Straight Hair Natural's Support Thread

[Lylddlebit]

So I read Saleemah's book. While most of what she said made sense in the scheme of things made, I was left with questions. Some of her ideas contradict cosmetic chemists, but most of it is neither here nor there. I just found it interesting that Saleemah felt blowdrying the hair alone was a way of heat training. The blowdrying method is to start once a month with blowdrying. Then you increase the blowdrying sessions to 2 times a month. I guess someone could even do once a week. This is suppose to be most gentle method of heat training and takes the longest to see results.The temperatures of most blowdryers don't go over 250F. Hair protein starts degrading depending on who you talk to somewhere after 350F to 375F. Since hair is a fiber and most fibers can be stretched out over time, I don't know if the blowdryer heat is directly what is breaking the disulfide bond for heat training. Pulling your hair back in a ponytail especially when wet too often can permanently stretch out curls. So not everything is heat related.

Saleemah even mentions not to use round-brushes too often because they will weaken the elasticity of the hair by constantly stretching the strands. I understand that hair is the weakest when wet. However, using the heat of a flat iron is traditionally considered more damaging to the internal structure of hair than the pulling of a round brush. The inside of a hair strand is where the elasticity lies. She says that having straight ends as a heat trained natural is perfectly fine if a person wears their hair straight all of the time. Are not those straight pieces the hair that has weakened elasticity? Round brushing and blowdryers are more likely to damage the cuticles and remove the lipid layer. If done properly, it will also eliminate the need to use a flat iron.

Then I started looking for journal articles on mechanical damage causing disulfide bonds to break before I said nuh-uh she is wrong. I found this one. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006349522003289. This article is a little more technical than I wanted it to be. It seems as though if you go past a hair's tensile strength, hair will break no matter what. The sites at which the disulfide bonds break differ depending on if the hair is wet or dry. This only leaves me with more questions. Will a bond builder prevent the disulfide bond breakage or at least mitigate it? If so, will bond builders/peptide repair products stop or prevent the hair from even being heat trained with or elasticity lost from the mechanical use of tools?

What do you all think? Do you think the heat from blowdrying has the ability to heat train hair?

See, you see it. It isn't just the heat itself, the tension used while drying has its own set of threats. The combination of blow dryer heat and overstretching during the process can cause coil/curl loosening. I know everyone's hair has different strengths and weaknesses, but speaking for myself, mechanical damage has always been a bigger threat to my hair than the regular use of high heat. I use high heat regulary and get pretty good reversion consistently. I wouldn't be bothered by heat damage so the idea of loosening coils don't bother me, I just rarely get that beyond the last few inches(that woudl get cut off soon) of very old ends. However, if I am rough with my hair that will cause me way more breakage and/or overstretching than my flat iron and hot combs ever do.

The tension that can be improperly applied while using the blow dryer can cause the curl/coil pattern to loosen, just like a ballon that has been filled up to the limit and then deflated.

 

[Lylddlebit]

I want to give a update!

Day 5 and we're still going strong. I haven't noticed any dryness, excessive breakage or a lack of manageability. The past two nights I've used my curl tube thingy to set my hair at night, and I've liked the results.

View attachment 493993View attachment 493995View attachment 493997

6 Flexirods are better than 4 LOL!!

View attachment 494001View attachment 494003View attachment 494005

Very nice waves!

 

[Lylddlebit]

@DVAntDany You must have known that those of us inclined to put off watching @Lylddlebit ’s videos are immediately going to rush over to see this mask business. Well done, very smart way to make sure we click the link.

And when I saw “mask” I thought of several possibilities, but NOT what is worn in the video.

(Oh, and to get back to actual hair talk, that video about re-moisturizing an old press is excellent; I would never think that press was over 3 weeks old, and even less so at the end. )

Haha... it's just a costume mask...that allows those who have met me to realize it's me and obscure my features a bit to those I haven't met, in person, yet. The masks I have bought for my videos allow my hair to be out, so I can make my hair/demonstration points with a bit of boundary. I am having fun with it lol and I am glad you like the video. I have a lot of everyday practical hair things that I think will be helpful in videos. Sometimes I think my written explanations get a bit confusing. So I am hoping it will be useful to be able to show people who I am describing.

