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What is a hard press? soft press?

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I think a hard press uses more heat to get the hair straighter and make it stay that way longer. A soft press would be the opposite.
 
From what I was told a soft press is just on pass through. The back of the comb is passed through the hair once with the back of the comb pressing the top of the hair. A hard press is when the back of the comb is passed through the hair twice. Once against the top of the hair and once underneath the hair. I hope that makes sense it so hard to try to explain.
 
From what I was told a soft press is just on pass through. The back of the comb is passed through the hair once with the back of the comb pressing the top of the hair. A hard press is when the back of the comb is passed through the hair twice. Once against the top of the hair and once underneath the hair. I hope that makes sense it so hard to try to explain.

I kinda agree with this, except for the pass through once vs. twice thing. In essence, a hard press will look more like a flat-iron result, soft press will have more body from not be "pressed" so "hard"....my mom was the queen of the hard press (& curl).
 
:sad:
From what I was told a soft press is just on pass through. The back of the comb is passed through the hair once with the back of the comb pressing the top of the hair. A hard press is when the back of the comb is passed through the hair twice. Once against the top of the hair and once underneath the hair. I hope that makes sense it so hard to try to explain.

yes-- right on!
 
So, question...

How does a "hard press" affect your curl pattern?

I just spoke with a stylist who does hard presses and she told me she does her presses with marcels. :blush:
My friend referred me to her and my friend's hair is ALWAYS swanging! She's been transitioning for almost 2 years if not longer. I've not seen my friend with her hair curly since she's gone natural, it's ALWAYS straight.

The stylist told me she prefers marcels because she thinks it works better to give that straight look without puff roots.

Advice from the "hard pressers".

Thanks in advance!
 
So, question...

How does a "hard press" affect your curl pattern?

I just spoke with a stylist who does hard presses and she told me she does her presses with marcels. :blush:
My friend referred me to her and my friend's hair is ALWAYS swanging! She's been transitioning for almost 2 years if not longer. I've not seen my friend with her hair curly since she's gone natural, it's ALWAYS straight.

The stylist told me she prefers marcels because she thinks it works better to give that straight look without puff roots.

Advice from the "hard pressers".

Thanks in advance!
A hard press could mess up your curl pattern if the marcel is too hot. You can definitely get heat damage from a hard press. May be even a soft press if the iron is too hot.
 
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A hard press could mess up your curl pattern if the marcel is too hot. You can definitely get heat damage from a hard press. May even a soft press if the iron is too hot.


Thanks.

I've not had any problems with flat irons so far and occasional blowouts, but I'm not sure I want to risk it with Marcels... even though my friends hair is always nice and healthy AND I do plan to wear it straight often... just don't want to do anything damaging while I'm trying to get it right.
 
A hard press could mess up your curl pattern if the marcel is too hot. You can definitely get heat damage from a hard press. May even a soft press if the iron is too hot.


co-signing. This is why I had to big chop this go around. My hair was EXTREMELY damaged after my hard press. There was no curl pattern left and the hair was just straight.:wallbash::wallbash:
 
co-signing. This is why I had to big chop this go around. My hair was EXTREMELY damaged after my hard press. There was no curl pattern left and the hair was just straight.:wallbash::wallbash:
WOW! Was it with the marcel irons or ceremic irons?
 
I have never heard this term before.
I have however heard warm comb vs hot comb...

Apparently stylists use it regularly... It made me wonder how "hard" the press is and can I revert. I have NO problems reverting with my CHI iron... but listening to stories around here lately I don't think I can handle the marcels or a hot comb.

Problem for me usually is that people confuse my thick coarse strands with "difficult to straighten".:wallbash: And my hair is actually easy to straighten.
 
Apparently stylists use it regularly... It made me wonder how "hard" the press is and can I revert. I have NO problems reverting with my CHI iron... but listening to stories around here lately I don't think I can handle the marcels or a hot comb.

Problem for me usually is that people confuse my thick coarse strands with "difficult to straighten".:wallbash: And my hair is actually easy to straighten.


I thinking that when I read this thread. I did not know that there was a marcel hot comb...I thought marcels were curling irons, and flat irons.. I can see what the stylist are saying though since the marcels turn and do not allow heat to concentrate in one area too long...

Chi is da bom!, but I have got to step back on the flat ironing for a min. Ive been doing once a week for about 2 months. Though I havent had any adverse affects its hot down here. Im going to rollerset to winter. (if my hair can take it)...
 
A hard press could mess up your curl pattern if the marcel is too hot. You can definitely get heat damage from a hard press. May even a soft press if the iron is too hot.


The one time I got my hair pressed in a salon the used the Marcels.. I didn't realized just how hot they were or how much damage was caused until I started noticing long strands of hair (fron the root) coming out everytime I touched my hair... :wallbash:
As soon as I got back from vacation I was DC'ing for like three weeks straight! :lachen:
pics of both in my fotki I believe it's in the april album
 
CHI...hmmm...

