by
Black Girl With Long Hair
This email is from Kristen
I love the site. I transitioned for a little over a year, and I did my big chop about a month ago. It wasn’t really a “big chop” per se because after transitioning for a year my natural hair was pretty long.
But anywayyy, I am LOVING my natural hair, but one of the reasons that I went natural was so that my hair would be more versatile. With that being said, every now and then, I would like to wear my hair straight. Since I’ve been natural, I haven’t flat ironed though because I’m scared! I don’t want to damage my hair! I guess you can see that the recent stories about people dealing with heat damage scared me a bit. haha.
I know that your site is primarily focused on NO heat at all, but I think it would be beneficial if you did a feature about ways to SAFELY straighten natural hair.
Reader Toni had this question about Janelle Beauty’s Diva Smooth hair straightener
I would like to know if anyone has tried Janelle Beauty products, Diva Smooth? The product claims to straighten hair, chemical free.
I think it’s just a deep conditioning pre-shampoo treatment, also promoting coconut oil as a thermal protectant. Could you advise if you, or anyone else you know has tried this product?
This email is from Oyinda
I have been natural for a year. I just heard about Brazilian keratin treatments that can make your hair straight for a while instead of using relaxers. I did my research but didn’t find much for Black hair. Any ideas??
So what’s your advice ladies? How do you straighten your hair? And do the aforementioned straigthening treatments work?
16 Responses
Fantastic post, I have been natural six years and in the beginning , I applied a lot of heat to my hair in the name of achieving the straight look, but I didn’t do my homework, and I got heat damage so i completely banished heat from my styling regime for a few years , I succumbed again this year but with much better results, I have to say ,it’s all about using heat protectant,, the right styling tools that work best for your hair and wrapping it well at night , thanks shondra for the grapeseed oil recommendation by the way, that’s a good tip and cheaper than moroccon oil, which I absolutely love too but it’s always good to have a cheaper alternative. Great post.
I appreciate you for truly sharing this site post.Very many thanks again. Cool.
ok..as a hair stylist and someone that is natural..i straighten my hair everyonce in a blue moon.. now some may say that CHI irons fry your hair or arent the greatest..its not the iron thats bad..its the fact you dont protect your hair before straightening it. You have to apply some kind of heat protectant..whether its KENRA’s thermal spray, Regis’s press it, Mizani’s iron curl, CHI’s iron spray, Paul Mitchell’s hot off the press..just name a few. You have to be smart in how you use a flat iron or a pressing comb. Plus if you choose to straighten your hair, give your hair some protein treatments once a month; this will keep your hair healthy and keep it from breaking.
Also for those who don’t want to use silicones as a heat protectant, you can use grapeseed oil. It can withstand heat 425F-450F! I don’t use heat over 350F if even that. It is a light oil and it’s also full of antioxidants so it works great for hair and skin. I suggest buying in your local grocery store or farmers market because it is a lot cheaper than getting it at a beauty supply. Also a little goes a long way, I bought a huge bottle for $8.99 at the local henrys about a month ago and I’ve barely put a dent in it. I straighten my hair maybe two or three times a year so I doubt I will need more anytime soon.
P.S.
About the MoroccanOil, a little goes a LONG WAY! I bought my first bottle last year in late October (2009) and I finished it last week (end of sept. 2010)
When straightening your hair with a flat iron, use MoroccanOil. This stuff is AMAZING! It’s a thick oil to the touch, but it will surprise you! If you use a very little amount in your hair wet, right after washing it, let hair air dry, then straighten. You’ll see the texture change drastically. Sometimes I find it hard to wrap because it’s so silky so I use a tiny tiny bit more oil to keep it in place just so I can wrap it before going to bed (my normal routine) when you unwrap it in the morning, just brush it out, style, and go! It’s obviously shinny, straight, and it feels so good! LOL I swear by it. I think it smells pretty good, but my mother finds the smell a bit off putting. once i did her hair with it, she got over the smell. 🙂
Check it out here:
http://www.beautycollection.com/Brands/moroccan-oil/Moroccan-Oil-Treatment;jsessionid=Ls8bMlGRFwTRK1DFnqw1HBJ21VmWz3GRMhNRqZVyTQWLgGqY2BpPvmYbSGkcSt23nvpH0LbyhM9ydwC7NH6PtsYDNdpj1L4jsZLld15PYttN5RlZDD8mDbm782dsPrjM!1248254936#tabstop
I hope you enjoy it as much as i have!
I recommend the article below to everyone..it is a great article on how heat affects your hair and how to use it
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2635189/is_heat_really_that_bad_for_your_hair.html?cat=69
I agree with Nicole, you can always use rollers if you don’t want to use direct heat. But if you are using a blow dryer/flat iron definitely use a heat protectant. I’m transitioning and I just flat ironed my hair for the first time recently and I got away with WAY less heat than I’m used to using. Also, parting my hair in smaller sections helped too. it took a little longer, but the extra time means that I don’t go over the same section several times. I washed it out today and my curls were still in tact 🙂 I think if you do choose to straighten your natural hair its not a bad thing – it’s part of the versatility, we can have the best of both worlds. BUT in moderation. you just have to make sure that your hair is healthy, you’re doing it because you want to and not because you feel pressured to, and you protect your hair.
