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carolinewxo
January 17th, 2012, 05:13 AM
My hair is about 14", and damaged up till about 10". I straighten it everyday because its so poofy and wavy and blah. I can't stop now because it looks even more damaged if i dont, and if I chop it its way too poofy. I was thinking of chopping it and getting a keratin treatment or something done so I don't have to be so mean to it...Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

Aerin
January 17th, 2012, 05:16 AM
You could try french braids--I could do those before I could put my hair in a ponytail, and they look very polished for everyday wear.

Carissamarie08
January 17th, 2012, 05:21 AM
I don't have advice for you as I straighten my hair often as well. If you don't want to give up the straightener just yet then I suggest taking care of your hair in other ways. If your hair is dry then I would say start oiling the ends or do moisture treatments/protein treatments.

white.chocolate
January 17th, 2012, 05:25 AM
What about curling it without using heat? I'm imagining it to be less poofy, but I'm not sure.

Kiwiwi
January 17th, 2012, 05:35 AM
Damage often looks poofy.
I think you need to realise that if you keep applying heat every day you will have poofy hair if you one day don't (well, I think you already realise that ^_^)
If you want to stop using heat I suggest you find out what your real hairtype is and get the knowledge of how to take care of it. You say you are wavy. Maybe you're even wavier than you think. There is loads of information to find here so I suggest looking around a lot ^_^

If you don't want to chop but still want to stop using heat I suggest using lots and lots of conditioner all the time and keep your hair moisturized with that. And maybe some oil as a serum. And keeping it up a lot will help too!

Mopolop
January 17th, 2012, 05:55 AM
When I stopped using heat I had massive frizz issues, a bit of coconut oil/olive oil on the ends helped me (I like to put on a very small amount when it's damp). I often in my enthusiasm I put way too much on, to end up with crunchy/greasy ends. :(

Using gentle shampoos and washing less often also helped.

You might try conditioner only washing as it's quite gentle, but I find that I get build up quite quickly.

It took a while before I started to like how my hair looked without heat, I don't know if that's because it took me a while to learn how to look after it, or because it took a while for my hair to respond, or some combination of the two. If you don't cut it off, be prepared to play a bit of a patience game. Best of luck.

*Seraphina*
January 17th, 2012, 05:55 AM
Just stop straighten it..It only makes it more worse! :)

C.H.
January 17th, 2012, 06:03 AM
Just bite the bullet and quit straightening. The sooner you give it up the sooner you will have the healthy frizz free hair you want. It will be awkward for quite a while, but I'm sure you can find some kid of transitional style you can live with until your hair is in better condition. Otherwise you will be stuck in this vicious cycle with your hair indefinitely...Besides, I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than straightening your hair constantly and avoiding water like the plague.

CSallaround
January 17th, 2012, 06:48 AM
The best thing you can do is to just stop using the straightener. To reduce The poff maybe try curling it by braiding damp before going to sleep and take it out in the morning. But don't brush or comb, not with your fingers either, cos that makes your hair even more frizzy.

cheetahfast
January 17th, 2012, 06:50 AM
I would not do the keratin if I were you. I did it twice, I do not think it damaged my hair at all, but I really don't recommend it.

Right now I'm tired and too lazy to post other advice, I think if you search "straightening" or "straighten" you'll be able to find tons of threads with the same issue. I know we had another thread on how to quit straighting earlier this week.

HintOfMint
January 17th, 2012, 06:53 AM
This may not be what you want to hear but... here goes.

Not only would I stop straightening and heat styling, but I would cut off all the damage. I say this because, first, damaged hair can't be repaired, especially since you said you straightened every day. I used to heat style every day and my hair was a mess. Second, the only thing worse than damaged hair, is unstyled damaged hair. It's a bit of a vicious cycle.

I had hair that was around BSL and it was damaged all the way up to my collarbone. I tried to stop heatstyling and hoped that my hair would go back to normal, but it just looked terrible without it. I cut it off to collarbone and kept up my commitment to avoid blowdryers and straighteners.

Hair that hasn't been damaged from heat styling requires much less "taming" than damaged hair, so once you cut off the damage, you may not need the straightener and your hair may not poof as much. Also, you could get a good look at what your actual hairtype is, and perhaps it is much wavier than you imagined, and you could work that.

I invested in a good leave-in conditioner/product to air dry in my hair and that mitigated much of the poof. (My hair is thick and poofy naturally, so if I can tame it with just a leave-in...)

It wasn't my favorite haircut. But to have hair that I could be proud of in the long run, I had to sacrifice much of my vanity in the short run. I kept up appointments with the stylist to cut layers into it in the first haircut and as it grew out, so that I maintained some style and that it would just get better and better with time. Granted, I have had short haircuts in the past, so having a short haircut again wasn't as intolerable of an idea as it would be to someone who has never had hair shorter than their shoulders, for instance.