A lot of times my presses last 4 weeks with no re-moisturizing needed, but we have been having that arctic blast/storm, and except this past week, I wore my hair out and down every day. So I needed to give my hair a boost to make it the whole month without fully drying out even if I let it get a bit dryer than my baseline. l will have more press videos to come once it gets warm again.

 

[Lylddlebit]

I finally used The Doux's Press Play collection on my hair bright and early this morning. The fragrance for this collection is unique. All of the products felt very light weight. The shampoo was kinda strange. It has absolutely no lather. The directions for the conditioner say to apply generously, but each squirt from the pump is pretty small. I decided to use the silent treatment. It barely feels like anything on the hair. I probably used more than intended because I had my hair in about 8 to 10 sections vs the recommended 4 to 6 sections. The O.P.P. felt nice on the hair. It wasn't spray starchy or spritz-like as some wet heat protectants can feel. The Doux Drops is ultra lightweight, but does give some additional sheen. Its also as fragrant as the shampoo and conditioner.

I decided to try out Saleemah's plan and start with using the lowest setting of 350F for my fine hair. I used the Revair hairdryer to blow-dry my hair. At first I did it on low heat with highest speed and my roots were left cool to the touch as if still damp. I switched to high heat and highest speed (7) and everything dried nicely. Also, the high heat portions were straighter and flatter. I flat ironed my hair on 350F with both a ceramic and titanium flat iron. I didn't really see a drastic difference. I actually felt the ceramic got my hair a little straighter. 350F left my ends look crinkly. I did do a test section at 380F and my hair looked silky smooth. I can officially say that 350 isn't strong enough for me.

Also, strike 1 for cosmetic chemist info. They say it is better to use the lowest heat setting multiple times than a high heat setting only once. They also say that going over the hair at lower heat setting multiple times can eventually get the hair straight. The mirco crimps did not leave the section I went over 3 times at 350F. I guess there is some validity to what these stylists are saying.

This is my hair after I took it out of my bun.

View attachment 494085View attachment 494087

Your press looks good. I have only tried the "Press Rewind" shampoo and "Fast Forward" conditioner on a small section of hair but I do like them based on the first impression. I did experience a lather from the "Press Rewind" shampoo, but I did clarify for stripped hair before I used it.

 

[DVAntDany]

See, you see it. It isn't just the heat itself, the tension used while drying has its own set of threats. The combination of blow dryer heat and overstretching during the process can cause coil/curl loosening. I know everyone's hair has different strengths and weaknesses, but speaking for myself, mechanical damage has always been a bigger threat to my hair than the regular use of high heat. I use high heat regulary and get pretty good reversion consistently. I wouldn't be bothered by heat damage so the idea of loosening coils don't bother me, I just rarely get that beyond the last few inches(that woudl get cut off soon) of very old ends. However, if I am rough with my hair that will cause me way more breakage and/or overstretching than my flat iron and hot combs ever do.

The tension that can be improperly applied while using the blow dryer can cause the curl/coil pattern to loosen, just like a ballon that has been filled up to the limit and then deflated.

I guess my thing was more of the correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation issue that many Black stylists are claiming causes stretched out curls that we call “heat damage.” These are suppose to be our experts and they openly conflict with data that can be repeatedly tested and proven.

Even Mya from The Doux said it on her 5 hour long Instagram Live last Sunday. She said heat from the hairdryer causes “heat damage” and not the flat iron. She even said on her own volition that she disagreed some with cosmetic chemists and scientists in the field of hair care. She stated that she has the experience behind the chair and for some reason it proves different from findings in the lab. I did feel that she misspoke when she stated that using high heat from hairdryers that are typically 450F will lock in texture that can not be removed with most flatirons that can only go up to 430F. However, she did talk about her challenges with round brushing the hair. She said she has grandma hands and is too heavy handed with the heat and tension when round brushing. She is not able to keep the blow dryer far enough away from the hair to get the desired look. For the most part she was saying it’s the heat and not the tension though.

