Straight Hair Natural's Support Thread

jprayze said:

I'm kinda going back a ways reading some of these posts but I'm definitely with you. I'm a 3b/c mix and my hair in the front is super straight. Even when I do a Twistout, it has a hard time holding the curl in the front. I wouldn't say its damaged per say just not curly anymore. The front hair always got the extra heat because I like lots of flips and feathering. I would definitely touch it up.

After almost 2 yrs of faithfully getting Dominican blow outs, I can say my hair is heat trained. It is much easier to straighten than ever but at what cost? Can you have the best of both worlds? Pics to follow

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See, this right here is one of my biggest concerns. I grew up getting Dominican blowouts as my Dominican Godmother did my hair for over 17 years The ends of my transitioning hair is a hot, thin, stick straight, mess! It's easy to straighten my hair but the new growth is NOT heat trained so that part reverts quickly or looks bushy, especially the front

jprayze said:

My Dominican blow out

Front of twist out, but the front ends are straight and I set the twists on rollers

Back of twist out - look at how much more textured the back is.

Another twist out. Sides are straight.

In a few days the hair is almost straight.

Wish I could show u a wash n go but I didn't even take a full pic.

This is the back, but trust me the front doesn't look like that. The curl pattern is so loose it's almost straight buy since I have stop straightening I have new growth! I usually end up putting the front sides back some type of way to disguise it.

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Looks great, nice color!

I tried the Carol's daughter macadamia last week - I didn't use any other leave on, just used it to blowdry and flat iron. I may have used too much because my hair felt TOO soft, if that makes sense. I'll give it another go using less, because I did like how my hair looked.

I dried my hair in braids under the Pibbs last night and flat ironed this morning. I LOVED I mean LOVED my hair... for about 20 minutes lol then P00F. I want to stop using the blowdryer so often so I need to start rollersetting under the dryer. I'm going to get rollers tonight and figure out what leave in works best for my natural hair.

Does anyone else think your regimen for taking care of your hair when it's straight is easier?

I am back on the heat bandwagon. My hair is alot easier to manage with heat! I am looking to train to a certain point and then just train the roots afterwards. I am finally enjoying my hair again!

dicapr said:

I am back on the heat bandwagon. My hair is alot easier to manage with heat! I am looking to train to a certain point and then just train the roots afterwards. I am finally enjoying my hair again!

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ITA! I took the summer off from heat and just flat ironed last week. I had to compare how much more products Im using on my natural styles to M&S etc to try to keep it moist and now I'm just massaging my scalp once a day and using a tiny bit of oil on my ends. Much more simpler and I feel my hair is in a better state.

I do have some hairs that are permanently straight from previous straightening, but I guess my hair is heat trained bc it takes no time to straighten now.

jprayze said:

Does anyone else think your regimen for taking care of your hair when it's straight is easier?

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I do! I just got my hair straighten and I am keeping it as long as I can because I do not have to do anything to my hair. To keep the curl, I just pin curl it. So much easier.

I do have some hairs that are permanently straight from previous straightening, but I guess my hair is heat trained bc it takes no time to straighten now.[/QUOTE]

I have hair in my front and crown that is permanently straight. It is annoying when I do a twist out. I want to straighten more, but I also like to switch up the look. I'm afraid I will lose my texture.

jprayze said:

Does anyone else think your regimen for taking care of your hair when it's straight is easier?

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So much easier. I only straighen ever 2 weeks and rarely do touch-ups in between. I just put a bit of coconut oil on it every few days and pin it up in a bun + scarf to sleep.

When I try to wear my natural hair out it tangles up on itself so easily and detangling at the end of the week is a nightmare. Keeping it straight.

Nicole9 said:

I do have some hairs that are permanently straight from previous straightening, but I guess my hair is heat trained bc it takes no time to straighten now.

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I have hair in my front and crown that is permanently straight. It is annoying when I do a twist out. I want to straighten more, but I also like to switch up the look. I'm afraid I will lose my texture.[/QUOTE]

I have the same problem with my twist outs...I try to disguise it by putting a roller on the ends or some time those strands have to be tucked behind my ear...smh

Does anyone work out regularly while maintaining a straight look when natural? I run 4-5x a week and am looking for styling tips in maintaining a straight look during in between my weekly wash. I'm tired of daily wash n go's and I'm a head sweater

candycan said:

Does anyone work out regularly while maintaining a straight look when natural? I run 4-5x a week and am looking for styling tips in maintaining a straight look during in between my weekly wash. I'm tired of daily wash n go's and I'm a head sweater