I don’t straighten with direct heat, but if I want a “straightened” or stretched look I wrap my hair around the big rollers used for volume and air dry. The results are pretty much the same anyway because my hair doesn’t become bone straight with flat irons or blow dryers without an incredibly damaging amount of heat.
I actually use a CHI Turbo, so I’ll have to disagree with IsaKe. But when I straighten, which happens quarterly for trims, I use all CHI products. I use the Shampoo and the Infra Treatment Conditioner. From there I section my hair into 8 large twist and add the regular Infra treatment. I air-dry my hair until it’s about 80% then lightly blow dry. The CHI Turbo has temp control, so I usually place the heat on the medium setting. I flat iron in small sections, and go from there. If you’re interested, you can check out my Fotki…www.fotki.com/PreciousDST
The big thing is understanding your hair and knowing what products work well. My hair like moisture when in it’s natural state. But oil when it’s straight does nothing for it!
It’s been over 6 years since I last straightened my hair but I do have some tips:
1) Use as little heat as you can get away with. There’s this tendency to assume that 4b hair in general needs lots of heat to get straight, but in my case the right rollerset (very large rollers, small sections, sopping wet and thoroughly detangled hair) could take care of about 75% of the straightening process, and a flat iron could take care of the rest. I have fine strands, though; I don’t know if this would work for someone with thicker (coarser) strands.
2) Don’t try to go bone-straight unless you’re sure your hair can handle it. It helps to use a thick heat protectant.
3) If you want light, airy hair, be careful with the amount of oil/grease you use. Again, a good quality heat protectant helps.
I had my hair straightened for the first time last week for my graduation. I was very nervous about heat damage. I asked my mom to do it because she used to press it when I was a kid and my hair was always healthy. Unfortunately she didn’t want to do it and I went to my hairdresser.
I washed my hair and braided it in sections so it could air dry. That way I wouldn’t have my hair blown dry AND pressed.
I used Pantene Heat Protection and Shine Spray for medium to thick hair. I’m glad I did because my hairdresser used A LOT of heat. She pressed it twice, flat ironed it, then curled it. I was freaking out. I was happy with how it looked after the first press but she kept going.
If I straighten again I will use more of the Pantene spray and I will be very clear to a hairdresser that pressing once is enough. I’m too passive. I might try a blow out when the weather gets cooler.
I tried the keratin treatment in February. They make formulations now which contain no formaldehyde and my hairdresser used that on me. I have hair which is 3c in the back and 4a everywhere else. the treatment is quite high maintenance for afro hair. Each time you wash it you have to blow dry and then flat iron again. I didn’t want to commit to that so just did my usual roller setting. I found that teh treatment was highly beneficial for my weak/delicate hair – I shed far less hair in the past few months which I attribute to the protein in the treatment, but I have friends with different textured hair who complained that their hair became brittle and broke.
I don’t think I’d do the treatment again simply because it is expensive and doesn’t avoid all the heat treatments.
Re: Keratin Treatments
CBS News
“Women are raving about a new hair-straightening process from Brazil that works and, by all accounts, works well, for up to four months.
But Brazilian Keratin Treatment (BKT) uses formaldehyde, a chemical known to cause cancer.
On The Early Show Friday, Dr. Ellen Marmur, a dermatologist at New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center, raised red flags about the potential health risks of BKT.
It’s grown rapidly in popularity in the United States over the last six months.
It promises shiny, voluminous, straight hair — even on colored or damaged hair — for three to four months. The procedure, which costs between $150 and $800 or more, is available at salons across the country.
BKT claims to use keratin, a type of protein, rather than chemicals to naturally smooth out and straighten hair.
But experts say that’s doubtful, and it’s really the formaldehyde that makes the treatment work.
Formaldehyde is considered a carcinogen by a number of health and safety agencies.
Apparently, noxious fumes are released when it’s applied, posing potential risks to the customer, the person applying it, and even others in the vicinity, Marmur says, adding that it’s not just the risk from the actual application of the treatment, but from what happens in the months following it, when the chemical breaks down, that worries her.”
[Entire article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/26/earlyshow/health/main3414868.shtml%5D
Well, while straitening is rare for me when I do, I do what I like to call a -cone conditioning. I use a few products in my hair to DC that are heavy with cones (they do not conduct heat) and also use olive oil for moisture and shine (it also protects from heat damage). It works really well, still I try not to straighten too much (or at all) because I don’t want to risk straight ends or patches.
Make sure a protective product is used…ie a relaxing hair balm. The days of frying the hair is over, so don’t use a heavy oil. A good flat iron with a digital temp. gauge is the best. DO NOT use a CHI iron. If you are going to straighten the hair use a quality iron…CHI is not a quality iron. IMO. Babybliss Nano Titanium is one of the best in my book. Also let the hair air dry or sit under the dryer. Don’t go full blast with the blow dryer. You can kinda pull it straight a lil with the blow dryer but don’t dry the hair with the blow dryer. That way you can use the blow dryer on the lowest heat settting. Once the hair is straighten don’t weight it down with heavy oils. Wrap it EVERY night and use a satin cap. Wrapping it at night will eleminate the need to go back and straighten it or bump it. A bump shouldn’t be needed unless you are trying to curl it. Again this is where the temp control gauge iron comes into play. That way you will not have to put so much heat in it, if you do decided to use a iron.