Naturals- What's the best way to straighten?

[SimplyBlessed]

Naturals how do u achieve that silky straight bouncy hair??

Since the cooler season is approaching (well not really bc I live in FL lol) I've been itching to straighten and do a length check. I have not straightened my hair in months and cant wait....

I want 2 know what is the best method to use to achieve good results...my hair reverts sooooo easily...

Is it best 2 roller set, or do I need to blow dry and roller set? Is air drying best?

any suggestions are appreciated...please say ur hair type (which I hate but it helps) and what types of products u use in the process (brands arent that imp)

just trying 2 get a gen idea!! a poll is included....

 

[tallnomad]

I don't straighten my own hair, but when I go to the salon (it focuses on healthy hair practices), this is what they do:

Wash hair about 3 times

Sit you under a steamer (sometimes)

Put in a heavy conditioner and detangle hair thoroughly

Sit you under the dryer with saran wrapped around hair for about 25 minutes

Rinse out

Rollerset hair

Sit under the dryer for 1-1.5 hours

Lightly press roots

Press rest of the length and flatiron

My hair does NOT revert at all

edited to add: After my hair is straight, he wraps it with saran wrap, puts me back under the dryer for about 15-20 minutes.

My hair has incredible bounce and body

 

[Nonie]

I don't know about bouncy. My hair's too fine/light to have the weight necessary to swing/bounce--or maybe I am yet to discover what it takes to get that. But my secret to getting straight hair is airdrying in Curlformers (after properly DCing my hair) and then I do a wet-to-dry flat-iron using a wet protectant to wet my hair, each section as I get to it. Then I do a final flat-iron with a serum heat protectant applied. Hair gets pretty straight.

Seriously if you've never had straight results, try doing a wet-to-dry press with a wet heat protectant. To show how awesome wet-to-dry presses are, here's a pic of a section pressed without any products (PLEASE DON'T TRY THAT AT HOME). I just wet my bare hair with water and then flat ironed.

So imagine doing that with a protective product then sealing with a heat protective serum and you get my point.

 

[Natural Glow]

My hair type is 3c/b i think. I voted. Rollersetting and FlatIron. This is just the easiest way for me. The rollers get most of my hair pretty straight then I just straighten the roots and go over the ends once if I want to take out the curl from the rollers.

I decided to blowdry my hair today to see how it would look and it got straight but not as silky and shiny as it does with a rollerset. And that's even with the BKT in my hair. (It could have been my technique that sucks though )

 

[darlingdiva]

Thanks for the thread, SimplyBlessed. I will be taking notes.

 

[msa]

I don't straighten my hair and in the past all my hairdresser's blowdried and then pressed with a comb and then flat ironed with a marcel iron. Now that I have more knowledge I'm pretty sure that's not the best way to go about it.

I thought you said in your other thread that you had heat damage from straightening before? So I would think your hair doesn't revert easily and you need to be careful about not using too much heat.

In this thread Pinkskates talks about how she straightens her hair (tension blow dry and then press). It may help.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=298845

Also, I think that with your hair texture, you could get really good results just by rollersetting and then lightly flat ironing. Here are a couple of Kblc06's threads with her rollerset results. It may be something you want to try.

Natural Rollerset Results (from January)

Natural Rollerset Results (from February)

FHI flat iron results (from yesterday)

 

[SimplyBlessed]

I thought you said in your other thread that you had heat damage from straightening before? So I would think your hair doesn't revert easily and you need to be careful about not using too much heat.

the front of my hair has heat damage from "blending" with sew ins that I had been getting for yrs! the rest of my hair was always braided up under the weave....yea the front of my should be fine...but the back and middle...lordy

in my siggy is a fresh press from the salon and it went poof in like 2 hrs...I think that is partly bc my beautician doesn't really know how to deal with any type of hair that isnt permed or weave

so I'm seeing I gotta do this myself!

do u have 2 do heat with roller sets or just roll and let dry?