I have a collection of round brushes. The ones meant for thick curly textured hair are very hard and have super grip. They often have a stiff boar and nylon bristle mix. You could easily rip out hair using one just from the extreme tension they provide. Stylists who specialize in round brushing Afro textured hair don’t even use those type. So I assume they realize the damage these brushes can do from tension.

Another online stylist that comes to mind is Michelle from Shell Grows Hair. She said she doesn’t understand how hairdryer heat damages curls but they do. There are plenty of other silk press artist online who have stated those same claims about the hairdryer.

Even the whole thing about ceramic vs titanium is up for debate on if it’s the heat vs the stretch. Most hairstylists are saying titanium causes more heat damage even though cosmetic chemists often say there is no difference heat wise that could do that. I can’t remember where but I read somewhere that ceramic tends to glide over the hair better vs titanium which has more drag supposedly. This leads me to believe that it’s a tension thing once again.

I do want to address my own statements about the multiple passes of the flat iron being able to do the job at lower heat vs one single one at higher heat. I have observed that most cosmetic chemists do not expect people to only do one or two passes with a flatiron. They also don’t expect people to do tiny little slivers of hair either like most silk press artist are doing. Some cosmetic chemists that come to mind who have talked about the lower heat multiple passes are Jennifer Marsh and Valarie George. I wasn’t willing to go 5 it 6 passes on my hair to see if lower heat works.

Going back to what you stated, a lot of younger cosmetic chemists have been addressing mechanical damage and curly hair lately. It’s refreshing to know that they acknowledge that even if people have “virgin” hair, it can still be damaged by rough or improper handling. I too have never had damage caused by heat. It has always more so been by mechanical damage.

I just feel it’s misguided to unfairly label certain practices as damaging when they are not. When we try to mitigate the potential damage, we may actually be doing something more harmful because we are ill informed. It’s like saying parabens are bad but the new stuff without years of observation is better. The few studies on parabens were misinterpreted by the general public and people forgot that the poison is in the dosage. So they use the new products and they are constantly being recalled because of pathogen contamination. In addition, the people who are fear mongering the parabens are also having more irritation like contact dermatitis to the new stuff. I just feel by blaming hairdryer heat alone for our problems, we won’t get down to the real issues of what’s causing “heat damage”.

 

[DVAntDany]

@DVAntDany Thank you so much for sharing your product review and pics!! You're hair looks so full! Lovely!
I'm shocked that your hair is so straight on 380. I've tried 410, 425, and even 430F. My hair would start to revert before I finished the other half of my hair LOL. I currently do 440F (titanium) with 1 pass, but I might try going down to 430 with 2 passes. I'll give it a try my next wash day.

Thank you. I’ve never had a reason to go over 400 unless using keratin treatments. I guess it’s because I don’t have coarse hairs mixed in with my fine strands.

I do have some suggestions for stopping your hair reverting while in the middle of styling.
-Blow dry and flatiron your hair in a different room from where you washed it especially if you did it in the shower. The steam can cause your hair to swell and frizz.
-Make sure your hair is fully dry by the roots before you flat iron. Sit under a hooded dryer or go back and rough dry roots. Some people blowdry, go to bed and then flatiron the next day.
-Keep cool while styling hair. Sweat can cause the scalp to be damp and can cause frizz.
-If your hair feels cool to the touch after blowdrying, then it’s not fully dry
-refrain from using products not intended for use with blowdrying and straightening hair. They can hold on to too much water or not dry fast enough. I say this because glycerin and propylene glycol are ingredients in products that can help to retard heat damage. However, the amount in a blow-dry lotion vs a curl cream will act differently in their respective formulations.
-Try using more products with no water like heat protectant serums.

