I'm Crying

[Number 3]

Hello everyone,

I need to write a little history about my hair before so you know everything and might have a clue on what's going on.

I have long wavy frizzy hair all my childhood. But it was healthy and thick with no split ends. I would trim my hair once a year. I also use oil on my hair a lot, say every 2 weeks or 3. Use heat once a month when I was young but as soon as I've hit 16 I used the flat iron daily(until the age of 21)
Very beautiful hair.

After that I kind of quit the hair care and started hair dying and had lots of split end. so in a period of two years I had to cut all my hair to shoulder length to remove the damage of split end.

I started to care of my hair like before and started using henna over the summer for around 6 months. But surprisingly I discovered split ends and when I use the flat iron I smell burnt hair. So I've cut all my hair again and kept on trimming until I had to start a hair care routine. So I do weekly natural oil masks on my hair (say 9 months now) and limit the use of heat. Did the micro-trimming method and I can say I'm happy. But what made me cry was 3 days ago I had to use the flat iron so I did and just now I look at my hair and all I see is split ends, they're everywhere. I just had a trim 2 weeks ago and didn't have any! (I haven't used the flat iron for 3+ months)

I don't get it before I use heat daily and still got away with it, but now!

[AnnaB]

It sounds to me like your hair is fragile and REALLY does not like straighteners. DO NOT use the all all! or if you do be prepared to have split ends.

Take really good care of your hair like you did before. Stop trimming so much so you have some length and just do S&D. Time and lots of care will help your hair to be healthy, long and beautiful.

[woolyleprechaun]

STEP AWAY FROM THE STRAIGHTENERS!!!! Seriously, it sounds like you have great hair without them. May I suggest that you learn to embrace your natural texture? I wore my hair up every day for a year until I kicked the heat habit.

[Vampyria]

Don't be sad.:grouphug: I agree with AnnaB. I would advise to completely give up heat styling and continue with the proper care that works for you, because it looks like your hair got really sensitive to heat.

I also had really frizzy, wavy hair and after dyeing it with really aggressive dyes for a couple of years and straightening every week it got even worse. It was breaking and spiting all the time, even 2 days after a trim. I decided to stop all that and now it's been two years and a half since then, and the texture of my hair changed a lot. It's smoother and a lot more manageable. It doesn't split or break either.

Unfortunately, I had to cut off most of the dyed hair to stop splitting and breaking (with micro trimming) and all the dye to get the normal thick ends I wanted. It takes time and consistent good and gentle care. Also try the silk or sateen pillow case, it's suppose to reduce tangles while your sleeping.

[shutterpillar]

I'm sorry you are having these problems, but I agree with everyone else. The heat seems to be the culprit. :undecided

[IndigoOptimist]

I am forever getting split ends, but I've found S&D to be amazing, you should try it!
I would say that if you don't want spilt ends like that, give up the heat styling. There are other ways to wear your hair and if your hair is that badly affected by it, it's probably not a good idea to keep using heat on it ;)

[Fantak]

Just a couple of things:
- Are you using a heat protector on your hair? They are supposed to decrease damage.
- Have you tried non-heat straightening methods? Like bunning techniques or maybe steam curlers (if you use the largest size it will make hair straighter if that makes sense?)

Also since taking care of your hair you are more aware of it. You probably had the same amount of damage before but you didn't really notice it.

Best of luck I hope you find something that works for you :)

[Nae]

The damage from previous heat styling doesn't go away. The hair is just damaged, so the parts that you heat style with will always be more likely to split and break off. I have that same trouble with chemical hair dyes. So I have had to slowly grow out those parts of my hair. It is a waiting game.

I hate to hear that you are crying though. Hair grows. Cut out the heat styling and continue with the henna and your hair should be really happy.......eventually.

[natural_shine]

why oh why would you fry your hair? ... you do it yourslef and than act surprised?... hm...

sory to say, but you did it and you know it.

Blowdry can cause serious damage, you can imagine what using direct heat on it will do. Oh, u didn t imagine or believe what the other "fools" said about heat styling? well, now you see.

Myth confirmed. :)

p.s.-there are a lot of healthy alternatives to get rid of frizz. Without looking like it's been ironed, of course. But if you go for that, keep frying it ...

[spidermom]

Some hair can't tolerate much heat at all - like mine.
I blow-dry on warm and cool to make my crazy hair lie better.

