Thinking about straightening my hair

[Obsidian]

I used to straighten my hair, did it for years but I never really cared for the heavy, lack of movement the straight hair had. I used a perm pulled through to straighten and made sure to keep all my hair taught while the solution was on it.
Its been a long time since I've done this but I've really been desiring straight hair lately. Its either that, or cut it all off which I really don't want to do. My hair is at the awkward grown out stage that I hate. The top is wavy but the underside is curly enough I loose about 4 inches with shrinkage and it looks really weird.

I'm thinking about not pulling so straight this time and maybe only doing the really curly bits. Has anyone else ever straightened only portions of their hair? What was the results? I know this will damage it and I'm ok with that, it will eventually grow out and I can cut it off. Once my hair is longer, I don't mind the curls.

Also, any after care tips would be great. I may try a protein pack as I'm sure I'll need it but my hair doesn't care for too much protein and I don't want to over do it. I have SD so I can't use conditioner except on the very tips and I have to be super careful since my hair is still short, its easy to accidentally get it on my scalp.

[lapushka]

I'd not do it, if I were you. I thought my hair was invincible as well, and did all sorts of things to it including a perm. I grew it all the way from shoulder to hip, and then had to cut it back to BSL because of damage, so what had I gained, really?

[Obsidian]

It only collar bone length or so right now and if I don't do something to get the curls under control, it will end up under the scissors anyways. My hair is so fine that the curly ends tangle really bad and since they are right in my face, I'm constantly picking at them. I'm hoping that by straightening it, it will curb the urge to cut while it grows past my face.

I've actually been trying to grow my hair for about 10 years but every spring, I chop it off to about a 1" long out of frustration.

[missblueeyes]

If you think it will help you in the long run, go for it, but keep in mind that the hair you straighten now will eventually have to be trimmed off. That may be much later in time but the moment will come eventually.

[Nadine <3]

If you straighten your hair, and then continue growing...the stuff coming out of your head will be curly and you'll either have to try and work with two textures on your head, or chop the straight stuff off and you'll be right back where you started.

[Obsidian]

I'm already working with about three textures so adding in one more won't be a big deal. What weird is don't mind curls in the length or close to the scalp. I just hate the curly ends, the last 1-2 inches that kink up into a perfectly round tangled mess.
The hair I have now will have to be cut anyways, Its colored and needs to go.

[MINAKO]

No offense, but there are really better options these days then using perm liquid. Why not get a light keratin treatment? With these its also much easier to control which areas need what degree of control. I personally always go for as straight as possible with no visible damage and my hair moves like naturally straight hair. That being said, i have resistant hair that can take almost anything but bleach.

[meteor]

Even relaxed hair usually needs some aftercare and styling to look exactly the shape/texture one likes. It's damaging enough that I'd recommend not going that chemical straightening route, if at all possible, especially if the hairtype is F. With 2c hair, you can usually straighten hair without chemicals and maybe without any heat. I'd recommend learning how to do wet-setting for hair.

Check out overnight heatless wet-setting straightening methods on YouTube - like hair-wrapping (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaKn3WzlrlM) (wrapping and pinning hair around head) or using jumbo roller-set (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LqYMykHlaY) or scarf/tape/ribbon wrap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LKzTwA4u_c), etc...

I'd recommend looking up some videos on how to blow-dry hair straight. It would be a lot less damaging than flat-irons, for example. Also, as your hair is drying, comb it out straight - that tends to straighten hair quite a lot. The specific way hair dries really drives the texture pattern a lot.

Also, choose your products wisely. Look for straightening/smoothing conditioners, serums, etc, usually they'll have lots of silicones, oils and other emollients in their ingredients lists. Since you have SD, try to apply only from shoulders down.

[Obsidian]

I've got to admit, I'm surprised by the lack of support. With the "its your hair, do what makes you happy" mentality I've seen here, I was expecting actual advise on after care, not everyone trying to talk me out of it.
As to why I don't use other methods, that easy. I'm cheap and lazy. There is no way I'm paying someone $200+ dollars to dump chemicals on my hair. So what if it gets damaged, its just hair, I can cut it and try again. Daily straightening just isn't my thing, if it was I would simply use my flat iron.

I'm getting ready to straighten it in a few minutes, have mercy on my soul...

[Fairina]

I've got to admit, I'm surprised by the lack of support. With the "its your hair, do what makes you happy" mentality I've seen here, I was expecting actual advise on after care, not everyone trying to talk me out of it.
As to why I don't use other methods, that easy. I'm cheap and lazy. There is no way I'm paying someone $200+ dollars to dump chemicals on my hair. So what if it gets damaged, its just hair, I can cut it and try again. Daily straightening just isn't my thing, if it was I would simply use my flat iron.

I'm getting ready to straighten it in a few minutes, have mercy on my soul...

