Talk me out of flat ironing my hair tomorrow.

[FallingDarkness]

I had a little bit of a growth spurt over spring break, probably because I had the time to take amazing care of my hair, and I really want to show off my extra length by straightening my hair when I return to school tomorrow. I know how damaging this is, but I still want to! My hair's waves can eats up my length sometimes. I need inspiration. I don't want to damage my hair, but I still want it to look pretty... :/ Just for one day. Help!!!

[chen bao jun]

Well, we d on't have the same hairtype but the last time I flatironed mine, after doing LHC for 3 months, I was shocked at how hair rained all over the place. I ended up not wearing it down after all but put it up to try to protect it at least a little because it was breaking off so badly, so the flat-ironing was pointless (I had also done it to see length)

[Vanilla]

Do bun waves straighten your hair a bit? I know if I put my hair in a nautilus bun while slightly damp, it does help straighten it a bit.

[Rachel J]

Maybe try braidwaves? I find that braidwaves show my length better than my own natural wave. If you really want it straight, I find that blowdrying is less damaging than using a straightener. If you do use heat, make sure it's on the lowest setting possible. Using heat every once in a while isn't going to fry your hair if you take good care of it and pamper it afterwards :)

[FallingDarkness]

Oh wow. :o I don't want my gorgeous thick locks to fall out of my head... Thank you so much for your horror story regarding straightening for seeing length! I'm a lot less inclined to straighten my hair now....

ETA: Buns do actually straighten my hair. Not a lot, but definitely a little. :P

Unfortunately for me, I don't have a blow dryer! LOL. My sister does though (she's happily at college with hers) and whenever she blow dries her hair it turns out really straight... But I don't want to go and buy a damaging product just for the sake of on occasion straightening my hair.

[Steffid87]

Why don't you wash your hair, then wrap it? Use your head, and wrap your hair around it with bobby pins. Wrap a nice scarf over it all while it dries.

[Monkshood]

I know you want to be talked out of it, but honestly, I used to straighten on a regular basis as recently as a year ago and I didn't get much damage (if any) from it. Of course, my hair is coarse, so it could be more resilient. Still, I highly doubt you would wreck your hair by straightening it just the once. Don't let the iron get too hot and swipe as fast as possible, and you should be fine.

[alishaxmarie]

Why don't you wash your hair, then wrap it? Use your head, and wrap your hair around it with bobby pins. Wrap a nice scarf over it all while it dries.

I second this idea. There are tons of youtube tutorials for wrapping your hair so don't undo the health and length you've been working so hard to attain/maintain!

[MadeiraD]

There's always drying your hair with it pinned straight wrapped round your head

[Carolyn]

If you can't help yourself just go ahead and do it. It's fun to really love how your hair looks once in a while. I do it now and then and every time I get a trim I let my stylist flat iron it. I can't tell you how much I love how it looks and feels. It's fun for a treat.

[FallingDarkness]

I'll have to try that hair head wrapping thing. I had no idea that there were more convenient, undamaging ways to straighten hair!!! Thanks so much.

[MadeiraD]

I learned it from a beauty book from the 60s

[ErinLeigh]

is the pinning thing what they call the doobie wrap?

[Marbid]

Yup.. And heres a tutorial i rather like for it....


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m1RO-d1Z9Hs

[RedNymph]

If you end up doing it remember to use heat protectant spray. I say do it if you really want to. Your hair can probably handle it if your careful.

[AmyBeth]

Regular use of a flat iron is going to damage any hair type, I just don't think there's any way around that, heat protectants notwithstanding. Some hair types can handle occasional use. My hair will show damage after just one use, in terms of a significant uptick in splits and white dots during S& D sessions for several months afterward. I'll never use one again! Bunning my hair will straighten it nicely, and if it works for you, so much the better for your hair in the long run (pun intended).

[ErinLeigh]

My hair got crispy when I let a stylist flat iron my hair ONCE. It can happen for sure. I used to flat iron and didn't see major damage, but not that hair is weaker the damage showed instantly. I think simply blowdrying hair smooth is a lot better than using an iron. You can adjust temperature to warm and it will still dry straight I have learned. The bonus is you get straight hair but still get to keep some volume.