Skipping the blowdryer before flat ironing

HairQueen · Aug 31, 2012

Hi

I am transitioning to natural (I think I am a 4a/b, fine hair ) and after thinking long and hard about it I think I want to be a straight hair wearing natural. Not 100% of time but think I will straighten on a regular basis (every two weeks). I have friends who are natural who have been straightening for years and seem to get along just fine.

In order to keep damage to a minimum I am thinking I could just use one form of direct heat not two. I don't know for others but for me blowdrying just seems to leave my hair looking dry, thirsty and desperate.

I was wondering is blow drying before flat ironing absolutely necessary? Could I get the same results with parting into 4 plaits and sitting under my hood dryer and then flat ironing in sections afterwards? Or does blowdrying give it some sort of extra swang?

Thanks

mEmYSELFaNDj · Aug 31, 2012

I skip the blow dryer.

Before I flat iron I Wash, DC, Rinse, section and plait my hair in 8 braids. I let it airdry, usually overnight, and the next day I take down a section and flat iron it, and repeat until the whole head is complete.

This definitely eliminates a lot of breakage that I would usually get from the blow dryer. And my hair gets just as straight and has as much swang without using it.

ETA: My first two years of my hair journey I cut out the blow dryer completely and went from CBL to nearly WL. The next year I started using the blow dryer again when I flat ironed(which still wasn't that often maybe 4-5x that year) and stayed at basically WL, got lot of breakage from it. The last few months I went back to no blow dryer and my ends are staying thick and strong and I'm not seeing much breakage when I straighten my hair.

LightEyedMami · Aug 31, 2012

Hair Queen, i was exactly like you....i was trying to heat train my hair, and i didn't like the way blow-drying made my hair feel, so i opted to flat iron weekly instead...Because of not using the blow-dryer first, My hair was not silky straight, but it wasn't horribly dry either. I would suggest trying with just the flat iron and see how it goes.....BTW i am NOT heat trained, i eventually gave up 1) because it was too much work! 2) My ends were more fragile (not horribly just needed more trims) 3) TOOO MUCH FREAKIN WORK...Can you tell im lazy? :lol:

.....I enjoyed my hair straight, i just hate how resilient it is, No matter how much heat i used it WOULDN'T heat train ...its like my hair is made out of steel. :ohwell:

...Please show us a pic once your trained.

ChocoKitty · Aug 31, 2012

I do not use a blow dryer during straightening. I detangle, section, smooth and braid adding perm rods to smooth the ends and air dry 80-90 percent. I have a wet/dry iron. Also deep conditioning well will ensure that your hair is much more pliable during the process of straightening.

HairQueen · Aug 31, 2012

mEmYSELFaNDj said:
I skip the blow dryer.

Before I flat iron I Wash, DC, Rinse, section and plait my hair in 8 braids. I let it airdry, usually overnight, and the next day I take down a section and flat iron it, and repeat until the whole head is complete.

This definitely eliminates a lot of breakage that I would usually get from the blow dryer. And my hair gets just as straight and has as much swang without using it.

ETA: My first two years of my hair journey I cut out the blow dryer completely and went from CBL to nearly WL. The next year I started using the blow dryer again when I flat ironed(which still wasn't that often maybe 4-5x that year) and stayed at basically WL, got lot of breakage from it. The last few months I went back to no blow dryer and my ends are staying thick and strong and I'm not seeing much breakage when I straighten my hair.

Hi thanks for your reply..it was very useful to read what you wrote as it does seem that the blowdryer can play havoc on the strands of some people's hair.

By the way your hair in your pic is just beautiful! :blush:

HairQueen · Aug 31, 2012

LightEyedMami said:
Hair Queen, i was exactly like you....i was trying to heat train my hair, and i didn't like the way blow-drying made my hair feel, so i opted to flat iron weekly instead...Because of not using the blow-dryer first, My hair was not silky straight, but it wasn't horribly dry either. I would suggest trying with just the flat iron and see how it goes.....BTW i am NOT heat trained, i eventually gave up 1) because it was too much work! 2) My ends were more fragile (not horribly just needed more trims) 3) TOOO MUCH FREAKIN WORK...Can you tell im lazy? .....I enjoyed my hair straight, i just hate how resilient it is, No matter how much heat i used it WOULDN'T heat train ...its like my hair is made out of steel. ...Please show us a pic once your trained.

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

I hear you because I am not looking forward to the amount of work it will take either! But I think I will be okay and get used to it..as a relaxed I do my hair every week so I figure the trade off with being a natural who wants to straighten is that yes it may take longer on wash day but I only have to do it once every other week :grin:

Plus I have a friend who straightens and she has been doing it for 20 or more years, I asked her how long her whole routine takes and she said 1 hour and 15 mins - and that includes a 45 min deep condition! So I guess after lots of practice it gets easier and quicker.

