Who HATES straightened hair?

[GlassEyes]

And no, I don't mean from a damaging aspect, or even from a 'fried ends' aspect specifically (though I suppose that could factor in). I mean aesthetically.

For me, I have recently seen only a few people with straightened hair that I can say looked fine, but for the most part, everyone I know looks better with some kind of curl or body wave or something to their hair. Straightened hair just tends to look, well, flat. For the most part.

And this is coming from the guy who grew out his hair to straighten it. If I hadn't bleached it three times, I'd probably have straight hair at the moment. >.> Then I found LHC and I'm perfectly fine, but what about you guys?

Edit: Hey mods, want to do me a favor, please? Delete this? xD

[tinah]

I've always thought it looks god-awful. I have yet to see anyone straighten their hair and it not look processed. if you are going to treat your hair and have it look treated, why not go for fun colors instead?

[Chromis]

I wouldn't say I *hate* it, and it's not my hair to say anyhow, but I do not think it looks good. There is a vast difference in straightened hair versus hair that grows that way! Naturally straight hair may well be flat, but it still has gloss and bounce, it swings when you move your head. (I also don't get why having "flat" hair is a bad thing, I know I really don't want more volume at my scalp, I like it better flat!) Straightened hair just hangs there and doesn't move the same way at all. The edges of straightened hair almost always seem very ragged and fried as well.

[Lamb]

Ack! I really think this would have looked better in a blog. Plenty of pin-straight haired members here. :hmm:
And IMO, there is nothing wrong with straight and completely smooth hair. :shrug:

[talullah]

No. I don't hate any kind of hair. :crazyq:

[paper]

When I watch those comercials for flat irons. I always think they looked better before straightening. They have the most beautiful wavy/curly hair, then they do that to it?

[GlassEyes]

Ack! I really think this would have looked better in a blog. Plenty of pin-straight haired members here. :hmm:
And IMO, there is nothing wrong with straight and completely smooth hair. :shrug:

Oh no, you misunderstand me!

I think naturally pin-straight hair looks fine. xD I think 'straightened' hair looks overprocessed. There's a difference. My sister and cousin have naturally straight hair, even.

And I understand the 'it's not my hair, I don't really care' argument, because typically it's my own. XD; I guess I'm being a hypocrite here. Maybe this would've been better in a blog. Or not-existant at all, as I feel like an idiot now.

I really have to think about these topics before I post them.

[HalcyonDays]

I agree - pin straight hair looks gorgeous when it's natural. It's just so amazingly :agape:

But when I go to school everyone has uber straightened hair and you can tell it's not natural - it's something about the way the hair lies or something. It makes it look very flat and thin.

I don't mind a little use of the straightener just to sort out frizz, but when it's used too much it looks awful.

[pariate]

Oh no, you misunderstand me!

I think naturally pin-straight hair looks fine. xD I think 'straightened' hair looks overprocessed. There's a difference. My sister and cousin have naturally straight hair, even.

And I understand the 'it's not my hair, I don't really care' argument, because typically it's my own. XD; I guess I'm being a hypocrite here. Maybe this would've been better in a blog. Or not-existant at all, as I feel like an idiot now.

I really have to think about these topics before I post them.

:lol: I've experienced this feeling before ;) Don't worry, I get your meaning. I'm the same - straightened hair kinda freaks me out. It just often looks... fake. Naturally straight hair is an entirely different thing and you can usually tell a mile away if the hair is naturally straight or not!



Edit: Hey mods, want to do me a favor, please? Delete this? xD

:rolling: Don't worry, I'm sure people will read all the posts and take the comment in the right spirit :) There have been far more contentious issues raised on the forum lately. Religion, politics, flower arranging... you name it, we've covered it!

[wintersun99]

I cringe when I see over-processed and damaged hair, I try not to judge, I admire healthy, shiney hair at any length and texture and color, this has been emphasized even more to me now that I currently have over-processed, fried, damaged hair... :)

[Ohio Sky]

I agree with you, Glasseyes. And I do like the look of naturally straight hair, it can be very beautiful if it's well taken care of. The problem with straight ironed hair is that it's not well taken care of. It's usually blow dried and straightened and bleached all at the same time. And naturally straight hair has movement. Straightened hair doesn't, but I don't know whether it is because it's straightened or because of all the other products they use.

The big thing here is to bleach all hint of color out of the top half of your head and then dye the bottom half black. And straighten it, of course. I really don't like the look on most.

I'm glad you are not straightening your hair, Glasseyes. I love your curls! :D

[jojo]

I love straight hair unfortunatelly my hair thinks its awful and breaks off in protest, but I am liking my wave more and more.

Naturally straight hair is beautiful though, we always want what we dont want eh?

[pariate]

Oh yes indeedy - the grass is always greener, the hair always easier to style/maintain!

[nessthing]

I love straightened hair. diaf lol j/k nurrr :B

[wendyg]

I don't like it at all. Exhibit A: Pam Shriver, the tennis player turned commentator. She had great, curly hair when she was playing. These days she has it straightened, and it doesn't look nearly as good. Also Julia Louis Dreyfus, the actress with the wonderful hair from Seinfeld. In the interviews on the Seinfeld DVDs her hair looked like it had been ironed onto her scalp.

I don't get why people do this. It never looks at all natural; it always looks *straightened*.

wg

[redtea]

About once a year when I get my hair cut I let them straighten it with a dryer (no iron, even though they always threaten to use it!) - it takes them a really long time to do it, but when they're done my hair always looks so smooth and shiny and I look like a different person. It's fun for a change. I like how my hair feels straight and I like how it never gets all tangly and messed up like my curly hair does... but, I'm happy with my hair the way it is. It's just fun to have a change once in a while.

[pariate]

I like how my hair feels straight and I like how it never gets all tangly and messed up like my curly hair does... but, I'm happy with my hair the way it is. It's just fun to have a change once in a while.

