"safe" way to flat iron?

[WaitingSoLong]

So my dd straightens her hair now and as she does this daily I am concerned about her frying her hair. She has a spray product to apply before that is supposed to be a protectant. Is this a gimmick? Is there really any way to safely flat-iron hair?

Is there anything she should be doing to minimize damage? I know a lot of damage doesn't show up until months later. I think she has been at it a couple months now. I looked at her ends the other day and explained how she could be really damaging her hair eventually. It's HER hair, if she doesn't care then fine but I just thought if there was a way to slow down the damage I would suggest it to her. I hate for her to come crying to me one day with a foot of split ends.

I have never straightened my hair and gave up my curling iron years ago so I have no clue really. Thanks!

[Arya]

Lower heat, fewer passes, extra coconut oil? And don't bother straightening if you're going to be very active that day, or it's humid. The other thing I'd recommend is dry shampoo and a shower cap. That way she can shower and have clean hair without losing the style. She can also sleep with it in a doobie wrap at night, so she doesn't mess it up while sleeping. It's what my black friends do, and they know a thing or two about flat irons and minimizing damage. The other thing you can do is wear an updo, and just straighten the bangs.


I had a chunk near the back that was just frizz. It wouldn't curl anymore, it wouldn't straighten anymore without EXTREME heat, and it was all broken and poofy from a flat iron. I think it's finally gone, and I did it in 2009/2010. Luckily, it was only one section, not my entire head.

Of course some people fry their hair everyday with no bad results. It depends in the individual head of hair.

[goldloli]

-make sure hair is 100% dry
-air dry or low heat blow dry prior for maximum health (high heat blow frying then ironing is the quickest way to a foot of splits)
-lowest heat as possible on the iron (to avoid changing the cortex/curl/protein bonds/moisture content/porosity)
-multiple quick passes of the iron instead of a couple long ones to reduce concentration of heat in one area for too long.
-heat protectants help to make the iron glide along the strand, hydrate and some help disperse the heat instead of it being concentrated but that's as much as they do
-i love using catnip rinse prior to ironing, does reduce splits
-using a bbb brush instead of a paddle brush will get her a sleeker/smoother effect with less time and passes of the iron
-deep dishes x 1 weekly and protein 1x monthly are advised

all of this or even a few of these will keep her hair healthy for a long time

oh and another, to keep straight hair for the next day use a hair tie or scrunchy like these, rather than a thin one, tied up in a super high pony so that she doesn't get an obvious hairband kink that she'll want to restraighten out
http://www.lottienottie.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Hair-Band-Bundle-Black.jpg
http://www.thehijabworld.com/images/products/MediumSize/velvet-scrunchie_850.jpg

[WaitingSoLong]

Thanks! Good info! I am just so clueless!

She doesn't have bangs. I am not sure how long she holds the iron on it, or if it is a quick pass. I have never watched her do it. I will mention some of this stuff to her. She won't do anything "weird" like coconut oil (despite the fact I have a whole collection of oils LOL).

Her hair is looking a little dry but I could not find any splits. However I know you can get breakage without splits. She has a shower cap and uses it already.

Fortunately, she has thick healthy hair (she is young) so I think it can withstand a lot of what she is doing. She has never bleached or dyed her hair other than a dip dye in koolaid once. And she never dries her hair with a hair dryer. Ever. She washes at night and lets it dry while she sleeps and straightens it in the mornings before school. I do confess, he hair looks stunning when she straightens it even though her hair is already basically straight (same as me, some slight nape waves and whatnot).

[kaydana]

If her hair is already almost straight then she might be better off blow drying on a low heat, that would probably result in hair straight enough to completely forgo the flat iron.

[spidermom]

The protective sprays do help. I've heard it's best to do only pass with the flat iron per strand.

I mentioned to my DD once that she might be overdoing the flat iron on her color treated hair, and she just about bit my head off. Fashion over hair health, I guess.

[lapushka]

-make sure hair is 100% dry

This! Most definitely. Never do this on damp or wet hair, or the damage is going to be substantial (I'm talking a multitude of white dots).

OTOH, I used a crimper for about a year on my hair in highschool without any heat protectant, and I never saw damage from it. I didn't care, I never noticed. My hair was still on my head, in whatever condition (and it didn't look bad). Meaning: I wouldn't stress over it *too* much! ;)

Keep getting her the heat protectant, though.

