tkj25
Member
i finally did a length check for the year -- after 10 months in yarn braids -- and my bottom layer is almost apl when stretched! 
at rest, it hangs comfortably at my shoulders. it's about 14 inches layered.
http://public.fotki.com/tkj25/
http://public.fotki.com/tkj25/2008-12-21/
i basically followed the same steps as last time i straightened except:
i straightened with my maxiglide for the length & my fhi platform for the roots. instead of blow drying, i air-dried in twists to cut down on the heat. i also had the maxi set to 3 & the fhi set to 300. i used the same products, but added sabino to the mix. i didn't make the parts as small as i did the last time i straightened, so the result wasn't as silky, but it turned out shiny, soft, full, & swingy none-the-less
here's my updated process:
I have 4a, thick, cottony, nappy, wiry, tiny coils (tc's). my hope is this, or some derivation of it, will work for you as well:
1. I applied a blend of smoothing conditioners to my damp hair and let sit for 30mins to 1 hr. (i started with no product on my hair)
2. with conditioners still in, detangled hair & clipped into 6 sections: 2 sides, 2 top, 2 back.
3. in shower, rinse each section, making sure to smooth rinse hair in one direction to keep hair detangled, sqeeze excess water & re-clip.
4. apply heat protectants to each section. (i was a little generous with the heat protectants because i knew i'd be using higher heat, and my thick hair laughs at quarter-size amounts of any product.)
5. sectioned hair into twists & let air dry overnight.
6. apply coconut & castor oil to air-dried hair sections.
7. make small sections -- about 1.5 in by .25 in. with maxiglide set to 3 (goes up to 10), fhi set to 300 (goes up to 450).
8. comb through section to smooth any tangles, glide maxiglide through bottom inch of hair -- the ends. (by starting a the ends first this helps them smooth out better & helps prevent smooth hair but frizzy ends.)
9. place maxiglide at middle of hair section & glide to ends.
10. then place maxiglide at roots & smooth to ends. (when gliding make sure to stop & finger comb/detangle any snags.)
11. the bulk of the maxiglide prevents getting too close to the roots, so i had to go over the roots with my fhi to fully smooth them out. ( if i saw any knots i did a search & destroy)
12. repeate for all sections/for entire head.
Hair should end up silky straight, shiny, & soft from root to tips.
as a pj i've collected quite a few conditioners over time. these are recommended smoothing conditioners, i blended them, but any of these will work fine:
ion anti-frizz straightening
herbal essences dangerously straight
suave professionals sleek
garnier fructis fortifying cream sleek & shine
naturelle slick line
(i love botanical, moisturizing, humectant conditioners for regular maintenance, but i found that for straightening my natural hair they don't work -- they draw too much moisture from the air, resulting in frizzy, puffy hair, which is kind of let down especially after spending a couple hours maxigliding/straightening your hair. the maxiglide is the only thing that's been able to get my thick, natural hair straight, but until i switched my products it would never stay that way.)
heat protectants:
my maxi/miniglide combo kit came with two heat protectants -- maxius beyond straight & the end -- they work great, but being the product junky that i am, i have a few others in my arsenal, (i ended up blending them, but any of these will do):
one 'n only ceramic silk thermal protection
maxius beyond straight & the end (came with maxiglide)
(these two really help get my ends smooth. one's a creme the other's more of a gel, but the first ingredient for both is water, which my natural ends need if i hope to get them sleek
.
ion anti-frizz heat protection
ic fantasia hair polisher straightening serum
chi silk infusion
silk element megasilk heat protect
that was basically it. once my hair was straight i'd put in bantu knots if i wanted wavy, curls ( the bigger the knot the wavier the hair, the smaller the knot the curlier -- this keeps me from having to appy additional heat to curl it.) or pin curl sections for swooping bends. to sleep i'd finger smooth it into a high pony and bantu knot the end, securing with an ouchless band, and tie up in a stocking cap.
when needed i'd add a light coating of coconut/castor oil to keep my hair "moisturized" since i couldn't wet it.
even with the addition of sabino my hair couldn't handle the winter weather.
so i after a couple days i quit trying to fight it, deep conditioned, and let my tc's do their thing. i love the versatility of natural hair.
