Naturals That Press....What Have You Learned?

Great thread
**Subscribing**

I learned that
1. natural pressed hair can look just as good as relaxed hair.
2. You must ensure that you pay close attention the ends of your hair on wash day to ensure they are really moisturized.
3. I learned that less product can produce a better result (not too much grease)
4. I learned that a good technique is what makes the outcome. (as I press I get closer and closer to a look that I can wear)

Tips I want to try
1. Wait til the next day to press.
2. Some of the products mentioned like Aveda, Vitapoint

QT. said:

Hello ladies~ this question is for 4’s……. I have about 4” or so, how do you keep your hair from reverting? Do you use rollers after a couple of days from getting your hair pressed/ flat ironed? TIA

Click to expand...

I hate to sound like a parrot but I can't help it because it's true. Sabino Moisture Block. Go to the moisture block thread. Look on pg 9 (if not 9 it's page 8) for my pics of flat ironed hair with it, and how I used it. With MB you can actually flat iron your hair and get the same look of it being pressed. Infact it will look like you have a relaxer. I don't use rollers because I don't need to. I just cross wrap my hair and put on my headscarf. I suppose if you wanted body you could do that. Sometimes I'll do a few balls and let them lose for soft waves if I want a curl, otherwise I cross wrap. You know what instead of leading you there, I'll put my pics of flatironing below. You can still go if you like what you see and see how I did it (rollerset, etc). Also there are lots of tips from other people. Just make sure you put in some moisturizing conditioner (non protein) and leave it in before applying the MB (it helps lock in moisture until your next wash). The pics were with my cell phone on different days so please forgive the lighting. By the way I'm 4a with a little 3c. My 4a areas get just as straight. I am a frequent flatiron/presser once a week and my hair is still growing. Might I add with no split ends to speak of. I've checked like a hawk! My conditioning keeps my ends on point. I just use heat protectant and find that Moisture block helps to protect.

missprincess011 said:

i know this may sound dumb but how do you keep your hair moisturize when its pressed?

Click to expand...

Good question what I do is this, wash dc, and then leave in some moisturizing conditioner. I uses my denman to distribute throughly. Then I apply some amla and olive creme (just a little) and coconut oil to seal. Then I apply my Moisture block. It seals in the moisture until the next wash by water proofing hair and providing a barrier against all the stuff you put in and the outside world (humidity, etc) It's all in the Sabino thread. It keeps hair at ultimate moisture levels until the next wash and keeps moisture from dissipating. Usually the reason we keep applying moisture is that it's water based and will evaporate. The MB locks it in place until the next wash so there's no need to re moisturize until the next wash. That's why I love it so because it saves me money as my products stretch longer (they don't evaporate and need to be reapplied over and over), even though it costs money in the first place to buy MB.

Also I find that dcing once a week (with moisturizing conditioner in my case as I'm all natural and my hair doesn't like too much protein) helps to keep hair in ultimate condition so that it has the right moisture balance too.

luckiestdestiny said:

I hate to sound like a parrot but I can't help it because it's true. Sabino Moisture Block. Go to the moisture block thread. Look on pg 9 (if not 9 it's page 8) for my pics of flat ironed hair with it, and how I used it. With MB you can actually flat iron your hair and get the same look of it being pressed. Infact it will look like you have a relaxer. I don't use rollers because I don't need to. I just cross wrap my hair and put on my headscarf. I suppose if you wanted body you could do that. Sometimes I'll do a few balls and let them lose for soft waves if I want a curl, otherwise I cross wrap. You know what instead of leading you there, I'll put my pics of flatironing below. You can still go if you like what you see and see how I did it (rollerset, etc). Also there are lots of tips from other people. Just make sure you put in some moisturizing conditioner (non protein) and leave it in before applying the MB (it helps lock in moisture until your next wash). The pics were with my cell phone on different days so please forgive the lighting. By the way I'm 4a with a little 3c. My 4a areas get just as straight. I am a frequent flatiron/presser once a week and my hair is still growing. I just use heat protectant and find that Moisture block helps to protect.

Click to expand...

Thank you luckiedestiny…. The information you provided is helpful….. I just checked the youtube presentation and now I’m sold. Right now I’m cowashing and wearing protective styles until August when I will start to press my hair. Until then I trying to grow and gather as much info as possible.