Best of luck to you, and I hope you find a solution!

ETA: just to give you hope, my hair is now down to between hip and tailbone and healthy. It was worth it, in the end.

Carissamarie08
January 17th, 2012, 09:28 AM
Its not that easy to just stop using a flat iron though....there are plenty of people that you see on websites like youtube etc. Who use heat everyday and still have pretty hair. I know how you feel OP because I cant get rid of it either..even though its the best thing. I think if you just take better care of your hair outside of heat tools then you will see improvement, I did. I enjoy my flat ironed hair and since I enjoy it I'm not going to stop.. other people will read this and think this is all terrible advice but I'm just telling you about my experience.

bubblyredhead
January 17th, 2012, 09:37 AM
The best thing is to stop the heat BUT it you still want it straight and are having issues giving it up turn down the heat do lots of deep treatments and baby your hair the rest of the time, don't do it every day, or on wet hair and on your off days play around with your natural hair. It took me over a year to dramatically give up straightening now I just do my bangs a few times a week or touch up really annoying bits.

spike316
January 17th, 2012, 09:38 AM
Its not that easy to just stop using a flat iron though....there are plenty of people that you see on websites like youtube etc. Who use heat everyday and still have pretty hair. I know how you feel OP because I cant get rid of it either..even though its the best thing. I think if you just take better care of your hair outside of heat tools then you will see improvement, I did. I enjoy my flat ironed hair and since I enjoy it I'm not going to stop.. other people will read this and think this is all terrible advice but I'm just telling you about my experience.

I'm not saying that you're wrong and I think that people should do what makes them happiest with their hair. But in the interest of growing long healthy hair fine hair like the OP's does tend to be a lot more delicate and requires a bit more gentle care than medium hair like yours appears to be.

Amber_Maiden
January 17th, 2012, 09:38 AM
I'd bite the bullet and throw your straightener out- that's what I did, and yes, I did have to chop a lot of damage off, but it was worth it. I don't mind that my hair is wavy and poofy now, and yes it did look better straightened, but if you want healthy hair you know what to do...

Mommyof4
January 17th, 2012, 09:40 AM
I used to straighten ALL the time too.. For the first few weeks, my "poof and wave" was simply abused wurls/curls.. What worked for me was: Washing with minimal shampoo, just on my scalp, conditioner, cold rinse, comb with wide tooth comb, *starting at the ends first, and being VERY careful.. just imagine you get shocked or lose an inch of hair if you pull on your hair at all when you hit a tangle... then I would scrunch it with a t-shirt while soaking wet, let it air dry.. once dry, I would take a penny/nickel sized amount of olive/avocado/coconut/argan oil, (argan oil would probably be the best for you, but any of these oils should be okay for this small of an amount) and run it over the top layer of my hair where the frizzies were starting and I tried my best NOT to run my fingers through my hair or anything..

Now, my hair is in much better condition, but I can STILL feel on my ends and SEE where the heat from the flat iron damaged it.. It wasn't worth it just to have straight hair, not for me anyway ;) I don't have to scrunch my hair now.. I can actually brush through it, apply a little bit of oil, and just enjoy my waves :D

If you want, try doing 6-8 smallish braids in your hair, secured with ouchless plastic "rubber" bands while wet, sleep in those or let them dry completely, and take them out.. you'll have pretty waves from root to tip.. That is what I did when I had waist length hair and wanted my hair to look differently without damage..

If you hair can go in a bun, you might try for a few days at a time just putting it up and letting it rest, with some oils in it..

Have you tried Apple Cider Vinegar rinses yet? That really helped my hair and scalp :)

Carissamarie08
January 17th, 2012, 09:41 AM
Yeah I do have some coarse thick strong hair that can withstand heat well... I didn't think about that.

spidermom
January 17th, 2012, 09:50 AM
I agree - giving up the straightener is best, but if you want to continue using it, make sure you also use one of those heat protectant sprays and move the flat iron down each section of hair only once, and fairly rapidly. Do deep conditioning treatments on a regular basis, and get the ends trimmed on a regular basis. Try to trim only half of what you've grown if you want your hair longer.

growfro
January 17th, 2012, 09:50 AM
I used to blowdry and flat iron, EVERY day. Maaaybe make an exception on a lazy Sunday every once in a while. My hair is wavy and used to be poofy/frizzy.
One day I decided that I wanted to grow my hair and I'd do anything to help it get there fast. I just wrapped the cord around my flat iron and tucked it away. At the beginning people (including DH) would say "Why is your hair like that?", "Your hair is poofy today, huh? no flat iron??". Even "Um, I have a flat iron if you want to borrow it...?"

