why is my hair shrinking back shortly after straightening?

[FineChyna]

i just took time to flat iron my hair with a ceramic flat iron as i was doing the small sections the hair looked nice and straight, but as soon as i finished it seems to be shrinking back and reverting. i used a pressing oil so i figured it wouldn't do that. my hair was APL when i straightened it and now its like 2-3 inches past my shoulder. WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED????????

man i am so upset because i spent so much time doing my hair and it looks like crap-fluffy and short.

i used a high setting for the iron and used small sections so what is the problem?

 

[SweetCaramel1]

my hair reverts after the shower or sleeping from humidity or sweating. i believe there are products that help with this but i haven't tried any as i don't straighten my hair often. sorry i couldn't help.

 

[thickness]

Its getting hot and natural hair + any type of moisure be it sweat or steam from shower, will make your hair revert instantly. I have a friend who is natural and she wears her hair pressed throughout the summer. But she must redo it every three days!! I would just press or flatiron in the fall and winter....

 

[ladylibra]

yep, you need a good anti-humectant. even with one, i don't do presses in the rainy spring months or the humid summer months... my hair just reverts too easily. i stick to fall and winter presses.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Have you tried a serum or a moisture blocking product to stave off reversion?

I like TIGI's Control Freak serum. Also, what kind of iron are you using and what setting are you using?

 

[FineChyna]

Have you tried a serum or a moisture blocking product to stave off reversion?

I like TIGI's Control Freak serum. Also, what kind of iron are you using and what setting are you using?

i used the highest setting and the pressing cream i used is supposed to help prevent reverting and keep moisture out. i used a generous amount so imagine my suprise when my hair started shrinking back up before i left the house. the ends are straight but the roots are very "fluffy". the flat iron was a ceramic flat iron by revlon with a 1 1/2 inch plates. the highest them on there is 25 and it gets very hot-i think i used 20 so that i didn't burn my hair

 

[FineChyna]

thickness-i did my hair when i got up this morning AFTER i showered. i showered with the bathroom door open so that it wouldn't have a steamy bathroom. even though it is spring it is not warm where i am at. it did rain later in the day and i didn't know it was supposed to rain but like i said it is not warm here. i think the high temp was in the high was maybe 50 degrees

 

[FineChyna]

yep, you need a good anti-humectant. even with one, i don't do presses in the rainy spring months or the humid summer months... my hair just reverts too easily. i stick to fall and winter presses.

can you recommend one an anti humectant? although it is spring here the weather is not "warm" its still rather chilly here, which is why i decided to give it a try

 

[natstar]

Try some silicone serum like Fantasia IC heat protectant serum (in red bottle) or any serum that is straight cones. When I straighten, I add ,y serum, blow dry then flat iron on a higher setting. I don't use any other products. It works for me and I'm 4a/4b HTH

 

[Miss*Tress]

You could also check Pokahontas' Fotki for flat ironing and product tips. She seems to get consistently good results and her hair is type 3 (b and/or c) too.

 

[Country gal]

Is it your first time flat ironing your natural hair? It is hard to get straight the first time after being natural for a while.

 

[tmichelle]

I think your hair reverting so quickly is a good sign it is healthy. I know that is probably not what you want to hear when you worked so hard to straighten it, but it just means that you haven't pressed it so much that the molecular structure has broken down. Unfortunately, mine has and many large sections (about 30%) of my hair won't revert back, so now since I don't press anymore I look crazy

 

[FineChyna]

county girl-yes this is the first time i flat ironed my hair in a year. last year around this time i got it pressed but the lady not only trimmed to much hair when i asked her to even out the back(she cut off like 3 inches) she pressed my hair too hard and the back ends wouldn't curl back so i had to cut another inch off. so nearly all the progress i made was gone in an hour. so after that i decided to just do it myself. problem is i have been too lazy or busy to get to it. i had the flat iron since xmas.

tmichelle-you are right but i am amazed it changed back within an hour of me finishing. sorry to hear about your hair though. as i was telling country girl i had it happen and i was really upset over it.

natstar-thanks for the product suggestion. i will look for it and try it

miss tress-thanks for suggesting the album, i'll do some research on her method.

i am just sooooo frustrated. the only thing i found out today is that my hair is APL and my flat iron gets hot as hades. i didn't think that little cheap thing could get that hot

 

[angellazette]

I flat ironed a section of hair the other day and it became poof city real quick!! I might have to try an anti-humectant.

 

[SVT]

Was each section completey before you started?

My flatironing results are consistent. My environment is dry and cold before I start so no humidity gets to my hair and my scalp isn't radiating as much heat. I also keep a small fan nearby to cool my hair down as I pass the iron across.