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View Full Version : How to get hair to dry straight? (More complicated than it sounds, it seems...)



hairhair
June 24th, 2014, 11:20 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm having a kind of weird issue with my hair. Basically, my hair is fine (especially at the front) and also fairly thick (about 3.6 inches ponytail circumference). It's 1a or 1b at the most, but, I guess because it's so fine, it retains ANY shape it dries into. Which is lovely for braidwaves*, but not so great when I want it to be straight but get super-weird bumps from where it was ponytailed or tucked behind my ears (while the rest is dead straight)! I'd dry it completely loose, hanging down the sides of my face, but I wash every couple of days and it takes several hours to dry due to the thickness.

Today I dried it loose and with a deep side part, then put it in a side ponytail and it looks gorgeous without the weird bumps, because the hairstyle disguises them. Unfortunately there are still the weird bumps, and they're very visible when it's loose. But I've become motivated by how nice it looks when it's all the one straightness, so I decided to look for advice!

Has anyone else faced this problem? Is there a way of holding my hair while it dries that will eliminate weird dried-into-this-shape bumps?

Thanks! :)

*Though I even have to be careful not to braid too tightly to avoid the "dead straight scalp hair meets super wavy length" look!

lunasea
June 24th, 2014, 11:35 PM
I'd suggest letting it air dry until it's just barely damp and then wrapping it around your head and covering it with a slk scarf while it finishes drying (this is best done overnight). There are lots of videos on youtube about how to wrap hair.

xoChesleyy
June 24th, 2014, 11:50 PM
I don't have any suggestions for this issue, unfortunately, seeing as I have this issue myself.. But I have tried literally everything to get my hair to dry straight and it just doesn't seem possible. When my hair was all one length (probably around 7 years ago), it was straight with a slight body wave. Now I have layers and every time my hair air dries, the layers tend to curl or go super wavy while the rest of my hair remains straight. I have tried a few things but they haven't worked for me. I've tried finger brushing my hair until it dries. I've tried drying my hair using an electric fan and finger combing. I've also tried wrapping my hair using bobby pins while it is wet and leaving the bobby pins in overnight, only for this to result in the bobby pins getting caught in my hair and pulling hairs out. I'm hoping once these pesky layers grow out, the majority of my hair will dry straight, like how it used to. I would still like for it to dry more straight but I haven't discovered anything that has worked for me. I'm curious as to if anyone else has useful suggestions, though. I will be watching this thread! :)

Eve 322
June 25th, 2014, 12:40 AM
I second this. I have the same exact issue. My hair is BCL and it's practically impossible to keep it all straight and in one spot while it's drying. I've even tried draping it over a chair and trying to keep stone-still while playing video games. If the length somehow stays in one spot, my ends ALWAYS flip in all different directions, making them look more damaged than they really are. I'll be watching this thread for ideas. If no one has a solution, it might just become a support group of sorts.

hairhair
June 25th, 2014, 06:08 AM
Hey Eve! From your signature (and hair descriptors) it looks like we have a very similar hair type and even colour! I hope mine looks as nice as yours when it reaches that length! :)

My hair actually dried pretty straight today. May have to start a new "wash your hair then have to go out with it wet on a REALLY windy day, so leave it out with a deep side part since it's too thick to ponytail damp, then get your mum to put it in an experimental double ponytail thing once it's dry and leave it like that for a few hours" method of washing. The WYHTHTGOWIWOARWDSLIOWADSPSITTTPDTGYMTPIIAEDPTOIDAL ILTFAFH Method! It could totally catch on! :P

And thanks lunasea and Chelseyy! :) I will look up the videos on silk scarves.

Will edit to add a photo in a sec...