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I think there were some tips earlier in the thread of maintenance while working out. I need to know as well as I plan to increase my workouts and continue to wear my hair straight.

candycan - I'm a head sweater too - I do a high ponytail and wear one of those dry-sweat bands on. I let my hair dry fully before I take it down. Dries pretty smooth I just realize that since I workout regularly I won't have "relaxer straight" hair every day, which is fine with me. I wear up-do's every day anyway. But if I wanted to wear it down, I'd just lightly moisturize, do my workout w/ my hair up, let it air dry then wrap it or put it on flexi rods overnight and I'm good for the morning. Hth

Question ladies, do you M&S while your hair is straight or only on wash days? If so, how often and what products?

I have just been using a moisturizing DC before straightening (either at home or my stylist) and lightly sealing my ends every day or so with a few drops of WGHO and a light daily scalp massage of a MN oil mix. I use very little product while my hair is straight versus natural styles when I'm constantly working to prevent dryness.

[USER=23817]tapioca_pudding[/USER] said:

candycan] - I'm a head sweater too - I do a high ponytail and wear one of those dry-sweat bands on. I let my hair dry fully before I take it down. Dries pretty smooth I just realize that since I workout regularly I won't have "relaxer straight" hair every day, which is fine with me. I wear up-do's every day anyway. But if I wanted to wear it down, I'd just lightly moisturize, do my workout w/ my hair up, let it air dry then wrap it or put it on flexi rods overnight and I'm good for the morning. Hth

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Good suggestions--What size flexis do you use?

I think wearing my hair only in wash N gos during my first year of being natural cost me some retention. Those single stranded knots were getting ridiculous! I've been keeping my hair in more strecthed styles like twistouts or wearing it straight. I like the results so far.

caribeandiva said:

I think wearing my hair only in wash N gos during my first year of being natural cost me some retention. Those single stranded knots were getting ridiculous! I've been keeping my hair in more strecthed styles like twistouts or wearing it straight. I like the results so far.

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Me too...I'm alternating between twistouts and straight for the rest of the year.

I think I'm going to wear my hair straight for a while.....

Victorian I want to thank you for being so specific with products and regimen. I tried the products you raved about and I love them!! It's a nice alternative to the Aveda I already use.

Hey SHNs! I'm trying a dry shampoo today...will be back with a review later.

are there any straight naturals here with fine hair??? cause my 4b (a àt thé back) is fragile better off stretched. avoiding heat.... except tension method but too much might leave me bald. so anyone with ideas?

jprayze said:

Hey SHNs! I'm trying a dry shampoo today...will be back with a review later.

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I used Suave professionals keratin dry shampoo. I think it's absorbed some of the oil, but not all of it. My hair feels somewhat refreshed, but it still needs to be washed. It was only 2.97 at Walmart so good deal overall.

Interesting thread...

I flat ironed today and would love more tips. When I hit full BSL I plan to flat iron maybe once every two months, wearing it down every blue moon and bunning most of the time.
eta: flat iron every two months but during the fall, but once extreme cold and humidity comes(winter through summer) its bunning my natural hair up. Thats my long term plan.

[USER=103105]coolsista-paris[/USER] said:

are there any straight naturals here with fine hair??? cause my 4b (a àt thé back) is fragile better off stretched. avoiding heat.... except tension method but too much might leave me bald. so anyone with ideas?

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My hair is fine. What about twist or braidouts?

jprayze said:

My hair is fine. What about twist or braidouts?

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hi. i realize that twists dont work Well on me.... i get lots of tangles my hair gets frizzy in no time etc..

do you get damage by heat as your hair is fine and more easy to damage? how do you keep it straight while moisturizing between washes ?

coolsista-paris said:

hi. i realize that twists dont work Well on me.... i get lots of tangles my hair gets frizzy in no time etc..

do you get damage by heat as your hair is fine and more easy to damage? how do you keep it straight while moisturizing between washes ?

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Yes I think my hair is more easy to damage so I have to be careful. My hair is the healthiest that it has been for a long time; I think I finally have a regimen that works. I recently took a heat break for the summer and my hair grew a lot and it feels stronger. I have a few straight strands in the front (my bangs) because I use more heat on them for styling. I'm gradually trimming them (without trying to lose length) and the new growth is coming in curly as ever.

I don't moisturize while my hair is straight; I depend on the DC prior to heat styling to give my strands enough moisture to last until the next wash. I do put light oil on my scalp daily (it's a MN and oil mix) and seal the ends (usually a few drops of WGO oil for my entire head) to keep whatever moisture is already in there in. If anyone moisturizes while straight, chime in.

