Straight vs. Curly

No  it's not a straight vs. curly debate. I'm so beyond tired of those debates.

I decided to develop a reference chart for what my hair likes in its straight and curly states.  I figured it may be a helpful resource.

Does anyone else have any other straight vs. curly tips?

Easy as 1-2-3: Straight Hair in the Summer

 Still (almost) straight two weeks later.

Too often hair tutorials and tips can feel very overwhelming. To simplify, we have a new weekly feature with tutorials in as little as three steps.  Easy. Straightforward. And if you need further details we will include links to related posts.

Easy enough? So onto today's installment. Straight hair in the summer. I know. Counterintuitive, right? But with a few simple steps, it can be done.

1. Straighten it...right. The key to great straight hair is to start with a good blow dyer and flat iron. Use a water-based leave-in and good heat protectant.  

2. Bun it. Non-optimal dew point? Bun it. Workout? Bun it.  As soon as you get home. Bun it (or wrap it.) See the pattern?

3. Set it or Pin it. If your hair starts to revert, set it (rod set, pin curl, bantu knot, etc. ) or pin it up into an updo.

Bonus: Don't sweat it. And no, I don't mean "don't sweat".  (Don't let your hair prevent you from exercising.) Don't expect bone straight hair in the summer.  And if you must retouch, don't forget to use dry shampoo. Flat ironing dirty hair means uneven heat protection and a recipe for disaster.

Any other tips for straight hair in the summer?

 

Misikko Hana Flat Iron Review (Part 2)

August 2011

As promised in part 1, here is part 2 of my Hana flat iron review. I have to say that I was pretty pleased with the flat iron results. (Please note that I used a creamy leave-in to help with detangling since I was wearing wash 'n gos the week prior so my hair was a bit fluffier than usual.) To sum up the difference

between my old flat iron and the Hana Flat iron, it: (1) had a lot of movement (2) did not make me worry that my hair wouldn't revert. I'm going to have to follow up with results when I use an appropriate leave-in for straightening...but so far so good.

January 2011

February 2011

May 2011

Vintage Post: Wash & No-Go

BEFORE

 Why is my hair all over the place? Because I was picking at my scalp, of course. It is a bad habit I picked up from my relaxed days when chemical burns were the norm.  Don't judge me.

THE DILEMMA

Have you heard about the Cantu Shea Butter warning? The one that states that you you should avoid putting the product on your scalp.  Well if you do some further research, you will learn that this rule applies to all leave-in conditioners.  This is particularly important if you have a sensitive scalp like mine.  Thanks to my hard-headedness, I ravaged my scalp.  Imagine how sore and itchy your scalp feels after a chemical burn.  Yup, that was me.  It wasn't pretty.

Hair. Resilient. Scalp. Super-sensitive.  (I bet you thought my hair catastrophe would be fried hair.  Bwahaha.)

When I first BC'd, my go to (modified) wash and go routine was to put Cantu Shea Butter on a dried-up twist-out (approximately 3 days old). The next day did I wash it out? No.  Or, the next day? Of course, not.  So by the the third day, As  you can imagine, my hair itched horribly.  The itch-factor coupled with the strong smell forced me to switch to Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie.

With a new product, I continued the same habits.  (I didn't feel like re-twisting my hair mid-week and needed an easy solution. I'm stubborn. Don't judge me.)  At first, my scalp was ok.  Eventually, the itching ensued. But worst.  By the time I straightened my hair in late February, my scalp was ready for a break.

THE TREATMENT...

 I clarified my hair and applied jojoba oil and castor oil to the scalp, which provided some relief. But I still found myself picking at my scalp and my scalp flaking horribly.  This weekend, I finally decided to do a Bentonite Clay treatment.  Ultimate relief.  Ahhhh! My scalp no longer feels sore and raw. 

LESSON LEARNED

Will I stop using Shea Moisture? No.  It works great for wet twist-outs.  Will I stop putting almost half the jar on my head for a wash and go? Yes. I've learned my lesson.  My scalp doesn't like build-up. I get it.  I'll stop being lazy. I'll do my hair mid-week.  I also will not be one of those people who leaves 90% of conditioner in their hair.  I will stick to leave-ins since they are not as heavy and are designed to be left in the hair.

AFTER

My luscious curls are ready for their close-up.

Has anyone had a similar experience due to misuse of products?  Any suggestions for someone with a sensitive scalp?

Vintage Post: How I Straighten My Hair

DISCLAIMER: Please note that you must be careful when you straighten your hair.  To avoid heat damage, pay attention to how YOUR hair reacts to heat. Always use a heat protectant.  Try lower heat first then work your way up to determine the optimum heat temperature.  Also make sure that you don't use a blow dryer that is more than 1875 watts.  Abuse of any hairstyle, whether it is heat styling, wigs, weaves, braids, wash and gos, or headbands can be damaging.  So pay attention to your hair. Adjust your routine when you notice signs of damage.

TIPS:
- I am a big advocate of tourmaline ionic heat styling tools.  The negative ions smooth the hair cuticle, dries your hair faster, locks in moisture, and reduces heat damage. I have been using tourmaline ionic blow dryers and flat irons for almost two years. I switched to a tourmaline ionic blow dryer after I fried off my hair with a faulty blow dryer. My hair grew back in 10 months. My hair dresser was surprised by my lack of split ends.
-Use a HEAT PROTECTANT!  Whether it is grapeseed oil, CHI silk infusion, or IC Straightening Serum (my product of choice), please protect your tresses.
-Don't run the flat iron over your hair 50-million times.  Once or twice should be suffice.

PRODUCTS USED:
Avalon Organics Peppermint Oil Shampoo
Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner
Aphogee Protein Leave-in Conditioner
Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner
African Royale Hot Six Oil
IC Straightening Serum
Isoplus Contitioning Gel (when I curled hair the next day)
Andis Professional Tourmaline Ionic Blow Dryer (only about $40)
Titanium Tools Flat Iron
Revlon Ceramic Curling Iron

STEPS:

-Wash, deep condition, and detangle hair.  Put in your leave-in conditioners and oils.

-Put a reasonable amount of heat protectant in your hand, rub together hands, and apply.  Blow-dry detangled hair.  I use a blow-dryer comb attachment.  Before I blow dry each section, I use my shower comb to detangle again.

I originally blow dried my hair to braid cornrowed extensions. Fail!  I need to put in kinky twists.  But check out my little twists. I'm going ot have the cutest twist-out when I grow some hair.

Flat iron hair in small sections.  For each section, only use heat protectant spanning about a centimeter. If it is not getting straight enough, divide your hair into slightly smaller sections.  (Rather than run the flat iron on your hair too many times.)

If I were going out, I would immediately curl my hair. Since I was going to bed, I wrapped my hair. The next morning I curled it.

To maintain my hairstyle:

-Avoid water-based hair products, otherwise it will revert.  I used oil and shea butter to seal in the moisture and maintain my hair style.

-Resist the urge to flat iron mid-week.  If your hair starts to revert, work with it.  Consider pin-curls, a braid out, or putting in rollers.

-Avoid really hot showers; they are not good for your skin anyway.  When you take a shower, consider using multiple hair wraps and shower cap. 

Anyone else have any advice?