Oh yes, I remember those tangle-free days! *sigh*

[Alaskanheart]

I can hardly tell the difference honestly.Of course if the hair is bleached and fried it doesnt look as good as natural straight hair, but Ive seen people with beautiful shiny straight hair, and I cant tell if its natural or not.Example, my sister in law used to blowdry with a round brush when her hair was short.Since shes grown it long Ive admired how straight and silky it looks, I told her it looked really pretty and she said it was because she irons it, and if she didnt you could see her damage.

I guess its like anything damaging, the longer you do it the worse the damage gets and eventually it gets to the point to where the damage cannot be hidden.

I dont think theres anything wrong with someone styling their hair that way.We all are individual.Some people look better with straight and some with curly and visa versa, even sometimes if its not what nature intended.

[kwaniesiam]

I don't really bother to hate someone else's hair, but I get what you mean. My roommate has such pretty curls, and I didn't know this until the other day because she had straightened it everyday since moving in. I did think it looked a bit odd and didn't really suited her, now I know why! She's at least 3a :rolleyes:

[AshleyP]

Ack! I really think this would have looked better in a blog. Plenty of pin-straight haired members here. :hmm:
And IMO, there is nothing wrong with straight and completely smooth hair. :shrug:

Exact thing I was thinking - except, I was thinking - plenty of members here who DO flat iron their hair. Myself included from time to time. In my opinion, my hair always looks better straightened. Ahh well. Everyones entitled to their own opinions. :p

[Honey39]

I love the look, sorry! If it didn't destroy my hair, I would use my GHD straighteners every day. It turns my hair into this amazing, silken waterfall of hair. Sigh.

Why does it have to be BAD for your hair, lol...!

I'm - for the first time in my life - embracing my hair type. But heart of hearts, I adore straight, silky hair.

[prosperina]

I think straightened hair can look good on people who already have lots of hair (otherwise, a straight iron and loads of product can flatten your hair out, making it lay unnaturally close to the head) who straighten only the top layer and on a very very occasional basis.

I got my hair straightened about a year ago at a salon and it was TERRIBLE. I have lots of hair, but while it did look and feel smooth, my hair was just deflated and significantly diminished in volume. It looked flat, didn't move and just stuck to my head and hung there all boring-like. bleck.

[MsBubbles]

My hair is dead flat straight no matter what I do to it and it has taken me 41 years (23 or so away from my mother's voice saying 'it just *hangs* there'!) to embrace the straightness! All I can say is thank God big hair hasn't come back into style yet because I will be hopelessly passe at that point (maybe that was what the whole 'Rachel' thing was all about!). I'm sure though, like skinny jeans, it's probably due for another run here soon. My hair will never be big. Ever.

As for straightened hair - how do you tell if people are straightening their hair if you don't otherwise know what their hair is like naturally? And I'm jealous of anybody lucky enough to have any body or wave :).

[anna1850]

There are certain types of hairstyle that I really don't like. The worst is bleached platinum on the top layer, black underneath and straightened to death. Even if it wasn't damaging it just doesn't look good to me. But straightened hair in general I don't really hate.

I can normally tell the difference between straightened and straight hair. though I wish I had naturally straight hair. I had my hair straightened after my last hair cut (a year and a half ago) and it looked really really good. Whenever I used to do it at home it never looked very good and never stayed straight but at the hairdressers they'd kind of curl the ends under and it was so smooth and nice. I don't miss the smell though, that was horrible. But everyone said it looked great and that I looked really different.

I'm looking for alternatives to heat straightening and whilst some are relatively successful, I've yet to find a method yet that's quite good enough to get my curls out entirely (best is about a 1c/2a), but I continue searching.

So, I think it completely depends on the person and how well it is straightened. Some people can pull it off and some can't. I guess it's like perms. They can look godawful but they can look pretty good occaisionally too.

[prosperina]

As for straightened hair - how do you tell if people are straightening their hair if you don't otherwise know what their hair is like naturally? And I'm jealous of anybody lucky enough to have any body or wave :).


Usually the split ends all the way up to the top of the head are a dead give away. That, and if they missed a few pieces. Otherwise, I can't really tell, except for that the hair looks generally sorta chewed up, but that could be from other things than a straight iron. MsBubbles, your hair looks really good. I like smooth straight hair, it just looks funny on me. :flower:

[30isthenewblack]

I have never straightened my hair but I don't think there is anything wrong with girls with curly hair straightening their hair once in a while. I am going to put myself out there & say that I don't like the look of chemically straightened hair. It looks ok when you do it say once or twice but anything more than that really damages the hair & they still have to use a straightening iron to straighten out the kinks. What is the point of that? I can really tell if someone has chemically straightened their hair. It doesn't sit straight (get it haha). I really worry about the long term effects of chemically straightening your hair ie thinning, baldness etc

[Katahdin]

Personally, I like both curly and straight hair, although I'd rather have my straight hair than curly hair. Mostly I just wouldn't want to deal with keeping it tangle-free while having the curl formation.

I'm not sure if this applies to every curly, but there was a girl in my grade 9 math class who had incredibly tight ringlets, and occasionally she'd straighten, and when she did it looked incredibly, unbelievably thick, not at all flat You would never have guessed it from her curly hair, but it was so gorgeous and thick, and very healthy looking.

I think straightened hair is really gorgeous, but only if it's done occasionally. People who straighten every single day look terrible, because their hair is so damaged. I like healthy straightened hair :)

[Shanarana]

Also Julia Louis Dreyfus, the actress with the wonderful hair from Seinfeld. In the interviews on the Seinfeld DVDs her hair looked like it had been ironed onto her scalp.

I don't get why people do this. It never looks at all natural; it always looks *straightened*.

wg

I agree, I am a Seinfeld addict and always loved Elaines' hair when it was curly. There were a couple eposides when it was straight and I didn't like it at all.

Glasseyes, there is nothing wrong with the post you started. :)

[RoseRedDead]

I don't hate it in particular. I think it's silly that so many women think that's what they should do with their hair.