[turtlelover]

Some hair can't tolerate much heat at all - like mine.
I blow-dry on warm and cool to make my crazy hair lie better.

I would immediately switch to sulfate free shampoo and get some GOOD deep conditioners to help heal/disguise damage. Then, the next time you want straighter hair, when you wash and condition your hair next, let it airdry most of the way till it is just slightly damp and wind it around large velcro rollers -- the larger the better for getting your hair as straight as possible. You can always get one of those bonnet hairdryers to finish up the drying process. Their temperature isn't that hot and won't do anywhere near the amount of damage that a flat iron can do. That should leave you wish much healthier hair that is straight-ish with just a little bit of bend at the ends.

[LadyCelestina]

Natural_shine, if I recall correctly,the OP wrote she HAD to straighten her hair and you're being kind of rude.

Sometimes,hair changes with time,colour-wise,thickness-wise,texture,coarseness etc. It's evident that your hair is either so damaged or so sensitive to heat it splits. I think you should cut off the new splits,as hard as it may be,and look into methods of straightening hair without heat.Which I think is a decent compromise between desire/need to have straight hair and desire to have healthy hair.

I know bad hair can ruin a day,but seriously,it's just hair - that can be hidden in a bun and kept out of sight and mind until it makes you happy again :flower:

[eiwonob]

Maybe the scissors aren't very sharp, since you just had a trim? It could cause the damage. Did you cut it yourself or in a salon? If do it yourself, I advise having a pair of scissors specially for cutting hair.
I hope you and your hair feel better soon!

[RavenBaby]

Avoid Straightener, blow dryers completely, like 100%. Air dry your hair only. Do you wash your hair too often? make sure you are using a sulphate free shampoo (found in hair care shops).

When your hair is wet avoid touching it much at all. Since it's super fragile when it's wet it must be handled minimally. If you use clips, hair ties a lot then try use them less.
Only get your hair trimmed by a professional with a professional scissors since bad scissors creates split ends.

[jojo]

why oh why would you fry your hair? ... you do it yourslef and than act surprised?... hm...

sory to say, but you did it and you know it.

Blowdry can cause serious damage, you can imagine what using direct heat on it will do. Oh, u didn t imagine or believe what the other "fools" said about heat styling? well, now you see.

Myth confirmed. :)

p.s.-there are a lot of healthy alternatives to get rid of frizz. Without looking like it's been ironed, of course. But if you go for that, keep frying it ...
Bit rude dont you think? Give the girl a break, shes come on here for advice not be spoke to like a naughty school girl.

My advice to the op, micro trims will help without losing the length, maybe some deep conditioning treatments will help and do try and break the heat habit, its hard i know but your hair will thank you for it and finally weve all been there, dont be too hard on yourself, your in the right place.

[Bambi]

Hang in there and do not give up! My hair loath all kind of heat so I can sympathize with you...I second the advice that you should switch to a sulphate-free shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner, the difference I see in my wavy(sometimes frizzy) hair is glorious..now it is so soft and shiny. Good luck! Hug!

[goldloli]

why oh why would you fry your hair? ... you do it yourslef and than act surprised?... hm...

Because it looks good and she probably didnt expect splits after just one use

sory to say, but you did it and you know it.

again, don't think she expected such damage to occur, no point to rub it in and make her feel bad

Blowdry can cause serious damage, you can imagine what using direct heat on it will do. Oh, u didn t imagine or believe what the other "fools" said about heat styling? well, now you see.
even hair professionals say that you can use heat without damage, she's not dumb for following general consensus, not everyone lives on a hair forum knowing exact temperatures that change hair structure etc
Myth confirmed. :)
that smiley face is just vindictive/bishy

p.s.-there are a lot of healthy alternatives to get rid of frizz. Without looking like it's been ironed, of course. But if you go for that, keep frying it ...

Oh noes, it's the leet hair care police, come to judge op for using a flat iron instead of a ficcare, quick, assemble your even pressured vortex buns for inspection... Omg is that girl wearing a ponytail secured with a metal tipped elastic, eww what was she thinking?


anyway, op, if you must flat iron again, use only the lowest setting. I'd look into heat free styling instead, plenty of youtube vids for different looks. get out the moisturising conditioners and oils. look into sls free shampoos and coconut oil especially. catnip rinses can help with splits. blowdrying on cool can get your hair pretty darn straight with virtually no damage. S&D which means going through hair and cutting off splits one by one, it may prevent you having to trim. The hair is likely damaged from previous heat styling and susceptible to new damage, unfortunately you may have to gradually cut off all heat styled hair as you go along because this hair will be prone to split and break, no matter how healthy you make it appear. you can still grow and microtrim as you do this. The upside is you may find that hair doesnt split that much after it's hydrated and that you dont want to cut it off or even that your hair wasn't damaged, it was just delicate.