I don't think people are trying to not support you they are looking out for your best interest. :) Everyone here desires their hair buddies to have healthy manageable hair so they will be happy. They are giving you other options besides perming solution to straighten it too! Show us pics of how it turns out, maybe only set it for a short time and use the wet straightening methods to smooth it out the rest of the way? that could minimize damage. best of luck!

[MINAKO]

I've got to admit, I'm surprised by the lack of support. With the "its your hair, do what makes you happy" mentality I've seen here, I was expecting actual advise on after care, not everyone trying to talk me out of it.
As to why I don't use other methods, that easy. I'm cheap and lazy. There is no way I'm paying someone $200+ dollars to dump chemicals on my hair. So what if it gets damaged, its just hair, I can cut it and try again. Daily straightening just isn't my thing, if it was I would simply use my flat iron.

I'm getting ready to straighten it in a few minutes, have mercy on my soul...

Uhmm, i actually did support a texture change if you did read carefully im straightening my own hair as well. No way im going to advise anyone to use a cheap product that has potential to absolutely wreck any hair and will most definitely leave it looking stiff as hell regardless of what aftercare you use. If thats the look you are going for,then all the power to you.
There is a saying: Good, Cheap, Fast - pick two. Thia applies here as well. If you dont want to invest in a professional straightening service, dont expect anyone else to be able to be able to improve its quality simply by the act of encouraging you to do so. I would rather do it the way that preserves my hair as healthy as possible, so i can enjoy wearing it instead of already thinking to chop it all off. Doesnt make any sense to me.

[mz_butterfly]

I've got to admit, I'm surprised by the lack of support. With the "its your hair, do what makes you happy" mentality I've seen here, I was expecting actual advise on after care, not everyone trying to talk me out of it.
As to why I don't use other methods, that easy. I'm cheap and lazy. There is no way I'm paying someone $200+ dollars to dump chemicals on my hair. So what if it gets damaged, its just hair, I can cut it and try again. Daily straightening just isn't my thing, if it was I would simply use my flat iron.

I'm getting ready to straighten it in a few minutes, have mercy on my soul...


I don't think it's "lack" of support that you're getting, when you say "I want to straighten my hair or I am cutting it" then you say when your hair grows out some you will cut it but that when your hair is longer you can handle the curls. It's kind of a catch 22, you can't stand the curls now but you will be able to later after you cut off the damage, it's a little confusing.

At any rate, I think you should do what you desire, but if you truly want long hair the straighten, damage, cut routine isn't going to result in long hair. But so long as you're happy with that, then of course we should all do as we wish with our hair.

I hope you find what works for you and makes you happy. Don't take encouragement to keep your hair undamaged as lack of support. There are so many members that come on here and say "I am going to do this or that" and other members know from experience that is a bad idea and they relay that information hoping to save someone from the heartache and sometimes people choose to move forward regardless of the knowledge they are armed with. And whatever anyone chooses to do is fine, so long as it makes them happy.

[mz_butterfly]

In the future, if you decide not to straighten again you might want to read up on the curly girl method. It will help keep your curls under control.

Of course when you are trying to grow out your hair it will be a hassle and there will be problems and annoyances, but if you can hang in there for a little while and get past that awkward "I hate my hair" stage, you can overcome those obstacles and reach longer lengths with your curly hair and maybe, you will like the way it looks. :)

[meteor]

I can only echo what everybody else said. :) We try to share what information and experience we have, but please don't take it as lack of support! :grouphug: Of course, we'll support you regardless of what you decide to do! :love: It's your hair! The important thing is that you are happy with it! :D
Many of us have seen and experienced how tough it is to grow out damage and unwanted cuts, so we just want to provide alternatives whenever possible and give heads-up on potential risks when it seems reasonable. :flower:
Best of luck to you, Obsidian! :heartbeat I really hope that whether you choose to straighten it or not, it will work out great and you'll love the results!! :flowers:

[Obsidian]

Sorry ladies, I know you are trying to help, I'm just so frustrated. There are times I wish I cold go bald but I may end up divorced if I did lol. I'm done with the process, waiting for my hair to dry so I can assess the result. I only left the solution on for 5 minutes and I gentle combed my wet hair until it was tangle free then gently "fluffed" it up so it wouldn't be stick straight and heavy. So far I'm happy with it, its nice not to see frizzy fluff every where.

When I asked for after care, I didn't expect some magical treatment to repair the damage as I know thats not going to happen. I just don't know if perm solution destroys protein to the point I need to use a protein pack or if a moisture treatment would be better.

[meteor]

When I asked for after care, I didn't expect some magical treatment to repair the damage as I know thats not going to happen. I just don't know if perm solution destroys protein to the point I need to use a protein pack or if a moisture treatment would be better.

For aftercare, I really recommend hydrolyzed protein treatments. You can do a DIY treatment, like a gelatin mask: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html (you can make it as weak or as intense as you'd like, but I recommend starting small - with more diluted gelatin).
Or even better, protein pack like Aphogee 2-step: http://aphogee.com/two-step-protein-treatment-for-professional-use/ (it's very strong, great for very damaged hair)
Or protein masks like Joico K-Pak reconstructor or Redken Extreme Strength Builder Plus.