Maybe trying some of these suggestions can help you reduce the heat and stop some of the reversion mid styling.

 

[DVAntDany]

Your press looks good. I have only tried the "Press Rewind" shampoo and "Fast Forward" conditioner on a small section of hair but I do like them based on the first impression. I did experience a lather from the "Press Rewind" shampoo, but I did clarify for stripped hair before I used it.

Thank you.

It might be time for me to change out my shower filter. I used a prescribed dandruff shampoo on roots only and another shampoo all over before using the Press Rewind. So it surprised me that it didn’t suds up at all. Everything else did suds.

I like the way both Press Rewind and Fast Forward left my hair feeling when wet. The system overall left my hair bouncy and soft. The Press Play system reminds me of how the Tresemme Keratin Smooth line is marketed to Coily hair. Products that have instructions to use by themselves are being used synergistically to produce a look. For instance, the Doux Drops say it provides heat protection but is being used as a finishing spray. I can see why people initial thought they could cherry pick the system because most other systems allows people to.

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/GUUy-7lJ7j0
With Tresemme depending on the hair curl pattern, each one of the products used on the “coily” haired model could be used individually.

 

[Lylddlebit]

I guess my thing was more of the correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation issue that many Black stylists are claiming causes stretched out curls that we call “heat damage.” These are suppose to be our experts and they openly conflict with data that can be repeatedly tested and proven.

Even Mya from The Doux said it on her 5 hour long Instagram Live last Sunday. She said heat from the hairdryer causes “heat damage” and not the flat iron. She even said on her own volition that she disagreed some with cosmetic chemists and scientists in the field of hair care. She stated that she has the experience behind the chair and for some reason it proves different from findings in the lab. I did feel that she misspoke when she stated that using high heat from hairdryers that are typically 450F will lock in texture that can not be removed with most flatirons that can only go up to 430F. However, she did talk about her challenges with round brushing the hair. She said she has grandma hands and is too heavy handed with the heat and tension when round brushing. She is not able to keep the blow dryer far enough away from the hair to get the desired look. For the most part she was saying it’s the heat and not the tension though.

I have a collection of round brushes. The ones meant for thick curly textured hair are very hard and have super grip. They often have a stiff boar and nylon bristle mix. You could easily rip out hair using one just from the extreme tension they provide. Stylists who specialize in round brushing Afro textured hair don’t even use those type. So I assume they realize the damage these brushes can do from tension.

Another online stylist that comes to mind is Michelle from Shell Grows Hair. She said she doesn’t understand how hairdryer heat damages curls but they do. There are plenty of other silk press artist online who have stated those same claims about the hairdryer.

Even the whole thing about ceramic vs titanium is up for debate on if it’s the heat vs the stretch. Most hairstylists are saying titanium causes more heat damage even though cosmetic chemists often say there is no difference heat wise that could do that. I can’t remember where but I read somewhere that ceramic tends to glide over the hair better vs titanium which has more drag supposedly. This leads me to believe that it’s a tension thing once again.

I do want to address my own statements about the multiple passes of the flat iron being able to do the job at lower heat vs one single one at higher heat. I have observed that most cosmetic chemists do not expect people to only do one or two passes with a flatiron. They also don’t expect people to do tiny little slivers of hair either like most silk press artist are doing. Some cosmetic chemists that come to mind who have talked about the lower heat multiple passes are Jennifer Marsh and Valarie George. I wasn’t willing to go 5 it 6 passes on my hair to see if lower heat works.

Going back to what you stated, a lot of younger cosmetic chemists have been addressing mechanical damage and curly hair lately. It’s refreshing to know that they acknowledge that even if people have “virgin” hair, it can still be damaged by rough or improper handling. I too have never had damage caused by heat. It has always more so been by mechanical damage.

