I really love the look of flat-ironed hair

[InvinciChicken]

I knowww not healthy at all! But it looks so shiny and perfect :D

I also love the look of blunt razored hair. So edgy.

I've never actually flat-ironed or razored my hair, but I just love how it looks when its well done in a flattering style.

Anybody else really like the look of some hairstyles that are not actually good for the hair? And is it possible to get that ultra-smooth, ultra-sleek, ultra-shiny look of flat-ironed hair without the iron and damage?

[Riot Crrl]

No, it isn't. Sorry to be so blunt but it just isn't. Even on naturally stick straight hair, razoring is a horror. I think that Nightshade or someone has some microscopic photos of this.

Razoring my hair simply makes it look like it has breakage, flatiron or no. Even if there is no breakage and it's just the razoring making it look like that.

[spidermom]

I rarely get my hair flat-ironed. I love it, too.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/sig0418.jpghttp://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/straight1.jpg
Natural, air dried ..........................flat ironed

Sigh.........I wish there were no negative consequences. I know of no other way to get that perfect sleek and shiny straight hair. I can set my hair on large rollers and get a smoother look, which is nice but not the same.

[Riot Crrl]

Spidermom, I might be weird since I'm so used to looking at curly hair, but I think your hair in the natural state is shinier.

[spidermom]

Spidermom, I might be weird since I'm so used to looking at curly hair, but I think your hair in the natural state is shinier.

Ah....... thank you. It's the better option, that's for sure. I'm glad that you like it.

[flapjack]

I'm also a huge fan of really smooth, straight and sleek hair. Always have been. In that sense, DNA was nice to me, I got what I wanted.


But honestly... the couple times I had my hair flat ironed, just out of curiosity... it turned out limp. Something about pressing the hair against itself with heat just sucked all the life out of my hair. Before it was straight, shiny and full and then it was straight, shiny and... just hung there. It's not the same. On another person, I would rather see someone with naturally straight hair with a slight curve at the ends or around the ears, with some real movement... instead of looking like their hair was, well... ironed. There is a difference between straight and ironed hair.


Am I making sense here? I hope so. Don't get me wrong, straight is fantastic... not many people have completely straight hair so when you see it, it's super shiny and it stands out and that's great. But not the fake way. It's not the same.

[buttons]

I think smooth-looking hair looks great on every type. By that I mean straight, curly, wavy. On me, though, I prefer big waves ATM. I used to flat-iron...a lot, so obviously I wasn't happy with waves then.

Oh and I hate that fried look people get after continuous heat styling. You know, where ends are fried and stick away from the rest of the hair.

[Shermie Girl]

I knowww not healthy at all! But it looks so shiny and perfect :D

I also love the look of blunt razored hair. So edgy.

I've never actually flat-ironed or razored my hair, but I just love how it looks when its well done in a flattering style.

Anybody else really like the look of some hairstyles that are not actually good for the hair? And is it possible to get that ultra-smooth, ultra-sleek, ultra-shiny look of flat-ironed hair without the iron and damage?

I don't know what your natural texture is... You haven't filled it in in your profile. I also like it when my hair is very smooth and straight. I am a 2a or thereabouts. I can get my hair to look just about flat ironed by blowing it out on low or medium heat, medium fan speed (the air coming from the dryer is never too warm for comfort on my facial skin), combing it constantly and smoothing it with a wide tooth comb as it dries. (I never, never, never use a brush on my wet or damp hair!) A rich cone conditioner and leave in and a polish of some kind complete the procedure. I don't do this often, as I don't like to blow dry too frequently.

I can also get a smooth, bouncy 'do by setting my hair on jumbo Caruso rollers for a few minutes if I want to air dry then smooth it out, a bit.:D

[manderly]

You can give this a shot:

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

[sapphire-o]

I also like the look of smooth, shiny straight hair, but I don't have to do anything. I mean they're everywhere on other people's heads for me to look, right? :D I don't see my own hair much anyway.

[Nevermore]

I like the way razored hair looks on very short haired people, also extreme colors that basically require bleaching are ones I love...on other people. Thankfully, my partner is a very patient and sweet woman who has a thing for short, spiked hair in random and unnatural colors on herself and says she'll let me do hers.