But I do LOVE this: seeing all of the girls my age with a hairstyle that looks exactly the same. Then looking at my hair and seeing it long(ish) and wild and mine.

[RedCardigan]

I love healthy,well-cared for,natural hair. The longer (or bigger for those of us who's hair tends to grow more "out" than down,lol!) the better,of course! :)

[RavenDream]

After reading this thread I really realized how yucky my hair looks when it's straightened. It lies compleltey flat and lifeless and looks fake. I hate to see girls that have lovely curls and waves but straighten their hair everyday.

[Carolyn]

I love the look of straightened hair. I also love naturally straight hair and natural curls and waves. My hair gets straightened 3 or 4 times a year and I love it that way. I can't keep my hands out of it and enjoy looking at it. I don't like to see tons of splits and frazzled ends but if they aren't my splits and frazzles, I can't really care or be concerned.

[LadyMoon11]

I like it when hair looks natural and healthy. But some people like their hair other ways. So be it.

I got a comment not long ago from a neighbor. She said, " You really shouldn't straighten your hair! Your waves are so pretty. Waves are in now, you know." I just replied something to the affect of, "hrumphmmmph... k thanks!".

You see, my hair IS straight. The waves are bun or braid waves. :wail:

[goodenough]

I guess because I've always been straight haired, I like to see pretty waves and curls. I couldn't believe it when my hairdresser would get out a straightening iron after cutting my hair--my hair was already really straight!!! She said it was because my ends were turning under. I am from a time where that was considered a good thing!! I slept in many a curler and suffered steam rollers, irons, and those weird bendy stick things you heated up in the eighties and early nineties to get my dumb hair to turn under.

Now my hair is longer and more wavy then before. I actually ran the curling iron through the top layer the other day to straighten it a little. I don't know if it's from bun waves or just because it's longer, but it really has more body now.

One thing to remember is that hair health is one of the last things most women and girls think of. We are in the minority. When my hair was shorter NOTHING seemed to hurt it. Bleach would burn my scalp before it caused too much hair damage. And the ends would be quickly cut off each month. It's like how I don't care if I heat style my bangs or even cut them right half the time--they're just going to be cut again, so who cares!

I normally think people look best with their own texture. My pet peeve is girls who put a ton of gel in their hair to "bring out the curl." It looks like the late eighties "wet look" to me. I don't get it. Why would someone want crunchy, shiny hair. Part of what I love about curls is the softness. Anyway--we don't have to understand, do we?!

[BlackfootHair]

It always made me sad to see my niece who has beautiful curls (3A) straighten them...she looks so much better with her natural curl.

Straightened hair usually does look quite yucky. Naturally straight hair looks very nice. Smooth and sleek...and shiny too! I used to admire this Asian co-worker's hair. It was to her waist and naturally very black and straight. So pretty! Then she started bleaching it! It wasn't very pretty afterwards.

[NurseMama]

On myself, I MUCH prefer hair that has been blowfried straight with a round brush to hair that is straightened with a flat iron. With the blowfrier my hair still had body and bounce, but the straighter just made it flat.

Even more than that (on myself) I prefer the waist length long shiny spirals that I easily had when I lived in the humidity along the gulf coast :). Now, my hair can't figure out what it wants to be and that is annoying.

On others, I really just prefer the look of healthy hair. Too often hair that is heat processed just looks damaged.

[RavennaNight]

Now, looking back at old pics, I dislike straightened hair on me. :) I am now a happy wavy and let it do its thing every day. DH probably hatesstraightened hair on him. He had the unfortunate experience of chemically straightening and burning his scalp with the chemicals. I've seen it look okay on others, though.

[EbonyCurls]

I know what you mean. And I hope nobody w/straight hair is offended b/c I agree w/ and think that the OP is referring to unnaturally straight hair. (for the record I think naturally straight hair is absolutely gorgeous). There is definitely a faker, duller look to hair that has been heat-manipulated to be straightened and it lacks the inner-glow and bounce and shine most of the time as the hair in its natural state.

From what I've seen (and experienced w/my own hair) it tends to look very flat, both in shape and shine/color.

The best "straightening" methods I've seen were achieved by the use of roller-setting in which the hair is dried around large rollers and brushed out. But I tend to dislike the flat-iron look on most people.

[Nat242]

I think straightened hair can look great. My sister blow-dries hers straight almost every morning, and her hair is soft, shiny, bouncy, and it looks lovely. She doesn't have long length goals, and seems to have hardy hair, so it works for her.

Heck, before the damage caught up with me, straightened hair looked *beautiful* on me, and once I've achieved my milestone and am trimming again, I'll straighten from time to time.

I know GlassEyes didn't have any malicious intent when he started this thread, but there have been a few similar threads lately that I don't much like the spirit of. Why must we be negative towards hair that's different from our own? Will we be seeing threads like, "Who hates braid/bun waves?" "Who hates CO?" "Who hates henna?"

We're all here to grow/maintain long, healthy hair. I don't see why we need to talk about what we "hate" about hair belonging to people with different priorities.

Sorry for the rant. This isn't the only thread I've noticed this on, but it caught most of my spleen-venting.

None of this was aimed at anyone in particular, just a general observation. I do love this place! :flowers:

[ladyshannonanne]

Yah, I think I'm in this club. I LOVE asian hair and used to wish I had that thick, coarse, black sheet of straight hair, so I did straighten my hair for a while. The problem is that when you have naturally fine hair, it doesn't always look so hot. Blow dried/round brushed hair I think looks good on most people, but flat ironed hair is usually pretty obvious, I think. It often looks too wispy at the ends, and not in a good way.

I have to say, though, that I love having wavy hair, now that I've learned to work with it instead of against it. I think wavy and curly hair have a lot of interest, even if they can look somewhat less polished than straight locks.

[toodramatik]

I used to love the look. I used to straighten every day. Because I had a bop and a wavy bop looks.. well.. Silly. Especially my waves. My waves are... unique. Like some kind of rare disease.

