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View Full Version : Straightening?



cupcakeblonde
April 6th, 2008, 10:59 PM
Is it shockingly bad for your hair?

Aronomy
April 6th, 2008, 11:02 PM
Yes. Made incredibly worse if your hair is bleached. Straightening sections of virgin hair on low heat isn't that bad.

spidermom
April 6th, 2008, 11:04 PM
Is it shockingly bad for your hair?

It kind of depends on how it's done and how often. My stylist, and I do trust her, tells me that occasional straightening done very fast with a protective spray (which makes the iron glide easily over the hair), only one pass per section of hair, is relatively safe. Done not so fast, not with protective spray, repeatedly over the same section, and done often - yes, shockingly bad for hair.

karenpetal
April 6th, 2008, 11:08 PM
Is it shockingly bad for your hair?
Very true for me - from my experience it ruins ur hair - I think i like the natural look - whether straight or curly

Riot Crrl
April 6th, 2008, 11:13 PM
Probably the straighter your hair is, the less bad. It may be related to the number of passes/temperature that is needed for it to work, or it could also be just the more you fight against what hair wants to do, the more damaging it is.

shellblue1
April 6th, 2008, 11:22 PM
It can be if you do it everyday. I do it maybe once a week and only do one pass over each section on medium heat. I don't notice much damage. The type of plates your iron has makes a difference too. For example, I use a Babyliss Pro Titanium plated iron, which is much better for your hair than a metal plate flat iron. I would go with ceramic, titanium, or tourmaline for the least damage, and don't buy a cheap iron either.

groque
April 7th, 2008, 12:18 AM
heat on my hair is the worst and it doesn't even make my hair look that much better than when I straighten in rollers without heat. It actually looks a lot better without heat. I don't know where the threads are but you can put a ponytail at the top of your head and use rollers to set your hair. I use the big ones to straighten my hair. when I straighten using this method it comes out nice and I always get compliments.

Shanarana
April 7th, 2008, 05:08 AM
Any heat for your hair be-it blow drying, curling, iron and what ever else is out there is not the greatest for hair.

Do I do it from time to time...guilty...I use heat products now and than. I grew my hair out, now I'd like to enjoy it. Taking good care of your hair will combat most damage if done in moderation. I will straighten maybe once a month, and make it last for about a week doing different styles with it.

If I'm going to go out, I brow dry it with a diffuser to enhance curls also.........I'm a single 44 year old and I'll be darned if I'm going to wear it in a bun all the time.

HaiirPEACE
April 7th, 2008, 07:26 AM
i used to straighten a little bit , since i slept after i showered so my hair always looked like garbage, but then i learned to shower in the morning and air dry and found no need for my straightener anymore =]

lacereza
April 7th, 2008, 07:51 AM
................................

hairg33k
April 7th, 2008, 08:03 AM
I think the horrid pictures (of the fried hair) need to be brought out again, anyone have them?

ChloeDharma
April 7th, 2008, 08:18 AM
using heat to straighten hair always damages to some extent. It's just a judgment call on how much you think your hair can take. Some people manage to grow waistlength hair and use straighteners and get away with it....others can struggle to get to bra-strap or shorter without looking fried and suffering lots of breakage.
A basic idea of whats involved.....hair straighteners can heat to the region of 200-220 degrees celsius.....hair in general has a water content of approximately 10%.....given water boils at 100 degrees celsius you can work out what happens to that water in your hair.....it heats, expands quickly and looks for the quickest excape route....and if there isn't one then it will create one causing a rupture in the shaft.
Obviously the way it's done makes a big difference.....like has been said.....making sure that the straightener passes over each section very quickly would cause less damage than doing it slowly and repeatedly. Also as another poster mentioned, using very smooth surfaced ones causes less friction and makes it easier to move over the hair quickly without disturbing the cuticle too much.
Heat protector sprays usually just contain cones to coat the hair and dissipate the heat, preventing heat spotting and making sure that the damage is more spread out than concentrated.
These things again do help, but don't think that they make heat styling totally damage free or good for the hairs condition.
Of course, what you decide must be balanced by enjoying your hair.....there's no point in growing it if you can't enjoy it.....just be aware of whats involved and go from there :)

birdiefu
April 7th, 2008, 09:34 AM
You can look into more hair-safe ways of straightening, too. Like rolling your hair on gigantic rollers (like soup or OJ cans) or wrapping your hair around your head to dry (forget where the instructions for this it, though).

UrbanEast
April 7th, 2008, 09:51 AM
using heat to straighten hair always damages to some extent. It's just a judgment call on how much you think your hair can take. Some people manage to grow waistlength hair and use straighteners and get away with it....others can struggle to get to bra-strap or shorter without looking fried and suffering lots of breakage.
:)

I have hip length hair and blow dry about once a week--mostly when I go on dates. I'm sure it would be healthier if I didn't heat style at all, but it's hard to deny that I look better with my hair smoothed out.

However, my hair is 2B, so it doesn't take a lot of heat/muscle to straighten it.

ChloeDharma
April 7th, 2008, 10:11 AM
I have hip length hair and blow dry about once a week--mostly when I go on dates. I'm sure it would be healthier if I didn't heat style at all, but it's hard to deny that I look better with my hair smoothed out.

However, my hair is 2B, so it doesn't take a lot of heat/muscle to straighten it.

Sorry, i should have been more specific....i was meaning more straightening with hair straighteners than blow drying. Also i used "waist length" just off the top of my head because it's rare to see anybody with hair longer than that where i am.
Blow drying i think is a much better option for straightening as it's easier to control the heat on the hair and if you are careful can probably be done with minimal damage as long as you take precautions to avoid things like burning, overdrying, tangling the hair etc. :)