[goldloli]

If her hair is already almost straight then she might be better off blow drying on a low heat, that would probably result in hair straight enough to completely forgo the flat iron.
i'm guessing she's like every young girl where she wants pin straight glossy hair and her already straight hair doesn't cut it. She probs wouldn't be into oiling hair but perhaps she'd like a hot oil treatment? or give her a bottle of jojoba and tell her to mix half and half with serum and apply to lengths and ends while hair is damp, not fussy or weird and makes hair super soft and silky. before i was into natural hair care i wouldn't mind doing this. actually proclaim glossing finish is like a couple bucks from sallys and has good oils in already, get her a bottle of this stuff and tell her it's a cult fave! if you're feeling flush then alterna kendi or moroccan oil.

also i'm guessing she doesn't care to use the lowest setting or just one pass. try convince her to use the medium with quick passes. you'd be very surprised how much irreversible damage can be done just by going up one notch to 230... as in making hair brittle, dehydrated and snap. Most heat protectants don't work for high heat as their max temp is 210.

[WaitingSoLong]

If her hair is already almost straight then she might be better off blow drying on a low heat, that would probably result in hair straight enough to completely forgo the flat iron.

I have been trying to get her to use a blow dryer for years! She used to shower in the morning and go out in frigid cold with wet hair! I bought her a dryer and she never used it. She probably gave it away. LOL. At least she lets it air-dry overnight now. And yes, she could probably achieve a similar look but...


i'm guessing she's like every young girl where she wants pin straight glossy hair and her already straight hair doesn't cut it.

This. LOL. And there's no point telling her it is damaging her hair when her hair IS thick and glossy and soft all the time.


The protective sprays do help. I've heard it's best to do only pass with the flat iron per strand.

I mentioned to my DD once that she might be overdoing the flat iron on her color treated hair, and she just about bit my head off. Fashion over hair health, I guess.

Fashion over (hair) health is right. It is only this past year she has really started to care much about her appearance and looking "pretty". She has the knack for it, too, with make-up and stuff. Something I never had. I still don't know how to do my make-up properly!

Still, I will give her a few gentle suggestions that won't crimp her style too much (like a lower setting, one pass, etc.). She may already do this. I got her to do a clarify and DCT once (she needed it BAD). She agreed it did wonders for her hair but it was a form of torture for her. LOL.

[Wahinee]

Heat protectants with silicones are good. Oils are not, it's basically the equivalent of frying your hair

[Amygirl8]

Hmmmm....
I find that wrapping my hair around my head to straighten it gets rid of the kinks that I have (and all the waves) so perhaps recommend that she do that while she's asleep?
Although if she already has straight hair, that may result in more kinks.

If you still have the blowdryer (and it has a cold air setting) then tell her to blow over her hair with some cold after straightening it.

[HintOfMint]

Oh dear. I think she's at that age where the ACT of grooming is almost as important as the outcome itself. It's standing in front of the mirror with your friends, passing the flat iron through your hair, doing your makeup, all that. Or at least being able to talk about it. Just my guess.

[Callque]

May I ask how long her hair is? I used to chemically dye my hair every 8 weeks and blowdry and flat iron on high heat everyday about 5 times a week with a heat protectant most of the time and I would even go as far as re-straightening it if I was going out that night! I'm assuming she's in high school and that is just what the 'look' is right now. It doesn't matter whether you already have straight hair or not, it's the glossy, silky, pin-straight look that flat irons give that is in style. I didn't care how my hair looked without being straightened during that time because I wouldn't leave the house without it done and as long as it looked good once straightened I didn't mind. The reason I ask how long her hair is is because I didn't actually SEE the damage until my hair got close to hip length which means that it took from APL (when I was straightening all of the time and then stopped at that length) until HIP to start really seeing the damage. Even then if I straightened it my hair would still look fine (but thankfully I had found LHC so I cared about how it looked naturally). I guess my hair is pretty resilient like your daughter's hair. I would not worry about her hair but you should let her know that if she ever intends on growing her hair as long as yours that once it grows out significantly the damage from her straightening will not be able to be hidden.

[akilina]

Yes, PLEASE do not put oil on her hair before straightening! :( Think "frying" effect! That really is a horrible suggestion.