Nonie heat and wet hair sounds dangerous lol

 

[Nonie]

Nonie heat and wet hair sounds dangerous lol

It actually isn't. Iris aka Irresistible, whose hair we all know is beautiful, has used that method forever. Also there are flat iron made for this and it is believed to seal in moisture. There are also threads of this on the forum.

It is the method I have used for years and I never had any heat damage. Since I am trying to improve my technique I used a heat protectant instead of water the last time I straightened my hair and the press was the best one I've ever had yet. I don't know if you've ever known of hair that didn't have a whiff of burned protein when pressed. I didn't until I tried using heat protectants and working on small sections at a time that I made sure were well coated. There was no burned smell at all (first time for me!) and reversion was complete.

Also in case you're wondering what happened to that sections I pressed w/o products, it reverted nicely.

Same section you saw above that was pressed with just water:

Reversion after it was washed, again hair has no products in it whatsoever:

You can read about wet-to-dry flatironing in this article that is examining flat irons made for that purpose: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-The-Best-Wet-To-Dry-Flat-Iron?&id=537555

 

[msa]

do u have 2 do heat with roller sets or just roll and let dry?

I think for best results you'd want to sit under the dryer.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Totally depends on your texture, if you're in the type 3 range, or 4a silky you can just rollerset, wrap and get a smooth straight sleek result or you can rollerset then flat iron.

My hair is 4a/b natural, thick coarse strands non-silky so I do a blowout with my Andis focusing on the roots then I flat iron the full length of my hair with my maxiglide and my hair SWANGS and shines. The length helps with the swang thing too lol

 

[healthytext]

I have curly BKT'd hair but I've used this method since before I did the treatment: wash, protein reconstructor, deep condition, rinse and add a couple leave-ins (moisturizing conditioner and protein) before drying with a blow dryer/diffuser. I add a silicone serum to my hair (moderately heavy on the ends and less on the rest of the length) before ironing.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

So far the best way for me to have swinging hair is a rollerset & blow out.

On Friday at the salon I got a wash & set, deep conditioning (silicon mix) and then rollerset & blow out. Prior to getting BKT, I would normally get a rollerset & flat iron.

 

[lilsparkle825]

i vote rollerset and blowout of the roots. i'm usually too lazy to do this, but there is a big difference in how my hair looks and feels when i do.

for my 4b sister, it's blowdry and flat iron.

 

[akgirl]

My hair has been doing really well with this method, I'm a 4b natural. I did get a BKT in the salon a couple of months ago (but decided to do the caramel treatment instead going forward because it's all natural) but even my new growth is staying straight with this method:

Wash my hair with a clarifying shampoo
Caramel Treatment for two hours (LOVE IT, I do it for deep condition and to help relax my curls)
Rinse really well
Aubrey Organics White Camelia Conditioner (love it for when I straighten)
Detangle gently with my generic denman
Rinse Hair
Towel dry lightly
Sabino Moisture Block (LOVE IT)
Blow dry on medium heat (gently) with a comb attachment on my T3 dryer
Add a little more sabino if needed
Flat-iron with my beloved GHD flat-iron

Done and done! It is really shiny and feels really soft, and straight. Stays good for a week or two. If needed, I will use some jamaican black castor oil on the ends or near roots if it needs moisture later in the week. I've also been mixing an egg with the White Camelia conditioner and putting it on and letting it sit on my hair a few minutes in the shower after rinsing out the caramel treatment. Once I rinse it well (make sure the water isn't too hot or you will have scrambled egg hair), then I condition with the white camelia conditioner one more time so it is soft again after the egg. Hope this helps!

 

[Misshairdiva]

What is a caramel treatmet?

 

[Poohbear]

Blowdrying with comb attachment and then straightening with a CHI flat-iron with Proclaim grease gets my natural hair silky straight.

 

[ladytee2]

Carmel treatment http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=126629 The carmel treatment made my hair moisturized but It didnt do anything to smooth or straighten my hair. I did the coconut milk and lime this weekend and boy did it tame my frizzies.
I never had luck straightening my hair preLHCF. I plan to rollerset and press for my 1yr anniversary. We will see how it goes. I wanted to try the wet to dry flat iron but I am afraid of that.

