Horrifying professional hair straightening class

[Glitch]

https://youtu.be/jKjqet1nAdU?t=1278

- the real horror starting at 21:18

^ Came across this hair straightening class, where the demonstrator makes 13 passes with the straightener on the first lock of hair, followed by 15+ on the second, and so on! All at 440°F intensity. Imagine all the hair stylists who’ve learned these extremely damaging techniques from the hair masters themselves. This isn’t just limited to hair straightening (I don’t use heat tools and I’m sure a lot of you don’t either) as I’ve encountered tons of other horrifying tutorials related to a diversity of styles, colors, cuts, washes and a lot more over the years.

I’m making this post to bring more awareness to the fact that just because a professional is handling hair, it doesn’t mean that they actually care about the integrity of your hair. Of course, there are definitely professionals out there who do care. An excellent comparable example is this person’s blowout with just one pass (which is best for all hair types), at 390°F - queued to 2:57: https://youtu.be/dkPE6qeolHw?t=177 (https://youtu.be/dkPE6qeolHw?t=177)


Ultimately, the point is that we shouldn’t automatically trust what a professional is saying/doing just because they’re a professional. Please be careful! I know many of you are aware of this stuff, but just as many aren’t, including myself not so long ago! Stay safe ♡

[ZoeZ]

I've learned from hard experience that professionals don't always know - or care - what happens to your hair as long as they get the look THEY want for you - not necessarily what works for you either. That first video is horrible, she has such beautiful hair, I can't imagine how it would survive doing that every week or whatever it takes to keep the hair in that condition!

I'm sure there are many good hair care professionals out there - unfortunately, in the kinds of small towns I've lived in, they're as rare as hen's teeth.

[Pouncequick]

I love Deeper Than Hair! She does use heat but she does a lot of education around how to use it more responsibly and still get excellent results. I also really like that she listens to her clients and helps give them what they really want. Plus her voice is just soothing and she seems so nice.

That first video though... it's painful to watch.

Edited to add: This video is one of the big reasons I love DTH. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMONKQtIZqE Watching it was like eye bleach after that first horrifying video.

[C_Bookworm]

I've learned from hard experience that professionals don't always know - or care - what happens to your hair as long as they get the look THEY want for you - not necessarily what works for you either. That first video is horrible, she has such beautiful hair, I can't imagine how it would survive doing that every week or whatever it takes to keep the hair in that condition!

I'm sure there are many good hair care professionals out there - unfortunately, in the kinds of small towns I've lived in, they're as rare as hen's teeth.

Yes, this! There are so many horrific things that can be done to hair that will make it look good in the moment, but that are terrible for long term health. Hairstylists tend to focus on the snapshot of the moment. At least that’s been my personal experience. I would be happy to come across a hairstylist to work with my routine, treat my hair gently, and only trim off what I wanted!

[Dark40]

You are very right! This is very horrifying to see! I can't believe professionals would go through that many passes on a blowout to get that straight. These professionals these days don't care about your hair. They don't care about how much heat damage a temperature of 44o degrees can cause. I know that I straighten my hair once to three times a month, and the temperature on my flat iron isn't no 440 degrees. At the most it's 360 degrees for my relaxed or chemically-treated hair.

[Laurab]

I can't imagine how it would survive doing that every week or whatever it takes to keep the hair in that condition!



It looks like it's a demonstration for a brazillian blowout, which would make this semi-permanent. That might be the reason for all the passes, I don't know much about the process but I've seen a vlog where the person did the same thing.
My main problem with it is I know how hair shows work, and there's no garuntee that's what this girl wanted. I had a coworker who would do hair shows because she works at a salon and could get it fixed right after. A lot of the time they'll just do something extreme to a girl's hair to draw attention to their booth. This can include cutting it and dying it in ways that no normal person in this century would want.
At the end of the video the guy makes a point of saying they maintained her curl and got rid of the frizz. Uhh, bud, no! you didn't maintain the curl!

I hope she knew what she was getting into before they did this, I imagine growing her hair out curly to that length again would take a lot of time.