[peachy.pudding]

I love clipped hair, where it looks so sharp esecially shoulder length, just beautiful, i also like layers, fringes etc. Yes i love straight hair too, it all looks good, if my goals were only for bsl i would have a nice sharp cut flat ironed, maybe i will one day when i get over my goals

[Islandgrrl]

I'm not sure I actually know what razored hair looks like. I've honestly not paid that much attention :P

But I do love that sleek, straight look on other people. I'm not a big fan of it on myself.

[Eireann]

I like my hair when it's wavy, but when it's straight it looks longer, which, of course, I love. Still, I guess it's better to be patient and have healthy hair that looks long even when it's wavy.

(Cue G 'n R: "Just a little patience, aaaaahhh. . .)

[QueenBea]

I love the way my hair looks straightened--by itself. But when I look at pictures in the past with my hair flat ironed, it looks limp and doesn't flatter my face shape.

I've got to keep remembering that I was created with my given hair color, texture, face shape, skin tones, etc. because the Creator knew it all "went" together :) I just haven't always fully appreciated it :) Trying to . . .

Bea

[Just_Isabel]

I love my hair when it's straight, especially flat ironed. I don't do it often, but if the iron wasn't so damaging I'd probably straighten it every week. :o

[spidermom]

I also like the look of smooth, shiny straight hair, but I don't have to do anything. I mean they're everywhere on other people's heads for me to look, right? :D I don't see my own hair much anyway.

I've often thought about that when it comes to coloring one's hair. People say "I can't stand seeing this color" (meaning their natural color), and I wonder how much time they spend looking in the mirror evaluating the color. I don't spend much of my time in front of the mirror (most days). I see a lot more of the colors I like by being active in the world, looking at the color on other heads.

[Eireann]

I'm the converse of that. I color my hair to "decorate DH's world". ;-) I went grey early, and I look and feel younger than I am, except for my grey hair. DH likes me to look as young as I feel, and I am happy to oblige. There will be a time when I go grey naturally, but not this day! It might seem "unfeminist" to color my hair to please him, but I'm sure he wears tighter jeans than he would if it were entirely up to him!

[Nightshade]

No, it isn't. Sorry to be so blunt but it just isn't. Even on naturally stick straight hair, razoring is a horror. I think that Nightshade or someone has some microscopic photos of this.

Razoring my hair simply makes it look like it has breakage, flatiron or no. Even if there is no breakage and it's just the razoring making it look like that.

*chuckles* That's just begging for the horror show pics ;)

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_68/hair_twh_68_02.jpg

This is a normal hair with the tip rounded from natural weathering.


http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_70/hair_twh_70_03.jpg

This is the pic I think RiotCurl was referencing. A poor razor cut can leave a long curled tail on the end of the hair, which is only going to encourage breakdown on the end of the hair shaft.

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_70/hair_twh_70_02.jpg

To be fair, you get damage even if normal hair scissors are blunt.


Now! onto the flat iron pictures! :twisted:

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_73/hair_twh_73_01.jpg
http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_73/hair_twh_73_02.jpg
Bubbles in the hair formed by heating it too hot. The moisture in the hair turns to steam, which breaks through the cuticle in an attempt to get out of the hair, causing damage.


The resulting splits and breaks from heat damage:
http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_74/hair_twh_74_03.jpg
The "white dot"

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_73/hair_twh_73_03.jpg
Split end close up.

Source (http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_toc.htm)


So, no, you're never going to get that super-sleek flat-ironed look without applying a heat appliance to your hair. You can try other methods, such as combing your hair straight when wet with a bit of aloe gel, and there's a method for wrapping hair around here that does it too, but it's never going to look like flat-ironed hair (which tends to look limp IMHO as others thought).

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the look of razored hair, and on some people it looks FANTASTIC. If I even went short short (which I never have and odds are at this point I never will) I'd love a razored cut.

My point here isn't that nobody should razor or flat iron their hair, but just that doing so isn't the most conducive to growing hair to extreme lengths ("extreme" here taken to mean society's definition, not the LHC definition, which is somewhat broken ;) ).

If you can find that wrapped tutorial, give it a go. You won't get perfectly flat results, however, it may be a good compromise between doing nothing and doing something that can be inherently damaging if done more than once in a blue moon (though a too-hot flat iron can trash a hair if it's way overheated even if t's only done once.)

