October 2012, marks my 1 year anniversary of being natural. My hair is actually longer than it was before I first cut it! At this point my curl pattern is defined and I knew what products I love...and hate. However, during my journey, I only got my hair trimmed once. My hair was in dire need of a trim. My twistouts were nice, but not as nice as before. They also were not lasting as long as usual. My ends were what I would call stringy. They were also prone to shedding. Although, I was loving my curls, I couldnt help but to wonder what my hair would look like straightened. Exactly how much had my hair grown? A flat ironing seemed to be a good solution for all these problems. I could do a true length check as well as get a trim. Then came the worrying. What if once my hair was flat ironed, it decided that it didnt want to revert back to the curls that I had grown to love? I have heard horror stories from other naturalistas about how their curl pattern was never the same after flat ironing. Some naturalistas went as far as to do the big chop all over again because of heat damage!! I was not about that type of headache at all. I had come too far. So, I did my research. I consulted with other naturalistas and many of them had great experiences with flat ironing. Obviously, your results will depend a lot upon your hair texture as well as thickness. Knowing all of this, here are some flat ironing tips that I've gathered for naturalistas. 1. Be sure that the flat iron is not too hot. Scorched or burned hair rarely, if ever, will revert back to its original curl pattern. Healthy hair burns at a temperature of 233C (451.4F). Hair that has been subjected to many different treatments can burn at even lower temperatures. (Source: The Science of Black Hair by: Audrey Davis-Sivasothy ) 2. Wash and deep condition your hair prior to flat ironing. 3. If you choose to blow out your hair, use some type of protectant and don't use the highest heat setting. 4. When you flat iron your hair, use yet another protectant. Make sure your hair is properly moisturized also. Flat iron your hair in small sections from roots to end. Lastly, if this is too much for you, GO TO A TRUSTED PROFESSIONAL. That's what I did and I loved the results before AND after. If you're in the Baton Rouge, LA area, check out Happy Hair Baton Rouge. (225) 615-8841. My stylist's name is Jackie. However, everybody that I saw leaving the salon who had been serviced by other stylists looked great! What have you experienced with flat ironing your natural hair?
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1. Wash and condition hair as normal. 2. Section hair into 4 sections and secure with clips. (This is also the time to part your hair, how you desire. I didn't part my hair, I just twisted in the direction that I wanted my hair to fall.) 3. Work about 2 finger tips amount of virgin coconut oil into the section you are about to twist from root to tip. 4. Depending on how large you want your twists to be, take a section of hair from the main section and spray it with water. 5. Then work the Eco Styler gel though the smaller section and then two strand twist that section to the very end. Don't borrow hair from other sections! ( I know it's tempting, but not doing this really ensures that your twist out is very defined). 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have two strand twisted all of your hair. 7. Let hair air dry overnight (with silk bonnet) or sit under a hooded dryer. 8. Untwist hair with lemon grass oil. I only untwisted each twist once, for a fuller look you can separate the twists further into 3-4 pieces for each part of the 2 strand twist. BranSouthern Style Naturalista Want to define the curls in your fro? Try shingling, which is essentially working the product through your hair from root to tip. You can use a comb or your fingers, either way your curl pattern will pop!!! In the video below, I used a curl pudding, but don't be afraid to try other holding creams or moisturizers for your shingling techniques and let me know how they come out! **These initial videos are sometimes not as audible as I would like. These are my first attempts at video editing, they will get better I promise! lol* A major concern for naturalistas is moisture retention. We have to make sure those locks are moisturized. Although, most naturals are sure to use sulfate free shampoos, frequent shampooing can be drying to the hair. Thus washing hair with conditioner or co-washing is the cleansing method of choice for many naturalistas. Personally, I probably co-wash twice a month. The other 2 weeks of the month I wash my hair with a sulfate-free shampoo. The video belows show my cowashing method. **These initial videos are sometimes not as audible as I would like. These are my first attempts at video editing, they will get better I promise! lol** |
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