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Flat iron instead of relaxing?

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Blu217

Blu217

Well-Known Member
I was just reading on the forum where a poster wrote that flat-ironing makes more sense than relaxing.

Some of ya'll might have seen my threads about alopecia and are aware I'm looking for a way to safely stop relaxing. But I've probably used a curling iron twice in my life, never a flat iron. I rollerset exclusively. I really don't want any more relaxers and someone suggested flat ironing to me, but I don't know much about it; I don't use heat other than dome drying my sets.

So I'm wondering:
Can you transition using a flat iron?
If so, how much time might it buy you before you had to BC the relaxed ends?
Is the heat from a flat iron any more damaging to your hair than relaxing?
How often do you need to flat iron to maintain reasonably smooth roots/combability?
Do you have to blow dry first (I hate blow drying)?

These might be silly questions, but I swear I don't know. It looks like a possible solution to my problems! Help?!
 
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Blu217 said:
I was just reading on the forum where a poster wrote that flat-ironing makes more sense than relaxing.

Some of ya'll might have seen my threads about alopecia and are aware I'm looking for a way to safely stop relaxing. But I've probably used a curling iron twice in my life, never a flat iron. I rollerset exclusively. I really don't want any more relaxers and someone suggested flat ironing to me, but I don't know much about it; I don't use heat other than dome drying my sets.

So I'm wondering:
Can you transition using a flat iron?
If so, how much time might it buy you before you had to BC the relaxed ends?
Is the heat from a flat iron any more damaging to your hair than relaxing?
How often do you need to flat iron to maintain reasonably smooth roots/combability?
Do you have to blow dry first (I hate blow drying)?

These might be silly questions, but I swear I don't know. It looks like a possible solution to my problems! Help?!
Click to expand...

Thank you for asking the questions Blu217 (btw - I know you will conquer your hair issue, I'm rooting for ya!)

I would like to know the answers to you questions as well. I don't use heat on my hair but am contemplating purchasing a flat iron to have versatility in hair styles. Let's bump this thread to get some responses!
 
Regina King is natural. She just presses her hair. I will come back later in the day to answer. You can transition your hair without doing the Big Chop.
 
I know a few people that have transitioned without BCing, it can be frustrating and does take a LOT of patience. Most naturals that I know that prefer to wear their hair straight have it roller set which I think might work for you since you're pretty good at it. They sometimes flat iron it after the set, but thats only if they want it to be bone straight. HHG
 
Interesting thread. I would LOVE to be chemical free but I'm NOT interested in cutting my hair off.....:nono:
 
Well I transitioned without a big chop. I just kept flat ironing my hair until all the relaxer was gone. It worked fine. Now I'm trying to maintain my length and hep it grow out.

I can't say that it was difficult, it was just fun. I loved my new growth, it was wavy and pretty and easy to straighten. But nothing has helped me stay natural as much as the Maxiglide, it gets my hair relaxer straight with one pass. It's amazing and has really helped me to stay chemical free.

I hope it works out for you too!

Lana
 
What about heat damage?

It would seem that relaxing once every 3-4 months would be easier than using heat to straighten 1-2 times per week???:confused:

I would love to do this but I am afraid of heat damage:perplexed
 
I transitioned by flatironing. I used heat about once a week. I didn't bc I just got my ends trimmed about once a month. It wasn't too hard. (But it could've been easier if I had LHCF back in the day!) The only time I used direct heat was if I went to an Egyptian shop. Other than that I'd wrap my hair, sit under a hooded dryer then flat iron to get my hair straight.

I believe you can combat/prevent heat damage with right amount of moisture and protein plus using the right styling tools.
 
I bet since you have plenty of practice doing rollersets, you would have success doing a rollerset and then flat ironing as needed.
When I was transitioning (total 18 months), during the final 9 months or so I used just the blowdryer weekly to blend my roots with the relaxed hair and that worked well.
There are a lot of people who choose to straighten with heat instead of chemicals and fare just fine. Applying heat once per week or once every two weeks seem to be the most common regimens. I know the last time I straightened my hair I was able to go 3 weeks before I felt like I needed to wash it (I was doing dry shampoos in the meantime).
 
ChocoKitty said:
I transitioned by flatironing. I used heat about once a week. I didn't bc I just got my ends trimmed about once a month. It wasn't too hard. (But it could've been easier if I had LHCF back in the day!) The only time I used direct heat was if I went to an Egyptian shop. Other than that I'd wrap my hair, sit under a hooded dryer then flat iron to get my hair straight.

I believe you can combat/prevent heat damage with right amount of moisture and protein plus using the right styling tools.
Click to expand...


I agree protecting your hair while using heat is the key.

What type of flat iron do you have ChocoKitty?
 
