Advice on Hair Products etc.

Hey everyone... im willing to give u advice on hair products and stuff. considering i have been doing a lot of great styles for a long time. but i was wondering if anyone could share how they get there hair straight?
PS: i straighten my hair with a ceramic flatening iron (may i mention it does less damage then the metal) i just feel it helps if every1 shares there hair tips.

ThAnKs A BuNcH u guys
~KATE~

ok it seems like noone has answered yet....
i guess thats ok tho i was juss wondering if we could like all share some hair tips...or if u need ne i am willing to try to help u too thanks!

hey! um... i was wondering if u had any tips on getting that back-from-th-beach-waves look. I've already trid braidng my hair when wet and letting air dry and blablabla and ive tried sleeping w/ my hair in a wet bun and a couple other thingz but i can NOT do it. could u help me?

Hi Kate

You wrote: "may i mention [ceramic] does less damage then the metal"

From what I've seen, ALL flat-irons are damaging if you use them too much. (Heck, blow-drying is damaging too and there's no direct contact made) If you have fine hair or are growing long, flat-ironing is a death sentence for your hair. My friend J. straightens twice a day, getting inch-long splits all around.

Do you deep condition often? What kinds of haircare modifications do you find yourself making to accomodate your ironed hair? (meaning... how often do you end up getting trims to prevent splits?) I'm just curious, not ever having to flat-iron (I have straight hair)

Anais

umm..yeah..well..i dunno..im not an expert at all..and my hair is ..well..it was REALLY damaged..so..*being the genious i am*..i went to walmart..and bought a relaxer..it was like..fabulaxer..and ive been using relaxers like..since i was a little kid..b/c..my hair was so unmanagable..but..it never got like..straight-straight..just..less curly..but..this time..i did it myself..and i dunno what i did..but..i freaking loved it b/c..like..i have never had my hair where..i could take a shower..wash it..and not have to straighten it when i got out..it was soo cool..and now ..like..i put conditioners and stuff in it..and its waaay less damaged than before..but..its super straight..*the question was how do we get it so straight right?..lol..sorry*..umm..yeah..im not recommending a relaxer..b/c..i guess its not right for everykind of hair..but..im biracial..and i have the most tangled and dry hair ever..and it worked for me..so..yeah..lol...dont go home..put a relaxer on your hair..and come outta the shower bald..please..that would..make me feel bad..lol..mk..well..i hope this helped..lol..bye!

Kate - here's what I do to get my straight hair (of course if it's humid out or I wash it, it's no longer straight).

While it's wet (after cleaning it) I apply some Heat Silk Lotion (heat protectant) thru my hair. I then put it in sections and will blow-dry those sections out with a large round brush - starting with the back of the hair first (well actually my bangs, then the back) working my way up - then the sides of my front and then the very top. Once it's completely dry I'll use the ceramic iron and iron it in sections. It works good that way for me.

Hope that helps.

I straighten by wet-combing... most of my frizz and curliness is from folded tangled hairs. This is also a heat-free alternative to flat-irons. Has anyone tried this technique?

Anais

What is wet-combing?

Hi Layla,

Have you heard the Eric Clapton song yet?

Wet combing is what it sounds like.. combing when your hair is wet. Actually, I'd rather use the word "detangling".

I start right out of the shower.
(1) I comb through, starting at the ends and working up, making sure not to comb through tangles.
(2) Once completely detangled, I do top to bottom sweeps about every five minutes until all hair is dry. This makes sure my hair dries untangled and reasonably straight because I don't blow fry. If I don't wet comb, my hair will dry frizzy and wavy.
(3) I use a seamless hand-cut and polished comb from Rachael Stephens or Kent.

Consequently, this method does not work for those who blow dry. And it doesn't work on African-American hair either. Coarse naturally (reasonably) straight hair gets the best results.

HTH
Anais

No, I haven't heard that song. Maybe I will look it up now.

Layla is my favorite song!

And I have thick hair, will wet combing work for me(my hair is naturally straight, but it has a few waves here and there, so it looks bad just to let it dry naturally, I always flat iron)!

HELLO EMMALEE:

My hair is thick too.. You could certainly try wet combing and see what happens for you. Everyone is different and it takes a few tries to see if it makes your hair happy. My hair loved me back after the first time I wet combed.

I used a Rachael Stephens comb, coarse tooth. These are saw-cut and very very smooth.. they won't cause splits like molded plastic drugstore combs do. You can get these seamless combs from the internet-- Just search the exact name "Rachael Stephens". the English company Kent also makes them.

Of course, wet combing will not get your hair completely straight... not as straight as the flat iron... which is why few people do this. But it is a natural, heat-free way to get your hair to its "naturally straight" state. The post-wet combing frizz you'll have, is the frizz that cannot go away unless you flat iron. Wet combing is the best you can do with a natural method.

Flat ironing will leave your hair drier and more damaged in the long run. My philosophy is this: it is always better to put up with a small amount of frizz and natural wave if it means healthy undamaged hair that doesn't break off, dry out, or get crunchy. AND your hair will seem to grow faster.. meaning it won't break off from dryness and splits.


HELLO AZN:

If you want straight hair, do whatever you can to avoid using heat. If that means using a drugstore straightening product (if there is such thing) then that would definitely be kinder to your hair than a chemical relaxer or a heat tool. Harsh chemicals and heat are the hair's worst enemies.

Split ends cannot be fixed or glued back together. Splits must MUST be snipped off with professional hair scissors or very sharp sewing scissors. The key is SHARP. Get a pair and designate it only for hair (no opening bottles, no cutting construction paper, nada.)

Split ends are where hair unravels at the end and frays like a rope. Hair is made of these fibers that are "wrapped" together by the cuticle (like tree bark). Once this cuticle or "tree bark" is worn down, the inside frays like mad. The farther up it frays, the more hair breaks off. and the more hair will be lost. These splits MUST be cut off, otherwise the hairs will unravel even more and/or break off more. The longer a person waits, the more hair they'll have to cut off.

Too many split ends will make hair look worn out and frizzy, compared to a person with few or no splits.

The best thing to do is prevent splits before they happen:
(1) Avoid using hot water on the hair. Hairwash with warm or cool water and rinse cold if possible.
(2) Condition very very well.. and don't forget a deep conditioning every now and then.
(3) Search and destroy all the splits you can find, in order to prevent more unraveling.
(4) Use gentle hair toys and hair grooming tools. This includes throwing out anything that eats your hair when you take it out. Spring clips, barettes, and the like. Plastic molded combs have a seam that claws at hairs like tiny razorblades (observe in between the teeth).
(5) Most of all, minimize use of heat tools and harsh chemical treatments. This includes blow drying (blow frying), irons, relaxers/perms, dyes, etc...


Hope this helps everybody!

Hugs,
Anais