Yes I will def be putting pics up on here once I start straightening but it will be a loong wait for that yet lol..I am only 14 weeks into my transition so I only have about 1.5 - 2 inches of natural hair with the rest being relaxed to shoulder length.

HairQueen · Aug 31, 2012

ChocoKitty said:
I do not use a blow dryer during straightening. I detangle, section, smooth and braid adding perm rods to smooth the ends and air dry 80-90 percent. I have a wet/dry iron. Also deep conditioning well will ensure that your hair is much more pliable during the process of straightening.

Thanks for your reply. This is good to know that a blowdryer isn't essential! I was beginning to wonder because it seems to me like often the words 'blowdry and flat iron' belong together like twins..I hear people use the two together all the time so I was wondering if they could ever be parted! :grin:

Yes a deep condition is and will always be a part of my routine and esp before any heat goes anywhere near my head.

kandake · Aug 31, 2012

It isn't necessary at all. I airdry either in twists/braids or a ponytail/bun. I'm still able to get my hair relaxer straight with one pass using the comb chase method and then I go back over it with an additional pass to curl it.

HairQueen · Aug 31, 2012

kandake said:
It isn't necessary at all. I airdry either in twists/braids or a ponytail/bun. I'm still able to get my hair relaxer straight with one pass using the comb chase method and then I go back over it with an additional pass to curl it.

This is encouraging - thanks.

NappyNelle · Aug 31, 2012

I agree that the blow dryer isn't necessary. I don't own one, so I airdry or sit under the hood dryer, or a combination of the two. I would recommend detangling beforehand, and use more than four braids (perhaps 8 -12?) so your hair dries more thoroughly. (I am medium-density with fine strands, and I usually make 8 braids.) Good luck!

cyrealla · Aug 31, 2012

I am encouraged to know it is possible to flatiron without blowdrying sucessfully, however looking at the replies I've noticed a few posters who skipped the blowdrying process had 3b/c hair(going by sig pics) which I assume would make the process slightly easier(no offence anyone).
So I would like to know has anyone tried this method successfully with 4b/c hair?

karenjoe · Aug 31, 2012

thanks, I blowdry but don't flatiron...... :ohwell:

I'm getting flash backs when I was small.... I would come from under the dryer & think ..
this is gonna hurt.. and it did!

I gotta have my blow dryer w/ the attachment....
but!
( I let my hair dry a little )

ctosha · Aug 31, 2012

I never blow dry then flat iron too much heat and work. I detangle, air dry in twists then flat iron.

naturalTAN · Aug 31, 2012

cyrealla said:
I am encouraged to know it is possible to flatiron without blowdrying sucessfully, however looking at the replies I've noticed a few posters who skipped the blowdrying process had 3b/c hair(going by sig pics) which I assume would make the process slightly easier(no offence anyone).
So I would like to know has anyone tried this method successfully with 4b/c hair?

I'm a kinky (non-silky) 4A and I don't like the way blowdrying makes my hair feel so I rollerset. I honestly don't think skipping a blowdry or rollerset and just flatironing would get MY hair straight, but if you used tiny sections and the right amount of heat, it could be possible for others.

AFashionSlave · Aug 31, 2012

Whenever I flat iron my hair I just use really large rollers first, and then flat iron. It gets my hair pretty smooth and makes flat ironing easy.

30something · Aug 31, 2012

I never been successful straightening my coarse 4b hair with out blow drying. Too much breaking and hair tangling. The comb chase method destroy my hair if it isn't already blow dried.

NaturalPath · Sep 1, 2012

HairQueen not sure if anyone else recommended this as I am too lazy to read the responses, but have you tried the tension method? You could probably hold taut small sections of hair while its 75% dry and use the heat to dry and lengthen your hair. If you add some anti-heat serum/spray/etc. it should be less damaging.

DominicanBrazilian82 · Sep 1, 2012

If you must use a double heat process... (I do it every week - 10 days) add rollersets into your regiment and drop one of the two you want to do together

westNDNbeauty · Sep 1, 2012

I'm probably the odd man out here but depending on your texture, you will be setting yourself up for using more heat when flat ironing if your hair is not blow dried prior to. Your hair will either be very kinky requiring more heat or will not turn out as silky as you would expect.

ManeStreet · Sep 1, 2012

westNDNbeauty said:
I'm probably the odd man out here but depending on your texture, you will be setting yourself up for using more heat when flat ironing if your hair is not blow dried prior to. Your hair will either be very kinky requiring more heat or will not turn out as silky as you would expect.

Thats exactly what happens with me. I cant let my hair get 100% without a blowdriee then flatiron it because it wont straighten correctlu. Its like it remembers the wave or curl that was in it when it dried & it wont let go of that bend/waviness/curl without a ton of heat, either more passes or the temp has to be cranked way up. Also it will feel rough instead of silky.