at rest, it hangs comfortably at my shoulders. it's about 14 inches layered.http://public.fotki.com/tkj25/
http://public.fotki.com/tkj25/2008-12-21/
i basically followed the same steps as last time i straightened except:
i straightened with my maxiglide for the length & my fhi platform for the roots. instead of blow drying, i air-dried in twists to cut down on the heat. i also had the maxi set to 3 & the fhi set to 300. i used the same products, but added sabino to the mix. i didn't make the parts as small as i did the last time i straightened, so the result wasn't as silky, but it turned out shiny, soft, full, & swingy none-the-less
here's my updated process:
I have 4a, thick, cottony, nappy, wiry, tiny coils (tc's). my hope is this, or some derivation of it, will work for you as well:
1. I applied a blend of smoothing conditioners to my damp hair and let sit for 30mins to 1 hr. (i started with no product on my hair)
2. with conditioners still in, detangled hair & clipped into 6 sections: 2 sides, 2 top, 2 back.
3. in shower, rinse each section, making sure to smooth rinse hair in one direction to keep hair detangled, sqeeze excess water & re-clip.
4. apply heat protectants to each section. (i was a little generous with the heat protectants because i knew i'd be using higher heat, and my thick hair laughs at quarter-size amounts of any product.)
5. sectioned hair into twists & let air dry overnight.
6. apply coconut & castor oil to air-dried hair sections.
7. make small sections -- about 1.5 in by .25 in. with maxiglide set to 3 (goes up to 10), fhi set to 300 (goes up to 450).
8. comb through section to smooth any tangles, glide maxiglide through bottom inch of hair -- the ends. (by starting a the ends first this helps them smooth out better & helps prevent smooth hair but frizzy ends.)
9. place maxiglide at middle of hair section & glide to ends.
10. then place maxiglide at roots & smooth to ends. (when gliding make sure to stop & finger comb/detangle any snags.)
11. the bulk of the maxiglide prevents getting too close to the roots, so i had to go over the roots with my fhi to fully smooth them out. ( if i saw any knots i did a search & destroy)
12. repeate for all sections/for entire head.
Hair should end up silky straight, shiny, & soft from root to tips.
as a pj i've collected quite a few conditioners over time. these are recommended smoothing conditioners, i blended them, but any of these will work fine:
ion anti-frizz straightening
herbal essences dangerously straight
suave professionals sleek
garnier fructis fortifying cream sleek & shine
naturelle slick line
(i love botanical, moisturizing, humectant conditioners for regular maintenance, but i found that for straightening my natural hair they don't work -- they draw too much moisture from the air, resulting in frizzy, puffy hair, which is kind of let down especially after spending a couple hours maxigliding/straightening your hair. the maxiglide is the only thing that's been able to get my thick, natural hair straight, but until i switched my products it would never stay that way.)
heat protectants:
my maxi/miniglide combo kit came with two heat protectants -- maxius beyond straight & the end -- they work great, but being the product junky that i am, i have a few others in my arsenal, (i ended up blending them, but any of these will do):
one 'n only ceramic silk thermal protection
maxius beyond straight & the end (came with maxiglide)
(these two really help get my ends smooth. one's a creme the other's more of a gel, but the first ingredient for both is water, which my natural ends need if i hope to get them sleek
.ion anti-frizz heat protection
ic fantasia hair polisher straightening serum
chi silk infusion
silk element megasilk heat protect
that was basically it. once my hair was straight i'd put in bantu knots if i wanted wavy, curls ( the bigger the knot the wavier the hair, the smaller the knot the curlier -- this keeps me from having to appy additional heat to curl it.) or pin curl sections for swooping bends. to sleep i'd finger smooth it into a high pony and bantu knot the end, securing with an ouchless band, and tie up in a stocking cap.
when needed i'd add a light coating of coconut/castor oil to keep my hair "moisturized" since i couldn't wet it.
even with the addition of sabino my hair couldn't handle the winter weather.
so i after a couple days i quit trying to fight it, deep conditioned, and let my tc's do their thing. i love the versatility of natural hair.
erplexed msybe if i turned the heat up higher, but i really didn't want to do that, higher heat can cause my hair to split. my maxi is amazing for the length & ends, but is too wide to really get the roots good. i usually use my miniglide for the roots, but the ceramic on it has started peeling
) but anyways, i was wanting to try out my fhi anyways & it was a good substitute.
but you live & you learn