[Arciela]

Yikes!! I used to do that to my hair when I used to bleach it and it made it absolutely horrible :( thanks for sharing haha it was an interesting watch :D

I've since embraced my waves and justeabe my hair as it :flower:

Isnt there techniques out there to do heatless straightening? I should look into that!

[Kat]

I've learned from hard experience that professionals don't always know - or care - what happens to your hair as long as they get the look THEY want for you - not necessarily what works for you either. That first video is horrible, she has such beautiful hair, I can't imagine how it would survive doing that every week or whatever it takes to keep the hair in that condition!

I'm sure there are many good hair care professionals out there - unfortunately, in the kinds of small towns I've lived in, they're as rare as hen's teeth.

I would imagine, too, that some stylists don't care what happens to a client's hair as long as it looks the way the client wants at that moment. Some of the stories I've heard about unhappy clients in hair salons who didn't get exactly what they wanted-- even if that would be hard for their hair to achieve-- makes me think I wouldn't be surprised if a stylist just did whatever a client wanted to see, whether it was good for the hair or not...

[Eastbound&Down]

I love Deeper Than Hair! She does use heat but she does a lot of education around how to use it more responsibly and still get excellent results. I also really like that she listens to her clients and helps give them what they really want. Plus her voice is just soothing and she seems so nice.

That first video though... it's painful to watch.

Edited to add: This video is one of the big reasons I love DTH. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMONKQtIZqE Watching it was like eye bleach after that first horrifying video.

Yes, I love watching her videos!

[spidermom]

I like Deeper Than Hair, too. There's something relaxing about it.

Yikes! My past stylists adhered to one pass only when it came to flat ironing, unless there was a really stubborn crease in the hair. That only happened once and resulted in 2 passes if I remember correctly.

[ZoeZ]

I would imagine, too, that some stylists don't care what happens to a client's hair as long as it looks the way the client wants at that moment. Some of the stories I've heard about unhappy clients in hair salons who didn't get exactly what they wanted-- even if that would be hard for their hair to achieve-- makes me think I wouldn't be surprised if a stylist just did whatever a client wanted to see, whether it was good for the hair or not...

True enough. A good professional may try to guide the client to good hair practices, but like horses, you can't make them drink! :) Sometimes you just have to give up trying.

I do think that there's somewhat a lack of education with stylist's schooling in that many just teach technique, but not the long-term effects on hair, or how to maintain good hair health. This is true of many professions.

[Jane99]

In my experience, stylists I have gone to automatically straighten hair. I have pretty straight 1b/c hair maybe 2a at most and I have always told stylists when getting a cut that I am looking to increase my volume. What happens every time? They pull out a flat iron and straighten it which is really opposite of what I want when I’m looking for volume. I have literally never straightened my hair on my own or thought of it or ever had any desire to. They just do it, par for the course

[ZoeZ]

Aaand then they start teasing to replace the volume, lol!

[Cg]

True enough. A good professional may try to guide the client to good hair practices, but like horses, you can't make them drink! :) Sometimes you just have to give up trying.

I do think that there's somewhat a lack of education with stylist's schooling in that many just teach technique, but not the long-term effects on hair, or how to maintain good hair health. This is true of many professions.

Since most people keep their hair short, I doubt that maintaining good hair health for growth is any part of a hair stylist's training. Why would they bother learning about stuff their clients won't want?

Obviously stylists who focus on long hair are in a different category, but even they are part of the general population that considers BSL hair long.

[Siv]

Since most people keep their hair short, I doubt that maintaining good hair health for growth is any part of a hair stylist's training. Why would they bother learning about stuff their clients won't want?

Obviously stylists who focus on long hair are in a different category, but even they are part of the general population that considers BSL hair long.

Thank you, seconding this!

Yes I would never go 13 times over with a straightener but some of these posts here just turn into witch hunts on mainstream type hair stylists. Not saying this thread is quite... but I guess I think disparaging mainstream hair stylists who're doing mainstream things to (mostly) mainstream customers is kind of "not cool"? Like, if you don't want mainstream hair care, don't go to a mainstream hair stylist. Of course, asking a hairstylist for something specific e.g. "only take off an inch" and they take off three is not okay and I think a lot of us have had that experience so I'm not saying everyone should NEVER criticise hair stylists...