I am on a mission to have healthy waist length hair. I have stopped caring about what people think. ;)

growfro
January 17th, 2012, 09:55 AM
Oh and must add, I've been doing that for a long time now, and I have definitely noticed a HUGE improvement in my hair. No more of those comments, sometimes even compliments. Even though its still a smidge poofy.

spidermom
January 17th, 2012, 10:06 AM
You could try weaning yourself off the straightener - like do it every other day instead of every day and skip the weekends. Learn to french braid; that was a really good suggestion. Done with a bit of gel and styling cream, it should make a pretty style for you.

mzBANGBANG
January 17th, 2012, 11:19 AM
I just did a pic update in my album and blog what one month of no straightening and following a new routine did for my hair... maybe if you commit to one month of no straightening it won't seem like as tough of a goal as just giving it up entirely. For me, seeing the change in my hair has definitely motivated me to go another month heat free.

I also switched to CO washing and I clarify once a week to get rid of build up. Oil the ends twice weekly, noticing a huge difference.

Anje
January 17th, 2012, 11:37 AM
Start putting your hair up. Then no one can tell if it's poofy or has some texture to it other than straight. No keratin straightening treatments -- I imagine they impart a fair amount of damage themselves, though it may take a while to become apparent.

If you're growing your hair, you are growing YOUR hair. Not someone else's. Most of us don't have hair that's so resilient that we can do all sorts of treatments to it to give it a radically different texture than what grows out of our heads, so there's a lot of learning to love who you are and how you look naturally involved in the growing process. And most people covet other textures, at least occasionally.

But in case you're wondering, the poofiness does go down with less damage, additional length, and (in the case of those with some curl to their hair) reduced handling of dry hair.

ArienEllariel
January 17th, 2012, 11:40 AM
I remember seeing a youtube video of the before and after of a keratin treatment. Don't do it. The result was frizzy and damaged looking... straighter? Yes but completely not worth it.

fridgee
January 17th, 2012, 11:47 AM
I loved my straightener too, but have mostly given it up and embraced my wurles and my hair is feeling so much better now, although you can still feel the damage in it. I'm surprised no one has mentioned heatless straightening methods that might help ween you off the straighteners, such as 'wrapping' damp hair over night (which I've not tried) or using very large rollers on damp hair (which I have tried and worked really nicely for me and my hair was shiny, but it doesn't give you that really sharp blunt ends straightening can). All these take longer of course than running a straightener through your hair, but if you can do something else while it's drying its ok.

ETA: also if you can try only straightening part of your hair, like just your fringe or front layers if you have them. I used to only do the hair that lay on top of the rest and the very ends so it looked straightened but wasn't all done, and it made it look like it had more body. It did reduce how much hair got damaged but those bits still got damaged and as they are the bits most on show in the end the damage catches up to you (it did me at least!) and starts to show. Might help you gradually reduce it tho.

Mairéad
January 17th, 2012, 12:09 PM
Hey, if your hair is truly only 1c like your profile says than I'm sure wrapping would help nix out the wave if that's what is bothersome for you.

But, if you're wavier than you think I would use a clarifying shampoo to hair type and than move to a more wave friendly routine. That depends on your hair but many start out with trying cone-free CO or CWC, though plenty of wavies still like -cones.
Many also get rid of paddle brushes and start using wide tooth combs only. Brushes destroy waves and create frizz.

I think if you only have a slightly wavy hair type that you don't have to do ALL the way to flat iron to get it straight. Mine goes completely straight with no heat involved.

It's true you probably have damage. But maybe after a decent trim and a dose of what your hair is really looking for, the frizz may settle down a lot.

I'm not saying everyone on the planet has to give up the heat tools, that's their own business. But, for those who get obvious damage and are asking for help I don't know what advice to give other than to find alternatives. Heat protections are full of -cones and not everyone likes those. Some people just have really fine hair that can't handle much of anything, there's that. Some people can have heat and health but I feel like most have to choose one or the other.

Chamy
January 17th, 2012, 12:10 PM
You are asking for help, but no one can do this for you, it's all on you... Just stop straightening it!

Gilly
January 17th, 2012, 12:58 PM
I used to straighten daily but one day I noticed that when I ran my fingers through my hair that tiny 1/4 inch bits of hair would come off, I did it over some paper to catch the hair and was horrified!
If I had carried on with that I would have been losing length all the time!
I now just blow dry the front fringe and let the rest do its own thing pretty much, I have embraced my curls and whurls and my hair (and my sanity) is a lot better for it!

heidi w.
January 17th, 2012, 01:20 PM
There are other ways to straighten hair beyond flat ironing. Those "serums" they have you use aren't super helpful toward protecting the hair. And any recovery effect they may offer is undone by the direct heat applied to the hair. Stylists love to talk about products possessing repair or recovery, but once hair is damaged, it's damaged. There's pretty much no fixing it.