[spidermom]

I'm the converse of that. I color my hair to "decorate DH's world". ;-) I went grey early, and I look and feel younger than I am, except for my grey hair. DH likes me to look as young as I feel, and I am happy to oblige. There will be a time when I go grey naturally, but not this day! It might seem "unfeminist" to color my hair to please him, but I'm sure he wears tighter jeans than he would if it were entirely up to him!

Haha - sounds like a fair exchange to me!

[Rustella]

*chuckles* That's just begging for the horror show pics ;)



No! STOP! Not the damaged hair photos! Geez, I just ate lunch.

Ok, maybe just one more. Do you any of blowfryed hair vs air dryed hair? I could use a reality check. I don't touch the flat iron but can't seem to stop the blowfrying.

[Nightshade]

No! STOP! Not the damaged hair photos! Geez, I just ate lunch.

Ok, maybe just one more. Do you any of blowfryed hair vs air dryed hair? I could use a reality check. I don't touch the flat iron but can't seem to stop the blowfrying.


Happy to oblige :) Keep in mind, though that the white dot I posted earlier is from a hairdryer, I just lumped it in under "heat damage"

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_68/hair_twh_68_01.jpg
Very highly magnified electronmicrograph of normal cuticles, showing how the scales overlap (the scale run from the base of the hair towards the tip)

See how nice and tight those scales lay? That (I think, as they don't say otherwise, is just normal air-dried hair). Flat scales= shiny hair as they reflect light more uniformly. Flat irons DO get scales to lay flat, however with each pass they can scrape off those scales, which over time ruins the ability of the hair to reflect light properly.

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_68/hair_twh_68_04.jpg
Further back shot of healthy shiny hair.

Now, once those little scales are gone, you get this:

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_69/hair_twh_69_01.jpg

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_69/hair_twh_69_02.jpg

The continuing destruction of the cortex of a hair: the long parallel bundles of keratin have been exposed and can be seen clearly. The cortex has ruptured and cannot be repaired, so that the only course of action is to cut off the hair

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_75/image004.jpg
The hair has literally been fried by heat, and then burst open




And now just for fun although it's not entirely on topic :eyebrows:

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_76/image008.jpg
Damaged cuticle, due to backcombing heavily sprayed hair

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_76/image010.jpg
A hair shattered after severe perm damage

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_72/hair_twh_72_01.jpg
More perm damage


*sighs* I want an electron microscope

[flapjack]

I have an electron microscope I can use at school! Who wants to send me some hair? Hahaha.

[Chromis]

I love naturally straight, sleek hair, but flat ironed hair is not the same. It always looks fried and lifeless and is very easy to spot. I like my hair alterations like I like my makeup, almost invisible! If I were a curly sort, I'd want to be complimented for my nice curls, not my nice perm!

[ladystar]

I love straight flat ironed and blow dried hair. I use to do this allllllll the time, I just stopped about a month ago, before I couldn't go for longer than a week without the blow dryer/iron. I am getting use to my natural look. I also find less spit ends in my hair. All I do now is use henna and it has straighted out my hair a bit so its been OK to just let it dry natural, I also add some coconut oil for the frizz.

This weekend I am going to a wedding and normally I would iron it but nope not this time, I am going to curl it with solar rollers natural air dry (its going to take forever) at least I wont feel guilty when I hear my hair breaking as I am ironing sucks!!!

OMg after seeing the pictures, makes me want to throw my blow dryer away!!! AHHHHHHH

[Nightshade]

I have an electron microscope I can use at school! Who wants to send me some hair? Hahaha.

Is that an honest offer? Because I'd pay good money to see hennaed hair under a microscope, just after a henna and then after a few days for oxidization. :eyebrows:

[AshleyP]

I love the flat ironed look to. I flat iron my hair about two - three times a week. :shrug:

[flapjack]

Is that an honest offer? Because I'd pay good money to see hennaed hair under a microscope, just after a henna and then after a few days for oxidization. :eyebrows:


Hahaha sure if you want to. You can send me a message and I'll give you the address to my box in the bio office. Just stick some hairs in an envelope, that works, hahaha. It'd take me a few minutes at most to get a picture of it and I'm always in the lab being a nerd already, anyway.

[Riot Crrl]

Ahaha the pictures! Once after looking at those I had a dream my hair was like the "white dot" one only I could somehow see all the shards and everything with normal vision.

