That silky smooth relaxed looking flat ironed NATURAL hair...

[greight]

Serious question... Is the shine dependent on the product/serums you all use? For someone who is in the 4b range (my hair has no natural shine... until you add oil on it), would I get that shine with little to no product in my hair?

I don't see a lot of pics of people with 4b/4c/4zzzzzz naps who straighten. I haven't straightened my natural hair before (I don't even own a flat iron ) so I'm officially curious.

 

[greight]

I straightened my hair recently to check out my ends. I usually wash once with a clarifying shampoo, wash once with a moisturizing shampoo, deep condition, rinse, apply serum, blow dry, apply spray heat protectant, then flat iron. I can never get it as straight as she does at the shop but my at home results are straight enough for me.

I like this look a lot! Have you purposely cut shape into your hair? It looks great straight (my hair is so uneven, I'm almost afraid to see what it would be like straight )

 

[glamazon386]

I like this look a lot! Have you purposely cut shape into your hair? It looks great straight (my hair is so uneven, I'm almost afraid to see what it would be like straight )

Thanks. I had layers cut into it back in November but they are pretty much gone. The top was maybe ear length and I still had a long bang. My bangs are totally gone now. You can see what the back of my hair looks like in my siggy pic. It all looks the same length now. Here's what the layers looked like originally:

Curled:

Straight:

 

[glamazon386]

Serious question... Is the shine dependent on the product/serums you all use? For someone who is in the 4b range (my hair has no natural shine... until you add oil on it), would I get that shine with little to no product in my hair?

I don't see a lot of pics of people with 4b/4c/4zzzzzz naps who straighten. I haven't straightened my natural hair before (I don't even own a flat iron ) so I'm officially curious.

My hair isn't shiny either. It's kind of dull looking. Putting coconut oil on it after straightening does help it look better though.

 

[MsLizziA]

Serious question... Is the shine dependent on the product/serums you all use? For someone who is in the 4b range (my hair has no natural shine... until you add oil on it), would I get that shine with little to no product in my hair?

I don't see a lot of pics of people with 4b/4c/4zzzzzz naps who straighten. I haven't straightened my natural hair before (I don't even own a flat iron ) so I'm officially curious.

There are some here, i just haven't seen them yet..... check fotki

 

[curlupndye]

Once upon a time, I was able to get my hair that smooth using the Maxiglide, however it lead to really bad heat damage. Then, I didn't know about silicones and moisture/protein balance. Still and all, the Maxiglide was so strong that I will always be too afraid to ever try using it again.

 

[GoingBack]

Here's a chick that's a stylist now that used to go to UT that does a process called Thermal Straightening. Check out her album, you'll be surprised.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2732158&id=7925202

Believe me, it can be done as a natural. I've done it even with weave. I set my iron anywhere from 380-410 (it goes to 450). I blow dry it halfway straight with the comb attachment and iron 1in. sections and wrap with saran wrap and sit under the dryer for 15min for a silk wrap.
Good luck!

She does a really good job. What exactly is Thermal Straightening?

 

[MsLizziA]

 

[lalablossoms]

i saw there are two similar threads so i am cross posting my reply from the support thread.

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.

 

[diadall]

Dominican blowouts achieve this look for me.

 

[Carisa]

just subscribing........I will need this info in years to come

 

[lalablossoms]

it really is easier than most people think. i think it is harder if hair is already damaged or you are using the wrong products and techniques. i taught my friend to do this to her natural hair but it was already so abused i had to cut off a lot of the length because the bottom half of her hair was so dry and just looked kinky straight after the first attempt. i cut off all the bad ends and gave her a long pixie style and restyled and it looked perfect. my hair is in great condition and really only takes like a 1.5 hours to do the whole process beginning to end. about 15 minutes to shampoo, condition, and apply products in the shower, so with the rest of my showering like 30 minutes. i tend to scrub, shave etc. and make it spa day while my conditioner is in. 15 minutes to towel dry and then blowdry. i can actually blowdry from damp to dry in like five minutes, but i let it towel dry from wet to damp for like ten minutes first. and then about 45 minutes to flat iron and smooth my edges. not a lot of time every 3-4 days for such big payoff.

 

[MsLizziA]

 

[ajargon02]

Sure no problem and thanks!

The one I use is called Infiniti by Conair Ceramic Straightener. Looks kinda like this:

I am currently using this, but was gonna get another flat iron, as I wasn't too impressed. I NEED TO WORK ON TECHNIQUE, and keep with my cheapie flat iron for now, till I have it down to a science!