Thought I was Protecting My Hair, I was Damaging it!!! Pics Inside..

[ScandalousBeauty]

All this time, I have been using Goody Ouchless Hairbands to hold up my puff. I bought my T3 Duality Flatiron (which is AMAAAAAAAAAAAZING) and decided to just straighten random pieces of hair, without blowdrying or doing anything different. I did use a straightening serum, just to protect. I wasn't trying to style my hair or anything glam, just wanted to see my length. I used 300 degree heat, and got it crankin. My hair straightened with ease, no scorching, no smoke, nothing that worried me.

Anyway, the bottom of my hair, aka my kitchen, was significantly shorter than an inch or two above it. There are lots of random strands an inch or two below the nape that grazed the bottom of my neck. I am assuming that where the ouchless headband went everyday, that area of the hair had been breaking off. I figured that I should see similar results on the top of my head as well, and low and behold the hair that would be directly under the headband is thinner and shorter. Damn it, I'm pissed! I definitely need a trim, haven't had one in about 6 months now. But I feel like I have cheated myself out of months of growth.

On the upside, my hair is much thicker than it was before as a relaxed girl. Maybe its because I didn't blow dry, detangle, comb or any of that other stuff. Also, some of the random strands in the back are longer than my hair has seen in a loooong time. It's really hard to see in the pics b/c my hair is blondish. Oh Well. Off to condition my hair, apply my curlformers and go to sleep!

And Yes, I know....I need a trim DESPERATELY!!!! AND I am dying my hair black again. In a puff the color is great, straightened it looks a TERRIBLE mess.

Pics in my fotki...I couldn't get them to show up on here.

 

[Crackers Phinn]

It helps if you soak the bands in some type of oil.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

Great great growth LCM!! I'm sorry about the breakage, though truth be told I can't quite see where it's broken off. I think after your (small) trim you will be back on track. Now, it could just be the lighting of the flash but in the straightened pics your hair looks a little dried out where the blond pieces are. I'm no expert in color at all but just protect yourself and read up before putting in another perm color. Or better yet, how about going with something safer like a cellophane? Maybe the color had something to do with the breakage???

 

[SEMO]

It helps if you soak the bands in some type of oil.

Great tip. I'll try this myself.

 

[ellebelle88]

LilChocolateMa --

Are you saying that you straightened your hair while wet? A friend whose from Trinidad told me that she does this but her hair is not of African-American texture. I'm afraid to do it on my hair because I think it will cause drastic damage but she says that my hair will be fine. I really wanna cut out blow drying though which wreaks havoc on my hair.

 

[Ivonnovi]

Regarding the bands, I cut the tops from Knee-highs and use the, exclusively to hold my ponytails in place. When I had twists I used the top from a thigh-high letting lenth of the twists "breath"/hang freely from the top.

I returned from the "desert" with minimum hair breakage. I hope this helps

 

[♦K.O♦]

LilChocolateMa --

Are you saying that you straightened your hair while wet? A friend whose from Trinidad told me that she does this but her hair is not of African-American texture. I'm afraid to do it on my hair because I think it will cause drastic damage but she says that my hair will be fine. I really wanna cut out blow drying though which wreaks havoc on my hair.

No one, with ANY hairtype, should flat iron wet hair. The water within the shaft will be boiling hot and my cause different sections of the strand to burst, split, or break.

 

[carib_n_curly]

you know i've been using them ouchless hair bands my self and i can tell my hair is busting out my scalp cause i can tell how much growth i have by looking at my at the difference between the heat damaged part and the natural undamaged part coming throw but my hair has only retain a inch or so of all that growth. i think the ouchless hair bands are breaking my ends when i use them to do my bun and i have being doing buns quite regular.
since i stopped using them my ends feel better and i retained more growth but i think i'll soaking them in oil that sounds like a good idea. i'll stick to my puff until i learn how to cornrow cause them ouchless hair bands don't agree with my ends

 

[ellebelle88]

No one, with ANY hairtype, should flat iron wet hair. The water within the shaft will be boiling hot and my cause different sections of the strand to burst, split, or break.

Wow. But I know many caucasian girls who go to my school that do just this. They use a wet2straight flat-iron and achieve amazing results. I'm too chicken to do it tho and I'm sure I never will.

 

[Ms. Plain Jane]

No one, with ANY hairtype, should flat iron wet hair. The water within the shaft will be boiling hot and my cause different sections of the strand to burst, split, or break.