HairQueen · Sep 1, 2012

Mane_Attraxion said:
HairQueen not sure if anyone else recommended this as I am too lazy to read the responses, but have you tried the tension method? You could probably hold taut small sections of hair while its 75% dry and use the heat to dry and lengthen your hair. If you add some anti-heat serum/spray/etc. it should be less damaging.

Hi

No I have never tried it but I have seen that a few women on YouTube use it..I would like to try it I can see that it may be less damaging on the one had because you are not ripping through your hair with a comb attachment but..on the other hand you have to put the heat closer to your hair so I was a bit worried about that..

HairQueen · Sep 1, 2012

DominicanBrazilian82 said:
If you must use a double heat process... (I do it every week - 10 days) add rollersets into your regiment and drop one of the two you want to do together

Good idea..

HairQueen · Sep 1, 2012

20Something said:
I never been successful straightening my coarse 4b hair with out blow drying. Too much breaking and hair tangling. The comb chase method destroy my hair if it isn't already blow dried.

Even with rollersetting or drying in braids under the dryer first?

HairQueen · Sep 1, 2012

westNDNbeauty said:
I'm probably the odd man out here but depending on your texture, you will be setting yourself up for using more heat when flat ironing if your hair is not blow dried prior to. Your hair will either be very kinky requiring more heat or will not turn out as silky as you would expect.

ok I see..

erplexed this is what I am trying to explore in this thread - the different possibilites so this is helpful to know too thanks. I guess I won't know until I am fully natural and try it for myself.

HairQueen · Sep 1, 2012

ManeStreet said:
Thats exactly what happens with me. I cant let my hair get 100% without a blowdriee then flatiron it because it wont straighten correctlu. Its like it remembers the wave or curl that was in it when it dried & it wont let go of that bend/waviness/curl without a ton of heat, either more passes or the temp has to be cranked way up. Also it will feel rough instead of silky.

Useful info to know..its all knowledge gathering for me which is helpful. What is your hair type/texture?

BadMamaJama · Sep 1, 2012

I'm a 4b and I have flatironed my natural hair without blowdrying. I'd wash it then put small plaits in my hair to stretch it. Not tiny, maybe about 10 on each side. Kind of time consuming. Then I'd let them dry. A couple of days later, I would flatiron. I'd do really small parts using the chase method. It came out really nice and it felt so much better than when I blow dried. I only did it twice because I have no patience and now I'm relaxed. :lol:

But you can flatiron without blow drying, it's just a major process.

Guinan · Sep 1, 2012

I think this is a great question! when I was natural I use to blow dry and then flat iron my hair without a heat protectant, and never really had much damage. but it never grew longer than BSL length. I think you really have to know you're hair and what works best for it.

I plan on flat ironing my hair next month and since I want WL hair Im trying to take proper precaution to protect my hair. I am going to deep condition, shampoo, cocondition and then braid my hair to let it air dry 90 percent, then I am going to blow dry my hair in sections. I will use my heat protector and then flat iron my hair. I will try to flat iron my hair with no more than 3 passes.

hopefully this works I mean I do expect some damage but not too much. I try not to flat iron my hair too much maybe every 2 to 3 months. I will definitely post pictures of my results. if the results arent as straight as I want it to be then I am going to do it the old fashion way blow dry and then flat iron but I'll be sure to keep using my heat protectant or maybe I will try roller setting it first then flat iron it.

At OP, sistawithrealhair has a great tutorial on roller setting and then flat ironing it on her youtube page.

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch Q using LHCF

Supergirl · Sep 1, 2012

If you're used to blowdrying then flat ironing, you'll definitely see improvement in the condition of your hair if you air dry and then flat iron rather than blowdrying. Handheld blowdryers, IMO, are the most damaging of heat appliances for hair.

AutumnDreams · Sep 2, 2012

I am 4a/4b relaxed, and after every touchup I would blowdry and flat iron. But my latest touchup, I sectioned my hair into 3 parts, used lottabody setting lotion and sat under dryer til 90 % dry, then blowdried (applied heat protectant & shine serum) It was so much easier to deal with, and my hair had body, shine, and swing, and overall felt better. I had never done it that way before, and the only thing I changed was the lottabody and sitting under the dryer first.

But, I am not fighting new growth so that may or may not work 4 u. But for me, that rollersetting was not the biz bc too much manipulation on hair w/ the parting, smoothing, etc and my results were almost always frizzy if I was post 4 weeks or later, plus you have to be 100% dry to flat iron afterwatds and my hair is way too thick to wait that long under the dryer.

yardyspice · Sep 2, 2012

I hardly ever flat iron but after I read somewhere that someone used curlformers to stretch her hair before doing one pass with the flat iron. I tried it and it works beautifully but it's not for me since I am constantly wetting my hair. I think it would be great for someone who washes every two weeks.

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