Non damaging temporary hair straightening techniques? Other than wrapping?

[HylianGirl]

Hello, everyone, long time no see! I need to stop by here more often xD

Anyways, my hair's reached tailbone by now, well, sorta, the ends are fairytailing, it's full hip, but fairytails up to the tailbone (mostly because I don't trim it's been months, not because it's weak xD) and I do like my natural texture, but on november I'll go to a renfair where I live, and I intend to cosplay as Tauriel from the Hobitt, so, I'd like to know if there is any way to straighten my hair to look like an elf without damaging it x.x

I have heard about hair wrapping, but my hair is so long it just turns into a tangled mess when I try it... any tips? I want a temporary effect, just to wear it for a day, not trying to permanently alter my texture. Thank you for the help!

[prettyinpink]

This wont make your hair totally straight, but it does a pretty good job! When your hairs damp comb it. You can add some leave in if you like. Then grab it like you would a ponytail at the nape of your neck, and twist it all the way to the ends. fold it in half on your head and clip it up with a alligator clip or a ficcare clip. Let it dry 100% and when you let it down it will be almost straight (:

[RoseofCimarron]

The only way I've ever done it is to comb it out wet, and sit up against something with your hair behind you for hours. I did that on a 2 1/2 hour trip and my hair was the straightest it has been since I was 5. I don't think many people have the patience for that. :wink: Maybe you could try super big rollers? I know my aunt used to use orange juice cans in the 70's.

[lilin]

Try combing it in front of a fan, or a blow dryer set to cool only? If you break it into two sections and comb them out in front of you, it should be doable both from an endurance perspective, and minimizing tangles, which would be the main damage concern once you remove heat from the equation. That should be pretty safe for one day I'd think?

Maybe tie the very ends, add a weight to them or put them under something heavy, and then fan/blow dry on cool to avoid the extra combing as well? My mad scientist brain might be getting away from me with that one... But it's a thought!


The only way I've ever done it is to comb it out wet, and sit up against something with your hair behind you for hours. I did that on a 2 1/2 hour trip and my hair was the straightest it has been since I was 5. I don't think many people have the patience for that. :wink: Maybe you could try super big rollers? I know my aunt used to use orange juice cans in the 70's.

Sounds like a great time for a YouTube marathon! :D

[CJCHair-stylist]

one of the things that some people do is to comb your hair out while its damp, make a low ponytail and tie lots of thick hair ties under the ponytail directly underneath one another adding hair ties until you run out of hair. You will obviously need a lot of hair ties, but I`ve seen people use this technique online on Youtube videos. I would give it a practise round to see whether you like the results.

[Creagan]

After I wash my hair, I squeeze all the water out of my hair so it's hanging straight, at the front of my chest. Then, I wrap it in a towel or t-shirt so while it's twisted, it's still pulled straight. Then I take the hair down, and comb it straight several times as it dries. By the end, it's pretty straight.

I don't know if that'd work for you, your hair's a bit wavier than I think my natural texture is. (I'm not 100% sure what my natural texture is, because I use that straightening method after almost every wash and add waves back into my hair via braiding.)

[HylianGirl]

Thank you for the replies, everyone!

@preetyinpink hm... I'll try that! Doesn't seem too hard xD

@RoseofCinnamon huge rollers sound interesting, but I can only find those velcro rollers and I don't like the way they stick to the hair xD How did your grandma got those juice cans to not slip out of the hair? That reminds me of Lady Gaga on telephone xD About putting the hair up, I supose I could try it as well, i wonder if I could sleep on that?

@lilin now that you said about the cool option on the blowdrier I feel a bit slow for not thinking of that xDDD That is definatelly an option! I gotta borrow the dryer from my sister though, since I got rid of mine long ago xDD

@CJCHair-Stylist hm... I think I've heard of that before... Gotta go get more hair ties to see if the hair doesn't get marked by them

@Creagan I have in the past trid to comb my hair while it is drying to get it straigher, but I don't think that's for me, I mean it does get straighter... but also super frizzy... I used to do that back when I was a teen xD But thanks for the tip!

[Madora]

The GM Salon created nearly pin straight hair on their clients by using huge rollers, set in a specific pattern.