I want to look at my hair in a microscope but I'm scaaaared!

[flapjack]

I looked at an eyelash that had fallen in my eye and a hair of mine a few years ago. It looked normal to me, hahaha. I remember the end of my hair looked really blunt because I had just gotten a trim. They kinda just look like cylinders with wavy lines on them for the most part. I don't know if that's very exciting, but I guess it's better than looking like some of those other ones lol.

[Riot Crrl]

I would hope to see the cylinders with wavy lines, but I fear otherwise.

[Altocumulus]

Hahaha sure if you want to. You can send me a message and I'll give you the address to my box in the bio office. Just stick some hairs in an envelope, that works, hahaha. It'd take me a few minutes at most to get a picture of it and I'm always in the lab being a nerd already, anyway.

Oh! I have partially grown out henna...can I send you some hairs so you can compare the natural roots and hennaed length?

[Nightshade]

Oh! I have partially grown out henna...can I send you some hairs so you can compare the natural roots and hennaed length?


ooOOOOooo this sounds ideal :D My hair is all 100% henna or henna/cassiaed.

Would be be possible to do a fresh coat of henna on some of the hairs? I've heard about the resin in henna building up on the outside of the hair just after the treatment, which is why hennaed hair seems wonky for a few days. I'm wondering if that's visible or not. :confused:

[Altocumulus]

Hahaha sure if you want to. You can send me a message and I'll give you the address to my box in the bio office. Just stick some hairs in an envelope, that works, hahaha. It'd take me a few minutes at most to get a picture of it and I'm always in the lab being a nerd already, anyway.


ooOOOOooo this sounds ideal :D My hair is all 100% henna or henna/cassiaed.

Would be be possible to do a fresh coat of henna on some of the hairs? I've heard about the resin in henna building up on the outside of the hair just after the treatment, which is why hennaed hair seems wonky for a few days. I'm wondering if that's visible or not. :confused:

Good idea! I have some leftover henna and cassia. I can make three samples - one as is with virgin roots/hennaed length, one with fresh henna and one with fresh cassia.

[n3m3sis42]

I have no idea what razored hair even looks like... and I'm not sure I know what flatironed looks like, either. I can get my hair quite straight and smooth just by blowdrying, although I rarely ever do that anymore. I didn't realize until rather recently that most people seem to use a flatiron to straighten.

I do like the look of straightened hair, though, as long as the hair isn't obviously fried.

[RavennaNight]

After seeing those flat iron hair shaft pics I just wanna throw my iron out. If only I didn't rely on it so much to iron my shirtsleeves. :p Its the only reason its still in my home. Small apartment=no room for ironing board. I know I shouldn't ask. I REALLY shouldn't ask... Nightsade, what does chemically dyed hair shaft look like?

[amaiaisabella]

My hair is only slightly wavy, so it doesn't matter to me to straighten it much anymore- though it would look just that little bit longer!

I have a question, though: is the permanent straightening method as damaging as using a flat iron? I used to work in a hair salon and saw how it was done: basically you put goop that resembles Nair on your head, then wash it out, put some other goop, and so on, until finally you blowdry it straight. Supposedly even after you wash it from then on, that the hair will dry straight. It works by altering the natural composition of the hair, I believe.

[RavennaNight]

My hair is only slightly wavy, so it doesn't matter to me to straighten it much anymore- though it would look just that little bit longer!

I have a question, though: is the permanent straightening method as damaging as using a flat iron? I used to work in a hair salon and saw how it was done: basically you put goop that resembles Nair on your head, then wash it out, put some other goop, and so on, until finally you blowdry it straight. Supposedly even after you wash it from then on, that the hair will dry straight. It works by altering the natural composition of the hair, I believe.

Oh no. My DH had chin length thick, coarse, almost curly hair and went to a salon to get that done. Not once, but twice in a week. It didn't take the first time, so he went back, the girl re did it for him no charge. First of all, it burnt his scalp. Second of all, it didn't make anything straight, he hated it, and cut it off. Its been really short since.

[Riot Crrl]

The thermal straightening is fairly similar to a perm. The jobs of both are to break down bonds in hair, allowing them to reform in a new structure.

The ones you saw involved blowouts, but I think the norm is these days for them to involve flatirons too.