I just feel it’s misguided to unfairly label certain practices as damaging when they are not. When we try to mitigate the potential damage, we may actually be doing something more harmful because we are ill informed. It’s like saying parabens are bad but the new stuff without years of observation is better. The few studies on parabens were misinterpreted by the general public and people forgot that the poison is in the dosage. So they use the new products and they are constantly being recalled because of pathogen contamination. In addition, the people who are fear mongering the parabens are also having more irritation like contact dermatitis to the new stuff. I just feel by blaming hairdryer heat alone for our problems, we won’t get down to the real issues of what’s causing “heat damage”.

I agree with your point. I believe most things labeled"damaging" to the hair can be offset to be used efficiently. I also believe the items labeled "healthy need to be applied with good judgment so they can be a tool, not a hair prison and burden. With that perspective as the guideline, most people can find a "fit" tailored to the hair that allows them to enjoy their hair and be versatile.

 

[Lylddlebit]

Thank you.

It might be time for me to change out my shower filter. I used a prescribed dandruff shampoo on roots only and another shampoo all over before using the Press Rewind. So it surprised me that it didn’t suds up at all. Everything else did suds.

I like the way both Press Rewind and Fast Forward left my hair feeling when wet. The system overall left my hair bouncy and soft. The Press Play system reminds me of how the Tresemme Keratin Smooth line is marketed to Coily hair. Products that have instructions to use by themselves are being used synergistically to produce a look. For instance, the Doux Drops say it provides heat protection but is being used as a finishing spray. I can see why people initial thought they could cherry pick the system because most other systems allows people to.

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/GUUy-7lJ7j0
With Tresemme depending on the hair curl pattern, each one of the products used on the “coily” haired model could be used individually.

((Adds Tresseme keratin smooth line to hair list)) lol

 

[ckisland]

Thank you. I’ve never had a reason to go over 400 unless using keratin treatments. I guess it’s because I don’t have coarse hairs mixed in with my fine strands.

I do have some suggestions for stopping your hair reverting while in the middle of styling.
-Blow dry and flatiron your hair in a different room from where you washed it especially if you did it in the shower. The steam can cause your hair to swell and frizz.
-Make sure your hair is fully dry by the roots before you flat iron. Sit under a hooded dryer or go back and rough dry roots. Some people blowdry, go to bed and then flatiron the next day.
-Keep cool while styling hair. Sweat can cause the scalp to be damp and can cause frizz.
-If your hair feels cool to the touch after blowdrying, then it’s not fully dry
-refrain from using products not intended for use with blowdrying and straightening hair. They can hold on to too much water or not dry fast enough. I say this because glycerin and propylene glycol are ingredients in products that can help to retard heat damage. However, the amount in a blow-dry lotion vs a curl cream will act differently in their respective formulations.
-Try using more products with no water like heat protectant serums.

Maybe trying some of these suggestions can help you reduce the heat and stop some of the reversion mid styling.

Thank you for the suggestions.

I know that my issue is that my scalp sweats when I'm heat styling my hair. I wash my hair in the tub so that I don't have to worry about residual steam in the bathroom. I've even flatironed in a different bathroom from the one I blowdried in. My scalp still sweats. It'll literally be cold outside and cool in the house. Doesn't matter. I'm still sweating LOL!

 

[ckisland]

I guess my thing was more of the correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation issue that many Black stylists are claiming causes stretched out curls that we call “heat damage.” These are suppose to be our experts and they openly conflict with data that can be repeatedly tested and proven.

Even Mya from The Doux said it on her 5 hour long Instagram Live last Sunday. She said heat from the hairdryer causes “heat damage” and not the flat iron. She even said on her own volition that she disagreed some with cosmetic chemists and scientists in the field of hair care. She stated that she has the experience behind the chair and for some reason it proves different from findings in the lab. I did feel that she misspoke when she stated that using high heat from hairdryers that are typically 450F will lock in texture that can not be removed with most flatirons that can only go up to 430F. However, she did talk about her challenges with round brushing the hair. She said she has grandma hands and is too heavy handed with the heat and tension when round brushing. She is not able to keep the blow dryer far enough away from the hair to get the desired look. For the most part she was saying it’s the heat and not the tension though.

