by
Geniece
Generally, I follow the mantra of “never say never.” However, there comes a time when you realize the likelihood that you will make certain decisions in the future are slim to none. In my case, hair straightening has become one of those decisions. Now, before you think my reason has to do with my views about representations of beauty and my opposition to conforming to a beauty standard, think again. Hair is…well, just hair and I happen to like wearing my hair in its natural state the vast majority of the time. Still, I also can appreciate a diversity of styles, including straightened hair. So why do I doubt that I will straighten my hair in the near or distant future? Well, I simply don’t see the benefits that at one time motivated my reason to occasionally straighten.
Occasionally, I would straighten my hair so I could see the “true” length of my natural hair. Sure, I could tell it was growing by tugging on a strand, but I felt that I never had the opportunity to enjoy my length progress (at least not fully) unless I wore it straightened. This was partially true prior to starting my healthy hair journey, when I didn’t know how to stretch my hair without heat or safely use heat. Now that I have reached my goal length, I’ve run into an interesting conundrum when it comes to hair straightening. My hair no longer seemed longer when straightened despite being stretched to its maximum. This may not make much sense, so let me explain.
Straight hair may display length but in my case it diminishes volume. Overall, my hair appears to be thinner, so while technically longer it appears that I have less hair. Below is an example of my hair straightened and my hair blown out in a textured style that shows how negligible a few inches of straight hair have on the appearance of hair when compared to a thicker, fuller style.
Some of you aren’t keen on straightening your hair anyway, so my experience may not sway you one way or another. But if you do straighten often and have suffered adverse effects, you might consider other ways to display your length, if that is indeed one of your styling goals. This is especially true once you reach arm pit length and longer. Eventually you may find that when compared, your somewhat shorter, more voluminous hair doesn’t appear that much shorter than bone straight hair. The fullness of your hair can offset the shrinkage you might experience just as the length of your hair can be offset by its thinness, if your hair loses volume when straight.
If you value displaying your length and the thickness of your hair, styles such as roller sets or braid outs or loose bantu knots on blown out hair are much better options than flat ironing. Not only do you get the best of both worlds, (texture and length) but you reduce the likelihood of damage your tresses.
Do you prioritize length or volume when styling your hair? If you sometimes straighten your hair what are some of the reasons? Style? Enjoying your length?
37 Responses
Each time before I wash my hair, I pull out my blow dryer like today will be the day! Then I wash (or cowash). And condition (or deep condition). And detangle. And then rinse and detangle. Then leave-in condition. Then moisturize. Then oil. And then I look at my hair, then down at the blow dryer, and a strange ache develops in my shoulders. My brain anticipates the agony. I inadvertently glance at the clock: god this is going to take how long??? Fortunately the baby cries, and the washer stops, the dishwasher buzzes, the mailman knocks, the dog barks, and errands need to be run if dinner’s to be ready on time. Older kids will be home soon so snacks need to be ready (and my one tank of patience is best reserved not for hair, but for our school agers). Next wash, I’m definitely blow drying!
Very interesting ideas,and u said what i want to said.
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Same here. I just did my second chop about 4 months ago to get rid of heat damage from the ONE time since I went natural that I decided to flat iron. The worst part was that as she was doing my hair and I felt it fall past my shoulders, I realized it was actually a bit longer than I realized (I would have guessed just at or maybe half an inch past shoulder length) and thought, Vindication! I must be doing everything right! My hair looked nice enough when she was done, but it was so dull to me–I felt as though my personality had been ironed away. And of course when I wet it I realized my curls were gone. Much as I miss my length, I’m so much happier seeing healthy curls on my head again and have no intention of conducting any more experiments.
I hate straight hair. I personally look better with volume and curls. Natural hair ups the appearance in my honest opinion.
My husband once “caught” me pulling down my hair to show the length. He asked, “Why are you doing that?” Me: “I’m checking to see if my regimen is working. I just wanted to see my progress.” He asked me if I planned on wearing my hair straight. I said no. He said, “If you don’t plan on wearing your hair straight, why pull it down? The length of your hair is where it naturally falls. Isn’t it?”
We all know the “true” length of our hair is what it is when we pull it down or what the tape measure says or what one of those length check shirts say, but why does it matter? I agree with my husband. I can see my progress from looking at pictures. My hair was above my shoulders in this photo, it’s touching my shoulders here in my twist out, etc.
When I was in elementary school, there were girls – biracial and black – who had braids swing to the middle of their back like ropes. There were also black girls who had braids that sat firmly between their shoulder blades, like my daughter. No heat was needed to show their length. The braids were sufficient to show their length.