Joking. I love my waves now. But not when they were in a bop. I'd straighten every day, sometimes when wet.. :|

Recently though looking at all the girls with long hair at school it's like.. "Dude.. does she HAVE to straighten it?". You're hardpressed to find someone with long wavy hair at my school. Or curly. It's kinda depressing.

But yeah. I like how it looks. I just don't like how *everyone* does it. Variety is the spice of life, no?

[DecafJane]

Naturally straight hair looks wonderful. I'm not a big fan of ironed hair, but I don't react particularly strongly to it. FWIW, I have never been able to get my hair perfectly straight with an iron, anyway. It always ends up retaining a bit of the wave. :p

[Igor]

I have to admit I tend to agree…. Mostly because it seems to go with that idea that any natural hair colour or texture is bad?! The more store (or salon) bought your hair is and the more products it requires, the better it seems to be to most people

You have naturally bright red hair? Ack! Colour it!
You paid a butt-load of money for bright red hair? Awesome! That’s so trendy! :rolleyes:

[AnimaSola3o4]

I don't hate it necessarily.

I can however, with about 99% accuracy, spot a curly that's decided to flat iron their hair to hell and beyond. There's something about the way it looks, that's not natural. A 1a's hair looks natural and beautiful, but even if I took my curls and ironed them to the same as 1a's straightness.... it would not look right. Not as good for sure.

I someday hope to invest in a very good quality flat iron, to use for special occasions... like someone else mentioned, about once a year or so. Just for a slight change. But all the flat irons I've owned thus far, have eroded on the heating surfaces, which makes me cringe to even consider using that on my hair.

But artifically straightening my hair does help me realize it's length and movement like I don't normally notice when it's curly.

:twocents:

[maluszek]

I think the most beautiful hair is straight hair. I loved the look after using a straightener but I want my hair to be healthy so now everyday is like a bad hair day to me ;)

[darl_in1]

I used to love the look. I used to straighten every day. Because I had a bop and a wavy bop looks.. well.. Silly. Especially my waves. My waves are... unique. Like some kind of rare disease.

Joking. I love my waves now. But not when they were in a bop. I'd straighten every day, sometimes when wet.. :|

Recently though looking at all the girls with long hair at school it's like.. "Dude.. does she HAVE to straighten it?". You're hardpressed to find someone with long wavy hair at my school. Or curly. It's kinda depressing.

But yeah. I like how it looks. I just don't like how *everyone* does it. Variety is the spice of life, no?

Please excuse my ignorance, but ....what's a "bop"? I'm guessing it's a hair style, but I've never heard of it and am curious.

[rhubarbarin]

I LOOOOVE naturally straight, super smooth, super silky, flat hair. I have always wanted it!

However it does hurt my heart a little when I see someone who obviously has curls who irons them out, or dull and dry, overprocessed hair.

Healthy hair, no matter what the texture, is always the prettiest.

[Morticia]

Hmmm...I can never tell who flatirons their hair and who doesn't. Maybe I'm not looking closely enough. :)

[justgreen]

I used to love the look. I used to straighten every day. Because I had a bop and a wavy bop looks.. well.. Silly. Especially my waves. My waves are... unique. Like some kind of rare disease.

Joking. I love my waves now. But not when they were in a bop. I'd straighten every day, sometimes when wet.. :|

Recently though looking at all the girls with long hair at school it's like.. "Dude.. does she HAVE to straighten it?". You're hardpressed to find someone with long wavy hair at my school. Or curly. It's kinda depressing.

But yeah. I like how it looks. I just don't like how *everyone* does it. Variety is the spice of life, no?


Do you mean 'bob' when you say bop?

[Leisha]

Please excuse my ignorance, but ....what's a "bop"? I'm guessing it's a hair style, but I've never heard of it and am curious.
I think it's the same as a "bob" :) but maybe I'm wrong. (ETA: oops I type too slow :oops: Justgreen beat me to it)

On topic: I'm not a fan of the straightened look. I just like more natural looks, I guess. Whether it be straight or curly or wavy or something in between :p
But sometimes straightened hair can look nice! I think if you do it too often, that also shows because the hair is damaged then which makes it look less nice.


There seems to be this trend (although I think the trend is over it's highest point), especially in the UK (from what I've seen on tv for example), for girls to all have the exact same side-parted, around APL, straightened hairstyle, usually also bleached with a few very dark streaks in it. With kind of a side fringe and uneven (razored maybe?) ends.
That is just a hairstyle that I really, really dislike to be honest. Also because they all looks so much the same. I like diversity!

[pdy2kn6]

i have actually never ever straightened my hair since growing it long, however I am always very curious to see what it would look like. Some of my friends keep saying ''let me straighten your hair'' but I never have let them because I don't really want to ruin my true 'virgin' hair routine. Although I am very curious to see how it would look.

[basak]

I'm just going to go with my personal preferences and experiences here. My hair is straight, but not pin-straight and I get dents and weird waves if I'm not careful. That said, I had my hair straigtened once, not with a flat iron but with a blowdrier and a brush to imitate flat-ironed look. It didn't look good because my ends were thick and blunt. I'd maybe like it if they were thinned. I also used get that pin straight piecey blunt thick ends effect on, say, braid tassles. It's just that I didn't like that effect on my own hair. Now I use cones and airdry carefully to get straight hair. My ends are thinned with a razor and it looks softer to my eyes. I don't have a flat iron or any desire to go to a salon to straighten my hair, but there's definitely a chance that I might like pin straight hair on me. I'd also like big bouncy curly hair full of volume, but my hair never holds a curl so I've given up on that.

And now the word "straight" doesn't make sense. :silly:

[Naluin]

When my hair is straightened, it behaves funny. It's usually stiff and the ends look strange and stiff, sort of like the bristles on a broom. Also, my straightened hair seems to just lay on top of my head like a wig. It is so easy to comb and style when it's straight, though!