I am very interested in this because I remember a while back someone saying that flat ironing her natural hair had caused a reversion (meaning parts of her hair did not completely curl back up when she washed it). :cool:
 
Can you transition using a flat iron? Yes, it's possible. I am transitioning without heat though because I don't want the damage.
If so, how much time might it buy you before you had to BC the relaxed ends? You don't ever have to BC if you don't want to. It's all up to you. I've heard that Queen Latifah and Raven are naturals who press.
Is the heat from a flat iron any more damaging to your hair than relaxing? I think heat is damaging. But not as much as chemicals. I guess everything should be used in moderation.
How often do you need to flat iron to maintain reasonably smooth roots/combability? It depends on your hair. I've seen women "train" their hair-- they get a hard press once a week or every 10 days and wrap it every night as if it was a relaxer. I bet once you continually do this, your hair will fall into a pattern. I am trying to be a curly natural but I plan to flat iron once in a while.
Do you have to blow dry first (I hate blow drying)? I think it depends on your hair. If I blow dry, my hair gets about 75-80% straight. I just skip the blow dry and airdry or rollerset before I flat-iron. HTH!
 
Interesting....last time I was in Sally's, I was eyeing the flatirons - I would most likely only use it once or twice a year (just to see my hair straight :lachen: ) but I'mma keep an eye on this thread.

Blu- have you considered braids/weaves to transition? And how long would you want to transition - until your natural hair is the length you hair is now (which is GORGEOUS by the way, I've peeped your hair several times, but don't think I've ever complimented you) or just until it's a certain shorter length (pixie/ear/neck/shoulder, etc)??
 
trimbride said:
What about heat damage?

It would seem that relaxing once every 3-4 months would be easier than using heat to straighten 1-2 times per week???:confused:

I would love to do this but I am afraid of heat damage:perplexed
Click to expand...

Before relaxing my hair (years ago), I had it pressed for years with no damage. With the right flat iron, I think it's less damaging than pressing because you can control the heat level. I'll be using the flat iron now while transitioning w/o the BC.
 
MrsHouston said:
Before relaxing my hair (years ago), I had it pressed for years with no damage. With the right flat iron, I think it's less damaging than pressing because you can control the heat level. I'll be using the flat iron now while transitioning w/o the BC.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I went to see a stylist about getting my natural hair straightened and he said the flat iron is better. The hot comb has those fine teeth that are pulling your hair straight. He also said you can control the heat better with a flat iron.

ChocoKitty you can always just rollerset and then flat iron your hair as needed.
 
Can you transition using a flat iron? Yes, I did, but it was pre-LHCF, and I did not know how to really care for my hair so I experienced A LOT of breakage.
If so, how much time might it buy you before you had to BC the relaxed ends? I never bc'd(thanks to the breakage), it took me a year to get my hair to the nape of my neck all natural.
Is the heat from a flat iron any more damaging to your hair than relaxing? I definitely do not think so. My hair never grew past brastrap length while I was relaxed. My hair was always over or under processed.
How often do you need to flat iron to maintain reasonably smooth roots/combability? My curl pattern is pretty loose when it grows in so it is not hard at all for me to keep my roots straight. I don't stick to a real regimine, but I can keep my hair flat ironed for 2-4 weeks without any problem. Lately I have been working out a lot so I have been doing cw'es daily.
Do you have to blow dry first (I hate blow drying)? I rollerset, but I used to blowdry with the comb attatchment first followed by flat ironing. I am going to try airdrying in braids soon and then flat ironing.

HTH!!
 
MrsHouston said:
Before relaxing my hair (years ago), I had it pressed for years with no damage. With the right flat iron, I think it's less damaging than pressing because you can control the heat level. I'll be using the flat iron now while transitioning w/o the BC.
Click to expand...

I did this too! I only relaxed 6 years ago. While I don't know if the comb caused me any damage, persay, I was shoulder length +/- a few inches for a very long time. I think flat ironing may be best for you, trying to do it as little as possible. For example, try to go two weeks in between.

I don't like to make recommendations about relaxing or not, but with the alopecia, I would steer clear of the chemicals. Have you seen LynnieB's album? I believe she's transitioning and had an experience with alopecia. Her hair is lovely as well...
 
I'd also like to know - i wouldn't mind flat ironing every so often (probably once a month) without damage
 
I think any style that can safely leave that area alone for an extended period of time would be your best option.

I know you don't want to lose the length. I feel you on that. My concern is that if you continue to relax against your derms orders, you'll lose the length anyway.

If you get braids or a weave, the technique used needs to steer clear of the healing area. If you are open to natural hair but want a style that showcases your length, then sisterlocks are always an option. Done tiny enough, the hair can be hotcurled, roller set, etc.

All the best,
Ann
 
Lusa said:
I am very interested in this because I remember a while back someone saying that flat ironing her natural hair had caused a reversion (meaning parts of her hair did not completely curl back up when she washed it). :cool:
Click to expand...

