Help me kick the urge to flat iron my hair!

[SheeJee]

I have frizzy APL 2b/2c black hair, and I desperately wish I had straight hair :( It just suits my face better and it looks more neat, even though I absolutely love waves and curls on other people, my hair is just so frizzy when I leave it alone that it doesn't look nice wavy or curly on me :(

I have made fantastic progress with avoiding the blow dryer/flat iron for a few months now and giving myself weekly hair treatments, and my hair is finally looking very healthy. I recently got a trim and my hair flat ironed at a salon for my graduation (yay!) and it looked sooo amazing, the hairdresser was shocked at how healthy my hair has become and everyone kept saying how gorgeous I looked with straight hair!

I'm so tempted to straighten my hair tomorrow, I have done lots of hair treatments today in preparation for blowdrying/flat ironing my hair tomorrow and I am looking longingly at my flat iron and can't wait to get that beautiful straight hair. But I know how bad it is for my hair :( And I need motivation to not succumb to the seduction of straight hair!!!

Help :(

[Vanille_]

I love the straight iron too. I feel your pain. But what do you want more - healthy hair or straight unhealthy hair?

I struggled with this for a bit too. But you have to learn to love yourself! Find styles that flatter your face and hair based on your hair type. Work on experimenting with things that reduce frizz or perhaps even add a bit of weight. For instance, I use a conditioner that happens to make my hair almost as straight as a flat iron.

You just have to play with new things and try new stuff out. There is no lack of options on this site!

[Amber_Maiden]

My hair looks gorgeous as well when flat ironed.

You know what I did to resist the temptation? Threw it out.

Yep. I threw it out. Now I don't have to think about it anymore. I just have healthy hair. :)

[Anywhere]

I have frizzy APL 2b/2c black hair, and I desperately wish I had straight hair :( It just suits my face better and it looks more neat, even though I absolutely love waves and curls on other people, my hair is just so frizzy when I leave it alone that it doesn't look nice wavy or curly on me :(

I have made fantastic progress with avoiding the blow dryer/flat iron for a few months now and giving myself weekly hair treatments, and my hair is finally looking very healthy. I recently got a trim and my hair flat ironed at a salon for my graduation (yay!) and it looked sooo amazing, the hairdresser was shocked at how healthy my hair has become and everyone kept saying how gorgeous I looked with straight hair!

I'm so tempted to straighten my hair tomorrow, I have done lots of hair treatments today in preparation for blowdrying/flat ironing my hair tomorrow and I am looking longingly at my flat iron and can't wait to get that beautiful straight hair. But I know how bad it is for my hair :( And I need motivation to not succumb to the seduction of straight hair!!!



Help :(



Your hair is similar to mine in curliness. Have you tried wrapping? If I wrap my hair when it is still very damp then it dries to a straight silkiness that I actually don't get from a flat iron. Flat irons turn my hair into dry frizzy semi-straightness. Wrapping makes it lovely. It's worth a shot?

[cheetahfast]

I former hair straightener addict here, your hair looks frizzy when left natural partly because of the straightening. Trust me.

I used to have a puff ball of curly hair when I let it dry natural. I was heat abusing it 4-5 times a week. It look very nice straight, but horrible curly. I don't have any pictures of it that I can't post since my face is visible in all of them.


All of my current hair has not touched heat. Now my hair dries like this:

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i360/cheetahfast/Skin/P1000491a.jpg

Also have you tried shea moisture smoothie? I find that a very tiny bit of it tames my hair nicely on humid days :)

[DancingQueen]

I know how you feel! I used to flat iron my hair every single day for years. It looks so nice, especially when the other possibility is frizzy, impossible hair (at least mine was).

But after finding LHC, I discovered that the key is to just leave it alone. I tried hundreds of products, but my hair must be resistant to all of them. Now I love my curls (most of the time) and as it is growing, I can just put it up on my bad hair days. :cheese:

If you want, you can look at my routine on my profile, maybe it will work for you too. But leave the straightening iron alone, you can do it! :)

[jesis]

I still straighten my hair every few months. I did yesterday because I have a job interview today and I wanted to look nice and put together.

After I flat iron my hair I go through it and S&D like mad. I can straight it on day 1 and not touch my flat iron again the entire duration it's straight. I usually leave it straight for about 7-9 days because it doesn't get oily.

Not the most healthy solution but if you want to gradually ease off of it, that could be a choice, too. I'm down to only flat ironing every 3-4 months now!

[InTheCity]

Wrap it! Like Anywhere said.

It's a very odd concept but it seriously works if you secure it properly. (I use a do rag/wig cap)

[Falcore]

I have put down the straightener for good and feel soooo liberated from doing so. I honestly look back and think why was I so obsessed with the straightness when my hair looks so much better with my waves?!