I have a collection of round brushes. The ones meant for thick curly textured hair are very hard and have super grip. They often have a stiff boar and nylon bristle mix. You could easily rip out hair using one just from the extreme tension they provide. Stylists who specialize in round brushing Afro textured hair don’t even use those type. So I assume they realize the damage these brushes can do from tension.

Another online stylist that comes to mind is Michelle from Shell Grows Hair. She said she doesn’t understand how hairdryer heat damages curls but they do. There are plenty of other silk press artist online who have stated those same claims about the hairdryer.

Even the whole thing about ceramic vs titanium is up for debate on if it’s the heat vs the stretch. Most hairstylists are saying titanium causes more heat damage even though cosmetic chemists often say there is no difference heat wise that could do that. I can’t remember where but I read somewhere that ceramic tends to glide over the hair better vs titanium which has more drag supposedly. This leads me to believe that it’s a tension thing once again.

I do want to address my own statements about the multiple passes of the flat iron being able to do the job at lower heat vs one single one at higher heat. I have observed that most cosmetic chemists do not expect people to only do one or two passes with a flatiron. They also don’t expect people to do tiny little slivers of hair either like most silk press artist are doing. Some cosmetic chemists that come to mind who have talked about the lower heat multiple passes are Jennifer Marsh and Valarie George. I wasn’t willing to go 5 it 6 passes on my hair to see if lower heat works.

Going back to what you stated, a lot of younger cosmetic chemists have been addressing mechanical damage and curly hair lately. It’s refreshing to know that they acknowledge that even if people have “virgin” hair, it can still be damaged by rough or improper handling. I too have never had damage caused by heat. It has always more so been by mechanical damage.

I just feel it’s misguided to unfairly label certain practices as damaging when they are not. When we try to mitigate the potential damage, we may actually be doing something more harmful because we are ill informed. It’s like saying parabens are bad but the new stuff without years of observation is better. The few studies on parabens were misinterpreted by the general public and people forgot that the poison is in the dosage. So they use the new products and they are constantly being recalled because of pathogen contamination. In addition, the people who are fear mongering the parabens are also having more irritation like contact dermatitis to the new stuff. I just feel by blaming hairdryer heat alone for our problems, we won’t get down to the real issues of what’s causing “heat damage”.

Wanted to comment on my experience with ceramic vs titanium. I've used ceramic flatirons that get up to 450F and the damage I get with them is very subtle and very gradual. I used 450 with my titanium flatiron once and completely heat damaged my hair doing only 2 passes.

My guess is that the heat temperature on a flatiorn is giving a range, and that range on a titanium flatiron is higher than on a ceramic. Before I even put the flatiron in my hair, I could feel the heat radiating off of my titanium flatiron. That radiating heat felt much hotter than anything I've felt from a ceramic iron even at a lower temperature.

 

[GGsKin]

I find that a ceramic flat iron is more forgiving than titanium, when it comes to multiple passes and possible damage. With my titanium flat iron at 200°C/ 392°F, I only need 1 slow-medium pass with even tension + the comb chase technique, to get hair (various textures) straight. I rarely if ever need to go above 200°C with this method.

 

[ckisland]

I made it 2 weeks!!! This wash day was the opposite of my last one!
My wash day:
1. Shampoo with Malibu UndoGoo 2x
2. Treat with Olaplex 3 (20 mins)
3. Shampoo with Olaplex 4
4. Deep condition with Olaplex 5 mixed with Bondbar 8 (20 mins)
5. Apply Olaplex 6 and Olaplex 9 (1 pump each)
6. Blowdry in 4 sections
7. Apply Olaplex 7 to each section before flatironing
8. Flatiron on 430F 2-3 passes

I love how my hair came out! It has more body and weight than it did last time, which makes sense. It's so soft!!

