What is a Lot of Heat Anyway?

[Falon]

It seems to me that a lot of us have flat irons...myself included. But a lot of us also state that we use miminal heat. I use my flat once or twice a month...is that a lot?

I consider using heat more than once a week excessive for me. Cathy Howse said twice a week is the max. But some people think that heat shouldn't be used even that much and I don't think we have too many members who use it more.

How much heat do you really use? And what types are you using?

 

[KAddy]

Well I call the heat I use "indirect heat" Meaning, I sit under the dryer when I rollerset my hair about once a week or week and a half if I am lazy.

Direct heat (flat irons, blow dryers, curling irons) - Well, I don't remember the last time I used them. It has been years since I used a blow dryer. I threw my curling iron out when I founf LHCF. I purchased a ceramic flat iron and I think I used it on my roots in late september.

So I use direct heat very infrequently.

 

[musiclova]

I normally use heat once a week but I'm transitioning and I'm trying to reduce it by doing braidouts/twistouts lately. Trying to encourage my natural texture to spring through .

 

[FlowerHair]

In my opinion once a week or once every second week is OK.

 

[JuJuBoo]

I blowdry and flat iron every time I wash. So about every 5 days.

 

[deedabug]

i flat iron once a month to release some tangles i juss cant control....to me this minimal...im natural with resistant hair and the flat ironing has to be coupled with a pressing comb and other heating appliances to get my hair really str8...if i did all this more than once a mth...i would call that excess

 

[ms_kenesha]

This is a good question and I'm loving the answers...once a week not too much...ALRIGHT!

Here's my follow-up questions, for those who use heat once a week, how often do you HAVE TO trim? Does the heat give you more splits than if you didn't use it? Do you use a heat protectant on your hair or no; what is that heat protectant? Thanks in advance, I'm tired of looking like who done it/what for/lawd have mercy don't do it no more for the sake of "hair health"

 

[KAddy]

looking like who done it/what for/lawd have mercy don't do it no more

Ms_K,
Are you working near me? This is how I look today.

 

[ms_kenesha]

Heck no Kaddy, that's how I'm looking today because I did the shower cap thing last night. I should go in the bathroom now and take a pic, so y'all can see the good and the bad!
BE RIGHT BACK....

ETA: You take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em all and then you have THE FACTS OF LIFE, THE FACTS OF LIFE

Ms_K,
Are you working near me? This is how I look today.

 

[JuJuBoo]

Here's my follow-up questions, for those who use heat once a week, how often do you HAVE TO trim?

I dust after touch ups which is about every 3 months. Not because I have to trim, but because I like having blunt ends.

Does the heat give you more splits than if you didn't use it?

NO! The OPPOSITE. I've tried air drying several times and it ended in disaster--frizzy, dried out ends. I've tried every single air drying technique on this forum and failed miserably. It seems that in order to air dry properly you have to put all kinds of oil and conditioner in your hair. I absolutely HATE the feeling of heavy hair, so I just stuck to heat because I don't need to put a lot of product in it.

Do you use a heat protectant on your hair or no; what is that heat protectant?

yes. The best blow drying agent I've ever used is Design Essentials HCO leave in. It's water based so it doesn't weight the hair down.

 

[pink_flower]

I have started to blow dry, I havent had any ill effects...yet. I usually air dry or sit under the hooded dryer then blow out my hair. I use to be a hard core air dryer for years, didnt even own a blow dryer, but I really love how my hair looks/feels when its blow dried. I usually use my steam rollers after.

I wash my hair every 7-10 days..

 

[Poohbear]

In the past (before LHCF), I've only used a curling iron almost everyday and a blowdryer after every wash. I would use a hooded dryer periodically. I started using a flat iron this year and only used it for a couple of months.
Right now, I'm on the no heat challenge so I won't be using any kind of heat while I'm transitioning.

I would say the following heat usage is okay:

Once a week for a hooded dryer
Every two weeks for a blowdryer
Once a month for flat iron/curling iron

But it all depends on the temperature settings as well. Basically, using heat every day or every other day is NOT a good idea.

 

[harigeek]

Hey Falon - I just looked at your hair progress and it is unREAL !!! WOW!!! Keep up the great work! I'm also using UBH as well on my natural hair so I hope I get half the excellent results that you have!

Ok sorry didnt mean to hijack the thread!!

 

[cutebajangirl]

Depends on who you ask. I actually use more heat now since coming to LHCF than I ever did before. When I was really young (before 13) I used to use a blow dryer after every wash and use acurling iron daily. Once I hit highschool I got introducedto braids and when I wasn't in braids my jobs gave me enough money for a dominican wash n set when I was home and I wore and air dried ponytail when I was at school. More recently since texturizing I'm finding that I'm using flat irons weekly after rollersetting. I didn't even own one until I came here. So once a week isn't alot to me.

However (this is the scary part) I had some breakage about a year before I came here and went to my derm who explained that there is no such thing as indirect heat, that all heat is damaging including heat caps for deep conditioning and rollersets with hooded dryers. So some of us may want to keep that in mind if we are doing everything "right" and still not seeing the results we want.

As for me I decided about 3 months ago that I am tired of ***** hair and so will have to balance cuteness and healthy hair so my solution for that was weaves and braids.

 

[chocolate01]

I rollerset my hair and sit under the dryer every week for about an hour. Other than that I don't use heat- no blowdryers, flatirons or curling irons. I think heat is heat and you have to be careful when you use it in any form. I usually put the hooded dryer on cool/medium and then let it air dry.

 

[candibaby]

I dont think flat ironing twice a month is a lot of heat. I would call that "minimal". Now using heat every day, every other day, or anything more than once a week would be too much in my opinion.

 

[KAddy]

Ms_K...

I am mad at you for going and taking pics of your hair inteh bathroom like you said. Put that darn camera down

 

[dreemssold]

I don't flat iron or use a curling iron. In the last year, I have flat-ironed once and before that, it had been a couple years. The last time I used a curling iron was when my hair was too short to be set on rollers (2002). I do sit under the dryer (1-2 times a month) and I also have my roots blown out occasionally (perhaps once a month). This amount of heat has worked out well for me. I don't think that for hair that is pampered, direct heat once or twice a month is excessive. More than that is probably too much, imho.

 

[ms_kenesha]

I can't stop Kaddy, it's surgically attached to my hand now!

Ms_K...

I am mad at you for going and taking pics of your hair inteh bathroom like you said. Put that darn camera down

 

[simplycee]

Ms K I can't believe you went in the bathroom to take a pic!

 

[ms_kenesha]

You should have seen me, I heard someone else come in and I ran into a stall until they left...can't have the people in the building think I'm crazy or a peeping tom.

Ms K I can't believe you went in the bathroom to take a pic!

 

[KAddy]

I can just picture this

You are too funny.

You should have seen me, I heard someone else come in and I ran into a stall until they left...can't have the people in the building think I'm crazy or a peeping tom.

 

[Falon]

You should have seen me, I heard someone else come in and I ran into a stall until they left...can't have the people in the building think I'm crazy or a peeping tom.

Those digi cams are addictive aren't they?

 

[Daughter]

relaxed days (pre LCHF) - blow dry or wrap every 2 weeks, sometimes tonged hair in between, though not all the time. When I was a teen I did use curling tongs nearly every other day!

natural days (pre LCHF) blow dried every 2 weeks, pressed hair about once a year

In 2003 I blow dried only 3 times but this year it's been about double that I'm going to go without using heat as much as possible before August 2005.