If you like it maybe you could just straighten your fringe (if you have one).

Although I say this I still wasn't able to part with my GHD. My SO suggested I sell it on ebay (cost me a good $300). I'm not ready for that step... yet.

[teal]

I still use the flat iron from time to time. Maybe once every couple of months, when I have a reason to get dressed up. I keep myself from doing it more often by imagining the heat boiling the moisture in the hair shafts, busting through the cuticle and creating those detestable white dots and split ends.

[slz]

I can spot falt ironed hair from a mile and I think it's ugly, lifeless and boring.

Howzat for motivation to avoid destroying your hair :D ?

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Think of all the girls on LHC that would KILL to have your waves?
:)
Im a former heat addict, and i quit cold turkey and havent straightened in almost 5 months now and my hair is SO much better. I will never regret putting that flat iron down and imbraving my waves.
Think of how beautiful your hair will look and how much better it will retain growth when you quit the heat!

[PraiseCheeses]

I completely understand where you're coming from; I've wanted straight hair since I gained self-awareness and have straightened since I was 13 - I was just supposed to have been straight-haired! I've found that wrapping is indeed a miracle. It takes a bit of practice, but it does a better job than any iron or hair dryer could possibly do. And, it's damage-free! :cheese:

I've also had great luck with putting my damp hair into a lazy wrap bun on the top of my head just before going to sleep. I wake up with just a bit of a body wave - which I think looks nicer than ironed-pin-straight hair. My sig pic was taken after using this method. :) When I do this,I do have to use a blow-dryer on the front parts though because they can turn out a little wonky.

[uptosomeone]

My hair is straight so I rarely straightened, but at my worst I was using a flatiron 3-4 times a week to get the curls I wanted. My hair hated me! The only thing that's gotten me off of curling it though has been discovering new heat-free ways to achieve the same effect I was getting from the straightener, so that's what I would recommend to you. Do a bunch of research and practice, practice, practice the techniques. It won't be as easy as flatironing right away, but your hair will thank you and you'll be able to alternate straight and curly hair whenever you want, no damage and no repair needed. :)


I still use the flat iron from time to time. Maybe once every couple of months, when I have a reason to get dressed up. I keep myself from doing it more often by imagining the heat boiling the moisture in the hair shafts, busting through the cuticle and creating those detestable white dots and split ends.

OOH, those white dots! I HATE them! :angry: They're worse than splits, imo.

[balticbabe]

I can spot falt ironed hair from a mile and I think it's ugly, lifeless and boring.

Howzat for motivation to avoid destroying your hair :D ?

I don't care for the look of stick straight hair either. I know it's the fashion now but it ages most people and a lot of people end up looking like Morticia.

[david]

I might get hassle for saying this but I still straighten my hair the odd time. Like you I like the sleek look of straightened hair from time to time. I think of it like a little treat. I like to enjoy my long hair, I never got the idea of having long hair and wearing it up all the time.

I only straighten it once maybe two times a month just to change things up. So I would say you dont need to throw out the straighteners just get out of the habit of using them all the time since this will damage your hair.

[indiana]

not sure if it'll make you feel any better, but I have the flat, straight hair and I spent most of my life using chemicals and heat to make it curly!

learning to accept our hair AS IS will make life a lot easier and lead to healthier (and better looking) hair.

toss the flat iron, embrace your curls and love the hair god gave you!

[Hollyfire3]

imagine your hair with no curl or wave ever again! That is what happened to my hair when it was soo damaged from heat styling! I look back on those pictues and wish i knew what i really looked like! The truth is, you can get better, more natural looking results with methods like wrapping, products or even a big paddle brush on hair! Also, nobody has dead straight hair, and those who do, want it curly. I have curly/wavy, thick, frizzy hair that takes forever to do anything to! i made the mistake of damaging it with the flat iron over years of use and have just stopped! Oh the difference, my hair is now thicker (if that was possible lol) shinier, longer, and most of all, healthier. Just look in the mirror and say you love your hair, even if don't think you do, because it will one day pay off.

[cnd0020]

My hair looks gorgeous as well when flat ironed.

You know what I did to resist the temptation? Threw it out.

Yep. I threw it out. Now I don't have to think about it anymore. I just have healthy hair. :)

That's the only thing that helped me, too. Throwing the straightener and dryer out.

It's a tough habit to break, but you can do it!

[misspurdy06]

Flat hair isn't that attractive. Wavy hair is romantic.

[DarkSky]

Good luck! I caved in today and flat ironed. It's been about a month since I did it last. I'm gradually weening myself off of it though. I find that stopping gradually is something I'm more comfortable with as opposed to stopping cold turkey. The good news is that I seem to be going longer and longer between straightening as I am enjoying my natural texture more especially as my hair gets longer and more healthy.