So what my hair stretches to a certain length when I pull it or flat iron. I can’t very walk around holding the ends of my hair down between my fingers to show people, “See? My hair is truly mid-back length?” That’s informative content for YouTube viewers but it doesn’t translate to life outside of blogs and uploads. It’s not a contest. No one is going to give me a gold medal, a million dollars and a cookie for showing my “real length.”
I think it’s a lot of work just to blow-dry my hair much less straighten it. So my hair is a long as it naturally falls and that’s good enough for me.
Lastly, my hair is fragile and I’m over 35. After a certain age many of us just don’t look good with our hair pressed against our scalps. There are women of many ages that don’t look good with their hair hanging like a curtain on either side of their faces because of their facial structure, height, body type . . . whatever! Volume, curls, waves look flattering on a lot more women than flat hair pressed to either side of your face like Morticia Adams just to show off the length. Then if it’s hot or raining, it shrinks up anyway. Hey, some women can pull it off and look beautiful. It’s their choice. But some us can’t.
I do roller sets all the time. Rarely do I feel the urge to flat iron. Roller sets stretch out my have enough to display some length with out losing volume. Good article.
Amen!
I prioritize volume when styling my tresses as well. Love the loose braid out look.
Growing healthy hair is my main priority
What a great article. I appreciate deeply how you explained your decision not to straighten. I haven’t straighten my hair since 2009 and haven’t missed it at all. I prefer volume and healthy curls over heat straightened length.
Oh, my goodness. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought this but didn’t have the words to express it. I have nothing against straight hair. I just don’t like it well enough to invest the time and effort it requires to achieve. My hair goals all relate to my hair in its curly state. I want an arm pit length wash and go. How long that means my hair will be when in straightened is immaterial. I truly do not care.
I totally agree my hair always looks flat and lifeless when its bone straight
After not using a flat iron since 2010, I had my hair straightened (by a professional) for Halloween and I realized a few things:
1) Who was the girl in the mirror with straight hair??? I didn’t like how flat and lifeless my hair looked (even though it had been curled)
2) It easily reverted, which made me feel that straightening was a waste of time for me
3) A blow out yields me voluminous hair that can be braided or twisted to yield beautiful textured styles!
My hair was still texturized the last time I flat-ironed it or had it blown dry on high heat. That was almost 8 years ago. I hadn’t wanted it done then, and I have no intention of ever doing it again.
I notice that my hair shrinks more over time as it loses moisture. The more dehydrated it becomes, the more it shrinks. But the only time it’s ever stretched complete out is when I pull a tress taut so it can boing back into place again, just for amusement. Or when it’s so weighted by freshly applied product that it can’t help but be straight, and that only lasts for the amount of time it takes for my hair to begin absorbing all the moisture underneath all that product. I consider my “true” length to be my hair the next morning after I’ve cleaned and styled it, and it has absorbed all the moisture it’s going to from all the water and the products.
As for whether I value volume or length more when I style, my answer is neither. My greater concerns are if I did a good enough job of detangling and removing shed hairs, and did I moisturize, and seal the moisture in, well enough. If I’m consistently good about those two things, the overall health of my hair and scalp will take care of the volume and the length.
I feel the same I like your hair better in a loose braid out hair crush lol it looks ok flat ironed straight though but kind of like everyoneelses hair . I always loved big curly kinky curly or kinky Afro hair ! I just finally decided to wear it .
I care more about having big healthy hair then seeing all my hair length . Big natural hair already looks long anyway and it looks way better than thin boring straight hair that anyone can get . I’m in the awkward stage length as long as my hair grows big is healthy and grows to my shoulders with shrinkage I’ll be ok .
I love big, big hair. I have small locs (almost sisterlock size), and I’m so jealous of loose naturals with their big hair. I literally swoon (and I’m straight) over girls with big hair. So no flat, straight crap for me.
I totally agree with this article. I have very thin, fine hair and the only way I have any fullness and volume is by wearing it in its natural, frizzy/bushy texture. The more its smoothed and straightened out, the thinner and limp it looks.Not cute on me.
To some extent I feel that an obsession with length to be a
white supremacist concept born of a culture that has brainwashed black people
into believing that their hair texture is inferior. That’s why I personally refuse to straighten my hair, because I came to feel that doing so would only confirm what THEY think of my people, my sisters in particular, and that doing so only confirms
that white women are the beauty standard to which we are expected to
emulate. While I won’t dictate to other black women the choices they should make with regard to hair styles, I wear my choice proudly (dreadlocks) and I am glad to share why I do without casting aspersions on anyone else. That said, I do like longer hair, but is it really necessary to alter your texture to achieve it? Afro textured hair does grow up and out, but braiding and a gentle blowout can help or twists and locks. You can have long hair without emulating THEM.
My hair priorities are:
1) Grow a head full of healthy hair.
