Any straightened naturals?

[yuhlovevybz]

For those who saw my last thread, my decision was to go back to being a straigtened natural. I got tired of my braids and started to take them out and it was such a mess. My hair is too springy and it's wayyyy too cold for wash and goes. So after washing and dc'ing I light blew out my hair and now I'm wearing a puffy bun. I'll probably do some braidouts. I'm going to resume my old regimen of straightening every two weeks, except I'm not going to flat iron every time I blow it out. It's much more managable this way because I get such painful knots and tangles when I deal with it any other way. I use the blow dryer very gently and I doubt I should have problems.

Any expert naturals who do this have any suggestions for using heat and keeping hair healthy as well? TIA!!

 

[LongLeggedLife]

Im just discovering that some may consider me a 'straightened natural' because I always blow my hair out.
But Yes, I always do, weekly for the most part, as I dont like the look of wash and go's, dont have the time to airdry, I dont do 'shrinkage', and I prefer the airy look and feel of my styles when blown out.

I'm sorry I dont really have any tips, I really dont do anything special, my hair responds well to heat, although I pre-poo, I rarely even deep condition, dont do any protein treatments....I like to just keep it simple.

 

[Raspberry]

This thread might help..

Heat Training Support

 

[30something]

I'm telling you I'm no expert but I have a decent amount of experience with heat that I can give a run down of the basics.. from my own experience.

Taking schedule heat breaks is probably the most important part of my regimen. I dedicate at least one to two weeks out of a month to air drying or indirect heat drying helps to keep my hair healthy. Sometimes I take an entire month(s) off.

Investing in quality heat tools for a straighten natural is important! No you don't have to go out there and buy the $400 FHI Runway, but generally look for an iron that gets good ratings from frequent heat users. Getting a quality blow drier is very important also, you want to find something that can dry the hair fastest on the lower settings. Professional driers usually kick out enough air flow power to pull that off.

It is good to remember Technique > Temperature. When I first started out and had bad technique I would overcompensate by using the highest setting. After some time I learned how to blow dry/ and or flat iron my 4b hair properly with using less heat.

Be on the hunt for an amazingly moisturizing conditioner and always use heat protectant!

And Lastly, learn and KNOW your heat limitations. It so important to not go overboard! Just follow through with what you know your hair can handle and you should be just find.

I hope that helps!

 

[westNDNbeauty]

all in all, keep your moisture game up.

moisturized hair requires less heat to straighten, there by reduced chances of heat damage

 

[Whimsy]

Good luck! I'm straight for most of the winters.
What helps me is not blowdrying (i airdry in a few braids or twists), and doing no touch ups w/ heat during the week.
I use a maxiglide or a hana flat iron and ALWAYS DC and moisturize well.

IMO very well moisturized hair makes your straightened hair look, feel and behave better. It also seems to allow me to use the heat weekly w/o any adverse effects.