That's what happened to my cousin, she did the BC. Her hair is natural but her ends (about a good 4 inches)are straight from getting in pressed and flat ironed so many times. It looks like her ends are relaxed but its not and she has 4a hair. She trying to get me to go natural saying that eventually my hair will straighten out over time.
 
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A friend of mine decided to transition a few months ago per her hairdresser's suggestion. Her beautician flat irons her hair every week to two weeks. Her hair still looks nice, but her hair was honestly a lot more thicker before she decided to transition and flat iron all the time. She use to have one of thickest heads of hair I've every seen. She's even mentioned to me the other day that her hair doesn't seem as thick as it use to be. But Maybe she's flat ironing too frequently. It's probably cool occassionaly, but weekly probably will lead to thinning.
 
nappywomyn said:
Interesting....last time I was in Sally's, I was eyeing the flatirons - I would most likely only use it once or twice a year (just to see my hair straight :lachen: ) but I'mma keep an eye on this thread.

Blu- have you considered braids/weaves to transition? And how long would you want to transition - until your natural hair is the length you hair is now (which is GORGEOUS by the way, I've peeped your hair several times, but don't think I've ever complimented you) or just until it's a certain shorter length (pixie/ear/neck/shoulder, etc)??
Click to expand...

Hey Nappywomyn - thanks for the compliment on my hair; the hair I DO have is thriving, fortunately! It's parts of my scalp that are the problem.

Gah... back to nape? Ugh, but gotta start somewhere, I know. That would work, tho. It would be wonderful to transition till my hair is as long as it is now, but... that's BSL. My hair is your basic 4a/b, but it's very fine; braids or a weave would likely be damaging on even my natural hair. I'm extremely unfussy and like to wear only what grows and keep the stress to a minimum. Relaxing was the only hair risk I ever took and I never had trouble till now.

OK ya'll, so tonite I went to Ulta and bought a Sedu 1.5" flat iron. I don't see myself using it more than once every two weeks, but I also don't recall much about how long pressed hair can last before it needs straightening. The thing about pressing is that scarring alopecia used to be called "hot comb alopecia" and was thought to be caused by getting hair pressed.

It's sort of a no-win situation: Relax and lose--no, get Sisterlocks--don't want 'em, shave bald--intriguing but a bit butch for the kid, wear afro--not Blu lifestyle-friendly, use heat and trade chemical damage for potential heat damage--lesser of two evils, it would seem. Ho hum. I just want to maintain my hair in a pretty, healthy, safe way. :ohwell: I'm gonna see how this flat iron thing works out in a few weeks on the new growth.
 
bmoreflyygirl said:
I agree with this. I went to see a stylist about getting my natural hair straightened and he said the flat iron is better. The hot comb has those fine teeth that are pulling your hair straight. He also said you can control the heat better with a flat iron.

ChocoKitty you can always just rollerset and then flat iron your hair as needed.
Click to expand...

hi there sweetie,

I was told the exact opposite....such a load of crap. Was told that my hair was too thick/coarse,etc.... to be flat ironed.:(
 
OneInAMillion said:
I did this too! I only relaxed 6 years ago. While I don't know if the comb caused me any damage, persay, I was shoulder length +/- a few inches for a very long time. I think flat ironing may be best for you, trying to do it as little as possible. For example, try to go two weeks in between.

I don't like to make recommendations about relaxing or not, but with the alopecia, I would steer clear of the chemicals. Have you seen LynnieB's album? I believe she's transitioning and had an experience with alopecia. Her hair is lovely as well...
Click to expand...
thanks for the compliment oneinamillion!

Blu,

at the very beginning of my transition, i flatironed every week or two AND used a curling iron!

as more and more new growth came in, as the humid spring of North Carolina arrived, i came to the conclusion i was fighting a losing battle trying to keep that new growth in line with the relaxed hair - i KNEW how it was gonna go once the summer hit and i needed to change my styling habits pronto.

so i started experimenting with wash and go's (perfect for covering my bald spot(actually i had 2 and didn't know it!). they turned out awight but then it caused alot of unnecessary tangling (and detangling on alopecia'd scalp isn't what you want to do more often then necessary) so then i experimented with cornrows. i'd do half a head of them and plaited up the back half for braidouts.

then i started experimenting with twists. i'd do mini's and flat twists. the twists, i found i could stretch "over" the bald patch or, do creative partings to hide it really really well but then, i discovered mini twists were causing another problem with detangling. you may not have that same problem so don't count them out. the twists would set so solidly that i couldn't even get a brush or comb through them, wet, dry, w/conditioner, w/oils - it was too hard so i stopped doing mini and went to flat twists and medium sizes only and the detangling got so much easier to deal with.