2) Accept the presence of single strand knots.
3) Achieve and maintain a voluminous, kink-curly fro every day.
….
1,462) Straighten my hair.
The longer I am natural and the longer my hair gets, the more I love it and would not want to change it. My hair is stubborn, cranky, and does not like to be manipulated at all outside of its daily wash and go session, and I respect that. I can’t put my hair through a straightening session just to show off length or to satisfy curiosity because the potential for heat damage is too great on my fine strands and simply not worth it.
2) Accept the presence of single strand knots.
Yeeeesss!!
“to satisfy curiosity,” *stands up and slow claps* i try not to get irritated when family members/friends beg me to straighten my hair. they always back up their request with “don’t you want to know how long your hair is?!” sigh.
I’ve been natural for nearly a year and I wanted to see what my hair would look like bone straight. Number 1 it took me like 5 hours to straighten it because my hair’s so thick and it was my first time attempting to straighten my natural hair. Second when I was finished my hair was silky smooth and soft but flat and BORING and I wasn’t motivated to do anything else to it. It was such a waste of time. I never thought I would be one those girls advocating to not straighten, but here I am.
I probably will straighten it again at some point in the future but not for a very VERY long time.
Same here! My hair blown out is just fine by meI I show off length and have fullness!
This does not seem odd to me. Not wanting bone straight hair was one nod to my natural hair journey. My permed hair could never, never, ever get bone straight nor did it stay straight longer than a few hours. The majority of my hair is an admixture of 3C/4a and especially the crown was chemically resistant. Frankly when I looked at my face after a perm I did not like what I saw. I wanted volume! So I prefer volume over length if you had to compare! I like them both. I can’t wait to get to your hair length!
I can see my length best after I remove my mini twists. I haven’t heat styled since 2011.
The last time I heat-straightened my natural hair, I got so many compliments and “you should keep your hair that way” comments at work that I swore I would never straighten again. Actually I had already decided to loc and it was really a goodbye-to-straight-hair straightening, but even after I got rid of the locs I still refused to straighten it. It’s been 11 years since that last straightening.
Recently I had an epiphany: I didn’t like straight hair when I HAD it (as a relaxer wearer). It had no life, it wouldn’t hold a curl, it broke off when the breeze blew…For as long as I can remember I’ve always coveted big bushy curly coily hair. I couldn’t care less about showing my “true length”…nobody needs to know that information but me.
I totally agree with this article, and I have felt the same way about straightening my hair. I have 4c hair, and although I have a lot of hair, each individual strand is very fine. When my hair is straightened it is sooo flat compared to a lush afro from first-day braidouts, let alone day two or three. I prefer the fullness. It’s my hair showing all of it’s texture and curl. It gives me hair style and character. When my hair is straight, not only do I look like everyone else, but I also don’t even look like myself. My afro is all me.
When my hair was straightened, I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself either!
Love the loose braidout on blown out hair much better. Volume is what I’m going for. Never liked how my hair looked thin on relaxed or straighten hair.
Her heat free stretched hair is everything! This is why I never straighten my hair unless I plan to add extensions bc my hair only looks full in its natural state or in old twist outs ect.
I feel you on this! I had my hair straightened last month and my hair didn’t show much volume. I loved the length but I simply did not know what to do with my hair or how to manage it straight lol.
Not only that but some of my hair suffered a but of heat damage…which made me decide if I want a straight look I will probably go to a sew in or something to achieve that
Your hair looks great in your thumbnail! Is that a rollerset?
Unfortunately, that’s not me lol. But for my hair I had gotten a silk blowout.
That’s one of many things I love about being natural. When I had a relaxer my hair was so flat to my head. I love the volume of natural hair.
Best read in a long. Good info and insight.
This article was right on time as I’ve also reached a similar conclusion. Before my hair was at APL, the difference in my shrunken hair and my straightened hair was +50% My hair would be about 12″ long all around but easily shrink to a 4 to 6 inch appearance depending on the style. Also, my own hair is less than two years old at APL, so the wear and tear of a straightening session isn’t that damaging (because I’m careful and I maintain my hair with lots of TLC and deep conditioning). Now that I’m at MBL and gunning for waist-length, the ends of my hair are over 4 years old and have experienced a lot more wear and tear just from basic maintenance and styling. Even with TLC, for my fine hair, I don’t want to sacrifice less styling and more infrequent maintenance just to accommodate the stress of an annual or bi-annual heat session. (And those sacrifices are a best case scenario for me. The likelier result is 1-2″ length loss and substantial enough breakage that I notice the effect heat has on my hair.) Straightening my own hair just isn’t worth it to me anymore. When I get an itch for it, I just pop on a wig. The desire doesn’t even last as long as my typical straightening results.