ETA: I can't remember my Photobucket password so I just put the pic in my signature. Sorry it's kind of hard to see.

meteor
June 25th, 2014, 07:04 AM
For curly hair, I'd recommend wrapping and pinning hair around the head or wrapping hair in a tight silk band (there are some YouTube videos showing the technique), but for straight-ish hair combing it straight while it's drying seems to work best. I find that if I let my hair air dry without touching, the wave is enhanced. But if I'm combing it while it's drying, the hair dries bone straight.

neko_kawaii
June 25th, 2014, 07:18 AM
My hair is wavy, but like the OP it takes on any shape introduced to it. If I comb it while it is drying it will look 1b, not pin straight, but pretty darn straight. It takes and holds waves and curls resulting in most people thinking my hair has more natural volume than it actually has.

My advice for random unwanted bumps: water. Get the section with the bump damp and comb the bump out and it should be straight again when dry.

torrilin
June 25th, 2014, 11:25 AM
If your hair is holding any shape you put it in... you're probably not a 1a or a 1b. That's usually more a 1c/2a sort of deal, or even more curl than that.

So my step 1 would be try out some curl friendly hair care methods. For some hair types, more moisture makes it easier to get a straight look. Others get more curl from the same sorts of methods. There's not really a hard and fast line for what types do what, so you might as well experiment and see what happens. And since curl friendly methods also tend to be quite gentle, it's a double whammy of good stuff. I really like this Jessicurl video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7KCldodunk) because she makes it clear it's not the products, it's how you apply them that makes the difference. You can try out the suggestions in it with your regular products and see what happens. If you like the results (whether they're straighter or curlier) you can try more specialized products or tools.

Once you have a better idea of how your hair responds to moisture, then it's easier to tackle your problem.

Weewah
June 25th, 2014, 03:00 PM
I'd also suggest combing it out while it's drying. Maybe just running your fingers through it every few minutes? Depending how blow dryer averse you are, you can use the cool settting and nozzle attachment, while combing/brushing your hair upside down to smooth it out , or kinda hold it taut while blow drying.

If you don't want to use a blow dryer ever, then I have no other suggestions :(. I have to opposite problem where the top of my head dries straight due to the weight of my wet hair and being shaped by my head, when all I want is more root volume and waviness.

Vanilla
June 25th, 2014, 06:32 PM
I would have to agree that you might be wavier than you originally thought. My hair only dries straight, with no lumps or bumps when I am:

Extremely moisturized (to the point of being over-moisturized)
Center part
Not tucking hair behind my ears when drying
Not tying hair back at all, even when dry

Even still, my hair has a bit of wave, especially at the bottom. When completely stick straight hair was "in", I could never achieve it, even with blow frying and cones.

YamaMaya
June 25th, 2014, 06:36 PM
You cold possibly just use a blowdryer and a round brush at a low heat or cool to get it to dry straight, that would eliminate any bumps.

Lady Una
June 26th, 2014, 08:01 PM
I have the same problem with my hair...it also dries in whatever position it is in while drying, and I get those funny bumps too!!! Combing it out while wet (with a very wide-toothed comb) helps a little. Also trying to remember NOT to put it behind my ears or anything while it is drying, or to pull it straight back without a part (that dries HORRIBLY and sticks out on the top until I wash it again).

RapunzelKat
June 27th, 2014, 02:41 PM
This happens to me too, and I am definitely a 1A (with a couple 1B strands in my under layers). A BBB can be useful for brushing out unwanted waves or bumps, and a damp comb works as well.

Best thing for me is to either let it air-dry loose down my back, taking care not to tuck it behind my ears, or to blow-dry it on the low or warm setting for the very last bit of the drying process. (The blow dryer works particularly well if I've let my hair dry mostly in a bun, and have funky bun waves.)

Larki
June 27th, 2014, 03:25 PM
Story of my life! I get this all the time. Most of the time I don't mind the waves, but sometimes you want totally straight hair. My #1 cardinal sin is going to bed with my hair anything less than bone dry - that results in some funky waves and kinks in the morning! I usually finger-comb my hair while it's drying and then brush when it's just slightly damp to get it straight.

LauraLongLocks
June 27th, 2014, 05:54 PM
Blow dry on cool or use a fan and comb it while it dries. It will be straighter.