Will flat ironing hinder my hair growth?

[kelleigh]

I've been DCing, stretching and roller setting since this summer and I've seen some great results in my hair growth. The only problem is that I like to wear my hair straight, but after 7 weeks of new growth, this is impossible to do. Will roller setting then flat ironing be too damaging? Does anyone flat iron their hair weekly and still see a good amount of growth?

 

[locabouthair]

there are going to be some people, that will retain growth even with the worst hair practices but I don't think you should flat iron every week. if you do it once or twice a month, it's not too bad, but if you can avoid it all together, you'd be better off.

But once in a while isnt too bad. Make sure you sure a heat protectant.

 

[Vshanell]

In my experience yes it will definitely hinder growth. My hair really took off growing when I stopped flat ironing every two weeks...I mean there was no stopping the growth!

Another option to get straight hair without flat-ironing is to do a silk wrap......rollerset your hair and wrap it...I have a couple tutorials in my fotki album. This method gets my natural hair very straight w/o having to use a flat iron.

 

[lila_baby]

how is flat ironing supposed to hinder the growth? the hair may start breaking off due to damage so it will be a case of you no longer RETAIN growth but it will still be growing from your head. Maybe rephrase the question. Yes flat ironing will probably prevent you from RETAINING length but it won't affect growth.

 

[isawstars]

If you look in my 2005 and 2006 fotki albums you will see I gained a good amount of growth. In 2005-2006 I flat ironed my hair once a week but I only wore my hair down Friday and Saturday, and wore protective styles the rest of the week. I've never had a problem with dryness though. If you hair is naturally really dry then you'll either need to step up your moisturizing or flat iron every 2 weeks.

Have you thought about just flat ironing your roots and using caruso/steam rollers to bump your ends?

 

[caramelma]

Last year I use to Flat Iron my hair once a week and my hair still grew like weeds but you must use a heat protectant on your hair and medium heat, like my old flat iron heat setting 1-20 and I used 10

 

[chebaby]

i flat iron once a week and my hair is still growing. in fact i went from 2 inches below sl to 2 inches past al flat ironing once a week.
keep in mind that i do deep condition with heat and use heat protectant everytime i flat iron. i also am very good about using protein and i snip my ends when it needs it and sometimes when it doesnt just to make sure. i also moisturize and seal twice daily so its all in what you do in conjunction with flat ironing.

 

[msa]

I don't believe in flat ironing once a week...that just seems too much IMO, even with the best practices. Every 2 weeks just seems a little safer to me.

Flat ironing or any other manipulation won't hinder your growth, it only affects retention. So if flat ironing dries out your hair or causes splits or other damage then you may have a problem retaining your growth and reaching the length you want.

 

[shtow]

not for me but that does not hold true for everyone. I think the mistake people make is they dont keep their hair moisturized and keep up with DC and protein.

 

[letitgrow0702]

IMO as long as you take proper care of your hair and use a heat protect ant you should be fine. I used to flat iron once a week and had no problem with growing or retaining my length.

 

[yellagirl730]

I have not been using a heat protectant as I should, as a result I have breakage and heat damage. Am now contemplating a BC to go back to a previous hairstyle. Any suggestions, I previously wore it short and curly but am not sure if I want it that short again but do want something that's kind of funky.

 

[LiberianGirl]

In my experience yes it will definitely hinder growth. My hair really took off growing when I stopped flat ironing every two weeks...I mean there was no stopping the growth!

Another option to get straight hair without flat-ironing is to do a silk wrap......rollerset your hair and wrap it...I have a couple tutorials in my fotki album. This method gets my natural hair very straight w/o having to use a flat iron.

I agree. After I BC, I flatironed my hair every 2 weeks and was seeing little growth. It's been almost 2 months since I used direct heat and I've noticed considerable growth and improved health.

My hair is very fine though so........