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amaiaisabella
April 10th, 2008, 10:53 AM
I am looking for ways I can straighten my ends without using an iron.When my hair is wet, it has little waves at the bottom, but the top is straight. It usually dries with a curl to the bottom, which can either make my hair look puffy or a bit like a 50's housewife.

I used to just straighten my ends to make everything look even and for the hair to appear longer. However, my ends started breaking a LOT and I haven't had any significant growth for years. I then found LHC and gave up the heat for good :)

But now, I am looking for ways to "smooth out" the ends. I started using a brush and the cold setting on my hair dryer to flatten them out a little, but the effect doesn't last, unfortunately.

Is there any hairstyle or trick I could try that would leave my ends flatter and smoother?

Delilah
April 10th, 2008, 11:05 AM
What if you let your hair dry in a ponytail, but wrap a hairsafe elastic around the pony every inch or so, so that the pony is bound into a straight 'stick' shape as it dries? That will take my bf's 2c hair to a 1c.
Either that or drying hair with your pony wrapped around a large velcro or foam roller may work. The bf isn't too keen on trying that one.

mommy2one05
April 10th, 2008, 11:06 AM
Someone on the boards told me if you use baking soda mix it with a cheapie conditioner and apply to dry hair put in a cap and leave on hair for an hour and then rinse out....but I have not had a chance to try it yet...thinking about trying it this weekend.

amaiaisabella
April 10th, 2008, 11:09 AM
What if you let your hair dry in a ponytail, but wrap a hairsafe elastic around the pony every inch or so, so that the pony is bound into a straight 'stick' shape as it dries? That will take my bf's 2c hair to a 1c.
Either that or drying hair with your pony wrapped around a large velcro or foam roller may work. The bf isn't too keen on trying that one.

Both of those are interesting, Delilah! I might try the hair tie one, but I need to get some better elastics! Mine have metal clasps on them :(

missy60
April 10th, 2008, 11:14 AM
Someone on the boards told me if you use baking soda mix it with a cheapie conditioner and apply to dry hair put in a cap and leave on hair for an hour and then rinse out....but I have not had a chance to try it yet...thinking about trying it this weekend.


Are you sure it was baking soda? I have never head of leaving baking soda on your hair for an hour. I used it once and it is very drying. I dont know what the benefit of leaving it on that long would be. I would make sure to follow up with a deep treatment afterwards because BS strips your hair of everything and you need to replace the moisture lost.

If I comb my hair after getting out of the shower I have the same hair you described. If I want straight hair I let it dry a little then apply large amounts in rollers and that smooths the curls out for me. When my hair grows some I am going to use the ponytail and roller method decribed on here.

amaiaisabella
April 10th, 2008, 11:15 AM
My hair is way too dry to even THINK about doing BS. I tried it once and spent nearly a month getting it back to normal :(

jojo
April 10th, 2008, 11:24 AM
just put some aloe vera gel on and keep combing it as it dries. I wouldnt put baking soda on for an hour though unless you like straw looking hair, as it would dry your hair up something cronic!

Patrycja
April 10th, 2008, 11:25 AM
When I used baking soda as a clarifying treatment,it was totally drying and I had to do a cone heavy condish as a finish.What came out when it aired dried was the most waves I have ever seen my hair do naturally.

lora410
April 10th, 2008, 11:29 AM
is you hair a bit longer then shoulder? When my hair was at about shirt collar length it would do the flip out and up thing, but once it gets longer it will actually lay striaght.

amaiaisabella
April 10th, 2008, 11:33 AM
Yes, it's just a bit past my shoulders. Maybe an inch and a half? I know once it gets longer it will "calm down" but right now it makes me sad because when it curls up it looks even shorter :(

mommy2one05
April 10th, 2008, 11:46 AM
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/images/misc/subscribed.gif milk for straightness (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2205&highlight=milk+straight)

here is the link where the bs and conditioner was listed and yes it was bs no i was NOT mistaken. And also if you spray regular milk on your hair and let it set before washing it helps too.

missy60
April 10th, 2008, 11:58 AM
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/images/misc/subscribed.gif milk for straightness (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2205&highlight=milk+straight)

here is the link where the bs and conditioner was listed and yes it was bs no i was NOT mistaken. And also if you spray regular milk on your hair and let it set before washing it helps too.

I did read that post right now, and I did not see any where it says to leave it on for an hour. I did not mean to offend you I just thought I would throw in that it could be very drying to leave baking soda on your hair for that long. I know alot of people on here do use baking soda with good results to clarify, but like I said I have never seen it recomended to leave it on for an hour.

groque
April 11th, 2008, 12:09 AM
have you done a roller set or the pony tail method to straighten your hair at night? you put a pony tail at the top of your head at night in what ever type rollers you want and it will help smooth you ends out. Can't remember the thread I saw but I use that to straighten my hair even showed my niece and she uses this now to straighten your hair without heat and we love it.

amaiaisabella
April 11th, 2008, 07:46 AM
groque, I would love to see that thread if you can find it.