 

[Soliel185]

I ...

DC
Detangle and Apply Heat Protectant Serum (Sabino)
Airdry in stretched style overnight
Stretch with a warm blowdryer
Flat Iron with a Sedu at 380
I finish with a pre-mixed coconut and evoo. This is what I use on my ends the whole time it's straight also. Keeps my hair moisturized, soft, and supple.

 

[Nonie]

Simplyblessed, here are some other folks that tried the wet-to-dry and loved it:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=281943
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=286697
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=288013

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

It actually isn't. Iris aka Irresistible, whose hair we all know is beautiful, has used that method forever. Also there are flat iron made for this and it is believed to seal in moisture. There are also threads of this on the forum.

It is the method I have used for years and I never had any heat damage. Since I am trying to improve my technique I used a heat protectant instead of water the last time I straightened my hair and the press was the best one I've ever had yet. I don't know if you've ever known of hair that didn't have a whiff of burned protein when pressed. I didn't until I tried using heat protectants and working on small sections at a time that I made sure were well coated. There was no burned smell at all (first time for me!) and reversion was complete.

Also in case you're wondering what happened to that sections I pressed w/o products, it reverted nicely.

Same section you saw above that was pressed with just water:

Reversion after it was washed, again hair has no products in it whatsoever:

You can read about wet-to-dry flatironing in this article that is examining flat irons made for that purpose: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-The-Best-Wet-To-Dry-Flat-Iron?&id=537555

Nonie, I bow to your shrinkage!!

Totally depends on your texture, if you're in the type 3 range, alot of times you can just rollerset and call it a day or you can rollerset then flat iron.

My hair is 4a/b natural and way too kinky to rollerset so I do a light blowout focusing on the roots then I HAVE to press the roots for a consistently sleek look then I go over the length with my flat iron and my hair SWANGS and shines. The length helps with the swang thing too lol

I have to agree with this, My hair would laugh at me if I tried to just rollerset it. I hate to say it, but blowdrying it and then flatironing works best for my hair, as it is so coarse and the strands are thick. However, it's a bit more heat than I want to use so I'm trying other methods.

 

[fyb87]

I do not go to a salon to get this done EVER! This is what I do:

1.) Wash hair
2.) Condition Hair
3.) Part hair in middle and put hair in two pigtails and braid
4.) Go about my business and let hair air dry
5.) Once dry section hair and flat-iron

I don't use any of those expensive flat-irons. Just one I purchased at Sally's for at the most $30 that works fantastic.

Here are a couple pics! Oh, and it's not that long anymore. It's WL now. Sorry they are so big.

I'm the one in white shirt on the far left.

 

[akgirl]

Carmel treatment http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=126629 The carmel treatment made my hair moisturized but It didnt do anything to smooth or straighten my hair. I did the coconut milk and lime this weekend and boy did it tame my frizzies.
I never had luck straightening my hair preLHCF. I plan to rollerset and press for my 1yr anniversary. We will see how it goes. I wanted to try the wet to dry flat iron but I am afraid of that.

I used full fat greek yogurt in my caramel treatment, that along with the apple cider vinegar probably are what help with the curl relaxing. It's fun that we can make it at home so I have my own "blend". Here's what i put in:

wheat germ oil
honey
blackstrap molasses (unsulphured and organic)
Bragg's Apple cider vinegar
full fat greek yogurt
white camelia oil

I've seen quite a few versions...

 

[zzirvingj]

Most of the time I straighten my hair, I wash, steam, detangle. Then apply a little leave-in, heat protectant, and blow dry AS STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE in sections. Then flat iron in verrry small sections.

I have detailed instructions in my fotki:

http://public.fotki.com/shortiedowop/hair_album/that_was_then/2009/updates3.html

 

[zzirvingj]

I do not go to a salon to get this done EVER! This is what I do:

1.) Wash hair
2.) Condition Hair
3.) Part hair in middle and put hair in two pigtails and braid
4.) Go about my business and let hair air dry
5.) Once dry section hair and flat-iron

I don't use any of those expensive flat-irons. Just one I purchased at Sally's for at the most $30 that works fantastic.

