Hi everyone, I decided to wear my hair straight for this week and below is what I do to achieve soft bouncy, straightened hair.
1. After using a clarifying shampoo to remove any excess build up, I deep condition because soft, moisturized hair straightens well, dry and frizzy hair will look and feel straw-like when flat ironed. This is a very critical step and if for some reason my hair feels dry even after deep conditioning then I will save straightening it for another week.
2. After adding a very small quantity of my usual leave in, I use a dab of a coconut oil to seal (I usually use castor oil on my wet hair but lighter products offer a lot more body and movement which is what I need for straightened hair). When you intend on straightening your hair then my advise would be to use as little product as necessary and the lightest ones you can find because products can weigh the hair down and kill the movement.
3. I detangle my hair as usual and comb it down using just my wide-tooth detangling comb.
4. Once my hair is FULLY air-dried, I apply a dab of heat protectant all over my hair from ends to roots.
5. I then part my hair in very small, (maybe even less than one inch) sections so that I can straighten my roots well and then quickly run my flat iron (I use it at 370 to 400 degrees but never higher) down the shaft of my hair. I keep it on the roots for a few seconds to straighten any kinks (I am about 4 weeks post) but then quickly run it down the shaft to avoid heat damage. I have a three pass rule and and I never go over this. To create the bump to my ends, I fold the ends under in a circular motion to avoid creating a crease from the iron. Be mindful that the edge of the iron will leave a mark if you do not twist your hand right, this simply takes practice for those of us not so coordinated because I used to leave creases all over my head before I finally got it right.
6. For the very front and middle section (about two inches on either side of my center part), I use the iron to bring my hair back and make a much more dramatic bump to create frills.
7. To finish, I rub a very tiny amount of a light natural oil throughout my hair
It is somewhat difficult, to explain in words, but I do intend on trying to make videos some day so maybe over Christmas break, I will upload one on flat-ironing. Getting bouncy, soft flat ironed hair simply takes practice. I remember when I just started doing my own hair, I could never get it as soft, bouncy and pretty as a professional stylist but now I sometimes even prefer my own finish to the salon because I leave more body. A more dead straight look seems to be more trendy, but I love the body it creates so I bend my ends under. If you want perfectly straight hair, however, then it makes your life much easier because all this would entail is passing the flat iron straight down the shaft of your hair without bumping the end. If you are new to at home hair-care then it would probably be easier to begin practicing with just straightened ends. I think the major difference between a great finished results and a dry straw like one is simply moisture. Once your hair is sufficiently moisturized, it should flat iron well. It is also important to use great products including a great flat iron. I use the T3 Bespoke Labs Narrow Wet-or-Dry but there are several other brands out there such as GHD and Chi that should give the same results. I would never use a cheapie flat iron on my hair now, because I know better but the only time I ever suffered severe heat damage was due to a inferior quality flat iron (Don’t do it! – it had no form of protection and would never get my hair soft). Any tips would be greatly appreciated and I hope this was helpful 🙂