"Ironing" your hair

[Shona]

Thinking of all the bad things i have ever done to my hair, i remembered that when i was younger, before proper flat irons were out (or before i could get my hands on a set!) i used to lay my hair out on a towel on the floor and get my mums iron out and iron my hair straight! is there ANYTHING worse you could possibly do to your hair! i cringe looking back at all the bad things i have done to my hair in the past! :scared:

[Red Rapunzel]

Me too! I did that in the 60's.

[spidermom]

I did it too. I think everybody who wasn't blessed with stick-straight hair did.

I don't remember that it did anything particularly bad to my hair, but on the other hand, I didn't pay attention to detail back then. I soon opted for a pixie cut anyway; thanks Twiggy.

[Cirafly24]

I did the same thing :o. I actually thought it was GOOD for my hair, because my hair looked so shiny and nice after I did it lol. Silly silly 15 year old me.

[Nenwing]

Is literally ironing your hair with an iron worse than one of those hair flat-irons, or are they about the same for damage?

[kwaniesiam]

Is literally ironing your hair with an iron worse than one of those hair flat-irons, or are they about the same for damage?

MUCH worse. Modern flat irons have ceramic plates or coating that usually reduce the damage somewhat.

[Nenwing]

MUCH worse. Modern flat irons have ceramic plates or coating that usually reduce the damage somewhat.

Thanks! That is good to know!

[jujube]

I did that too! My mom wouldn't get me a flat iron.

[Athena's Owl]

That's been my method for heat based hair straightening for years.

I figure it's better because 1. Steam means I don't have to do multiple passes over my hair to get all the kinks out, which means less total application of heat, and 2. I can do much larger sections with a clothes iron than a flat iron, which cuts the time down dramatically. I can heat straighten tailbone to classic length type 3 hair in under 30 minutes. with some dinky little flat iron? 90 minutes would be fast, so the heck with *that.*

That said I maybe do it three times a year if that. I'd rather wear curls.

[ArienEllariel]

That's been my method for heat based hair straightening for years.

I figure it's better because 1. Steam means I don't have to do multiple passes over my hair to get all the kinks out, which means less total application of heat, and 2. I can do much larger sections with a clothes iron than a flat iron, which cuts the time down dramatically. I can heat straighten tailbone to classic length type 3 hair in under 30 minutes. with some dinky little flat iron? 90 minutes would be fast, so the heck with *that.*

That said I maybe do it three times a year if that. I'd rather wear curls.

I just wanted to pop in and say that I adore your curls. :)

[thelittlestdoc]

I remembered seeing that in the original Hairspray movie :D I still am kind of in shock at how often I used to use a curling iron. I always used heat protectant, but honestly, how much can that really do?

[Athena's Owl]

honestly? not really a lot. heat is heat.

That said you can help to partly repair your heat straightened hair with the use of ceramides and protein filler treatments, which is all right if you're not trying to have hair that's much longer than say BSL. but I'm dealing with some seriously old ends here and they are very fragile from heat straightening even once a month, which was how often I was doing it. heat damage is heat damage.

[Alaia]

I actually stumbled upon a video demonstration of using an iron to straighten hair on youtube the other day.

I thought the demonstrator had straight hair beforehand anyway so it didn't really make a difference, but all the commentators were saying "Ohhh your hair looks so STRAIGHT now!!"

[Tealpuffin]

Ok I straighten my hair with streighteners sometimes, but this idea makes me cringe! I can't iron clothes without causing a disaster! The thought of putting an iron near my head makes me cringe x

[bondeandeebowl]

I'm guilty. I wanted nothing more than to have straight hair in high school!

[Fluffy Squirrel]

I did that once in a while as a teenager,
let's say two times I just ironed my clothes
and every third time or so I ironed my clothes and afterwards my hair :D
I didn't want them to be more straight but loved the shine they got from ironing...

[heartgoesboom]

I actually stumbled upon a video demonstration of using an iron to straighten hair on youtube the other day.

I thought the demonstrator had straight hair beforehand anyway so it didn't really make a difference, but all the commentators were saying "Ohhh your hair looks so STRAIGHT now!!"

oO, link? i always wondered how people do it... coz how do you get to the roots!

[Yame]

I didn't read the responses so far so I may be repeating something that has already been said, but...


) i used to lay my hair out on a towel on the floor and get my mums iron out and iron my hair straight! is there ANYTHING worse you could possibly do to your hair!

Yes, there is. flat-ironing, for one. Curling iron, another. I think those 2 are worse than using a clothes iron on your hair, because at least the clothes iron only has hot metal on one side ;) (They are probably not as hazardous, though!)

Not to mention bleaching, perms, chemical straightening, etc. I think those things are much worse for your hair than ironing it a couple of times.

[CaityBear]

My cousin did that once before. We were at my grandma's and she was going somewhere and wanted to iron her hair and didn't have her flat iron so used my grandma's iron...

[joflakes]

The thought of such a hot, large metal implement near my head freaks me out a bit. I've never done this! Before straighteners were around, back when I had APL hair, I'd plait it when when into two pigtails and always have lovely wavy hair :)

[deliahblue]

I use a flat iron occasionally and I use protectant spray. I'd be afraid the clothing iron wouldn't glide as well. I still think the flat iron does damage and try to limit it but i love seeing my hair at it's longest.