Also, like others have said..Turn the heat down, and only make ONE pass over the section, make sure the hair is 100% dry.
Also another is for her to straighten it in sections. I start at the nape and clip the rest up and just move more hair down as the sections are straightened. The sections are maybe one inch or two inches thick. My hair is already fairly straight and not thick.

My favorite spray protectant is CHI Iron Guard 44.

[Mrsbaybeegurl]

Off topic derailment, I am so confused about the oil and flat iron thing, after reading all about mineral oil from Ktani it seemed as if mineral oil was the all time superior heat protectant of all time leaving hair healthy and protected and according to one of her updates was credited for making one of her friend's hair stronger and heathier while heat styling

"One of my friends continues to do heat styling and baby oil alone has performed admirably as a thermal protectant and hair conditioner for her for quite a while now. Her chemically damaged hair continues to grow out stronger, while being very easy to comb and style and appears to be much healthier. It shines." (http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2012/06/cosmetic-uspbp-mineral-oil-updates.html)

"What can be a better choice for thermal protection is cosmetic (USP/BP) mineral oil used on its own. Mineral oil is a thermal coolant with a solid history of that use in industrial applications. Mineral oil is a better moisturizer than silicones or vegetable oils, and it can be washed out of hair easily.... it can moisturize hair to compensate for dryness caused by heat, while helping to protect hair from heat damage. Used on damp hair that is dried before other heat styling tools are used, it can do the same." - From the post on Mineral Oil as a Thermal Protectant (http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mineral-oil-as-thermal-protectant.html)

I also remember reading somewhere on TLHC that some silicones can actually melt into our hair shaft (not from Ktani) but given the info on mineral oil, can it be considered a grade a choice for heat styling, even though it's clearly an oil??

[akilina]

To poster above..My main concern is using natural oils with heat..Like coconut oil. Plant based oils are what I personally am referring to...Cant speak for anyone else though.

I don't know much about mineral oil....I can't seem to find out if it is synthetic or not. If so, then I can see where mineral oil may be okay for heat styling.

[Sillage]

I also remember reading somewhere on TLHC that some silicones can actually melt into our hair shaft (not from Ktani) but given the info on mineral oil, can it be considered a grade a choice for heat styling, even though it's clearly an oil??

I don't know anything about using mineral oil as a thermal protectant-- I'm only familiar with silicones being used for that purpose. Personally, I wouldn't risk it...

[Mrsbaybeegurl]

Thanks akilina and Sillage, I don't heat style often but I have thought about trying mineral oil next time but the thought of "frying" my hair scares me LOL

As far as the OP's question, I'm sorry to have derailed the thread a bit but IF, and only IF mineral oil is as good as Ktani has found it to be, perhaps that is something your daughter may use to minimize damage, it's not a food product like coconut oil and it is in a lot of other hair products so maybe she would consider it? Perhaps anyone with more mineral oil experience could speak on it. I use it for detangling and it's good but haven't really had heat experience.

[HintOfMint]

To poster above..My main concern is using natural oils with heat..Like coconut oil. Plant based oils are what I personally am referring to...Cant speak for anyone else though.

I don't know much about mineral oil....I can't seem to find out if it is synthetic or not. If so, then I can see where mineral oil may be okay for heat styling.

A poster in a thread on this forum said that she oiled her hair with coconut oil and then she flat ironed it and yes, there was a literal frying of hair. Sizzles and instant splits and everything.

[akilina]

A poster in a thread on this forum said that she oiled her hair with coconut oil and then she flat ironed it and yes, there was a literal frying of hair. Sizzles and instant splits and everything.

Yes it just sounds awful >.< I think oiling with coconut oil would be okay for OP's daughter in between straightening or before washing if she was concerned of damage and wanted an extra boost of health.
But definitely no Coconut oil on the hair when straightening. I was concerned because someone recommended using extra coconut oil... But perhaps she meant apply coconut oil in between straightening uses. I would hope no one would apply extra coconut oil before flat ironing >.< Poor hairs!

Not trying to hijack either...but I'm wondering if anyone knows if Mineral is a natural oil, or synthetic? That sounds really stupid..I know a lot about oils but I ignore mineral oil just by choice. I am not against it but Its not something I want to use, therefore I really don't know much about it.

[kaydana]

Not trying to hijack either...but I'm wondering if anyone knows if Mineral is a natural oil, or synthetic? That sounds really stupid..I know a lot about oils but I ignore mineral oil just by choice. I am not against it but Its not something I want to use, therefore I really don't know much about it.