[lapushka]

Sorry, Glitch. Honestly, I can't judge, because I did not click on the video. I can't watch stuff like that. I did it to my hair (crimping) until it was fried to high heaven. It took a lot to get it to that point, but that point was inevitably reached... somehow.

I mean, you know, hair can take quite the beating, but there always, if you push it and continue to do so, will come a time when it will let you know it has had enough. And there's lessons to be learned from that.

Yeah...

[Kathie]

Since most people keep their hair short, I doubt that maintaining good hair health for growth is any part of a hair stylist's training. Why would they bother learning about stuff their clients won't want?

Obviously stylists who focus on long hair are in a different category, but even they are part of the general population that considers BSL hair long.

Not to mention the business of hairdressing. Having a client that "needs" to return regularly to have their cut refreshed and their damaged ends removed makes good business sense.

[Glitch]

So many relatable posts here. The horror of it all! :justy:

Also, I'd like to clarify again (just in case, and yes, pun intended) that there are plenty of top notch hair stylists and that coloring, curling, really doing whatever with your hair, is more than fine and dandy! Love all the comments about Deeper Than Hair, for example :) I love her work so much too. I'm just pointing out to take a grain of salt or to at least not blindly go with what professionals say/do because they don't automatically always know best! This is something I myself didn't know and I really wish I did back in the day.


Isnt there techniques out there to do heatless straightening? I should look into that!

Yes! Tons and tons of techniques, that's what I do! Whatever style you're into, I've learned there's always a damage-free way! :D I can't wait to try this one when my hair is longer for that pretty beach wave look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGuWokn47A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGuWokn47A)


Sorry, Glitch. Honestly, I can't judge, because I did not click on the video. I can't watch stuff like that. I did it to my hair (crimping) until it was fried to high heaven. It took a lot to get it to that point, but that point was inevitably reached... somehow.

Completely understand! I cringed more and more as the hair got unnecessarily fried - here's to healthier hair techniques and how far we've come! :pray:

[Solovey]

In my experience, stylists I have gone to automatically straighten hair. I have pretty straight 1b/c hair maybe 2a at most and I have always told stylists when getting a cut that I am looking to increase my volume. What happens every time? They pull out a flat iron and straighten it which is really opposite of what I want when I’m looking for volume. I have literally never straightened my hair on my own or thought of it or ever had any desire to. They just do it, par for the course

This happens to me too! Mine is at best 2a, but the stylist tell me that my hair is "frizzy" and I need to use a straightener to "combat the frizz"...and I'm like dude, I'm rocking the frizzy and half waves over here daily I really don't care but they're trained to see it as a bad thing I guess :rolleyes:

[Jools69]

This happens to me too! Mine is at best 2a, but the stylist tell me that my hair is "frizzy" and I need to use a straightener to "combat the frizz"...and I'm like dude, I'm rocking the frizzy and half waves over here daily I really don't care but they're trained to see it as a bad thing I guess :rolleyes:
It’s funny how what is acceptable in hair styles and condition changes through time. I recall in the late 70s and early 80s how my friends wanted frizzy hair, in reply to me wanting wavy/curly hair.

[zhivago]

That sort of thing is the reason why I'm glad I've never wanted to straighten my hair.

[MoonLady]

Oof. This terrifies me and is one of the reasons I'm heavily considering self-trimming my hair instead of going to salons. If I touch my own hair with heat, it's one pass only using the chase method with a comb (really helps avoid missing any hairs) and it's at the lowest possible heat that will get my hair straight. I kind of trust myself more than a stylist even if I can't see the back of my own head!

[Glitch]

Oof. This terrifies me and is one of the reasons I'm heavily considering self-trimming my hair instead of going to salons. If I touch my own hair with heat, it's one pass only using the chase method with a comb (really helps avoid missing any hairs) and it's at the lowest possible heat that will get my hair straight. I kind of trust myself more than a stylist even if I can't see the back of my own head!