as more time went on, and experimenting with the various natural hair styles, i realized that i really didn't need to flatiron as much as i thought i did - probably about once a month (this month i haven't flatironed at all!). the more new growth you have, the better it poofs out and makes coverage so much easier.

my primary styles are braidouts and twist outs. i do not like braids so i do twists also - med. sizes and flat twists and very little heat.

sometimes i blow out hair on med. or cool blowdryer settings to loosen the texture a bit.

to hide some of the scalpiness that you may be concerned about (me too!) - i have used scarves (the cloth sort you can pick up at walmart for a few dollars), pretty barretts, hair combs, hair pins to either cover the spot or like the scarf, to push the hair back, which will cover the spots with bulk.

you're gonna have to take some YOU time on the weekend or your day off and start experimenting on hair styles and techniques that will work for you. take your time so you won't get frustrated!

also, as far as using heat is concerned it can cause damage but you can definitely lessen that damage by using proper techniques and the right products (heat protectants - especially the protectants). you can also stretch out the time between heat sessions by using braidouts or twistouts. who knows, you may get sick of the styling hassles like i did and just wash, twist then twist it out after a while:p .

you've got alot of options blu and even though personally i try to avoid frequent heat useage - i will not say it's for everyone AND, in your particular case, when you weigh the potential damage from flatironing against the damage from using those chemicals on your scalp - it's a no brainer as to which one would be the best choice at this time!!

girl, we'll ALL hold your hand if you do indeed decide to transition.

when you run into a problem, you know where to go.
when you feel discouraged, you know where to go.
when and if you have no idea of what to do next, you know where to go!

now, as far as products are concerned; i don't know if you're dealing with the itching/burning/tingling thing i had to deal with. if you are, i know it's horrible! but, there's somethings you can do to help lessen it.

witch hazel - natural astringent and soothing to your skin. usually stop that itch/burning/tingling thing immediately.

try the hair vitamins like biotin, msm, b-complexes but watch it, i found that biotin caused me some problems when the alopecia was active.

avoid getting any oils or grease on your scalp (until your sure it's not irritating - jojoba was good for me).

stop using harsh shampoos - you know the ones, the sulfates.

get good moisturizing shampoos and conditioners, you'll be needing them to keep your new growth happy.

if doing no or low heat - try 100% pure shea butter as a "grease" (it's inexpensive, natural and it may just work well for you). i use this on wet or damp hair before twisting/braiding. also try Wild Growth Hair Oil (not for scalp until you know if it's irritating or not) on your hair, it does soften wonderfully.

avoid putting tension on the hair surrounding the thinning or scalpy areas.

that's all i can think of right now.........and i really really do hope it helps.

again {{{hugs}}} and you already know you're not alone in that there are several ladies here who have had or are currently dealing with this.

NEVER lose hope, never!

lyn

ETA - no, i do not plan to big chop. i will do trim ends or a series of mini chops (1-3 inches) as i go along, feel like it or if my hair seems like it needs it (slow and easy transitioning for me) ;).
 
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I think that is possible to transition to natural without the BC. I did this myself a couple of years ago. My hair is 4 something/cottony soft/fine textured but dense so it appears thick. I transitioned for a little less than 2 years (21 months or so) without a BC. When I transitioned my hair was relaxed and bone straight in some areas due to professional that overprocessed my hair. The first 5 months I transitioned by rollersetting. After that it became more difficult due to the NG fighting with the relaxed hair so at that point I had to start using heat at the roots. So for the rest of my transition, I would wash, wet set and flat iron the roots or wash, air dry and then flat iron the roots. I would do this every 10-12 days because it was time consuming and my hair is fine textured and doesn't like too much manipulation. As my hair grew longer, I had to flat iron the whole strand and not just the roots. I am now texlaxed and mildly relax(10 min) 2-3 times per year because while it was not difficult to flat iron my natural hair straight, it would not stay straight becase my hair is cottony soft and fine textured and it frizzs and responds to environmental elements very quickly--rain, huminity, dampness, heat, etc and reverted right away. I got very tired of that so mild chemicals seem to work better for me.

Given your condition, I think you should at least try the natural way to see how your hair responds. Its got to be better than chemicals. You'll never know unless u try it. With transitionin you have got to change your mind set and realize that your hair will not always be straight and u have to be ok with that.

As a texlazed person, my hair is often not bone straight and I am so ok with it because I realize that it is better for my hair's health.

Also you should get a maziglide which I have now, but did not have when I was transitioning. It's fantastic and if I had it during my transition, I might very well still be natural. Also remember to moisturize ALOT so that your hair will not break at the demarcation line. Also use heat protectant when you blow dry or flat iron your hair. With plenty of TLC your hair will be fine should u choose to transition.

Also, I have some pictures of my hair during the transition period in my fotki account. The password is hair and u will see that I did not BC nor did I lose all my hair during the transition.
 
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