It is arguable that thermal reconditioning could be less damaging than using a flatiron every 1, 2, or 3 days, since the TR only uses the flatiron once. It is also arguable that damage could occur from the one time using the flatiron during the TR treatment. Furthermore, it is arguable that getting a curly perm could be less damaging than TR, since heat tools are generally not used with it. (And also that straighter hair has a flatter cuticle to begin with, blah blah.) :)

[amaiaisabella]

Yikes! I know our salon did it a few times and it looked great, but as we all know, looks can be deceiving :)

[Xandergrammy]

. I REALLY shouldn't ask... Nightsade, what does chemically dyed hair shaft look like?



You took the words right out of my mouth, RavennaNight! I stopped dyeing 2 years ago, but have most of my length which is old dye.

[someonesfaerie]

I knowww not healthy at all! But it looks so shiny and perfect :D

I also love the look of blunt razored hair. So edgy.

I've never actually flat-ironed or razored my hair, but I just love how it looks when its well done in a flattering style.

Anybody else really like the look of some hairstyles that are not actually good for the hair? And is it possible to get that ultra-smooth, ultra-sleek, ultra-shiny look of flat-ironed hair without the iron and damage?

I love the baby doll hair! the perfect curls, problem is that was my down fall. So girl had to do my hair for a play and by the time the play was over my hair had to be cut. Now I'm staying away form hot things, and her.

[talula_fairie]

I love that look too. I can allllmost get my hair like that if I blow dry, but not quite.

I'm really trying to steer clear of the blowdryer these days and I am doing pretty well.

[Blueneko]

I have the opposite reaction. I think flat ironed hair looks fried, and razored hair looks like a haircut boo-boo.

Most every 16-25 year old in the tri-state area has razored, flat-ironed hair, however, so perhaps I am just rebelling.

[Oberon88]

People always were telling me to flat iron my hair in high school. I always found it made my hair look dead and lifeless. But I really love the body in my hair.... I've probably only ironed it three times and every time I had to go rinse it out to revive it even though everyone said it looked good. It didn't feel like me.

I know tons of people who love it, and get up early in the morning to do it, but I can't be bothered, takes too much time and damages your hair.

[atlantaz3]

My siggy pic is my hair after the hair dresser flat ironed it. Maybe it was just me but I my hair felt very dry for a few weeks after and I also noticed more splits afterward. But that may have just me paying more attention. Yes I like my hair straight, but the waves want to come out and play the longer my hair gets. (especially the under layer) Even though I still own a flat iron I don't think it will get much use going forward.

[rubyredslippers]

I find that the flat iron doesn't really straighten my hair anyways--I always get bumps where I tuck my hair behind my ears, anyways. There's not much point to straightening it if it doesn't stay straightened.

I like the look once in a while, though I never do it for myself. A little change is fun, occasionally.:)

[Jae6]

i like edgy styles (a lot require razoring). heck, my own hair was razored the last time i cut it, which was last july. i'm surprised it's only starting to look haggard on the ends, despite me flat-ironing and blowing it out on various occasions.

as to those girls who have floofy flat-ironed hair--sounds like they need better flat-irons or need to take better care of their hair. my hair only looks frizzy after flat-ironing when it's extremely dry and needs dire moisture or a trim. it also looked frizzy when i was using a lower quality flat-iron.

[Nightshade]

Good idea! I have some leftover henna and cassia. I can make three samples - one as is with virgin roots/hennaed length, one with fresh henna and one with fresh cassia.

I can't wait to see the results of this :cheer:



After seeing those flat iron hair shaft pics I just wanna throw my iron out. If only I didn't rely on it so much to iron my shirtsleeves. :p Its the only reason its still in my home. Small apartment=no room for ironing board. I know I shouldn't ask. I REALLY shouldn't ask... Nightsade, what does chemically dyed hair shaft look like?