The soda can idea might not be bad but how on earth would you sleep with all those cans in your hair? Worse comes to worse, you could look for large pieces of foam rubber and then cut them down to a fairly large size. Use string to tie them down.

[HylianGirl]

@Madora Hmm... cutting foam definatelly sounds more compfortable xD About the soda cans, I was thinking of wearing it during the prior day at home, then sleeping in a protective style and wear it straight the next day.

[dezibela]

Maybe you could try super big rollers? I know my aunt used to use orange juice cans in the 70's.

And some girls used coffee cans!

[dezibela]

Worse comes to worse, you could look for large pieces of foam rubber and then cut them down to a fairly large size. Use string to tie them down.

I've been toying with idea of slicing up a pool noodle to make straightening rollers.

Do you know the George Michael roller-placement pattern?

[Paranda Belle]

How are you wrapping? I've managed to give up straighteners with wrapping. My trick is to have hair that is just a bit damp, not wet. It's parted down the middle and the parted again so I have 4 sections. Each of theses are wrapped round my head. and secured using secton clips, not bobby pins. You have to keep the tension even as you wrap. Sometimes I get a few curls at the ends, but I quite like that.

Another way is to weight down the ends of your hair, so it can't curl back on itself. I've tried this with a heavy scrunchie, but it did leave a kink and the ends were wavy.

[Paranda Belle]

Edit: sorry double post!

[meteor]

I recommend looking into some wet-setting techniques popular among curlies:
- African threading,
- hair banding, straightening with ribbons or scarves,
- caterpillar braids.

Roller-setting will give you large, loose waves.

Good luck! :D

[Anje]

For wavies, I'd think combing a few times during airdrying is sufficient. Curlies might end up with a lot of fluff doing that, though.

[Madora]

I've been toying with idea of slicing up a pool noodle to make straightening rollers.

Do you know the George Michael roller-placement pattern?

Dezibela, I don't know precisely how they did it at the salon as I had to take off my glasses while they worked and as a result couldn't see a thing.

I do have an illustration from his book of a roller set...but it looks like it might be for shoulder length hair. It uses a total of 10 large rollers...4 on one side, 4 on the other, two on top.

left side:



The two rollers on the bottom side are rolled UP
The two rollers above them are rolled DOWN

TOP OF HEAD:

The 2 rollers on top are wound to the RIGHT

RIGHT SIDE OF HEAD:

The two rollers are rolled DOWN
The two rollers beneath them are rolled UP

[Caraid♫]

I second the blowing drying on cool option if you can get your hands on a blow dryer. My hair is only !c (so less wavy than you) and will go pretty straight just from brushing, but when I blow dry on cool, my hair is totally pin-straight. I've never noticed any damage, I just always make sure that the temperature is never hot enough to hurt my skin

[dezibela]

Thanks, Madora!

[HylianGirl]

Thanks again everyone!

@dezibella, ooh pool noodles sound perfect! and rollers do tame the frizz...

@ParandaBelle Thanks fo rthe help! I didn't section it in four parts, I start at the back, then going twoards my face, then back again, and so on, parting sounds helpfull, I get a problem at the back top of my head (where people usually have a cowlick), it always tangles like crazy there, and gets super messy x.x do you get that too?

@meteor never heard of those, but sound interesnting, off to youtube to seach for tutorials!

@Anje Just combing makes my hair floaty and frizzy, even though it looks straighter x.x it gets very voluminous...

@Madora I'll write it down!

@Caraid probably try it, I'm just afraid of blowdriers xD

[Syren_Curls]

I've used these (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A389CM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) rollers pretty comfortably and both slept on them and used a blow dryer on the cool setting. I've been thinking about getting a dryer hood or soft bonnet instead. My issue was that it didn't come out quiet perfectly enough for me to happily wear it about.... but I will try the pattern that GM uses and see how that goes! Just reading the description, it sounds like rolling the top portions down will solve the issue for me, since it was really only the top that I didn't like. I have also tried these (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A345PM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) but I just could NOT sleep with them on at all! I wouldn't try a size smaller than the first ones I linked too, though. I would worry about the mechanical damage of the noodles though, especially if you would be sleeping on them. Maybe try covering them with something first?

I just couldn't get the right tension or enough room on my head for wrapping, unfortunately.