Best way to straighten 3C type hair???

in Hair Type 3
I have 3C type hair that I usually just leave curly and out and I just scrunch some regular conditioner in it and go. But once in a while I like to have it straight. My flat iron is the hot tools professional Hot Tools Professional Flexi-Plates 1" Flat Iron | Folica.com . But how can I flat iron my hair properly? what product should I use for my hair type? and how long should i heat up my flat iron before using it?
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We have to some how stretch out our curl as much as possible before adding any heat to straighten it to help prevent heat damage. Some people do twists the night before, some people pick out their fro and some do blow outs. I will never in my life go straight to flat ironing my hair without stretching it, frying and crunching my tight curls. lol. Afro picks works just as well as a blow out would to straighten my hair, so for that reason I won't do a blow out for me personally.
With really thick curly fine hair I plan to do a roller foam set under the dryer..then simply saran wrap it to get rid of the grandma look from the rollers.
I think I might only slightly use a flat iron with a heat protectant a week or two later if I see frizz on some parts. At the least a couple of days
I have to be careful..I didn't do the big chop and cut ALL my hair off just to have to cut it ALL OVER AGAIN because of heat damage lol..u feel me? haha
If you specify what you want you should be fine. Your best bet might be to have a roller set and sit under the dryer. I know from experience at the Dominican salons they put you under the dryer, then blow out your hair and then flat iron.
That's far too much heat and a recipe for disaster.
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That is SO TRUE. I have a co-worker who experienced heat damage. She is transitioning and she went to a Dominican salon for a blow out and flat iron.
At first she LOVED the look, but after a couple of weeks she admitted she saw breakage right in the crown area. And she did a twist out today I could see bald spots or gaps of missing hair in the crown area.
Now - in the context of natural hair care, Dominicans also FAIL and fail miserably. That's something else...
I think your best bet is to do it yourself...safer because you can control the heat exposure.
You can do a roller set and let it air dry or dry it in a hair dryer on cool setting. I imagine that might take forever though, but it's a safer option. Then you can do a doobie or whatever.
Good luck!
I feel ya. I don't believe in generalizing but to clarify it's in the context of natural hair care specifically where I read Dominican salon horror stories. Like you mentioned.
I agree doing it yourself gives that comfort to prevent that whole situation of things going wrong.
This one natural hair care "specialist" said she wanted to "heat train" aka heat damage my hair frequently in the SUMMER O_o
Within minutes my hair started to puff up. When she flat ironed it, she gave me a feathered granma look ..then the heat took over.
I had a job interview coming up..she wanted me to come 2 weeks later to get my hair blow dried and flat ironed again in the hottest summer. I was like heck no..never went back.
Makes so much sense blow drying before flat ironing. Like I said I dont flat iron my hair all the time but once in a while when I do it comes out almost wavy. As if i stepped in a steam room for 2 min. But straightening it first before flat ironing is not a bad idea at all. thanks
How do you do a roller set? Sorry I just don't know anything about my hair lol, everyone in my family has straight hair lol.
Minimal damage. Especially if you just do a doobie afterwards instead of blow-fry it.
ok like she said above stretch it first, it just makes the process easier and you have to go over it less.. I blowdry and set my hair overnight in french braids or buns.. You dont have to, you can just blowdry then flat iron or even airdry in the braids.
First off you need the right heat. Some people dont like to go too high for fear of damage but if its too low a) your hair wont get straight which is pointless or b) youll have to go over the section multiple times to get it straight which is damaging anyway. I hope your flat iron has an adjustable heat setting, if it doesnt i wouldnt even use it honestly. If it does start out at about 390 and adjust up or down. You know its too low if your hair doesnt get straight in two passes, and its too high if your hair smells like its burning or feels smooth and gets straight at first, then poofs out or feels rough.
as for the actual process, you should flat iron in small one inch sections.. go down slow and comb through each section first with a fine tooth comb or if you can, chase the comb with the flat iron using the tension method (i think theres youtube videos on it)
you need a silicone based heat protectant, i like to use a combo; Infusium 23 leave in and then a small amount of a serum like Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide or Argan Oil Treatment. I used a pea sized amt on each of four sections (but I have fine hair) still, dont overdo it or youll have greasy stringy hair. Thats why I like the Infusium cause I can saturate my hair with it and protect it without weighing it down! good stuff
Poo/Cowash| Bobeam, V05 Shea Cashmere
DC| AOGPB, CJ Repair Me, BrownButterBeauty
RinseOut| Mill Creek Keratin Conditioner, Ology Moisturizing Conditioner
Leave In| Curl Rehab, Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Moisturizer, CJ Smoothing Lotion
Moisturize|Oyin Hair Dew, CR Moisture Milk
Gel| Kiss My Face UMG, Trader Joes Aloe Vera, KCCC
Sealants| Aloe Juice, Whipped Shea, Cocoa & Mango Butters, Castor, & my Peanut Oil Blend
Poo/Cowash| Bobeam, V05 Shea Cashmere
DC| AOGPB, CJ Repair Me, BrownButterBeauty
RinseOut| Mill Creek Keratin Conditioner, Ology Moisturizing Conditioner
Leave In| Curl Rehab, Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Moisturizer, CJ Smoothing Lotion
Moisturize|Oyin Hair Dew, CR Moisture Milk
Gel| Kiss My Face UMG, Trader Joes Aloe Vera, KCCC
Sealants| Aloe Juice, Whipped Shea, Cocoa & Mango Butters, Castor, & my Peanut Oil Blend
I detangle my hair with conditioner in the shower and rinse it out before i start. First, when I get out of the shower, I coat my hair with grapeseed oil and put it in about 8 medium-sized twists (I have really thick hair). Grapeseed oil is an AMAZING heat protectant! Its very light so you can never use too much. It protects up to about 485F I think and my hair always turns back as curly and shiny as it was before. So if you don't listen to anything else I write in this post, listen to the grapeseed oil :laughing9:
Anyway, I sit around and let my hair dry for a couple hours. When its about 80% dry, I take each twist down one by one and blow dry it on cool or warm with a paddle brush (this gets my roots straight and makes it so I don't have to run my flat iron over my hair more than once). Then I add more grapeseed oil just to be safe and flat iron (at 350 to 425) in small sections.
Whoo straight hair!!!:wav:
YouTube - Straightening Natural Hair
I definitely think blow drying first gives me the best results.
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