[lapushka]

Either you did have bad hair back then, or you're paying more attention to it now! I don't see why you "have to" heat style, at all, so... You might want to keep on going heat free as that seems to be the way to go. If heat is giving you that bad a damage, best to not use it.

[Naiadryade]

I don't need to be a broken record, as very good advice has already been given here repeatedly.

But I'm curious... in what circumstance did you "have to" flat iron your hair? Are you an actor, was it for a play or something? Or what? Obviously if you went 3 months without it, and then "had to" make it straight, you were in some kind of very special situation! Inquiring minds want to know. :confused:

[Number 3]

Thanks everyone.


It sounds to me like your hair is fragile and REALLY does not like straighteners. DO NOT use the all all! or if you do be prepared to have split ends.

Take really good care of your hair like you did before. Stop trimming so much so you have some length and just do S&D. Time and lots of care will help your hair to be healthy, long and beautiful.

The hair strand is thick and looks healthy, plus all the dye is gone. And I my hair used to be ok with flat irons, what changed now?


STEP AWAY FROM THE STRAIGHTENERS!!!! Seriously, it sounds like you have great hair without them. May I suggest that you learn to embrace your natural texture? I wore my hair up every day for a year until I kicked the heat habit.
I would embrace it but its frizzy, nothing works better then the straightener.


Don't be sad.:grouphug: I agree with AnnaB. I would advise to completely give up heat styling and continue with the proper care that works for you, because it looks like your hair got really sensitive to heat.

I also had really frizzy, wavy hair and after dyeing it with really aggressive dyes for a couple of years and straightening every week it got even worse. It was breaking and spiting all the time, even 2 days after a trim. I decided to stop all that and now it's been two years and a half since then, and the texture of my hair changed a lot. It's smoother and a lot more manageable. It doesn't split or break either.

Unfortunately, I had to cut off most of the dyed hair to stop splitting and breaking (with micro trimming) and all the dye to get the normal thick ends I wanted. It takes time and consistent good and gentle care. Also try the silk or sateen pillow case, it's suppose to reduce tangles while your sleeping.

Yes, but I've already cut all the damaged hair. I don't what's wrong.


I'm sorry you are having these problems, but I agree with everyone else. The heat seems to be the culprit. :undecided
If my hair was damaged, but I have healthy hair now.


I am forever getting split ends, but I've found S&D to be amazing, you should try it!
I would say that if you don't want spilt ends like that, give up the heat styling. There are other ways to wear your hair and if your hair is that badly affected by it, it's probably not a good idea to keep using heat on it ;)
I did try it before, I prefer micro trimming method better.
True but i have horrible frizzes and nothing does it better than flat ironing it.


Just a couple of things:
- Are you using a heat protector on your hair? They are supposed to decrease damage.
- Have you tried non-heat straightening methods? Like bunning techniques or maybe steam curlers (if you use the largest size it will make hair straighter if that makes sense?)

Also since taking care of your hair you are more aware of it. You probably had the same amount of damage before but you didn't really notice it.

Best of luck I hope you find something that works for you :)

-Yes.
-Yes.

Um no it was really healthy despite what it went through, even my hair dresser was surprised how my hair was shiny. But now...


The damage from previous heat styling doesn't go away. The hair is just damaged, so the parts that you heat style with will always be more likely to split and break off. I have that same trouble with chemical hair dyes. So I have had to slowly grow out those parts of my hair. It is a waiting game.

I hate to hear that you are crying though. Hair grows. Cut out the heat styling and continue with the henna and your hair should be really happy.......eventually.

I understand, but I've already cut all the damaged hair twice!


why oh why would you fry your hair? ... you do it yourslef and than act surprised?... hm...

sory to say, but you did it and you know it.

Blowdry can cause serious damage, you can imagine what using direct heat on it will do. Oh, u didn t imagine or believe what the other "fools" said about heat styling? well, now you see.

Myth confirmed. :)

p.s.-there are a lot of healthy alternatives to get rid of frizz. Without looking like it's been ironed, of course. But if you go for that, keep frying it ...