So, I tend to hate the look of my hair when it is straightened. It never looked "right." I'm still working on liking it in its natural state. I'm getting there... slowly. :)

[sipnsun]

I really can't tell when someone's hair is straightened with an iron, or naturally straight. I will be looking now as I walk through the mall behind people.

I have very straight hair naturally and would love to have culy hair. I can't imagine anyone wanting to straighten those beautiful curls. I guess we all want what we don't have!

[intothemist1999]

I wouldn't say I *hate* it, and it's not my hair to say anyhow, but I do not think it looks good. There is a vast difference in straightened hair versus hair that grows that way!.


The thing I don't like about it is that it looks fake...it's like....well, you know... some things you can just tell are fake :)

Then again,that's no doubt what everyone was saying when we all had those big curly perms, back in the 80's :o

[goodenough]

I have a hard time telling between perms and naturally curly. I guess perm are getting better.

[GlassEyes]

This thread is possibly going to get out of hand.

If anyone has read the first page, they know I feel hypocritical enough about this thread, and I AM in fact debating asking a mod directly to delete it.

MAybe some clarification would help. I don't HATE flatironed hair. What I dislike is hair that doesn't hang naturally because it feels off to me. Something that flows instead of just hanging there limp and dead. Straightened hair can be fine, but there are times when I see it and dislike it for the simple reason that it doesn't hang naturally.

That said, some people do look good with straightened hair. I'm not denying it; I even said that in the beginning. Quite frankly, I'm simply more annoyed with myself that I CARE even more than I am about how someone straightens their stupid ******n hair or not.

So please, for the love of whatever diety may take pity on me, let me wallow in my hypocrisy and take my words for a simple weakness in opinion, or let this die. I want to go back to trying to force myself to not give a damn the way I want to. It's really not my problem what other people do to their hair.

[rapunzhell13]

Perhaps you could start a new thread for people embracing natural texture? It's sort of the same thing, but from a positive perspective. Just an idea. :)

[Tangles]

Aww Glasseyes, don't worry so much about it. I agree that hair that hangs unnaturally isn't flattering on 99% of us.

I like the look of my hair when I've run a straightener through the bottom half of it VERY QUICKLY. This makes it almost-but-not-quite-straight, natural looking, sleek and pretty.
It would take five minutes and I think I'm going to start doing it again when I get to goal length (only occasionally, mind you).

[GlassEyes]

Honestly, it is a good idea, but I really just want to be done with this whole thing.

Embracing natural texture is fine, but if someone does want to change it, or even change it temporarily, it's fine. It's really only FLATIRONED hair I have a problem with, and even then it's not even a problem really.

I have no idea why I even started this thread. I'm really sort of annoyed with myself at the moment.

*Stabs thread*

[rapunzhell13]

Honestly, it is a good idea, but I really just want to be done with this whole thing.

Embracing natural texture is fine, but if someone does want to change it, or even change it temporarily, it's fine. It's really only FLATIRONED hair I have a problem with, and even then it's not even a problem really.

I have no idea why I even started this thread. I'm really sort of annoyed with myself at the moment.

*Stabs thread*

Yeah, I understand. I think you're being a bit too harsh on yourself, that's all. :) I used to temporarily straighten my hair a LOT, but now I'm more than happy with my natural waves. :cloud9:

[toodramatik]

When I say "bop" I mean a Victoria Beckham/Posh Spice style bob. Sorry. A bit of Aussie fashionista slang. =]]

Sorry for the confusion guys :)

[30isthenewblack]

When I say "bop" I mean a Victoria Beckham/Posh Spice style bob. Sorry. A bit of Aussie fashionista slang. =]]

Sorry for the confusion guys :)

Don't you mean 'pob'? I'm Australian and I've never heard of a 'bop'.

[ChloeDharma]

Glasseyes, i wouldn't stress out too much if i were you, you just expressed an opinion and have more than clarified that you didn't mean to offend anyone.....god, nobody is perfect ALL the time.

As for do i hate/like it.....i can't say i hate it, i do sometimes cringe a bit when i see a girl up close who regularly straightens her hair to the point i can see tons of splits all the way through....but more in a kind of "wow, doing an S&D on her would be so satisfying!" I have this weird thing where snipping off splits gives me a kind of pleasure, not dissimilar to people who like to squeeze spots lol.

I have known people who flat iron their hair regularly, and chemically process it too, at long lengths and still manage to make it look stunning without much product. One girl especially i know has amazing hair genetics (her face is bloody stunning too, i'd hate her if she wasn't so nice!) and i was always amazed that she could have past waist length hair, chemically lightened from naturally dark to blonde, blowdried every wash, then flat ironed and it always looks amazing, oh, and constantly worn down and loose.
Phoebe from friends always makes me want to straighten my hair too.

On me.....i'm not that keen on my natural texture.....it never seems to quite make up it's mind. Before i joined here my hair was wavy to the point of curly....in fact, if i had freshly done it to enhance curl people asked if i permed. I loved the look, but it tangled so easily and had to be freshened up every day. Then it relaxed a bit to this weird wavyness that tended to fall in squares.....not so good. Now it's almost straight, and i do like it but find myself wondering if blow drying straight would be so bad.....although i can never get mine to look as nice as i used to make other peoples hair. So lazyness wins and i just don't bother under the excuse of hair health lol.

[rapunzhell13]

Don't you mean 'pob'? I'm Australian and I've never heard of a 'bop'.

Ditto, I've only heard of a 'pob'.

[ilovelonghair]

There seems to be this trend (although I think the trend is over it's highest point), especially in the UK (from what I've seen on tv for example), for girls to all have the exact same side-parted, around APL, straightened hairstyle, usually also bleached with a few very dark streaks in it. With kind of a side fringe and uneven (razored maybe?) ends.
That is just a hairstyle that I really, really dislike to be honest. Also because they all looks so much the same. I like diversity!