GREAT THREAD!!! good info for when i am fully natural

I learned that my hair likes pressing better than it liked perming; however, it likes totally natural (no pressing or infrequent pressing) way more than it likes to be straightened. My hair just loves moisture. I also like the freedom of getting a couple drops of rain in my hair and not having to worry about running under a shelter and trying to escape the humidity. I do like to get it straightened from time to time for a different look, but for the most part I think I like being a natural girl. Plus I am really, really, really like my curl definition. I didn't realize how adorable our curls can be if defined and defrizzed. The longer it gets the better it looks too.
My goal is to just straighten my hair once every 3-4 months which is 3-4x per year to be exact.

bottom line: it's really true...you have to figure out what YOUR hair likes and stick to it. just like all plants can't be treated the same, neither can all hair types.

Not to use too much product because hair won't be nice and fluffy.

The Right products make all the difference.

Steam is key to a Fabulous look.

Bumping..this is a cool thread

Mook's hair said:

Great thread
**Subscribing**

Click to expand...

That's a beautiful updo in your siggy...

I have learned:

ALWAYS DT before pressing and after washing it out. It stays moisturized that way.

Don't press with oil unless I what crispy bacon fried hair.

Moisturize with dime sized amounts of oil at a time unless I want to look and feel greasy.

Don't use a protector with dimethicone unless I want to look and feel greasy.

Skip trying to wrap my hair at night. My hair just doesn't like it. It takes like 58948 pins to get it to stay. The cap or whatever I use will probably slide off at night anyway, and I have to look for those 58948 pins in the sheets. I just put it in a high bun at night. (That's where the wave is from in my siggy.)

Don't fight the wave. My hair frizzes less if I let it wave, and my hair thanks me for not using heat everyday trying to get rid of whatever wave or kink shows up because I'm such a bad sleeper.

Thanks..What do u use for heat protectant ?

I have been natural a long time and have never been without my pressing comb. I define a hard press as when you use the back of a hot pressing comb and put as much tension, that is sensible, to the hair.
I can't stand grease in my presses, when I was younger that was the only way my grandmother would press my hair, with that green or blue grease. I would come out straight, and would last through my active days, but when I started to do my own hair, I refused to put any grease in my hair to press.
Always test the pressing comb, I have burned up to much hair over the years, so I am very conscious to test the heat.
I have to admit that since joining this forum and making the effort to care for my hair, I have stayed away from heat and I only am using the pressing comb for my edges, because no flat iron can get those as straight as I want them. But the comb chase method when flat ironing my hair allows me to skip pressing my whole head and saves me about 45 minutes of time when straightening my hair.
Wrapping the hair makes the press last longer and I have switched to using a wig cap style satin scarf so that I don't get that annoying bend in the hair.
Like others have mentioned, it is key to use a heat protectant, but don't over do it.

keelioness said:

Thanks..What do u use for heat protectant ?

Click to expand...

I've been using Renpure Reconstructer in the green tube. It's technically supposed to be a dt, but what does that mean... It has amodimethicone in it and has been working great as a heat protector.

That I can have the silkiest bouncy hair without having any chemicals touch my hair.

Keep it trimmed. It makes the press faster and your hair healthier.
When they say clean hair, they mean CLEAN hair.
While it looks great with no grease or oils, it looks perfect and frizz free with only a few drops of grape seed oil.
Vinegar rinses for the win.
Co-sign for the air drying.
Steaming is full of win.
Sabino is great, but using in combo with Chi silk serum is an unbeatable combo.
Technique is everything.

1. Overnight DC makes a perfect press. 1 night is great, 2 nights is amaaaaazing. Shampoo and condition with gentle shampo/conditioner ( i like YTCukes) after a rich DC ( my staple is Jessicurl WDT)

2. Better to do it in 1 hotter pass than 2 (or three, etc) cooler passes.

3. Technique~! If you have crackedy ends after the blow dry, you will have crackedy ends after the press. I do a sort of modified tension blowdry with my round boar bristle brush (this is my best friend.)

4. The chase method~!

5. Dont sweat the edges. I rather have my edges grow to longer, more cooperative edges, than burn them off while their still struggling and short. I dont bother them too much, and it helps.

6. AVEDA! I wasted a lot of time (and suffered quite a bit of heat damage) messing with lesser products. I like the Style Prep Smoother and the Glossing Straightener. A little goes a long way.

7.Excercise is always more important! Always!

Heat is not my friend. My hair was growing nicely until I stared to straighten it. Thrre times a year is stil three times too many for my hair. I had a huge setup and barely retained 2cms in 2010.

Henna is my friend.

My hair seems to prefer to at least be blow dried. My husband likes my hair straightened (but doesn't like relaxers). The problem is I work out a lot and sweat like a fiend. Any tips for that situation? I would typically braid or twist my hair before working out and then go with the waves, but it does take all day to dry....

TIA

bump!!!!!!