I know, but a women does wanna look beautiful. No matter how I get rid of frizzes using other methods, my hair is still un flirty.


Some hair can't tolerate much heat at all- like mine.
I blow-dry on warm and cool to make my crazy hair lie better.

*sigh*


I would immediately switch to sulfate free shampoo and get some GOOD deep conditioners to help heal/disguise damage. Then, the next time you want straighter hair, when you wash and condition your hair next, let it airdry most of the way till it is just slightly damp and wind it around large velcro rollers -- the larger the better for getting your hair as straight as possible. You can always get one of those bonnet hairdryers to finish up the drying process. Their temperature isn't that hot and won't do anywhere near the amount of damage that a flat iron can do. That should leave you wish much healthier hair that is straight-ish with just a little bit of bend at the ends.
I know, but using this method takes time and effort. and that bend lol I hate it specially when wet bunning.


Natural_shine, if I recall correctly,the OP wrote she HAD to straighten her hair and you're being kind of rude.

Sometimes,hair changes with time,colour-wise,thickness-wise,texture,coarseness etc. It's evident that your hair is either so damaged or so sensitive to heat it splits. I think you should cut off the new splits,as hard as it may be,and look into methods of straightening hair without heat.Which I think is a decent compromise between desire/need to have straight hair and desire to have healthy hair.

I know bad hair can ruin a day,but seriously,it's just hair - that can be hidden in a bun and kept out of sight and mind until it makes you happy again :flower:
Just trimmed all the damage, phew.
I tried almost all the tricks to straighten without heat, none satisfied me.
Tried to go with my natural waves, still not satisfied as the frizzes even though controlled, still gives me a none professional hair look.
Thanks.

[Number 3]

Maybe the scissors aren't very sharp, since you just had a trim? It could cause the damage. Did you cut it yourself or in a salon? If do it yourself, I advise having a pair of scissors specially for cutting hair.
I hope you and your hair feel better soon!
Myself, but with hair scissors.
Thanks.


Avoid Straightener, blow dryers completely, like 100%. Air dry your hair only. Do you wash your hair too often? make sure you are using a sulphate free shampoo (found in hair care shops).

When your hair is wet avoid touching it much at all. Since it's super fragile when it's wet it must be handled minimally. If you use clips, hair ties a lot then try use them less.
Only get your hair trimmed by a professional with a professional scissors since bad scissors creates split ends.
I never blow dry. And I never use clips or hair bands when wet.
But I just don't know...
Thanks.


Bit rude dont you think? Give the girl a break, shes come on here for advice not be spoke to like a naughty school girl.

My advice to the op, micro trims will help without losing the length, maybe some deep conditioning treatments will help and do try and break the heat habit, its hard i know but your hair will thank you for it and finally weve all been there, dont be too hard on yourself, your in the right place.
That's my plan micro-trimming. I do use deep conditioning treatment weekly.
I'll try to leave the heat for good.
Thanks.


Hang in there and do not give up! My hair loath all kind of heat so I can sympathize with you...I second the advice that you should switch to a sulphate-free shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner, the difference I see in my wavy(sometimes frizzy) hair is glorious..now it is so soft and shiny. Good luck! Hug!
Yes, I'll be doing that. Thanks.



natural_shine[/B]]why oh why would you fry your hair? ... you do it yourslef and than act surprised?... hm...

Because it looks good and she probably didnt expect splits after just one use

sory to say, but you did it and you know it.

again, don't think she expected such damage to occur, no point to rub it in and make her feel bad

Blowdry can cause serious damage, you can imagine what using direct heat on it will do. Oh, u didn t imagine or believe what the other "fools" said about heat styling? well, now you see.
even hair professionals say that you can use heat without damage, she's not dumb for following general consensus, not everyone lives on a hair forum knowing exact temperatures that change hair structure etc
Myth confirmed.
that smiley face is just vindictive/bishy

p.s.-there are a lot of healthy alternatives to get rid of frizz. Without looking like it's been ironed, of course. But if you go for that, keep frying it ...