Straightened hair just tends to look, well, flat.


I think that's the look they try to create; it is fashion right now to have sad looking, straightened and very thinned out hair (with very thin fairytale ends) like Leisha described above. To be honest people who actually have that hair naturally want to have thick hair, so I don't get the hype. And yes they all loo the same. With a natural texture hair always looks different.

On some people it looks good straightened (my boyfriend for example), I think it has to do with the way the hair is cut and the thickness of it.

Btw, I don't think there's anything wrong with this topic, it's just an opinion on a hairstyle!

[Siava]

I actually like straightened healthy hair. When the hair is healthy, it does keep its shine and bounce. When it's fried from overprocessing, yea, it looks dull and frizzy at the ends. Only speaking from experience. :)

[Nightshade]

I know GlassEyes didn't have any malicious intent when he started this thread, but there have been a few similar threads lately that I don't much like the spirit of. Why must we be negative towards hair that's different from our own? Will we be seeing threads like, "Who hates braid/bun waves?" "Who hates CO?" "Who hates henna?"

:lol: for the record, at one point there was a "I Hate Henna" thread, or something along that bent, anyway.

Personally, I don't care if someone straightens or not, live and let live, though I personally have never done it and do think that the artificial bone-straight look is a bit lifeless.

Now those crazy nuts selling flat irons at kiosks in the mall... those people make me stabby. :pins:

[Dee 08]

Yes healthy straightened hair is nice but only if its healthy!

[ReadingRenee]

Im sorry, but I just have to weigh in on this topic! I don't like the societal pressure and trend of artificially straightened hair. I don't like how wearing your hair wavy is considered not "done" or not professional. I don't like how so many people seem to mindlessly straighten their hair whether or not it looks good on them just because right now it is "in".

I have known a few 3a's in my life who straighten their hair and although I didn't know it, they were very curly. Once I found this out either by seeing them *gasp* with their hair "undone" or by them telling me it suddenly made sense to me because their faces always seemed.. "off" for lack of a better word. Once I pictured them with curly hair, their faces suddenly looked right. Its very hard to explain but I know for myself when my hair is straight my face just looks weird. I need the volume of my waves otherwise my face looks too intense or overpowering or something. Maybe other wavies will know what Im talking about.

Anyway, I just wish that more people embraced their natural texture and didn't feel pressured by society and the media to damage their hair AND make their hair unflattering to their facial features.

Naturally straight hair is beautiful though. I have always lusted after it even though it doesn't look right on me. :p

ETA to add: I don't think there is anything wrong with people straightening their hair for fun or for a different look or whatever. I just don't like how in a lot of societal circles its like committing a hair crime to go out with unstraightened hair. And people straighten their hair not because they want to but because they feel like they HAVE to.

[Lamb]

So please, for the love of whatever diety may take pity on me, let me wallow in my hypocrisy and take my words for a simple weakness in opinion, or let this die.
(bolding mine)

For the love of the Cheese Diet, I take pity on you. :cheese:
(sorry, couldn't resist, I love typos! :gabigrin:)

(Sorry for jumping on your head on the first page.)

I also agree with Nightshade, those people wielding hot irons in the middle of a crowded lane in the mall make me mad. :steam: (<< now that's an appropriate emoticon for the mall situation!!)

[GlassEyes]

(bolding mine)

For the love of the Cheese Diet, I take pity on you. :cheese:
(sorry, couldn't resist, I love typos! :gabigrin:)

(Sorry for jumping on your head on the first page.)

I also agree with Nightshade, those people wielding hot irons in the middle of a crowded lane in the mall make me mad. :steam: (<< now that's an appropriate emoticon for the mall situation!!)

XD;; Ugh, curse my lack of proper typing ability.

But at least it was good for a laugh.

[Siava]

I have known a few 3a's in my life who straighten their hair and although I didn't know it, they were very curly. Once I found this out either by seeing them *gasp* with their hair "undone" or by them telling me it suddenly made sense to me because their faces always seemed.. "off" for lack of a better word. Once I pictured them with curly hair, their faces suddenly looked right. Its very hard to explain but I know for myself when my hair is straight my face just looks weird. I need the volume of my waves otherwise my face looks too intense or overpowering or something. Maybe other wavies will know what Im talking about.


You took the words right out of my mouth! I know exactly what you mean. Hair definitely changes a person's face. I'm the same way you are. Straight hair on me makes me look almost unapproachable (at least that's how it seems to me in the mirror). That's so weird.

[ReadingRenee]

You took the words right out of my mouth! I know exactly what you mean. Hair definitely changes a person's face. I'm the same way you are. Straight hair on me makes me look almost unapproachable (at least that's how it seems to me in the mirror). That's so weird.

yay Im so glad you know what I mean! I have wondered if Im the only one that feels that way sometimes.:silly:

[pariate]

Now those crazy nuts selling flat irons at kiosks in the mall... those people make me stabby. :pins:

Oh lord, YES! I walked past one once, they asked me if I wanted to try the irons and I very good naturedly pointed to my curls, laughed, and said "do I look like I use them?". I wasn't being sh*tty with him at all, I was genuinely friendly and polite. His response - "well you should, you need to get rid of those curls"...

The flowers at his funeral were beautiful.

[pariate]

I have known a few 3a's in my life who straighten their hair and although I didn't know it, they were very curly. Once I found this out either by seeing them *gasp* with their hair "undone" or by them telling me it suddenly made sense to me because their faces always seemed.. "off" for lack of a better word. Once I pictured them with curly hair, their faces suddenly looked right. Its very hard to explain but I know for myself when my hair is straight my face just looks weird. I need the volume of my waves otherwise my face looks too intense or overpowering or something. Maybe other wavies will know what Im talking about.

I get you. I feel the same way about my hair. When I have it in an updo I have to do some artful pinning at the front so that I have some volume at the root - if my hair is pulled back flat my face looks oddly overexposed! :lol: I always need some kind of texture or volume around my face.

