Never ever styled or straightened my virgin hair- will it do damage?

[Sweetalexandria]

I have completely virgin hair, its thick and wavy and fluffy. I wish I had straight, silky fine hair (that is my ideal hair type) but I know it comes at a cost, since I don't have that hair type naturally. My sister is the opposite, she styles her hair all the time, which is bad but always wants to work one of her straighteners on my hair.
I have my cousins wedding to go to and i'm wondering is it worth styling my hair with heat, sprays? will it do damage? I want to style my hair but at the same time, I get nervous with people touching it, thinking of those horror videos of a young woman's hair got cut off in the middle when she used a straightener?

Just need opinions from people who occasionally style their hair and whether there was any side effects to it:confused:

[ravenreed]

I don't use curlers or straighteners and I only use a hair drier occasionally. I also occasionally use hair spray. I was asked to be a hair model for a hair stylist friend and allowed her to crimp sections of my hair. It was just one time and I didn't notice any damage from it. However, my hair is fairly sturdy. I would think for a special occasion it should be okay, but only you will be able to decide if it is worth it.

[lapushka]

If you pass a heat appliance like a straightener or curling iron over your hair even once you get the very realistic chance of white dotting along the strand. So... I wouldn't risk it. Why not style it wavy?

[MINAKO]

If you pass a heat appliance like a straightener or curling iron over your hair even once you get the very realistic chance of white dotting along the strand. So... I wouldn't risk it. Why not style it wavy?

I hate to differ and suggest hatless styling any way it is possible too, but that's not realistic at all. It's pissible to straighten hair with absolutely no visible damage. Icertainly did this a few handful of times and not have a single white dot i my hair.
If the heat setting is too high/used too frequently the hydrogen binds can be affected and thus the wave pattern, but even then that doesn't mean hair has to get weak enough to break.
White dots occur much mire likely through mechanical damage like elastics or rough detangling etc.

Just make sure your hair gets prepped, handled and deep conditioned afterward accordingly.

[Nique1202]

The best thing you can do for your hair, if you want to heat style it just once or once in a while, is just to make sure your hair is COMPLETELY dry, preferably with no oil used on it if that's part of your regular routine, and use a heat spray but also let it dry on the hair for a few minutes before you apply the heat. The fastest way to riddle your hair with white dots and splits and breakage is to use a flat iron or curling iron on wet or oiled hair, because water explodes into steam on contact with the styling tool and oil will literally fry it.

There will be SOME damage regardless, because of the heat involved and the natural protein in hair but if you're just doing it for a wedding or once or twice a year for a treat, then unless your hair is prone to heat damage it shouldn't cause you too many problems in the long run.

[carrie30]

More expensive option but could you get a blow dry at a good salon? A good hairdresser will use a good quality shampoo and conditioner and then use heat defence products before drying, and if they are good at their job then straighteners won't be needed.

[meteor]

If your hair is only mildly wavy, you can get it straight & sleek with a simple blow-dryer (lower settings, cool or warm, are preferred to avoid damage): just keep combing your hair straight as it is drying and point the nozzle of the blow-dryer down to smooth down the cuticle. Silicone serums and oils to finish the style can also help create that sleek look and are rich in occlusives, so they will help prevent it from frizzing up later. :)

[Deborah]

In college one girl who hated her curly hair used to use empty, washed out cans (they looked like maybe normal vegetable can size) just as one would use regular hair rollers. She set it damp and just let it air dry naturally. (I think she actually slept in the cans, but heaven knows how she could manage that!) It seemed to work for her. Her curly hair always looked sleek and just slightly turned under at the ends. I would think wavy hair would end up truly straight.

I can't see how it could harm your hair, and you could do it a couple of times now to experiment.

Here's hoping that you find something completely safe to do for the wedding!


P.S. Wavy hair is lovely too. If it were me, I'd go wavy, but do what makes you happy!

[meteor]

^ Yes, that works like giant jumbo rollers. :agree:

I wonder if jumbo foam rollers like this (http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/aa/b3/aab385c3b50221d51131c1821e86d913.jpg?itok=0mPIUoqK ) can work, satin-covered would be even better.
I also wonder if cut up foam rollers (for fitness) or foam pool noodles could create even bigger gigantic rollers for heatless straightening? Using silky material or something like a nylon stocking to tie it off maybe? :hmm:
Of course, the bigger the diameter of the roller, the straighter the look, especially if the hair isn't too long.

[yahirwaO.o]

I hate to differ and suggest hatless styling any way it is possible too, but that's not realistic at all. It's pissible to straighten hair with absolutely no visible damage. Icertainly did this a few handful of times and not have a single white dot i my hair.
If the heat setting is too high/used too frequently the hydrogen binds can be affected and thus the wave pattern, but even then that doesn't mean hair has to get weak enough to break.
White dots occur much mire likely through mechanical damage like elastics or rough detangling etc.

Just make sure your hair gets prepped, handled and deep conditioned afterward accordingly.

I totally agree!!! My texture is fine and healthy, but I have straightned every now and then, my hair just feels the same without any impact. That been said, I always deep condition before and after those heat appliances, just once full and sturd pass though the strand and baby treat after my next wash.


I

[gthlvrmx]

I don't heat style my hair but just know that every time you heat style your hair, it gets damaged. Heat causes damage no matter how much heat protectant you use (and I am talking about the heat from straighteners and curling irons). So yes, you will get damage if you heat style. There's a chance the damage won't be major or it won't even look like it's damaged, but it will still be there.

[KittyBird]

I use a curling wand on my hair every now and then, and haven't noticed any white dots or breakage yet. I think your hair will be fine if you're just going to do it once for your sister's wedding. I find it unlikely that straightening just once would destroy your hair, unless you use insanely high heat.