Still working on finding pictures, but I did find this from a study:


Objectives/Goals
How will the time hair is emerged in dye affect the intactness of the hair shaft?
Methods/Materials
First, submerge hair dye for different periods of time (20 mins, 40 mins, 60 mins, 80 mins, and 8 hours).
After each sample of hair is dyed for its allotted amount of time, wash and dry hair. Take 5 strands of hair
from each time period and analyze the hair, and count the breaks under 100X. Materials:Blonde hair,
Loreal Red Hair Dye, Horsehair paintbrush, Distilled water, stopwatch, and microscope.
Results
The average amount of breaks in 16 mm of hair dyed for 20 mins is 1 break. The average amount of
breaks in 16 mm of hair dyed for 40 mins is 1.7 breaks. The average amount of breaks in 16 mm of hair
dyed for 60 mins is 2.1 breaks. The average amount of breaks in 16 mm of hair dyed for 80 mins is 3.1
breaks. The average amount of breaks in 16 mm of hair dyed for 8 hours is 3.7 breaks. The longer hair is
submerged in dye, the more breaks were found. The fastest rate of damage occurred in 80 mins, and rate
of damage decreased dramatically after 80 mins.
Conclusions/Discussion
The data I have collected demonstrates that as time increases, breaks in the hair shaft increases. Although
dasmage increases at a steady rate from 20 mins to 80 mins, the rate of damage decreased after 80 mins. I
believe that this decrease in hair damage is due to ammonia being used up as reagents

[vindo]

I find that many flat ironed heads of hair are really just overdone, like there is no bounce left and especially overly flatironed ends look very unnatural to me.
I think not even a 1a = the look of badly flatironed hair.

But I have seen nice results as well..where the hair was not all too compressed. But I dont think it would never be worth the damage for me..even if my hair was extremely curly.

My sister has 1c-2a Hair btw. and she flatirons for going out...
-_-

[flapjack]

^ Definitely agreed on the difference between naturally straight and ironed. Straight =/= flat.



I will post any results I get, when I... get the results. Hahaha. Probably in a few weeks.

[flapjack]

Coming back to update...


I got altocumulus' hair samples in le mail the other day and looked at them under a compound light microscope and an electron microscope and this hair was in amazing condition, I think. It not only looked like what you see the "standard" healthy hair photos look like, but the scales (wavy lines) on the hairs were very light in color on both microscopes, leading me to believe that the hairs were really solid and no layers of keratin were going to be slowly flaking off any time soon. I'm unsure of what she does with her hair, but whatever it is, it's working like a charm. You could tell that the ends hadn't been cut in awhile because they had a natural tapered end. What happens with tapered ends when magnified is... the end will look VERY solid and a little bit darker than the rest of the hair... no scales are on it at all and they're shaped like rounded arrowheads.


There was no difference between the virgin, hennaed or cassia(ed) hair with the exception of the color under the compound microscope and with the naked eye. I think in order to determine if henna and cassia strengthen hair (we "know" they do, already) by sight... we need an example of hair that is damaged to some degree before the application. For this example, the hair was good before and good after. I didn't notice a difference at all, honestly. But that really is good news for the owner, hahaha. It basically means you're changing the color and causing NO damage at all, which rules.


Bad news is... the camera on the microscope is busted. We're in the middle of getting more grant money to fix the camera. And my cell phone camera is the biggest piece of crap in the world. So I don't have any photos for you. :( But I have the hair in the lab (hahaha) so when it does work, I can take photos.



I hope this helps a bit. Sorry again about the lack of pictures, kind of out of my hands at the moment. And thanks for sending me the hair, it was a cool experiment!

[Toadstool]

I love the look of flat ironed hair.I do mine for about ten minutes three times a week. I use a lot of protein treatments and expensive salon shampoos, conditioners and heat stylingb spray to try to minimise damage.

[redcelticcurls]

I love the look of other peoples hair flat-ironed, but not mine. I think the coarseness does not mesh with the flat iron.

I do love the look of a roller set type of blowout on myself though.

[Angellen]

I'm the converse of that. I color my hair to "decorate DH's world". ;-) I went grey early, and I look and feel younger than I am, except for my grey hair. DH likes me to look as young as I feel, and I am happy to oblige. There will be a time when I go grey naturally, but not this day! It might seem "unfeminist" to color my hair to please him, but I'm sure he wears tighter jeans than he would if it were entirely up to him!
Firstly: :rollin:

More on topic: There was a girl in my French class who flat-ironed. Her hair was wavy, maybe 2b/2c (but I'm not sure, as she rarely wore it that way) and I guess her flat iron could not get all of the hair, as her roots were wavy...it looked pretty awful, in my opinion. Her hair would have been so nice were it left natural. It just looked awkward to me, though.