[Siava]

Oh lord, YES! I walked past one once, they asked me if I wanted to try the irons and I very good naturedly pointed to my curls, laughed, and said "do I look like I use them?". I wasn't being sh*tty with him at all, I was genuinely friendly and polite. His response - "well you should, you need to get rid of those curls"...

The flowers at his funeral were beautiful.

GRR! I would've been so tempted to deck him. What nerve!

[pariate]

GRR! I would've been so tempted to deck him. What nerve!

:lol: Don't get me started! I couldn't believe that anyone would say something like that. He didn't even have the decency to look apologetic. Sod. :D

[Marianne]

Im sorry, but I just have to weigh in on this topic! I don't like the societal pressure and trend of artificially straightened hair. I don't like how wearing your hair wavy is considered not "done" or not professional. I don't like how so many people seem to mindlessly straighten their hair whether or not it looks good on them just because right now it is "in".


I agree.

My hair is mostly straight with a slight wave, which I often enhance by sleeping with my hair in a bun. I purposely do this as an intended style and play around with it in the morning to get a certain look on purpose. I consider this "done" whereas others apparently do not. They would probably just call it frizz :rolleyes:

[Nes]

I used to straighten my hair every day and I thought it looked good. Since I stopped, when I look back at those photo's I think it looks so flat and lifeless! It took some distance to make me see how it was killing the natural movement and body of my hair.

One of the big problems with straightening I think, is that because it causes damage like broken hairs etc. once you have done it a few times, you have to keep doing it to keep your hair looking ok. I'm in the process of trying to break that cycle at the moment, snipping the splits and waiting for all those broken hairs to grow out.

Straighened hair can work on some people but it's just not for me. (incidently, I agree with Marianne, the public perception of straigtened hair seems to be much more positive than the one of naturally wavy hair) It's far more important to be happy with your own hair anyway!

Nes x

[Lady Godiva]

Oh lord, YES! I walked past one once, they asked me if I wanted to try the irons and I very good naturedly pointed to my curls, laughed, and said "do I look like I use them?". I wasn't being sh*tty with him at all, I was genuinely friendly and polite. His response - "well you should, you need to get rid of those curls"...
I would stand there, pull out whatever paper I could find in my purse, document exactly what he said, what time it was, his full name, and of course the kiosk's name. I would let him know that I would be notifying the parent company of what he said, and I would do it.

[pariate]

I would stand there, pull out whatever paper I could find in my purse, document exactly what he said, what time it was, his full name, and of course the kiosk's name. I would let him know that I would be notifying the parent company of what he said, and I would do it.

I wish I'd thought of that! It was about four years ago, so the opportunity is long gone...

I wouldn't mind betting that the parent company would see nothing wrong with what he said - they might make soothing noises to pacify me (after the SWAT team had secured the area...) but I doubt they'd really appreciate my perspective. After all, these people are behind the "curls must die" propaganda! But I still wish I'd thought of it. Maybe I could have squeezed some compensation for emtional damage ;) :rollin:

[Lady Godiva]

I wish I'd thought of that! It was about four years ago, so the opportunity is long gone...

I wouldn't mind betting that the parent company would see nothing wrong with what he said - they might make soothing noises to pacify me (after the SWAT team had secured the area...) but I doubt they'd really appreciate my perspective. After all, these people are behind the "curls must die" propaganda! But I still wish I'd thought of it. Maybe I could have squeezed some compensation for emtional damage ;) :rollin:
Yeah, I thought of that. :rolleyes: Still, another purpose of writing a formal complaint is that bad PR isn't what businesses usually want, and there's also the principle that people in sales/customer relations should be pleasant and positive, rather than rude, to potential customers. Sounds like this guy needs either serious job training or a different kind of career that has nothing to do with people. :p

[dor3girl]

This thread is definitely gonna spur some opinions!

IMO chemically straightened hair CAN look damaged, but not always. I have done the japanese hair straightening on a few people where it looked really nice, smooth, etc.--so I think it depends on who is doing the straightening, how much hair the person has before straightening, etc.

For temporary straightening, I think one would have to consider the natural texture of the hair. Very kinky hair can just look "fried" straightened this way--it just ends up looking frizzy or damaged.

IMO hair looks best when kept near its natural texture & color. This doesn't mean people shouldn't experiment--just keep the damage to a minimum. Personally, I like to curl the ends of my hair as I smooth down the cuticle with a large barrel tourmaline or ceramic curling iron or straightener. I don't do it every day--but when I style it like that, I get more compliments on how healthy & shiny my hair looks. My hair is nearly straight & very fine, but I have a lot of fine hair--so I get away with it.

I can't say I "hate" any particular hair texture--but sometimes we gotta quit fighting our own hair-type. I can say this, because I permed my hair for years (it wasn't pretty).

On a similar note: straight hair reflects light better than curly hair, so this is why those hair commercials always use straight hair. Curly hair just needs a little TLC to have the same shine--products help (like ouidad & frizz ease, jojoba, etc)

[Elle]

I'm a big fan of straight hair. In fact, most of my hair idols have straight-as-an-arrow tresses. :grin:

Everybody has a right to their opinion and we all have different likes and dislikes. My husband loves the wave in my hair, but I prefer it straight and use conditioners and products that will smooth it out.

[plainjanegirl]

I'm a big fan of straight hair. In fact, most of my hair idols have straight-as-an-arrow tresses. :grin:

Everybody has a right to their opinion and we all have different likes and dislikes. My husband loves the wave in my hair, but I prefer it straight and use conditioners and products that will smooth it out.



I would love to know what you use as far as conditioners and products to help smooth your hair. My hair is semi straight and I am always looking for ways to help my hair straighten out a bit more. I saw your sig pic and your hair is very inspiring!!