Oh noes, it's the leet hair care police, come to judge op for using a flat iron instead of a ficcare, quick, assemble your even pressured vortex buns for inspection.


anyway, op, if you must flat iron again, use only the lowest setting. I'd look into heat free styling instead, plenty of youtube vids for different looks. get out the moisturising conditioners and oils. look into sls free shampoos and coconut oil especially. catnip rinses can help with splits. blowdrying on cool can get your hair pretty darn straight with virtually no damage. S&D which means going through hair and cutting off splits one by one, it may prevent you having to trim. The hair is likely damaged from previous heat styling and susceptible to new damage, unfortunately you may have to gradually cut off all heat styled hair as you go along because this hair will be prone to split and break, no matter how healthy you make it appear. you can still grow and microtrim as you do this. The upside is you may find that hair doesnt split that much after it's hydrated and that you dont want to cut it off or even that your hair wasn't damaged, it was just delicate.
Thanks.
I did saw some youtube vids regarding strainghening hair without heat, but I origginaly have frizzy and I mean frizzy hair, I don get straight hair alright but frizzy, like I just got electricuted.
I just did S&D. Feels better.
Thanks again.


Either you did have bad hair back then, or you're paying more attention to it now! I don't see why you "have to" heat style, at all, so... You might want to keep on going heat free as that seems to be the way to go. If heat is giving you that bad a damage, best to not use it.
I will try. Thanks.


I don't need to be a broken record, as very good advice has already been given here repeatedly.

But I'm curious... in what circumstance did you "have to" flat iron your hair? Are you an actor, was it for a play or something? Or what? Obviously if you went 3 months without it, and then "had to" make it straight, you were in some kind of very special situation! Inquiring minds want to know. :confused:

Haha..I was trying to save my hair during that time and grow it long avoiding the heat. I just go with my frizzy hair but then I though I had taken good care of my hair lately what damage could happen now to strong healthy hair...you know the rest.

[Naiadryade]

Hmm. If you say the damage is gone and your main issue with your hair is its frizz... maybe try the Curly Girl method? I don't have frizzy/curly hair so I can't speak from experience, nor do I know a lot about it. But I've come to understand that that's how a lot of folks on here come to love the texture of their hair curly hair--when they treat it right, it's not frizzy. They do this not by straightening, but by embracing the curliness and treating their curls right with lots of moisture.

[Nightshade]

From what I gather from your posts, you simply prefer your hair shiny and straight, and I understand that.

There's people here that bleach and know it damages their hair, and they also undertake that with the understanding that their hair will not be as healthy and can't attain the extreme lengths of virgin, unbleached hair as easily.

I think what you need to do is come to that point of balance. Do you want to have flat-ironed straight hair or very very long hair? Because it's the rare head of hair that can do both. What's your goal length? If it's only BSL or so, I think you can probably get away with some flat-ironing here and there. If it's fingertip or ankle, it won't happen.

The best way I can think of to strike a balance is to:

Wear your hair in different styles that doesn't require straightening. Put it up, braid it, etc. There are some very classy, professional styles you can do that don't involve heat.
Try one of the other straightening techniques without heat, then use just just a smidge of heat on the flat iron to take it the rest of the way
Flat iron a little as possible. Can you flat iron it one day and then smooth it with a brush and some product the next rather than ironing it again? It might not be as perfect, but the amount of people that would notice is going to be painfully few.

Kind of comes down to: Quick, Perfectly Straight, Non-Damaging-- pick two



If you do exactly what you did before, you're going to get the same results, kwim? I think if you try the things I listed it might help you minimize the damage if you insist on ironing your hair when you wear it down.

[dulce]

Dyeing and flat irons caused my hair to literally break off,now I use no heat or chemicals or dyes at all,and am at hip with no split ends or breakeage.Some hair can take the heat better than others .

[melusine963]

Oh noes, it's the leet hair care police, come to judge op for using a flat iron instead of a ficcare, quick, assemble your even pressured vortex buns for inspection... Omg is that girl wearing a ponytail secured with a metal tipped elastic, eww what was she thinking.

Your comment rules. :) I can't stand people who behave in such a smuggly superior way. The OP should be able to wear her hair exactly the way she wants to, and if that includes heat styling then so be it. There's a lot of good advice in this thread for how to minimise the damage.

[akilina]

I have gotten very frustrated with my hair before too :(

I didn't read replies..but it sounds like you have the heat WAY too high. You should not smell burning hair and it should not destroy your hair that much just to use it once. Especially since you have been so good and haven't used it in a few months.
Do you wear your hair up a lot?? Putting it in protective styles and forgetting about it can help a lot...Ive been trying to do it more myself.