Also consider pre-poo oiling and oils (especially penetrating oils - coconut, olive, avocado, palm) in general: check out this article on how to make oils work for you - http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/oil-pre-shampoo-or-pre-wash.html

Chemically processed hair is essentially porous, so it absorbs more conditioning ingredients than virgin hair and it needs more intense conditioning: more proteins, oils, silicones, ceramides, 18-mea, etc... Check out this list of conditioning ingredients that can be useful - http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/10/deep-conditioning-what-ingredients-in.html

HTH! :flower:

[MINAKO]

Well, that was quick. I dont know what kind of stuff you used exactly, but it hope you did not skip the neutralisation step. Perm solution breaks protein bonds and can continue to do so if the PH level is not brought back as a last step.
However, protein treatment would be adviseable as much as moisture is. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is great, but i like any of those mentioned by meteor as well.
You can also make your own leave in adding pure silk protein, a teaspoon of conditioner and a couple drops of oil in destilled water.

[Obsidian]

I've considered gelatin before but was afraid it would be too strong. I have a pack of keratin with argan oil, would that be ok for now? If not I can get some gelatin tomorrow. I can't use coconut oil but have decent results with almond or avocado.

I used ogilvie for normal hair, its a quick process and yes, I used the neutralizer.

I'll try to get pics tomorrow but I'm not very good at it and the hubby is all thumbs when it comes to the camera.

[MINAKO]

Keratin argan sounds good. I cant tell how gelatin performs right after a treatment since i never tried it myself, but i trust meteor on this one and probaly mix up a concoction to expiriment in the future.

[YvetteVarie]

I have used gelatin after a relaxer, and I have to admit its strong. But light protein treatments like Aphogee 2 minute keratin reconstructor or ORS Replenishing conditioner are good. I think you will also have to do more frequent SMTs, since chemical processing tends to make hair lose moisture faster. If you do use a strong protein treatment, do a moisture treatment afterwards to prevent protein overload.

Like Meteor suggested prepooing is great for chemically treated hair.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

Hey, I have chemically treated hair too (although mine is permanent dye). I've found that it helps to pick only one damaging thing that you really want to do - dye, heatstyle, perm etc but only do one. Comb your hair with a seamless wide tooth comb. Start from the very bottom then work your way up so that you're not compounding the knots down then ripping through them at the ends. Don't ever brush your hair when it's wet (combing is Ok if you're really gentle). I personally don't use a blow dryer and think that's made a huge difference to the health of my hair but other people can manage it just fine on the cool setting (my hair dryer has no cool setting, only hot and oven). Do not towel dry, ever ever ever. S and D the splits every few weeks and get trims regularly for as long as you're using heat. Even just a quarter of an inch a month will still allow your hair to grow whilst keeping on top of the damage.

Tie your hair up at night and maybe use a slippery material for your pillow cases or a soft headscarf. This will prevent sleep damage where you roll on and crush the hair. Coconut oil and an egg works great for me as an overnight leave in the day before wash day. Deep condition once a week at least.

A great way to weigh down (and thus straighten) curly hair is to keep the hair slightly taut as it dries. Pull your hair downwards (very gently) and it should dry wavy or straight.

[Obsidian]

I did the keratin treatment this morning and it helped quite a bit. I did cut a little off the ends to try and get rid of my layers, need to have someone take off another inch and even it up. I've never had blunt cut hair before, its kinda weird but I think I like it and without the curls poking my face, I think I can deal with this growing out stage.

[betterhairday]

I've got to admit, I'm surprised by the lack of support. With the "its your hair, do what makes you happy" mentality I've seen here, I was expecting actual advise on after care, not everyone trying to talk me out of it.
As to why I don't use other methods, that easy. I'm cheap and lazy. There is no way I'm paying someone $200+ dollars to dump chemicals on my hair. So what if it gets damaged, its just hair, I can cut it and try again. Daily straightening just isn't my thing, if it was I would simply use my flat iron.
I'm getting ready to straighten it in a few minutes, have mercy on my soul...

Definitely not cheap and lazy - maybe a little out in left field, I guess you have done it by now. Make sure you use a hair dryer like mine - Salon Series Ultralight Ionic hair dryer. Read this link http://www.karminhairtools.com/advice/how-to-straighten-curly-hair (my daughter has curly shoulder length hair and she found this very useful).
I did not know you could straighten hair using a perm solution. I found this thread very interesting and very informative. I hope my suggestion helps a little. Thanks.

[gwenalyn]

Good for you! I hope things work out well. I had a perm three years ago and it hasn't bitten me in the bum ... yet. I'm gradually cutting it out now, in my mission to get rid of my layers. You are only at chin length, so it ought to be fine. I would start planning how to grow it out, though, as Nadine said, you might get a weird texture demarcation line.