sisterdale91

I have straightened my hair a few times with a flat iron and have finally gotten to the point where I can get it all consistently straight and non-frizzy. I have had trouble getting my hair to feel soft and natural - in the past it has looked heavy and rather greasy - like I put a ton of product or gel in it (which I didn't). My friend told me to make sure that I washed all remnants of product out of my hair in the shower before I dried it. I did that today and it seems like it's going to be better.
HOWEVER: my big question is how to get my hair so that it still is soft and has movement. A girl I know has hair curlier than mine and somehow gets it so that it looks completely natural - shiny and with tons of "movement". When I straighten mine, it is stiff, rather like an African-American's hair when it is straightened. Anyone have tips on how to get it straight without being baked straight?
I use a flat iron and have not successfully tried blow-drying (tried many times and it's a frizzy failure. I'm not too coordinated lol.) And I have 3c hair - some of it is thin and fine but other parts are coarse and think.
Thanks!

kurlygurl7392

I had the same trouble with my thick 4b hair. I got sick of putting heat on my hair for unwearable results so I started looking up straightening natural hair on youtube and found soooo many uploads! The only issue is people have alot of different methods so you should search for the best method for your specific needs. I found some things that help most were
1: Using "the chase method" it requires a small tooth comb. Check it out on YT

2: Getting my hair properly blowdried (in easily managable sections) Using my Yellow Bird blowdryer with blowdry comb attatchment (there are better dryers out there but this works for me! $40 at Sallys) make sure you get roots. Be gentle!!

3: always ALWAYS using a heat protectant before blowdrying and after, directly before flat ironing. I use Chi silk infusion which is pricy but effective. I hear ic fantasia heat protecting serum works well too or silk elements.

4: investing in a good flat iron. I reccomend folica.com they have soooo many to choose from! I love visiting their site

*other tips- i ways detangle in the shower with kinky curly knot today and leave it in. Before drying i put a little reds kitchen sink soc it 2 mii curls all natural jel. I never iron above 350 ib fact, i try to stay as low as i can go most of the time 250 to 300 degrees f. When im finished ironing i use a little bit of emu and jojoba oil to massage into scalp and ends. Not too much! Or you wont have that flo you desire. It just helps nourish

I hope this helps!!
Sent from my ADR6300 using CurlTalk App

sisterdale91

So do you think lower heat is better than higher heat? I had heard that higher heat is better because it gets the job done in one stroke, whereas with lower heat you go over it more.

kurlygurl7392

I make a max of 2 longer passes usually i get the job done in one long and one super quick pass even with lower heat about 300. Ive suffered from heat damage at temps of 375 but it was in my earlier days of flat ironing and i used like 3 to 5 strokes to get my natural hair to blend with my sew in. Still recovering from that :/ i have absolutley no curl integrity whatsoever in my bangs and top crown area so i try to keep it safe. I recently did flat iron at 400 just to see and to be honest i liked the results just as much as the lower temps. Idk just try it out and do what works best for you! trial & error and bad hair days to find the method that works for you is what it takes.... unfortunatly! Lol :P tell me how it goes if ya try it! Good luck!

Sent from my ADR6300 using CurlTalk App

sisterdale91

I just finished it, and it is probably one of the better jobs I've done. It still doesn't have the flexibility that I'm looking for, though I did only use a flatiron. If I can practice and get the coordination of blowdrying down I may try the methods you suggested .

kurlygurl7392

Great, im so glad its an improvment at least! How did you do it? I couldnt without a good blow out

Sent from my ADR6300 using CurlTalk App

sisterdale91

I combed it out with a wide-tooth comb as it was drying so it didn't dry curly (or very curly, at least). It kind if dried in a typical frizzy pouf . Then I just took tiny sections, starting at the bottom, and combed them out with a round brush thingy (I think it's supposed to be used for blowdrying). I would hold the hair tight with the brush and then flat iron it down from there (moving the brush a few inches in front of the iron). I really took my time this time because I had nothing else to do :P so i could do tons of tiny sections. Other times when I've had to do bigger sections it hasn't turned out as well. It still feels heavy/product-y on the crown of my head, but overall it's not as bad as some previous times!

kurlygurl7392

Id love to air dry my hair! I really dont like flat ironing right after blowdrying :P

ive looked up doing some chunky twists while hair is wet and previously detangled but my 2 to 3 inches of new growth are VERY tangly at the roots and i just cant seem to get good flat iron results unless its properly blowdried. (previously texturized currently transitioning You might wanna try that too! The chunky twists i mean, until you get the hang of blow drying. You said there was some product buildup? What did you use?

Sent from my ADR6300 using CurlTalk App

KurlyPrincess

When I know I am going to straighten my hair I will use a little dollop of shampoo on my just my scalp to help it to not get greasy so fast, then I let it air dry.. I've noticed that blow drying it seems to make it frizzier. When it is completely dry I will start straightening it with little sections at a time. I will put most of my hair up...but leave a little down, straighten that really good and then put some more hair down. It will take longer that way, but when I'm done it looks natural and has lots of body and movement. Another thing is do not brush your hair after you have straightened it, because for me it makes it look unnatural and kinda frizzy. HTH

__________________
<3 Our love is like the wind; I can't see it. But I can feel it. <3