight set but Im working on it. I am trying not to comb my hair but I think the only way to keep my hair semi straight in between washes is to wrap it at night. But I cant wrap my hair without combing. Are you ladies combing your hair everyday? I am try to stick to my goal of working out 3 - 4 times a week. My roots are getting puffy. I have been finger combing and making large pin curls at night. My hair is wavy. I would like for it to remain straighter. Any tips?

 

[lalablossoms]

hello, this is my first post here. i am so happy to find other naturals that straighten. i am a type 4a. i've been relaxed, texturized, and a natural who wears her hair mostly kinky curly. i mostly straighten now and have no regrets. i still wear my natural texture at times and feel comfortable with it but feel that a straight bob style fits my aesthetic the most. before i started straightening regularly i had a lot of length and an afro, i loved it but find i always go back to liking shorter, sleek hair and feel like it suits me the most.

anyways, i am not afraid of heat, but have a very strict routine that minimizes damage. i find that my hair actually looks smoother by flat ironing than it did after relaxing. with a relaxer my hair looked good maybe a few weeks after my touch ups. flat ironing my hair always looks freshly relaxed and keeps all of it's body and shine plus holds a curl better.

my routine:

- every three to four days i shampoo with suave clarifying shampoo. i find my hair works best with a deep cleansing shampoo over a moisturizing one. i shampoo twice while in the shower.

- i then detangle with suave humectant conditioner and a denman type brush. i like the humectant conditioner because it has keratin protein and serves as a mild reconstructive treatment that smooths and softens my hair. i let the conditioner sit a few minutes while i do my skin care routine in the shower.

- next i rinse and apply suave tropical coconut conditioner with the same brush. i only apply a dollop to my whole head and let it penetrate before the next step. this is the only leave-in i use.

- now i apply sabino moisture block ( i believe it is now called lok n' blok??? ). i store sabino in a pump container and use one pump for my whole head. i brush this through as well. this is the miracle product. it seals in the moisture from the conditioner, defrizzes, creates a barrier from humidity, and protects from heat. after using this product for months and flat ironing regularly i find that my hair has a great moisture balance, is silky smooth, does not really revert ( i even use this in the heat of summer and my hair stays straight ), i have no heat damage, and i end up using way less product on my hair. plus i rarely get product buildup and my hair is super shiny. i only reapply a tiny bit to my ends and halo maybe on day four because i get a little frizzy the day before i shampoo and to my edges and nape daily to keep them smooth.

- finally i spray my hair with fantasia ic liquid mousse setting lotion to add some hold.

- i wrap my hair in a towel while i dry off from the shower. i do not like to style my hair soaking wet, so i wrap to get it from wet to damp.

- i blowdry with a vent brush or let airdry in a ponytail and then blowdry. i switch it up depending on my mood. sometimes i like to style right away. sometimes i shampoo the night before and flat iron in the morning. sometimes i shampoo in the morning and flat iron later in the day. i don't have a preference either way and the results are the same.

- once dry i apply another squirt of sabino and brush through this time with the vent brush. i apply a tiny little extra all around my hairline and to more difficult to manage areas.

- i flat iron with a ceramic iron. i use 430 degrees. the sabino directions recommend 450 degrees, but i just use the heat i have available on my iron. this sounds like a lot but i only need one pass and i haven't seen any heat damage in the 16 months i have been following this routine. i hold at the root for an eight count and then slide down slowly. i do not use a comb at all. i also add waves and curls as i do my one pass because i do not like bone straight hair. i do small sections to ensure even smoothness.

- once flat ironing is complete i do my hairline. i do not apply heat to my baby hairs. i do flat iron close to the edge but the very fine hairs i just use pomade on to slick the baby hairs around my face and nape. i used to use gel but don't anymore because i do not like a hard finish, plus gel is water based. i am still trying to find a pomade i love. every one i like gets discontinued. at the moment i am using got 2b, not my favorite but it's cheap and works until i find a better one.

- to maintain, i am doing a combination of wrapping the back half ( hard to explain how i do it ) and pincurling the front and crown. i got the goodie mosaic curved wrap bobby pins and love them. i tie a long scarf around the perimeter. when i shower i use the goodie mosaic satin lined shower cap. to style i lightly reapply pomade to my baby hairs and then retie the scarf to smooth that for a few minutes while i dress, then i undo my bobby pins and fingerstyle. i am still perfecting my nightime routine to try and get the perfect results from my wrapping/pincurling. i started with it being too flat in some areas and too curly in others. it still always looks fine, just not as perfect as how it is styled the first time.

so that's my advice. everyone is amazed that i do not relax. i am so happy to have such versatile hair. i have pics in my album of my hair worn natural and flat ironed. i also have a pic from a roller set. i haven't rollerset in a while but maybe in the future i will share what i did then. by the way i follow pretty much the same routine when i wear my hair curly except i apply garnier smoothing milk instead of setting lotion and then let airdry.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

I'm going to be straightening my hair (myself) for thanksgiving. If all
Is successful, I will post my regimen here. This is my first time straightening in 2 years and my hair brokenofd drastically back then so I hope with better techniques and hair care, everything will be fine

 

[keelioness]

Thanx for posting LaLa...i don't see ur album tho..I am dying to straighten myself. The salon does a great job but I'm ready to he a DIYer..with the exception of braids and weaves

 

[lalablossoms]

What do you ladies who work out regularly do about keeping your hair straight? I love wearing my hair straightened, but after a good workout, my hair is back to its curly state (well the new growth -- I am transitioning). Unfortunately, I sweat a lot. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them!

i don't try to workout and maintain my style. i plan my shampoos to be after workouts. so i get all of my activity in twice a week so that i shampoo and restyle every three or four days. that means a long block of exercise time twice a week, but that works better with my schedule of work and school anyway. my hair does start to get oily and my scalp greasy by this time anyway and i find my style stays freshest this way. if i'm having a rough week i can stretch to a week. it's not my favorite choice and my scalp starts to itch and bother me, plus my hair starts getting that heavy waxy feel. if for some reason i broke a sweat more than twice a week i just wear my hair natural those days. like in the hottest time of the summer i wear my hair natural a lot, more because of sweat than actual reversion. the sabino is no joke and my hair will stay pretty straight. at the worst i get a naturally wavy look if anything. but i cannot deal with sweaty hair and my hair starts feeling sticky. so when it's that bad i just do wash and gos and wear what i call a pixie fro, frohawk it, or i put my hair into a puff or two.

 

[lalablossoms]

Thanx for posting LaLa...i don't see ur album tho..I am dying to straighten myself. The salon does a great job but I'm ready to he a DIYer..with the exception of braids and weaves

that's strange. i thought i uploaded like 10 pics earlier. i'll try again.

 

[lalablossoms]

ok i fixed the problem and got my pics in. i just realized only a few do you see my hair close up, so i will take some more soon for texture shots and maybe a good before/after set.

 

[Beverly Ann Properties]

I flat ironed my hair this past weekend. I used the comb chase method with my Sedu flat iron. I am pleased with the overall results. I will see how long my hair will stay straight before it reverts.

 

[Janet']

@Beverly Ann Properties, your hair has really grown!!

 

[Beverly Ann Properties]

Thanks Janet'. It has grown because I have incorporated all of the knowledge I have learned from all of you wonderful hair growers on this forum. I love your color and your length.