Naturals who straiten: I need some fine tuning!

[DDTexlaxed]

I am trying not to heat damage my hair. Is it necessary to blow dry to get a strait style? I am wondering if I can flat iron air dried hair to cut down heat usage. Please give me some tips on how you can keep a strait style! Thanks in advance!

 

[chocolate01]

You can air dry first, lots of women on the board do. Personally I don't have the patience to airdry so I blowdry then flat iron. I just make sure I use a really good heat protectant. I use Heat Glide by Redken Smooth Down collection.

 

[nurseN98]

To minimize my heat exposure, i airdry first then I flat iron. I don't have the energy and patience to blowdry my hair. As long as you use a good heat protectant (I use either Redken heat glide or Sabino) and you don't turn the iron up as high as it will go then you should be fine. I've been flat ironing my hair since I started transitioning in 2003 and I've never had any heat damage. One technique that helps me use less heat is to use a hair brush to keep the hair straight as I flat iron. With that I don't have to turn my iron up to 450, i use it at around 375 to 385. Someone has a name for it and made a post about it but in my old age I don't remember who or what the technique was called. Maybe someone can chime in about that?

 

[PinkSkates]

I am trying not to heat damage my hair. Is it necessary to blow dry to get a strait style? I am wondering if I can flat iron air dried hair to cut down heat usage. Please give me some tips on how you can keep a strait style! Thanks in advance!

Of course you can air dry and then straighten but you will have so much shrinkage that you will most likely damage your hair from all of the extra pulling, and detangling you will have to deal with before you can even think about putting a flat iron in your hair. If you want to successfully flat iron your hair with almost no hair strand lost, then you have to properly stretch your hair before you flat iron. So many naturals make this mistake!
Blow drying is the best way to get maximum stretch. And if you blow dry using my tension/stretch method you will lose no hair and you will not damage your hair.

 

[nurseN98]

Of course you can air dry and then straighten but you will have so much shrinkage that you will most likely damage your hair from all of the extra pulling, and detangling you will have to deal with before you can even think about putting a flat iron in your hair. If you want to successfully flat iron your hair with almost no hair strand lost, then you have to properly stretch your hair before you flat iron. So many naturals make this mistake!
Blow drying is the best way to get maximum stretch. And if you blow dry using my tension/stretch method you will lose no hair and you will not damage your hair.

that's true, i forgot to mention that I airdry in braids or rollers and this stretches it out enough so I can flat iron easily.

 

[TCatt86]

Of course you can air dry and then straighten but you will have so much shrinkage that you will most likely damage your hair from all of the extra pulling, and detangling you will have to deal with before you can even think about putting a flat iron in your hair. If you want to successfully flat iron your hair with almost no hair strand lost, then you have to properly stretch your hair before you flat iron. So many naturals make this mistake!
Blow drying is the best way to get maximum stretch. And if you blow dry using my tension/stretch method you will lose no hair and you will not damage your hair.

Pinkskates method is the truth!! It really helped stretch my hair so when it came time to flat iron it wasn't as much of a battle.

 

[SoCalli]

I tried flat ironing air-dried hair, and it was a disaster. I would try pinkskates method or buy a good quality blow-dryer. I do the latter, and my split ends have been reduced drastically!

 

[Afrolinda]

To minimize my heat exposure, i airdry first then I flat iron. I don't have the energy and patience to blowdry my hair. As long as you use a good heat protectant (I use either Redken heat glide or Sabino) and you don't turn the iron up as high as it will go then you should be fine. I've been flat ironing my hair since I started transitioning in 2003 and I've never had any heat damage. One technique that helps me use less heat is to use a hair brush to keep the hair straight as I flat iron. With that I don't have to turn my iron up to 450, i use it at around 375 to 385. Someone has a name for it and made a post about it but in my old age I don't remember who or what the technique was called. Maybe someone can chime in about that?

This is a great technique, I think I will try it the next time I will flat iron my hair.

 

[LoveLiLi]

I mostly air-dry my hair and my hair comes out perfectly straight. I sit under the dryer once in a while, but I try not to do that too often. Before air-drying I detangle my hair, apply leave-in and Sabino and I twist it into four sections. That's all I need. It's not all shrunken up or tangled when it's time to flat iron.

I do have to mention that if you're going for the light, flowy hair that bounces and blows in the breeze - you should break out the blow dryer. My hair gets silky straight without the blow dryer, but it doesn't have as much movement as I'd like. I'm not too concerned though because I wear my hair in a bun daily.

 

[mizzy247]

How do you do the pinkskate method of blowdrying?

 

[PinkSkates]

How do you do the pinkskate method of blowdrying?

In my "Naturals that Straighten" thread I give instructions. There is a picture of me in my public fotki demonstrating the blow dry method. And I made a detailed how-to video demonstrating the tension/stretch method. That video is available for viewing on my website.

 

[Faith]

For the first time last week I managed to braid overnight and flatiron the next morning and it worked out better than when I would blowdry..maybe try that. I had about 10 braids.

 

[kgard7777]

I know I am only into my 10th month transitioning out of my relaxer. However, I am surprised none of the naturals mentioned rollersetting first? I rollerset now and then flatiron for a straight and bouncy style.

This cuts out the blowdryer and heat damage for the most part.

 

[kblc06]

I always rollerset prior to straightening and sit under a hooded dryer to minimize direct heat. Your set doesn't have to be perfect and it will get straight enough that you won't need turn the flat-iron on a very high heat

 

[Supervixen]

Can you do a ponytail method rollerset/wrap? I only have to flat iron the edges and the crinkles from the ponytail.

 

[Fine 4s]

Great ideas ladies...rollersetting, ponytail sets etc...

 

[DDTexlaxed]

Do you roller set like you did relaxed hair? I still am trying to figure out how to roller set my natural hair without straitening it first.

 

[Fleurzty]

I know I am only into my 10th month transitioning out of my relaxer. However, I am surprised none of the naturals mentioned rollersetting first? I rollerset now and then flatiron for a straight and bouncy style.

This cuts out the blowdryer and heat damage for the most part.

I was just looking at that as well. I used rollersets all the time when I had a relaxer. I plan on rollersetting first whenever I am straightening from now on. It reduces the risk of damage considerably.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I do Rollersetting.... It seems to just be easier - and I don't have to do soooo much work to get things 'straight' - ya know?

The Blow Dry thing kills my arms...Although the Tension Method is EXCELLENT!