I try to do a high ponytail but most of my hair falls out :( so I'm not sure if it would work. I have mini foam rollers, would that work? I always thought they curled the hair so I am confused as to how it will work.

missy60
April 11th, 2008, 08:22 AM
The high pony tail works great on longer hair, but with shorter hair you run into the problems your having. The key to straightening with rollers is using the jumbo size the biggest you can get and use in your hair. I let my hair dry a little then apply a few in my hair it doesnt give me the straightening iron look. I sort of get volume and a slight curled under look when I do this.

Some people also success with wrapping their hair to get a more straighter look. Heres a good video that shows it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDOPWlDylV4. I dont think you have to do the roller set first you can just wrap it while its damp maybe and get the same results. I havent tried this myself but it looks like it would work really well.

mommy2one05
April 11th, 2008, 10:17 AM
Ok Please help!!! First I am sorry to all. But when someone tells me something will work and then someone else doesnt think it's a good idea...I get confused and think if someone told me it works then it must. The lady had told me in a pm about how she left the bs and co on for an hour and then rinsed. SO anyways my dh helped me last night and I did it and left it on for 45 min. cause it started making my hair itchy and tingly...couldnt really tell if it made a difference last night, but when I woke up this am it was extremely tangly, dry, felt like straw, etc. So what should I do now. I normally only wash my hair 3-4 times a week but I already washed it again this morning. I did a vo5 co and left on for an hour then rinsed then my normal dove advanced intensive damage repair ( dark blue) shampoo and then the same dove co and left on for 20 minutes. Now my hair is hanging loose and drying if this does not work and it is still like this am what should I do next? I meaan if nothing works then I will live with my small waves. PLEASE HELP!!!

Anlbe
April 11th, 2008, 11:15 AM
Pick me, pick me, I know!

Oops I think I'm over excited, but I have an answer. Have you tried a cling film wrap?
This works really well for wavey hair or hair with curls at the end - if the hair's any tighter you have to set it in big curlers first (which actually makes my hair really straight and smooth by itself).
Anyway, the cling film wrap...
Basically you after you wash your hair let it get to almost dry. Put in a little oil or leave in conditioner then wrap it round your head like a turban smoothing it down with a natural bristle brush or a paddle brush. Then mist or spritz the hair (I don't actually do either but most people do) and then wrap it with cling film. Then wrap a hot towel round the head (or sit under a hood drier if you have one) and wait for about fifteen minutes. When you take your hair down you should have lovely shiney soft straight hair that looks like its been ironed. I don't know how to explain better so I hunted around on youtube for a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDOPWlDylV4

CurlyNinja
April 11th, 2008, 11:23 AM
Ok Please help!!! First I am sorry to all. But when someone tells me something will work and then someone else doesnt think it's a good idea...I get confused and think if someone told me it works then it must. The lady had told me in a pm about how she left the bs and co on for an hour and then rinsed. SO anyways my dh helped me last night and I did it and left it on for 45 min. cause it started making my hair itchy and tingly...couldnt really tell if it made a difference last night, but when I woke up this am it was extremely tangly, dry, felt like straw, etc. So what should I do now. I normally only wash my hair 3-4 times a week but I already washed it again this morning. I did a vo5 co and left on for an hour then rinsed then my normal dove advanced intensive damage repair ( dark blue) shampoo and then the same dove co and left on for 20 minutes. Now my hair is hanging loose and drying if this does not work and it is still like this am what should I do next? I meaan if nothing works then I will live with my small waves. PLEASE HELP!!!

Just relax, deep condition frequently, and stay off the shampoo for a while. It'll come back and stop feeling dry after a while. As far as the end-curls go, I can't really tell you what to do, but I doubt there's any "easy" way to just "get rid of it." Any solution is going to involve styling of some sort (blow dryer, rollers, etc.).

amaiaisabella
April 11th, 2008, 12:12 PM
Thank you guys for all the help :) I will definitely try the video the next time I wash!

Áine
April 11th, 2008, 12:20 PM
The caramel treatment (http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106318) was originally created for natural straightening of hair, although most users of it on LHC use it for hair health benefits.

amaiaisabella
April 11th, 2008, 05:27 PM
I'm not able to get alot of those ingredients :(

Anje
April 11th, 2008, 08:08 PM
Amaiaisabella, your hairtype is similar to mine. I can get mine quite straight if I just comb it regularly while it's drying. Keeping the ends wet while you're doing this (misting, holding them under the faucet, etc) seems to encourage the effect. If your ends are puffing out, you might also want to do an S&D, especially since you mentioned they were breaking. Splits and damage will definitely encourage end fluff.

Mommy2one05, hang in there. You may get some help with a dilute vinegar rinse (1/10 vinegar at the strongest) to help get the scales of your hair to lie down if it still feels super-tangley and weird. After that, if I were you I'd follow with an SMT, then oil your hair while it's still damp. Like CurlyNinja says, skip the shampoo for a while -- if your scalp gets greasy, do CWC washes rather than general shampoo & condish. I'm sure your hair will recover, but it might take a while. (Incidentally, the woman who told you this may have gotten decent results from it. Some people have hair that likes baking soda, but most of us don't, and there are few who don't find it really drying.)

mommy2one05
April 11th, 2008, 09:28 PM
I watched the you tube video of the saran wrap method today. I noticed in the video it was an african american girl...now normaaly their hair is texturized alot differently so would that matter. I am now hesitant on anything.

groque
April 12th, 2008, 12:29 AM
no their hair is not different the only thing that I think might be different is your hair might get weighed down and to use maybe an oil instead of the sheen spray they use. but it should work well to smooth out your hair.

groque
April 12th, 2008, 12:35 AM
groque, I would love to see that thread if you can find it.