Natural is just better, in my opinion. I just like how it looks more.

[Katze]

I saw someone last night whose thick, blonde, BSL hair was clearly flatironed. And I could tell. There was something about the way the ends curved that looked artificial.

And hair that's ironed straight looks fake overall, to me. Don't get me wrong, this woman had beautiful hair in general, much thicker and healthier than mine (at least as I could see with her sitting in front of us watching the EM game) so people would probably more likely see it as beautiful than hair like mine, which is considered stringy and thin.

But something about flatironing just looks cheap and fake, to me. It's the same with perms or some kinds of curling-iron curls...they look too even, too regular, something about the texture. Like doll hair.

ok, that's my rant. :D

[DavidN]

I used to flat iron my hair, DAILY, during the earlier part of my growing jouney, and have serious regrets that I did so. (I stopped doing that in Sept. 2006) I frequently wondered, during that period from early 2005, to September 2006, why my hair did not seem to be growing much at all. Although I liked the "sleek and straight look", it was not worth it. Slowly, my hair is recovering from the damage, and growing better again, but a trim will be necessary at some point in the future.

I remember seeing some of those pictures of damaged hair back in September 2006 when I did a google search for "hair damage", and they totally freaked me out! THAT is the reason I stopped ironing my hair!

[Altocumulus]

Coming back to update...


I got altocumulus' hair samples in le mail the other day and looked at them under a compound light microscope and an electron microscope and this hair was in amazing condition, I think. It not only looked like what you see the "standard" healthy hair photos look like, but the scales (wavy lines) on the hairs were very light in color on both microscopes, leading me to believe that the hairs were really solid and no layers of keratin were going to be slowly flaking off any time soon. I'm unsure of what she does with her hair, but whatever it is, it's working like a charm. You could tell that the ends hadn't been cut in awhile because they had a natural tapered end. What happens with tapered ends when magnified is... the end will look VERY solid and a little bit darker than the rest of the hair... no scales are on it at all and they're shaped like rounded arrowheads.


There was no difference between the virgin, hennaed or cassia(ed) hair with the exception of the color under the compound microscope and with the naked eye. I think in order to determine if henna and cassia strengthen hair (we "know" they do, already) by sight... we need an example of hair that is damaged to some degree before the application. For this example, the hair was good before and good after. I didn't notice a difference at all, honestly. But that really is good news for the owner, hahaha. It basically means you're changing the color and causing NO damage at all, which rules.


Bad news is... the camera on the microscope is busted. We're in the middle of getting more grant money to fix the camera. And my cell phone camera is the biggest piece of crap in the world. So I don't have any photos for you. :( But I have the hair in the lab (hahaha) so when it does work, I can take photos.



I hope this helps a bit. Sorry again about the lack of pictures, kind of out of my hands at the moment. And thanks for sending me the hair, it was a cool experiment!

Wow...thanks for that super cool update! I'm happy to hear that my hair is in good condition and that benign neglect (er...laziness) is working. I've never flat ironed (thankfully those things did not exist during my years of trying to get rid of my wurls), and have only been blow dried (curly, so with lower heat and a diffuser) once or twice at the salon. My hair has always been very nonporous, which is consistent with the observation that the keratin scales are tight to the hair shaft. That explains why I could never get semipermanent color to stick to my hair.

Thanks again!

[Riot Crrl]

At the risk of stating the obvious: Altocumulus, we would like to know the rest of your routine please.

[Altocumulus]

Pure laziness...CO about once a week (no cones because my hair hates them), WO on the other days. I use a pea-sized dab of the same conditioner mixed with jojoba as a leave in to reduce frizz (moderately successful depending on humidity). I wear it up almost every day. I've been trying to wear true updos and not braids because I just trimmed 5" off the ends and would like them to stay as fresh and nice as possible. I recently switched to a sleep bun instead of a braid for the same reason. I comb right before showering with a really, really wide toothed comb and not at any other time. I never brush because it makes my hair super frizzy and the comb does a good job of detangling. That's it!

[Riot Crrl]

Awesome! And that is how to get hair that looks healthy in an electron microscope! :D

[starfire]

I love the look of flat-ironed hair. Luckily (for the health of my hair) I'm far too lazy to actually do it.

[WritingPrincess]

When you get your pictures, you must post them. I can't wait to see Altocumulus's hair!