I've used a Remington Wet-2-Straight flat iron and have yet to suffer from any damage. Granted, I've only used it about three times, but it was specifically designed to dry/straighten wet hair.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

All this time, I have been using Goody Ouchless Hairbands to hold up my puff. I bought my T3 Duality Flatiron (which is AMAAAAAAAAAAAZING) and decided to just straighten random pieces of hair, without blowdrying or doing anything different. I did use a straightening serum, just to protect. I wasn't trying to style my hair or anything glam, just wanted to see my length. I used 300 degree heat, and got it crankin. My hair straightened with ease, no scorching, no smoke, nothing that worried me.

Anyway, the bottom of my hair, aka my kitchen, was significantly shorter than an inch or two above it. There are lots of random strands an inch or two below the nape that grazed the bottom of my neck. I am assuming that where the ouchless headband went everyday, that area of the hair had been breaking off. I figured that I should see similar results on the top of my head as well, and low and behold the hair that would be directly under the headband is thinner and shorter. Damn it, I'm pissed! I definitely need a trim, haven't had one in about 6 months now. But I feel like I have cheated myself out of months of growth.

On the upside, my hair is much thicker than it was before as a relaxed girl. Maybe its because I didn't blow dry, detangle, comb or any of that other stuff. Also, some of the random strands in the back are longer than my hair has seen in a loooong time. It's really hard to see in the pics b/c my hair is blondish. Oh Well. Off to condition my hair, apply my curlformers and go to sleep!

And Yes, I know....I need a trim DESPERATELY!!!! AND I am dying my hair black again. In a puff the color is great, straightened it looks a TERRIBLE mess.

Pics in my fotki...I couldn't get them to show up on here.

I am sorry this happened to you.
I used pantyhose or knee highs soaked in oil only -
Any product out there from goody - has given me nothing but problems.

So - when you are at target - go to the hosiery aisle - leave the hair aisle............

 

[ellebelle88]

Ms. Plain Jane,

How were the results after using the Wet2Straight Flatiron? & why is it that you don't use it often?

 

[Everything Zen]

I've used a Remington Wet-2-Straight flat iron and have yet to suffer from any damage. Granted, I've only used it about three times, but it was specifically designed to dry/straighten wet hair.

Same here with my FHI Runway but then again I've only used it twice in the past 9 months to completely flat iron my hair.

 

[cmesweet]

I use stockings or hair scarfs to tie my puffs. The ouchless bands, sometimes attract your hair and make its tangle around it when you scooch it back or wrap it around the hair.

I left those bad boys alone years ago.

 

[halee_J]

No one, with ANY hairtype, should flat iron wet hair. The water within the shaft will be boiling hot and my cause different sections of the strand to burst, split, or break.

OOOOOOOHhhhhh. I thought it was because you would have to apply more heat....Hmmmm that would explain my incomplete split epidemic from last summer .

 

[Ms. Plain Jane]

Ms. Plain Jane,

How were the results after using the Wet2Straight Flatiron? & why is it that you don't use it often?

The flatiron worked well for me. I don't use it often because I do not like wear my hair too straight. I rollerset 98% of the time because I like for my hair to have body and bounce.

I've never used a CHI, FHI, etc., so I'm unable to compate it to those. HTH.

 

[ScandalousBeauty]

JCoily-Soaking in oil....EXCELLENT idea.

Bre-Bre- Yeah, My hair was pretty dry, and it's definitely dryer around the lighter parts. I think I am going to use black henna to dye it back. I did a bad job at illustrating the breakage, because the parts that are broken off are beneath the hair in the picture. The part that's broken off in actuality is my "kitchen". It's a wreck. I just want to dye my hair all black again so that I may braid it or get cornrows again.

LJBee-Girl I'm not crazy ! I don't want want all that singing and burning! I did a WGO earlier that morning, so my hair was kinda dry. I ran out of glycerin so my hair wasn't as soft as usual...I guess I should have waited for another day to do it. But, I couldn't resist!

 

[ScandalousBeauty]

Slight update...I twisted my hair last night and all I could see were those scraggly ends. I was disgusted! So, I went ahead and dusted my ends because they were in desperate need. No longer do you all need to be disgusted by them! I am waiting to get a real trim after the summer, I plan to rock cornrows and micros for a few months.