[GlennaGirl]

I think straightened hair is gorgeous, but it also looks like what it is: a trend. There is a huge difference between straightened hair and naturally straight hair, and it's easy to tell at a glance. The "straightened" look often requires razored or "shattered" ends in addition to the straightening iron. Obviously, between the two there's going to be some damage on many people (not every single person--some just seem to have indestructible hair). I personally wouldn't damage my hair to that extent no matter how pretty I thought it was, because after the trend died, I'd be left with, well, very damaged, shattered-ended hair.

But the look itself--no, I don't hate it. To each his or her own.

[Tangles]

I think I look "off" with perfectly straight hair, BUT I look better with slightly styled hair (either straightish or curly) than with my air dried waves. I don't think heat should be seen as the enemy to looking good; we should just pamper our hair and put it up most of the time to make up for it.

[CurlyNinja]

I hate straightened hair on me, that's for sure. I think the damage it causes ends up looking terrible on other people, but I don't care much one way or another about the look itself. Whatever floats a particular boat, eh?

The problem for me is that when I do once in a blue moon straighten my hair for a change, I feel WRONG. Just, I keep messing with it because it doesn't look right, and I think, of COURSE it doesn't look right--my hair belongs curly, and anything else isn't me.

[KiwiLiz]

When It comes to my hair I prefer the look of it blow dried, rather than straightening ironed. Blow drying gets it as straight as the iron, but with less damage and my hair has a bit more bounce and volume. When its been straightened it just sort of... hangs there.
Naturally straight hair is beautiful :) but its different to ironed hair... I think you have to have a lot volume in your hair and a lot of hair generally to pull of the severely ironed look.

[florenonite]

I love healthy, naturally straight hair. I also think it looks great when someone with healthy, naturally curly hair straightens their hair well occasionally and it looks lovely and shiny. I don't like the way it looks when the hair is clearly fried and has so much product in it that it looks almost fake, and I feel kind of sad when I see a really gorgeous head of wavy or curly hair on someone that I know is a compulsive straightener (a girl I worked with at camp comes to mind; her hair is a beautiful, dark blonde, 2b-c, and she wore it like that most of the summer, but I got the impression that she straightened it most of the time in the city, and I've seen her straightened hair and it looks all right, but not as nice as her natural hair). But then, if someone's happy with their hair, why should I care?

[Periwinkle]

Most people I know who straighten their hair have it about jaw length in very, very, very layered styles and normally dyed an awful colour too. I hate that cut, but sometimes straightened hair can look nice.

[Sarahmoon]

I prefer a little bit of wave, probably because I have straight hair myself, but I think straight hair can look very nice. Especially long, black straight hair like some people from Asia have :)
Straightened, I'm not sure. Probably if it still looks healthy I won't be able to tell whether it's naturally straight or not. If I can clearly see it's straightened, well, I hope they did it because they really like it and not because of "fashion" reasons.

[swanns]

Naturally staight hair can look just as gorgeous as any other type of hair. But straightENED hair usually looks over-processed and unnatural, which I do not like. To each their own, I guess. I live in a place where no one really cares whether your hair is straight/wavy/curly/what have you, but when I went to England and Ireland my local friends told me they just can't go out if they don't straighten their hair cause they'll be laughed at :bigeyes: And then this woman who worked at Lush seemed really confused by the fact I hadn't bothered to straighten mine. It was weird.

[manderly]

I think flat ironed hair looks tragically bad 90% of the time. Really, not a good look.

Naturally straight hair is gorgeous however.

Yes, you can tell the difference most of the time.

When I've straightened my hair it looked all weird and flat and pointy at the ends. Soooo odd. Looking back, man it looked bad.

I blow dried my hair the other day just for old times sake and WOW! I had to spritz my hair and let the waves come back. It looked HORRIBLE!

[catekat]

It's odd.. A few years ago, I'd flat iron my hair, and it would be pin-straight and shiny. I stopped for a few months, tried again, and never got the same results.:confused:

I realize now how detrimental it is to hair health and do not intend to do it again.

[TheKiki]

I wouldn't say I hate it, especially since I do it quite often. I think it just depends on the person who is straightening their hair. I go to university and I see lots of girls who don't know how to straighten their hair or with fried, bleached hair + straightened and it looks horribly. I try to keep mine in pretty good shape (trims, deep conditioning, heat protectant) and since I've been straightening my hair for quite a while, I feel like I can do it and it looks *very* natural. I think on well maintained hair it can look great, just don't overdo it.:)

[cuddledumplin]

I don't hate it. I agree that naturally straight hair looks better (and can be stunning). I know people with hair with no discernable curl who still flat iron their hair. That makes no sense to me.

[C_Bookworm]

I think it bother me because it so rarely looks like actual straight hair. It looks like someone has straightened it, and then i get distracted thinking about damage

[bowie]

If I could get my hair to look as straight as Jennifer Aniston's ---- Heck...I'm there!!

[bowie]

Yeah, I thought of that. :rolleyes: Still, another purpose of writing a formal complaint is that bad PR isn't what businesses usually want, and there's also the principle that people in sales/customer relations should be pleasant and positive, rather than rude, to potential customers. Sounds like this guy needs either serious job training or a different kind of career that has nothing to do with people. :p


Not meaning to digress from the Original Post---but good point Lady G. Sometimes the KIOSK people are out of line. I stopped going to a certain mall because of them. I called customer service for the mall and told them what was going on. I went back to the mall a few months later and Voila! no more harassing kiosk people.

[crystal_89]

I straighten my hair and I like it. That's just my opinion though. Sometimes I straighten my hair more than twice a week... sometimes I straighten my hair 'only' twice a month. Either way, I flat iron my naturally wavy hair because I feel prettiest with straight hair even if its not natural. Of course I would love to have naturally straight hair, and naturally straight hair will always look better (in my opinion) to flat-ironed hair... but since my hair is not naturally straight I will continue to flat iron.

[pinkprincess]

I used to straighten my hair until the beginning of this year. Although it was hard to stop, now I'm used to how my hair looks. But this thread does make me wonder if it looked a bit flat and greasy lol.