Yep! I stopped going to salons for trims after 2015 (though to each their own!) - in my own experience, they would always go overboard with ripping brushes through my hair, straightening it way too much and with way too much heat and more. By now, I'm pretty good at cutting my own hair. :)

[Kat]

Yeah, I just can't do it. My hair is tangly. It takes a while to detangle after washing. Stylists don't have time for that, so they're going to rip a comb through as quickly as possible. (My old stylist was my mom's... we'd go together, our stylist would wash my hair, then let me detangle it while she cut my mom's hair, then she'd cut my hair. It worked great. But of course I can't do that anymore, and I probably wouldn't be able to convince a place to double-book and put in someone else while I was detangling my hair. I could wash it at home and just go in with it wet. But it's simple enough for me to cut it myself and doesn't cost me anything...)

[0xalis]

I can't bring myself to watch that video, and yet I can smell it from here. Heartbreaking!

[CurlySpaceGirl]

At the risk of sounding preachy, I notice it is white men with short hair trying to style long black woman's hair. Like, how could they possibly known how it behaves with heat? I couldn't watch the entire thing, as I was cringing too hard.

[stardust lady]

Yep! I stopped going to salons for trims after 2015 (though to each their own!) - in my own experience, they would always go overboard with ripping brushes through my hair, straightening it way too much and with way too much heat and more. By now, I'm pretty good at cutting my own hair. :)

This really bothers me. I have hennaed hair, and I once told a hair dresser not to straighten my hair with a flat iron, and he told me it was the only way he could cut it correctly and I tried telling him no again but he did it anyways. Thankfully it didn't darken or turn brown, but I never went back to him.

[Glitch]

At the risk of sounding preachy, I notice it is white men with short hair trying to style long black woman's hair. Like, how could they possibly known how it behaves with heat? I couldn't watch the entire thing, as I was cringing too hard.


This really bothers me. I have hennaed hair, and I once told a hair dresser not to straighten my hair with a flat iron, and he told me it was the only way he could cut it correctly and I tried telling him no again but he did it anyways. Thankfully it didn't darken or turn brown, but I never went back to him.

I honestly think this stuff should be discussed more often! I have finer wavy hair that's very easy to work with, and after combing it wet, it's barely wavy at that point, making it even simpler to handle. And yet, even with these types of mediocre waves, I'm always told that it needs to be super straightened to have it cut correctly, and of course, the stylists tend to have straight hair themselves. The amount of times I've had brushes rip through my waves and then watch my hair get slowly deep fried with the straightener over and over as I sit there, cringing... it's too much! I can't imagine if I had wavier or curly hair, what would happen to it there...

I just wish more people were either taught how to work with different hair textures, or that they'd at least know that making hair pin straight is not the only way to work with it.

[stardust lady]

I honestly think this stuff should be discussed more often! I have finer wavy hair that's very easy to work with, and after combing it wet, it's barely wavy at that point, making it even simpler to handle. And yet, even with these types of mediocre waves, I'm always told that it needs to be super straightened to have it cut correctly, and of course, the stylists tend to have straight hair themselves. The amount of times I've had brushes rip through my waves and then watch my hair get slowly deep fried with the straightener over and over as I sit there, cringing... it's too much! I can't imagine if I had wavier or curly hair, what would happen to it there...

I just wish more people were either taught how to work with different hair textures, or that they'd at least know that making hair pin straight is not the only way to work with it.

I'm envious! It sounds like you can wear it both straight and wavy without having to fry it - that's awesome! I have finer wavy hair that completely resists straightening. Nothing I do, short of flat-ironing at high-heat, will make it lay flat. It refuses to yield to gravity. I like having textured hair, at least when I'm not resenting how high-maintenance it can feel, but sometimes I wish I had the option to go straight. It's interesting that, though we both have F/M 2bish wavy hair, it behaves so much differently! What a complicated thing it is.

And yeah, with texture that is highly resistant to change, it's omega frustrating when these literally always straight-haired people refuse to work with what you have. Lately, I only seek out hair stylists that specifically know how to cut wavy and curly hair. Usually that means cutting it dry.