So, has pretty much everyone had good experiences with CHI? My beautician told me that CHI's tend to break within the first to two months of ownership. :ohwell:

How have they been holding up for you all?
 
I thinking that when I read this thread. I did not know that there was a marcel hot comb...I thought marcels were curling irons, and flat irons.. I can see what the stylist are saying though since the marcels turn and do not allow heat to concentrate in one area too long...

Chi is da bom!, but I have got to step back on the flat ironing for a min. Ive been doing once a week for about 2 months. Though I havent had any adverse affects its hot down here. Im going to rollerset to winter. (if my hair can take it)...

They are just curling and flat irons... sorry for the confusion. She told me she uses marcels... I'm saying I'm afraid of straightening my NG with marcels OR hot combs. :yep:
 
CHI...hmmm...

So, has pretty much everyone had good experiences with CHI? My beautician told me that CHI's tend to break within the first to two months of ownership. :ohwell:

How have they been holding up for you all?

I get salon quality results at home with my CHI. It's worked fine for the last 6 months. The iron has a warranty if you buy it from an authorized dealer, so I'm not too concerned with it breaking since I can take it and my receipt back to ULTA and get a brand new iron.

At any rate, I don't wrap the cord around the iron as a safety measure. I usually hear people say the plug stops working, but they never tell you if they wrap it around the iron which is a no-no anyway.

Every stylist I've been to recommended the CHI... most say that all the high end ones are fairly similar in the ceramic market. I'm in :love: with my CHI!
 
My mother used to hard press my hair and I think it was when she used the hot comb on high heat w/grease. Sometimes I've heard people refer to it as a hard press when the hair is presssed w/o product in it.

This is the definition I found on the web: The old-fashioned hard press is the method hairdressers used to use to straighten the hair. A hot comb and some pressing oil usually did the trick.
 
I get salon quality results at home with my CHI. It's worked fine for the last 6 months. The iron has a warranty if you buy it from an authorized dealer, so I'm not too concerned with it breaking since I can take it and my receipt back to ULTA and get a brand new iron.

At any rate, I don't wrap the cord around the iron as a safety measure. I usually hear people say the plug stops working, but they never tell you if they wrap it around the iron which is a no-no anyway.

Every stylist I've been to recommended the CHI... most say that all the high end ones are fairly similar in the ceramic market. I'm in :love: with my CHI!

Cool! Thanks, I will look into getting one. :grin:
 
My mother used to hard press my hair and I think it was when she used the hot comb on high heat w/grease. Sometimes I've heard people refer to it as a hard press when the hair is presssed w/o product in it.

This is the definition I found on the web: The old-fashioned hard press is the method hairdressers used to use to straighten the hair. A hot comb and some pressing oil usually did the trick.

Thanks! Your hair is beautiful!
 
So, question...

How does a "hard press" affect your curl pattern?

I just spoke with a stylist who does hard presses and she told me she does her presses with marcels. :blush:
My friend referred me to her and my friend's hair is ALWAYS swanging! She's been transitioning for almost 2 years if not longer. I've not seen my friend with her hair curly since she's gone natural, it's ALWAYS straight.

The stylist told me she prefers marcels because she thinks it works better to give that straight look without puff roots.

Advice from the "hard pressers".

Thanks in advance!
A hard press will 'train' your hair thats for sure, what others call heat damage , it might not revert back. so if thats what your looking for, to start to 'train' it , hard presses will do that

and I believe its high heat, soft press is less heat, less passes, not bone straight, hard press is like 'heat processing' to me
 
"There are three types of hair pressing:

1. Soft press, which removes 50-60% of the curl, is accomplished by applying the thermal pressing comb once on each side of the hair.

2. Medium press, which removes 60-75% of the curl, is accomplished by applying the thermal pressing comb once each side of the hair, using slightly more pressure.

3. Hard press, which removes 100% of the curl, involves the application of the thermal pressing comb twice on each side of the hair. A hard press can also be done by first passing a hot curling iron through the hair. This is called a double press."

Milady's Standard Cosmetology
By Margrit Altenburg, Diane Bailey

"Something that most people aren’t aware of (and I wasn’t aware of until starting cosmetology school), is that the stoves used in salons to heat tools such as a pressing comb or Marcel curling irons are designed to reach temperatures up to 1000 degrees. Hair will burn off way before reaching a temperature that high, and the heat produced by these stoves are not as even or predictable as a ceramic iron, with the ability to change temperature settings.

I consider hair that is bone straight to be heat damaged because even hair that is properly relaxed is only intended to remove 85% of the natural curl pattern, not 100%, which is what heat abuse will do."

- Domineque Michelle (found on youtube as longhairdontcare2011), Bglh, 05/01/2013


HTH!
 
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