My regimen: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showpost.php?p=16941673&postcount=8

jprayze said:

I used Suave professionals keratin dry shampoo. I think it's absorbed some of the oil, but not all of it. My hair feels somewhat refreshed, but it still needs to be washed. It was only 2.97 at Walmart so good deal overall.

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Possible natural alternative to dry shampoo: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=332311&highlight=secret

hey everyone! i was wondering if i could get some advice. i flat ironed my hair for the first time ever last week and (of course) it didnt turn out that straight. (i've added some pics to the end of this post) i've been going to salons to get my hair done since i was abt 16.. so i had never straightened my own hair before... i had actually been researching here on the forum for a few months.. but even though i didnt have the flat-iron and products i wanted etc, i decided to go ahead and do it (and it came out so crappy lol). i'm not exactly sure where i went wrong. here's what i did:

- shampoo'd with l'oreal ever strong sulfate free hydrate shampoo
- conditioned with l'oreal ever strong sulfate free conditioner
(which is just kinda the shampoo and conditioner i had lying around the house)
- applied Fantasia ic heat protector straightening serum- as a heat protectant
- blow dried my hair with a conair silverbird blowdryer with comb attachment (i blow dried on high heat using the middle fan.. which i have since read is a mistake and u should blowdry on medium heat with a high fan or something erplexed *unsure*)
- applied fantasia ic heat protectant again
- flat ironed at 240 degree's with a random 1" chi flat-iron i bought from meijer (and have since returned)
ok so, i ordered a sedu 1 1/2" ceramic tourmaline flat iron a few days ago, and i plan to try this out again in 2 weeks.. but i have a few questions first:
1) is it safe to turn the flat iron up to 300 degrees? and what temperature do u guys usually flat iron at?
2) do i need to apply my heat protecting serum twice? once for each application of heat? cause it felt a bit greasy while flat ironing it..although it didnt turn out all that greasy in the end
3) should i blow dry on medium heat with high fan?
4) do u think the main reason my hair didnt come out that straight is because i need to turn up my FLAT IRON heat or i just need to figure out how to blow dry it better? i've heard some ppl say the key to a good flat iron is blow drying it really straight first. im posting some pics at the end of this. do u think that is my issue by looking at how my hair turned out? cause i was also kinda afraid and didn't wanna overdo the blow drying...
here are the pics:

CaramelQTpie - If you want straighter sleeker results, you will need to use higher temperatures with the blowdryer and flat iron.

When I straighten, I just apply the serum to sections of my hair before blowdrying that section. After I'm done, I flat iron my hair in small sections, one pass. I'm not sure what temperature my flat iron is on since it uses a turn dial of numbers from 1-20. My flat iron is usually between 15-20 (which is probably 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit, just a guess).

CaramelQTpie said:

- shampoo'd with l'oreal ever strong sulfate free hydrate shampoo
- conditioned with l'oreal ever strong sulfate free conditioner
Asses you hair after you shampoo and wash. It should be soft and manageable not hard to detangle or brittle feeling when you touch it. If it is, check the protein content in those products and switch to a deep moisturizing conditioner.

- applied Fantasia ic heat protector straightening serum- as a heat protectant I use this along with a leave in

- blow dried my hair with a conair silverbird blowdryer with comb attachment (i blow dried on high heat using the middle fan.. which i have since read is a mistake and u should blowdry on medium heat with a high fan or something erplexed *unsure*) I don't think it matters as long as your hair isn't snagging. I use high heat & fan but I'm impatient. And I like my natural hair bone straight. I heard the lower heat setting is better. Fan speed idk.

- applied fantasia ic heat protectant again I don't add anything after blowdrying to avoid that sticky/greasy feeling.

- flat ironed at 240 degree's with a random 1" chi flat-iron i bought from meijer (and have since returned)
I use a Sedu revolution flat iron between 340-410 and only one swipe! But get to know what works for your hair by testing gradual heat increases. I hope I've answered your questions above. IMO I think the main reason is a combination of both the conditioner you used and your heat setting.

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I hope I've answered your questions above. IMO I think the main reason is a combination of both the conditioner you used and your heat setting.

Poohbear texasqt
my hair was hard to detangle so i;ll defintely be switching over to a deep moisturizing conditioner.. i think i was just scared to use a different conditioner from the shampoo i used lmao! and i'll be using a higher heat setting.. experimenting until i find the one that works for me. thanks soo much ladies for taking the time to help me out! and i'll post new pics next time i straighten