1/29/24 (today)


1/15/24

 

[MzSwift]

@ckisland

Wow, it actually looks longer!

 

[ckisland]

@ckisland

Wow, it actually looks longer!

I think it actually is!! Apparently my hair appreciated the 2 week break.

 

[ckisland]

Made it 11 days! I could've gone longer but I got 2 of the Doux Press Play products and I wanted to give them a try.

1. Washed with Press Rewind 3x
2. Dried my hair with turban
3. Sprayed on Silent Treatment to 4 sections
4. Detangled with wide tooth comb then my Felicia Leatherwood brush
5. Blowdried each section with denman brush
6. Flatironed 1 pass at 430F

My wash day was fantastic!!! Took me 1hr 40 mins total. Detangling was so easy! The Silent Treatment made my hair so smooth. I skipped conditioner because I wanted to see how the system made my hair feel (the Press Play conditioner has shea butter which my hair hates), and I love how my hair feels. Now I'm curious to see how my hair lasts.

2/9 (today)


1/29 ( last week)

 

[Lylddlebit]

Made it 11 days! I could've gone longer but I got 2 of the Doux Press Play products and I wanted to give them a try.

1. Washed with Press Rewind 3x
2. Dried my hair with turban
3. Sprayed on Silent Treatment to 4 sections
4. Detangled with wide tooth comb then my Felicia Leatherwood brush
5. Blowdried each section with denman brush
6. Flatironed 1 pass at 430F

My wash day was fantastic!!! Took me 1hr 40 mins total. Detangling was so easy! The Silent Treatment made my hair so smooth. I skipped conditioner because I wanted to see how the system made my hair feel (the Press Play conditioner has shea butter which my hair hates), and I love how my hair feels. Now I'm curious to see how my hair lasts.

2/9 (today)
View attachment 494263View attachment 494265View attachment 494267View attachment 494269

1/29 ( last week)
View attachment 494271View attachment 494273View attachment 494275

It looks great! I really like the parts I tried. of this line. I noticed the clarifying shampoo, moisture milk, and 808 base gel dropped on the site recently. I gotta pick those up too.

 

[Evolving78]

@ckisland I got all of the Press Play products except the foam. Does the shampoo help with detangling? Do I need to pre-detangle my hair before I use the shampoo?

 

[ckisland]

@ckisland I got all of the Press Play products except the foam. Does the shampoo help with detangling? Do I need to pre-detangle my hair before I use the shampoo?

I didn't need to. I found the shampoo to be very moisturizing, and I had no issue detangling my hair afterwards without using conditioner. But my hair was heat trained as well.

 

[Evolving78]

I didn't need to. I found the shampoo to be very moisturizing, and I had no issue detangling my hair afterwards without using conditioner. But my hair was heat trained as well.

So I’m trying out these products now and I was able to detangle my hair with the shampoo! I like these products so far and my hair feels soft! It does not feel like straw. I have blown out my hair and now I’m using a straightening comb. The comb is the bomb!

 

[ckisland]

So I’m trying out these products now and I was able to detangle my hair with the shampoo! I like these products so far and my hair feels soft! It does not feel like straw. I have blown out my hair and now I’m using a straightening comb. The comb is the bomb!

Same! My hair was so soft when I straightened my hair too!

 

[Evolving78]

I really like this TYMO straightening brush!

 

[Evolving78]

Ya’ll I am still working on my hair! I am taking a lunch break now! lol My muscle memory of holding these tools and physical moves is not there anymore! But I am having in there!

 

[MzSwift]

Ya’ll I am still working on my hair! I am taking a lunch break now! lol My muscle memory of holding these tools and physical moves is not there anymore! But I am having in there!

OMG, yes! I flat ironed my hair for the first time in 3 years this past December and I felt like I was a pre-teen again just learning how to do my own hair!