[goldenwaves]

Oh god, those microscopic pics make me feel sick! I don't think I'll straighten ever again!

[Nightshade]

Flapjack- Thank you SO much for doing this! You're fantastic! :flower:

For strength when I did the penny test thing (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56974)on three sections of my hair I found that:

My Results:

Because I henna, I wanted to test the hennaed part of my hair vs the chemical ends with henna on top. Then just for kicks, I found an old lock of hair that was chemical only. The only thing I wasn't able to test was virgin hair.

Chemical Only: 16 pennies, which was 37.6g
Chemical with henna: 20 pennies, which was 47g
Henna only: 25 pennies, which was 58.75g

I LOVE HENNA!!! :lol:

[redcelticcurls]

Flapjack- Thank you SO much for doing this! You're fantastic! :flower:

For strength when I did the penny test thing (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56974)on three sections of my hair I found that:

My Results:

Because I henna, I wanted to test the hennaed part of my hair vs the chemical ends with henna on top. Then just for kicks, I found an old lock of hair that was chemical only. The only thing I wasn't able to test was virgin hair.

Chemical Only: 16 pennies, which was 37.6g
Chemical with henna: 20 pennies, which was 47g
Henna only: 25 pennies, which was 58.75g

I LOVE HENNA!!! :lol:

Interesting!

I wonder if texture matters too. I've been chemical coloring for 15 years and I broke at 42 pennies. Maybe the coarseness plays a role too....

[Nightshade]

Interesting!

I wonder if texture matters too. I've been chemical coloring for 15 years and I broke at 42 pennies. Maybe the coarseness plays a role too....

I'm sure it does :) in general a thicker rope is stronger than a thinner one!

[mommy2one05]

Is it possible to have healthy long hair and still flat iron once or twice a week?

[eadwine]

From what all I have read here: no.

[rapunzhell13]

Is it possible to have healthy long hair and still flat iron once or twice a week?

I think it depends on your length goal. If you're shooting for anything past waist, I'd say no.

[redcelticcurls]

Is it possible to have healthy long hair and still flat iron once or twice a week?

It would seem to depend on your length goals, the natural disposition of your hair, and other things you are doing to care for it.

There are folks here that use heat and/or chemicals that still have long/longish, reasonably healthy hair.

That being said, I do feel that it is harder if one is going past waist. The ends are just that much older and that much more delicate.

[Nat242]

Is it possible to have healthy long hair and still flat iron once or twice a week?

Red Celtic Curls is spot on - it depends on your goals, your flat ironing method, and your hair type. Coarse hair is more hardy than medium and fine hair.

Flat ironing twice a week is going to put a strain on your hair, and it will become damaged; how damaged depends on the factors mentioned above.

-- Natalie

[Rapunzelwannabe]

http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_75/image004.jpg
The hair has literally been fried by heat, and then burst open






Ahhhhhhh! the hair at the nape of my neck looks like that!! Only it's longer, but it has a bunch of white dots and bursting all over. But I don't use heat products, could it be from jewelry? I wear necklaces pretty often so I could see that....

[Rae~]

I love the look of flat-ironed hair. Luckily (for the health of my hair) I'm far too lazy to actually do it.

This is me exactly; LOVE my hair straight, but can't be bothered to work out how to do it myself. I've only ever had it done at the salon after a trim, and only ever about twice in total, I think.

[crystal_89]

I love wearing my hair straight too. However, I'm trying to reduce my straightening to twice a month or less instead of 3 or 4 times a week as I have a lot of split ends.

[sexyjacksparrow]

I too have gone back to flat-ironing my hair as I like the way it looks. I abstained for over a year and it made no difference at all to the growth or condition of my hair (growth is rubbish regardless but i wanted to double check it wasn't that). I only straighten it once or twice a month at most anyway though so probably doesn't have a huge impact (and I never blow dry).

Kerry xx

[shay_48328]

I think to flat iron maybe once a month sometimes once bi-monthy. I won't be flat ironing for awhile, though, because I just got five inches cut and I am too scared to see it.

[mommy2one05]

well currently my hair is at waist length and I would like it to become longer.
So I guess I will keep trying to walk away from the iron.
My hair is somewhat straight with a few waves that pop in sometimes.
And with the straightening iron it looks so much smoother and nicer imo.