Also, CurlySpaceGirl, it's not preachy if its true. Maybe some of them understand how to style black women's hair (probably not the majority of them), but if they really understood how African hair differs from other hair types, then they would know better than to fry it at all, since it has less cuticle cover and is more prone to damage. Doesn't help that many people consider textured hair to not be ~professional~ :rolleyes:

[Glitch]

I'm envious! It sounds like you can wear it both straight and wavy without having to fry it - that's awesome! I have finer wavy hair that completely resists straightening. Nothing I do, short of flat-ironing at high-heat, will make it lay flat. It refuses to yield to gravity. I like having textured hair, at least when I'm not resenting how high-maintenance it can feel, but sometimes I wish I had the option to go straight. It's interesting that, though we both have F/M 2bish wavy hair, it behaves so much differently! What a complicated thing it is.

And yeah, with texture that is highly resistant to change, it's omega frustrating when these literally always straight-haired people refuse to work with what you have. Lately, I only seek out hair stylists that specifically know how to cut wavy and curly hair. Usually that means cutting it dry.


Also, CurlySpaceGirl, it's not preachy if its true. Maybe some of them understand how to style black women's hair (probably not the majority of them), but if they really understood how African hair differs from other hair types, then they would know better than to fry it at all, since it has less cuticle cover and is more prone to damage. Doesn't help that many people consider textured hair to not be ~professional~ :rolleyes:

Ah, I understand! Having thick hair (I'm jealous, I wish!) also makes it tough to change texture in a damage-free way. My bestie has a very similar hair texture to mine, but her hair is mega thick and she has to turn to heat for straight styles. There are definitely heat-free methods to get nearly any kind of hair straight, but it can be super time consuming and complicated. But hey, all that luscious thick hair, you'll be so happy with it (if you aren't already), when we are old :p My hair is juuust barely in the normal range. So when it's wet, it really looks like I have shoulder length, "barely-there" hair :agape: It's why it's easier to manipulate my hair, because there's not a lot of it to begin with! Plus, the main reason I often wear my hair straight is because when it's wavy, the thinness (to each their own, but it's not my preference on myself) truly stands out! Pros and cons, my friend! ;)

I agree! Back in the day when I used to go get my hair dyed and the stylists would struggle with properly bleaching the natural black colored hair, they'd get confused and say things like, "wow... you just have so much hair!" when I know I don't, it's just the very different texture and color (and yes, nearly everyone is a blonde to a medium brunette where I am!) that would throw them off. :laugh: Here's to more knowledge in the future, in general! :toast:

[stardust lady]

Ah, I understand! Having thick hair (I'm jealous, I wish!) also makes it tough to change texture in a damage-free way. My bestie has a very similar hair texture to mine, but her hair is mega thick and she has to turn to heat for straight styles. There are definitely heat-free methods to get nearly any kind of hair straight, but it can be super time consuming and complicated. But hey, all that luscious thick hair, you'll be so happy with it (if you aren't already), when we are old :p My hair is juuust barely in the normal range. So when it's wet, it really looks like I have shoulder length, "barely-there" hair :agape: It's why it's easier to manipulate my hair, because there's not a lot of it to begin with! Plus, the main reason I often wear my hair straight is because when it's wavy, the thinness (to each their own, but it's not my preference on myself) truly stands out! Pros and cons, my friend! ;)

I agree! Back in the day when I used to go get my hair dyed and the stylists would struggle with properly bleaching the natural black colored hair, they'd get confused and say things like, "wow... you just have so much hair!" when I know I don't, it's just the very different texture and color (and yes, nearly everyone is a blonde to a medium brunette where I am!) that would throw them off. :laugh: Here's to more knowledge in the future, in general! :toast:

It's always such a gamble with hair stylists and colorists, but I'm optimistic about the future of the industry being knowledgeable about and catering to all hair types. For now, it's just a matter of avoiding the ones that don't know, don't care, and/or are only focused on instantaneous, dramatic transformations, and not concerned with the overall health and longevity of the hair. That "professional" straightening video strikes me as being in the latter group...

[Glitch]

It's always such a gamble with hair stylists and colorists, but I'm optimistic about the future of the industry being knowledgeable about and catering to all hair types. For now, it's just a matter of avoiding the ones that don't know, don't care, and/or are only focused on instantaneous, dramatic transformations, and not concerned with the overall health and longevity of the hair. That "professional" straightening video strikes me as being in the latter group...

Couldn't have said it any better! Agreed!