[DancingQueen]

If I were you, I would probably throw away the straightener. There are other ways to straighten your hair naturally, and it sounds like that might be the solution for you. If you must use heat, use plenty of heat protector. Good luck with it. :)

[renia22]

Number 3- does your straightener have a metal surface, or fabric? I don't straighten my hair anymore, but for a while I was using a fabric covered straightener & it wasn't as damaging as the metal ones. Also a tiny bit of Dr. Bronner's All-In-One Magic Hair Cream (the lavender one), on dry hair, prior to straightening, works fabulously. Good luck

[jacqueline101]

Lay off the heat. I'd use good moisturizing products and micro trim. If not that s&d your ends.

[SleepyTangles]

I'm in the frizzy wagon, too :waving:!
In time order, things that have helped me are: henna, dropping the straightener, ACV rinse, low-sulfate or no sulphate shampoo, deep conditioning.

More importantly: do you like straight hair or just - like me - that unnerving halo of crazy frizzies that sticks out of the "main" stream of hair? When I initially dropped the straightener, my hair went BERSEK... then after some time it started to feel fuller, less floofy. My frizzy "halo" was much much smaller. I guess the recovery time was really needed...:shrug:
And I really love ACV rinse or herbal rinses on humid days...

Hope to have expressed myself well, my english is kinda poor...

[jeanniet]

The damage from flat-ironing will build up over time, and it's permanent--that is, you'll have to grow it out. If your hair is frizzy, you may very well have curly hair, and curly hair needs lots of moisture. If you want it straight, there's no reason why you can't have it that way, but if you want to continue using heat you may have to be willing to give up some length. Length and heat don't tend to go together too well. Going curly is another option to consider.

[jessa]

have you tried to go CO washing? CO and ACV rinse helped my frizzies a lot :) good luck

[dwell_in_safety]

My hair can't really tolerate heat well, either. EVERY time I've straightened since I was about 18, it will be riddled with splits 2-3 days later. The last time I used heat on my hair was May 2011. Some of us have hair that can do just fine with a flat iron or curler used sparingly, once a month or so, and others of us have hair that... yeah, can't do it. (I don't think anyone has hair that will stay healthy using heat to that extent any more than 1-2 times a month.)

The good news is that your hair will grow. I suggest a microtrim, maybe another in two weeks or so, to get rid of your splits before they do any real damage to the rest of your hair. You won't lose any length, and the damage will be gone quickly. :)

[ghost]

Number 3, That really sucks about your hair. I know the pain of having to cut off length due to damage I wasn't expecting, and I hope you feel a little better soon.
I found a tutorial on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqjOU_PKwic)for getting straight hair with no heat, and there are lots of other videos with different ways to get straight hair without heat if that one doesn't ring your bell. I'm not sure it will give that same smooth feeling of having ironed hair, since ironing closes your hair's cuticle, but it at least gets it straighter.

[CurlyCap]

Some hair just can't take heat. That's why I only straighten my hair at most once a year. And I always do it before a scheduled trim so that I can cut away any damage without feeling too bad about it.

If you want maximally healthy hair, then no heat.

If you want to use heat occasionally, then be prepared to plan around the negative consequences.

It's simple, really.

[jojo]

I remember when i used to go the weight watchers, not the same i know but they always told us it takes 28 days for a habit to form. Keep to your plan which sounds excellent and in a months time you will be over the heat habit. Ive been there myself and totally understand how difficult it is but once you see just how beautiful your natural hair is, you will never look back. I still straighten occassionaly mainly to see my length and because it looks nice but these days its more of a treat, than a must do.
Good luck, im 100% sure you will be be turning that frown upside down very soon!

[Number 3]

Hmm. If you say the damage is gone and your main issue with your hair is its frizz... maybe try the Curly Girl method? I don't have frizzy/curly hair so I can't speak from experience, nor do I know a lot about it. But I've come to understand that that's how a lot of folks on here come to love the texture of their hair curly hair--when they treat it right, it's not frizzy. They do this not by straightening, but by embracing the curliness and treating their curls right with lots of moisture.
I tried, the frizz is still present. I already posted a thread regarding the issue and many ladies came and agree it didn't work for them.


From what I gather from your posts, you simply prefer your hair shiny and straight, and I understand that.

There's people here that bleach and know it damages their hair, and they also undertake that with the understanding that their hair will not be as healthy and can't attain the extreme lengths of virgin, unbleached hair as easily.