Given how incredibly complex the process of refining petroleum is, I don't think that sounds stupid at all. I can't seem to find anything definitive one way or the other (unless you count the statements made by the "OMG mineral oil is eeeeeevil" crowd, which I don't).

Mineral oil is a by-product of the distillation of crude oil (technically a natural source), but whether it's a simple (haha) process of refining it (natural), or a more complex process involving altering the chemical structure (synthetic) I haven't been able to find from my admittedly short google search. I'm all curious now though, so I will go hunt down an answer whether it wants to be found or not.

[WaitingSoLong]

May I ask how long her hair is? I used to chemically dye my hair every 8 weeks and blowdry and flat iron on high heat everyday about 5 times a week with a heat protectant most of the time and I would even go as far as re-straightening it if I was going out that night! I'm assuming she's in high school and that is just what the 'look' is right now. It doesn't matter whether you already have straight hair or not, it's the glossy, silky, pin-straight look that flat irons give that is in style. I didn't care how my hair looked without being straightened during that time because I wouldn't leave the house without it done and as long as it looked good once straightened I didn't mind. The reason I ask how long her hair is is because I didn't actually SEE the damage until my hair got close to hip length which means that it took from APL (when I was straightening all of the time and then stopped at that length) until HIP to start really seeing the damage. Even then if I straightened it my hair would still look fine (but thankfully I had found LHC so I cared about how it looked naturally). I guess my hair is pretty resilient like your daughter's hair. I would not worry about her hair but you should let her know that if she ever intends on growing her hair as long as yours that once it grows out significantly the damage from her straightening will not be able to be hidden.


Her hair is currently between BSL and waist. She has long layers in it. It was hip before and she was over the really long hair and I cut it back to just above BSL then she got the layers put in recently. So she has had the long hair before. She likes my hair and doesn't want me to cut it but no longer wants "super long hair" for herself. That is ok, we live vicariously through each other ;)

She is in Junior High..14 going on 21. LOL

[dulce]

I had a bob several years ago and flatironed a lot plus using the heat protectant spray every time,over a period of time my hair got broken ends,frizz and became damaged and I had to cut a lot off.In my case damage was cumulative .Those irons go to a high heat,450 degrees,set your oven to 450 degrees and place an egg in a pan and watch what happens.I threw out my flat iron.

[Buddaphlyy]

As someone who previously abused the flat iron {and curling iron, and blow dryer} and has plans to incorporate a little bit more heat into my regimen, here are some things that have helped me.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize BEFORE you add the iron
-For me this means doing a deep oiling before using a moisturizing shampoo and then following with a completely moisturizing deep conditioner. And the longer its left in, the better. The minimum time for me is 4 hours

Straighten as much as possible before you add the iron
-I rollerset and let my hair dry overnight so I don't have to do so many passes

Use a heat protectant
-Anything that is silicone heavy is best, but oil sheen works well too, especially if you already have straight hair. My personal favorite is the John Frieda Serum in the purple bottle. I also like Neutrogena Triple Moisture Serum

Fewer passes on medium to high heat
-YMMV with this one but my hair can not really get straight if the temperature is under 250F. So I use the iron at about 300F - 350F and try to keep it under 3 passes

Protein after the heat
-Now I only flat iron at max every 2 weeks but I make sure to do a protein treatment the next wash day after. I like Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Treatment

To keep my hair relatively straight in between, I wrap my hair every night and add oil to the ends every other day.

HTH some.

[Arya]

Sorry, I wasn't recommending coconut oil as a heat protectant, more of an in between repair serum kinda thing!
And if she likes sleeping on wet hair, why not have her try a doobie wrap at night? or sleeping on very large soft curlers?
AND you can now buy dry shampoo in a canister. Stupid waste of money if you ask me, but it makes people feel 'not weird' about the process, since it comes from a culturally approved hair-care canister. And again, zero point straightening your hair on a humid day. Might as well do an updo.

[david]

i straighten my hair every so often. As others have said just make sure to use heat protectant spray and try to only do one pass on each section of hair. Also, try and limit the times you do it. For exmaple, if your doing it every day then you may notice damage after a while. But once a week or every few weeks should be fine.

[sakuraemily]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ1hZtAPkz8
The above is a link for a video that seema brilliant. No heat straightening!
I don't think Fiber putty is necessary.