 

[Evolving78]

I finished my hair and now I’m looking like Michelle Obama.. I need to wrap this hair.. lol

 

[Evolving78]

This process literally took all day! I had to take breaks and be a mom. I also like to wash my hair frequently, but if I want to maintain straight hair and work on my ends, I will have to figure out how to style it without using heat again and trying to go at least two weeks. Does anyway wash and heat style every two weeks? If I can figure this heat training thing, I’ll stick to it. Or I could heat style monthly and wear twists for the remainder? I like the wash n gos, but I am straight up neglectful when it comes to detangling, deep conditioning, trimming, sleeping with a scarf, etc..

 

[Lylddlebit]

This process literally took all day! I had to take breaks and be a mom. I also like to wash my hair frequently, but if I want to maintain straight hair and work on my ends, I will have to figure out how to style it without using heat again and trying to go at least two weeks. Does anyway wash and heat style every two weeks? If I can figure this heat training thing, I’ll stick to it. Or I could heat style monthly and wear twists for the remainder? I like the wash n gos, but I am straight up neglectful when it comes to detangling, deep conditioning, trimming, sleeping with a scarf, etc..

I have worn back-to-back pressed hair that looks good from one wash to the other but it did not require pressing every 2 weeks to do it. Instead, I can leave my hair looking freshly done from month to month when my haircare regimen is consistent. I have also had stints going to the shop to get my hair done every 2 weeks without any hair issues and it looked pretty good but I got trims every 2 months to maintain that.

When I press more frequently quality products, tools, treatments, and regular trims work well. It doesn't have to be super expensive (even though quality often increases as pricetags do) but it has to be tools and products that make my hair super manageable and maintain its health. Your most frequent wash day is a good start, but there is a cushion that exists to keep your hair healthy and in good shape when you use heat and chemicals infrequently which greatly diminishes and sometimes disappears altogether once you start to use heat and/or chemicals frequently. Maintenance treatments, instead of saving them as a response to hair issues are a huge tool to keep your hair healthy and consistency buffers potentially damaging practices. You can wear frequently straightened hair that is healthy but it pulls from somewhere: be that quality tools, products, consistency, great genes, high-end resources, etc.

The two photos are examples of my hair during stints of frequent pressing. One is a press just over a month old from a window that I was pressing back-to-back at WL+. The other is from my days going to the shop every 2 weeks in undergrad (before I grew my hair out). It is possible to have healthy hair with frequent pressing but there is little to no cushion for error or skimping on quality tools and products when you take that route. Please excuse the watermarks I pulled one of these from my folder with very old Fotki photos of the earlier years of my hair journey.

BTW do you have any photos of that Michelle Obama hair? No pressure or anything but I love to see well-enjoyed hair, if you are willing to share.

 

[Evolving78]

@Lylddlebit
I am not feeling the Michelle Obama-Susan Rice- Condoleezza Rice-Katherine Johnson hair! My hair is short and has a tremendous about of volume. It is super straight, but I fine, medium density hair. Once I gain some more length, I’ll be satisfied. I’m thinking of going back to design essentials, or mizani for maintenance. Maybe Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioner. I want something with a lot of moisture and heavy cream-based. I trimmed my ends and will do so again in 4 weeks. I cut my hair completely off twice last year, like bald fade, so it layered and NL right now.
Going to the salon is dangerous for me. I’m not unique, but my hair requires a certain type of handling. Getting it relaxed at a salon is fine, but my natural texture is different. My hair will shrink and coil up so fast and it is fine, so you have to be gentle. Thats why my hair didn’t grow much as a kid. As an adult, I can grow my hair with no problem.

 

[Evolving78]

Does anyone deal with night sweats and hot flashes? I am a mature lady and nature is taking a toll.

 

[Evolving78]

I am going to get the TYMO hair dryer. I like the Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium, but I’m not feeling the comb attachment. I have the Red Kiss Handleless dryer, since my Silverbird died. But that dryer doesn’t cut it for me.