I think what you need to do is come to that point of balance. Do you want to have flat-ironed straight hair or very very long hair? Because it's the rare head of hair that can do both. What's your goal length? If it's only BSL or so, I think you can probably get away with some flat-ironing here and there. If it's fingertip or ankle, it won't happen.

The best way I can think of to strike a balance is to:

Wear your hair in different styles that doesn't require straightening. Put it up, braid it, etc. There are some very classy, professional styles you can do that don't involve heat.
Try one of the other straightening techniques without heat, then use just just a smidge of heat on the flat iron to take it the rest of the way
Flat iron a little as possible. Can you flat iron it one day and then smooth it with a brush and some product the next rather than ironing it again? It might not be as perfect, but the amount of people that would notice is going to be painfully few.

Kind of comes down to: Quick, Perfectly Straight, Non-Damaging-- pick two



If you do exactly what you did before, you're going to get the same results, kwim? I think if you try the things I listed it might help you minimize the damage if you insist on ironing your hair when you wear it down.

As I posted before I did have healthy long hair and flat iron it daily. I'm currently a little before BSL but my goal is waist or a little before waist length.
I really wouldn't mind having curly hair, but its not shiny and its totally frizzy. Hair sticks out everywhere. Tried oils and stylying products but none satisfied me.


Dyeing and flat irons caused my hair to literally break off,now I use no heat or chemicals or dyes at all,and am at hip with no split ends or breakeage.Some hair can take the heat better than others .

Would do the same if I had straight hair.


Your comment rules. :) I can't stand people who behave in such a smuggly superior way. The OP should be able to wear her hair exactly the way she wants to, and if that includes heat styling then so be it. There's a lot of good advice in this thread for how to minimise the damage.

Thanks hun.


I have gotten very frustrated with my hair before too :(

I didn't read replies..but it sounds like you have the heat WAY too high. You should not smell burning hair and it should not destroy your hair that much just to use it once. Especially since you have been so good and haven't used it in a few months.
Do you wear your hair up a lot?? Putting it in protective styles and forgetting about it can help a lot...Ive been trying to do it more myself.
Yes I try to wear it up when I'm home.


If I were you, I would probably throw away the straightener. There are other ways to straighten your hair naturally, and it sounds like that might be the solution for you. If you must use heat, use plenty of heat protector. Good luck with it. :)
I will try to use more heat protection products.


Number 3- does your straightener have a metal surface, or fabric? I don't straighten my hair anymore, but for a while I was using a fabric covered straightener & it wasn't as damaging as the metal ones. Also a tiny bit of Dr. Bronner's All-In-One Magic Hair Cream (the lavender one), on dry hair, prior to straightening, works fabulously. Good luck
It's metal. Never heard or saw the fabric one before.


Lay off the heat. I'd use good moisturizing products and micro trim. If not that s&d your ends.
I'm doing that at the moment


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Thanks all.

[Number 3]

I'm in the frizzy wagon, too :waving:!
In time order, things that have helped me are: henna, dropping the straightener, ACV rinse, low-sulfate or no sulphate shampoo, deep conditioning.

More importantly: do you like straight hair or just - like me - that unnerving halo of crazy frizzies that sticks out of the "main" stream of hair? When I initially dropped the straightener, my hair went BERSEK... then after some time it started to feel fuller, less floofy. My frizzy "halo" was much much smaller. I guess the recovery time was really needed...:shrug:
And I really love ACV rinse or herbal rinses on humid days...

Hope to have expressed myself well, my english is kinda poor...
Henna is great but I don't like the red/orange hues I get.
If I could get rid of frizzes I could manage to survive without having straight hair.


The damage from flat-ironing will build up over time, and it's permanent--that is, you'll have to grow it out. If your hair is frizzy, you may very well have curly hair, and curly hair needs lots of moisture. If you want it straight, there's no reason why you can't have it that way, but if you want to continue using heat you may have to be willing to give up some length. Length and heat don't tend to go together too well. Going curly is another option to consider.

I have dry frizzy hair while my sister has curly hair that has not one frizz! I still can't solve the mystery. So having curly hair doesn't mean it needs moister. Her hair is very well moistened.


have you tried to go CO washing? CO and ACV rinse helped my frizzies a lot :) good luck

Yes tried both, ACV worked better.


