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.