Here are a couple pics! Oh, and it's not that long anymore. It's WL now. Sorry they are so big.

I'm the one in white shirt on the far left.

WHOA.

Your hair is GORGEOUS! Looks like I have a new fotki to stalk!....

 

[vkb247]

I used full fat greek yogurt in my caramel treatment, that along with the apple cider vinegar probably are what help with the curl relaxing. It's fun that we can make it at home so I have my own "blend". Here's what i put in:

wheat germ oil
honey
blackstrap molasses (unsulphured and organic)
Bragg's Apple cider vinegar
full fat greek yogurt
white camelia oil

I've seen quite a few versions...

I am definitely going to have to try it this way. I <3 caramel treatments and I <3 yogurt in my hair so I am excited about trying them together. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Truth]

*takes notes* got to get me some sanbino..next time I straighten..hmmmm

 

[Victorian]

The best methods and products for straightening your hair will vary depending on your hair. To get your optimal results you need the one-two punch of products and technique
I must blow dry and then flat iron. Nothing else seems to get my roots straight enough if I don't blow dry (my hair is 4a--super duper coily, very fine strands). I use a hot air brush and it's pretty quick and easy for me compared to wielding a separate tool and hair dryer.

I always shampoo thoroughly and deep condition with heat (I use light to moderate protein every week, but my hair is just into that I guess)

Then I apply my Holy Grail Trifecta
Ojon Revitalizing Mist liquid leave-in: this stuff is so chock full of goodness. The key to using this is to find out how much your hair needs. Just a couple sprays will do, as it's pretty rich. This is the first thing I apply to naked, towel-dried hair. It helps with detangling and moisturizing.

Organix Vanilla Silk Blow Dry Cream Truly lives up to the claims on the label. I've experimented with leaving this out, trying other stuff...I've narrowed it down to this product being the most essential in the trifecta. It also smells yummy The consistency is sort of a cross between a serum and a creamy leave-in. Since it was created specifically for blow drying, it provides heat protection and soft hold. Most important for silky results for me.

Giovanni Frizz Be Gone serum Smells lovely, and has such a nice, silky texture. It is easier to work with than Sabino, though the results are the same for me. I apply it to my ends before blow drying for added protection. It seals the hair and imparts shine.

Blow dry w/the air brush in sections, apply a little more serum, and then I flat iron with a 1.5" Sedu. I use the little mini Sedu Revolution for "detailing", and I'm good to go
I don't have reversion issues EVER. I wash every 7 to 10 days because if I don't my hair gets too oily. I've gone a full 2 weeks before and my hair was still straight, but my scalp was itchy I also start to notice breakage when I comb, so I never wait that long to wash any more.

Important note: If you rarely straighten your hair, you'll probably have to work harder to straighten it than someone who straightens more often. I do mine every week (well, about 95% of the time), so my hair never gets a chance to dry in its natural coily state, making it easier to keep straight.

 

[SEMO]

I wash then let my hair air dry over night (with no other product but maybe some Biosilk). I flat iron the next day with my CHI. I use Beyond the Zone Turn Up the Heat for heat protectant.

I'm not the best at styling, but this method has given me pretty good results.

 

[isabella09]

I’m currently transitioning and I’m interested in purchasing either a T3 Tourmaline Evolution Ionic or a FHI Nano Salon Pro 2000 hairdryer and wondered if anyone has used both and if so, I would very much appreciate a review on how they compare please Also is it ok to use a leave-in conditioner like Oyin Honey-Hemp Conditioner, then a heat protector prior to blowdrying or is it better just to use a heat protector I'm a little confused ?
Thanks very much

 

[Still Sexy Stewardess]

Simplyblessed, here are some other folks that tried the wet-to-dry and loved it:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=281943
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=286697
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=288013

Nonie, thanks for the info on this method. It looks interesting.

Question: How do you get the scalp dry? If your scalp is wet, doesn't it re-wet the hair and cause reversion?