My hair can't really tolerate heat well, either. EVERY time I've straightened since I was about 18, it will be riddled with splits 2-3 days later. The last time I used heat on my hair was May 2011. Some of us have hair that can do just fine with a flat iron or curler used sparingly, once a month or so, and others of us have hair that... yeah, can't do it. (I don't think anyone has hair that will stay healthy using heat to that extent any more than 1-2 times a month.)

The good news is that your hair will grow. I suggest a microtrim, maybe another in two weeks or so, to get rid of your splits before they do any real damage to the rest of your hair. You won't lose any length, and the damage will be gone quickly. :)
Yes, I'm on the micro-trimming method.


Number 3, That really sucks about your hair. I know the pain of having to cut off length due to damage I wasn't expecting, and I hope you feel a little better soon.
I found a tutorial on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqjOU_PKwic)for getting straight hair with no heat, and there are lots of other videos with different ways to get straight hair without heat if that one doesn't ring your bell. I'm not sure it will give that same smooth feeling of having ironed hair, since ironing closes your hair's cuticle, but it at least gets it straighter.
Thanks for the video.
I will try it.


Some hair just can't take heat. That's why I only straighten my hair at most once a year. And I always do it before a scheduled trim so that I can cut away any damage without feeling too bad about it.

If you want maximally healthy hair, then no heat.

If you want to use heat occasionally, then be prepared to plan around the negative consequences.

It's simple, really.

I understand...


I remember when i used to go the weight watchers, not the same i know but they always told us it takes 28 days for a habit to form. Keep to your plan which sounds excellent and in a months time you will be over the heat habit. Ive been there myself and totally understand how difficult it is but once you see just how beautiful your natural hair is, you will never look back. I still straighten occassionaly mainly to see my length and because it looks nice but these days its more of a treat, than a must do.
Good luck, im 100% sure you will be be turning that frown upside down very soon!
I will try other methods. Lets hope I throw this flat iron for good.


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Thanks all.

[dulce]

I have curly hair,if I airdry only it is quite curly,if I dry using a floor fan[yes,am not kidding!] and put it in front of me [after I comb it as straight as I can,after washing] it blows it straight behind me and for me dries very fast and GREATLY reduces my curls.I do this while I'm on the computer as this method of hair drying leaves my hands free.It sounds funny but for me it has worked well and causes no hair damage while making my hair quite a bit straighter.I don't get stick straight hair but it's much improved over plain air drying where I get tight ringlets all over,now it's gentle smooth waves..

[tigereye]

Most of what I would have said has been said already. I pay dearly if I use heat. Thankfully I was too lazy to spend the time in the morning before school to ever get into the habit. My hairdrier gets used more for bulling my ceremonial army shoes in one year than it ever got actually drying my hair.
You mentioned you don't want the red/orange from henna. Have you thought about cassia? I'm a henna-head myself, so I've never actually tried it.

I can only tell you what works for my hair, but it might give you a few ideas. Amodimethicone and dimethicone were the cause of many a bad hair days for me. Instead of locking moisture in, it seemed to actually keep it out. My hair was a lot less dry, and less frizzy when I changed to cone-free.
I also do the final rinse in as cold water as the shower will allow until the hair is no longer warm (usually leaning so that it's only actually my hair in the water - I don't like the blast of cold myself). If I'm away somewhere and the shower doesn't turn to cold, I'll go to the sink and run cold water over it as much as I can. Rinsing in cold water closes the cuticle or something (isn't that what straightening does anyway??) so it's less frizzy and shinier.
When I've finished and gently pressed the extra water out, I put a small amount of aloe vera gel in my wet palms and rub them together, before smoothing over the top of my hair, and *very gently* (so as to prevent breakage) bun the rest with a small glass hair stick (because its waterproof, unlike most of my wood ones).
Because I wash my hair in the morning, once a week, my hair dries in a bun over the course of the day, keeping the frizzies to a minimum in the length as it dries slower and held in place, (even if it does turn it a little wavy from the bun), and the aloe vera smoothed over the top keeps the "halo" on top down. At BSL, it might not take the whole day to dry as mine does, but it's best to keep it up until you're sure it's dry.

Like I said, it might not work for you, but maybe there are a couple of things that you could try. If nothing else, at least try the cold water and the aloe vera. Wet-bunning is next on the list, but then, you could always just wash your hair at night and let it dry in those huge rollers to try and straighten your hair some - I don't know if it would work the same to make your hair dry slower, but who knows?

Personally, my hair is in a bun most of the time, so I'm not sure how much help I am if you're wanting to wear it down and straight.