I try to do a high ponytail but most of my hair falls out :( so I'm not sure if it would work. I have mini foam rollers, would that work? I always thought they curled the hair so I am confused as to how it will work.
The foam rollers would work but I think you have to use the end papers to set so it will be smooth and since you are putting in a ponytail it seems that your hair is getting the stretch you need to set it straight and will curl the lower ends of your hair. for less curl use a larger roller. I use the 2 1/2" to 3" about three when I do it works every time. but I use velcro rollers and use duckbill clips upside down with the curve facing upwards to set. I know tons have problems with these so you could definitely use the magnetic rollers. I use velcro just for the tension you can get on slightly damp whereas magnetic you have to use wet hair to get it to lay against the roller.

stardrift
April 12th, 2008, 02:00 AM
Looks like some amount of heat does need to be involved if you want that type of silky straight look which I do at times. Its been a year since I stopped using my ceramic straightener but now feel that perhaps if I wrapped my hair in silk and then used the straightener over them,that may get me some results without damaging my hair as much.After all even this saran wrap solution seems to involve the hair dryer both before and after the wrap treatment.What does everyone feel?

Riot Crrl
April 12th, 2008, 02:12 AM
"Straight" is such a relative thing, lol. I can use a damp bun, and then take my hair down and think that it is straight. It isn't what many people would consider straight, but it is much straighter than it was!

Anlbe
April 12th, 2008, 02:28 AM
The cling film wrap method is really gentle on the hair as the ends are protected from drying out by the clingfilm. It doesn't necessarily need blow drying before you do it (most people I know don't only those with seriously beautiful curls, sigh) and if you do it's in big rollers which again is the gentlest way to dry your hair other that air drying. Don't know about straighteners and silk, the only thing I know about about straighteners is that my friend who use them swear by ghd.

stardrift
April 12th, 2008, 02:47 AM
yep Anlbe GHD is the one I possess.So I assume that means you think its ok to try it with silk....?

missy60
April 12th, 2008, 01:10 PM
I have seen people wrap their hair like that when wet and let it dry without using rollers first or blow drying. I just posted the link to the video so someone might be able to see the wrapping. I dont think you would even have to use the saran wrap unless you have frizzier hair. I think think in that case it would help smooth it. I havent done it because when I want my hair straight I just use the jumbo rollers on my hair when its sort of damp. I bought some velcro rollers from Avon a while back and I really didnt understand why people thought they are damaging. I then tried my cousins from Sally's and they were totally different. The rollers were deeper and wow can you get your hair wound up in those if your not careful.

mommy2one05
April 13th, 2008, 10:06 PM
I have friends who straighten their hair daily with heat methods, but as far as the saran wrap method if someone used that often with a warm or hot wet towel then over time wouldn't it also cause heat damage to the hair?

groque
April 14th, 2008, 12:06 AM
I have friends who straighten their hair daily with heat methods, but as far as the saran wrap method if someone used that often with a warm or hot wet towel then over time wouldn't it also cause heat damage to the hair?
No because the temp of the hot towel gets no where near as hot as the flat iron does.

amaiaisabella
April 14th, 2008, 08:09 AM
I have friends who straighten their hair daily with heat methods, but as far as the saran wrap method if someone used that often with a warm or hot wet towel then over time wouldn't it also cause heat damage to the hair?

I can testify that the saran wrap works! I tried it a few nights ago and my hair only felt barely warm- not hot at all. I'm not sure about the damage, but I only plan on doing it when I have an event, because it truly leaves the hair shiny and flat, similar to the effects of flat irons.

justgreen
April 14th, 2008, 08:24 AM
I always keep my ends wet with distilled water spray , so that they are the last to dry. The weight keeps the hair pulled straight. I also comb with a large triple dipped pick several times while hair is drying.

justgreen
April 14th, 2008, 08:29 AM
I'd suggest a honey/conditioner treatment if your hair is still dry after the baking soda fiasco. To me, baking soda is only good if you are having a flakey problem, as it helps remove the flakes from your scalp wonderfully.

mommy2one05
April 14th, 2008, 09:33 AM
I always keep my ends wet with distilled water spray , so that they are the last to dry. The weight keeps the hair pulled straight. I also comb with a large triple dipped pick several times while hair is drying.

what is a triple dipped pick?

mommy2one05
April 14th, 2008, 09:34 AM
I'd suggest a honey/conditioner treatment if your hair is still dry after the baking soda fiasco. To me, baking soda is only good if you are having a flakey problem, as it helps remove the flakes from your scalp wonderfully.


yes no more bs for me ever! I did an smt saturday with 1c conditioner and 1/4 c aloe vera gel and 1/4 cup honey but it is still extremely dry