"Ironing" is the operative word here, plus you're pulling and stretching the hair.

Another way to straighten hair can be to roll the hair on large barrel rollers (I recommend rolling under so the ends curl under and look more attractive.), and putting on a low heat cap. you could consider the use of steam rollers to control your curl, and shape your curl.

It's not the best solution, but it's better than hot heat directly laid on the hair, pressed between two presses that exude high amounts of heat.

The thing is that's going on is you've bought into the notion that you NEED your hair a certain way as dictated by fashion and society.

Ever heard of the book Curly Girl? It's a great book of hope for gals blessed with curls. They recommend CO washing. The super coily Conditioner Only wash all the hair, any of those with slightly less coil, curl and body just Conditioner Only wash the hair's length.

Flat ironing, which I'm assuming is your method for straightening, is not at all healthy for hair. Hair is like lace. You don't apply high heat to iron lace. Why? It burns the lace. You want to treat hair as lace.

I suspect that you don't know how to handle your hair in its natural state, and have long been fighting the natural curl of your hair. Why must we always want what we don't possess? Faking it is faking it. I suggest getting more in touch with your natural curl and learning to accept what you have and learning to handle what you were gifted with.

The biggest problem flat ironing creates is that no matter how nice the quality of the flat iron, you're applying high heat directly to lace, and this causes bursts along the hair shaft. I call them white dots. I can tell when someone flat irons their hair because I can literally see the white dots, and from a distance. This is where the outer layer/shell is burst and it forms what is a white dot. It looks like a white dot along the hair strand. Worse yet, the hair's integrity is compromised at this juncture and hair can easily break off at the point of the white dot.

I wouldn't recommend you use a brush on your curls--ever--as this will increase poof by separating the strands that form a coil or curl. Think finger combing or detangle with a wide toothed comb. You need to use a fair amount of conditioner if you're a curly headed gal, too. Curly hair always needs a bit more conditioner compared to other hair types.

The hardest part for you is going to be accepting what you were given. It'll feel weird at first to go round with curly hair. But you can do a lot with curly hair, more than I can. All I have is stick straight hair. That's it. That's all it does. To curl it is hours of hard, hard work, and at best it may last an hour. Hope for no wind as that'll also denigrate any bend in my hair.

Be proud of your hair. It's your crowning glory.

heidi w.

heidi w.
January 17th, 2012, 01:26 PM
Also curly haired, especially heavily curly haired folks, MUST work with the hair while wet, or they can likewise experience poof if they wait til hair is air dried or fully dry.

You can look into Conditioner Only washing, "plopping" as it's called, and find yourself a hair twin here on LHC and copy that routine, if you can.

It takes time to overcome our belief systems, societal pressure and fashions, but it can be done, if getting off the heat is your desire.

heidi w.

Mina17
January 17th, 2012, 01:45 PM
I was in the same situation so I know how hard it is to quit straightening. I have fine wavy hair and wanted to be poofy and frizzy if I didn't straighten. I stopped using straighteners and blowdryers cold turkey. It was hard and I just wore it up most of the time, but it was worth it. It took awhile for my hair to come around and look good down but it finally has.

First, you'll want to avoid getting shampoo on the length of your hair. CWC or CO, whichever works better for you. And dilute your shampoo: I was skeptical about this, but it really made a difference.

Leave-ins are your friend. Try leave-in conditioners, leaving in regular conditioner, oils, gels, hair friendly moisturizing styling aids like Shea Moisture.

My hair is much less poofy as it gets longer. The length helps weigh it down.

Good luck. If I could do it so can you!:)

Mopolop
January 17th, 2012, 04:26 PM
Btw straightening also temporarily dries out the hair - now I'm used to how my hair feels with no heat, I notice that the ends are really dry after straightening. It takes a few days/ a week for them to feel normal again. Your poofyness *may* only be a short term thing. :)

Allychan
January 17th, 2012, 05:08 PM
Sounds like you are stuck in the dreaded 'straightening cycle'. I've been there. And I did the Keratin Straightening Treatment too. DON'T DO IT!! My current hair is from the results of a Keratin treatment. No matter how fantastic they tell you your hair will look and feel it WONT stay like that. (don't believe the hype) And you have to keep straightening it after it gets done and it will at best only last for 3 months. The straightener may be helping infuse Keratin into your hair shaft but at the same time it is heating your hair and drying it out even more.
I've just had to accept my hair is kinky not silky smooth. 100% Argan oil is great for fine hair and will tame some of the frizz during the day, coconut or olive oil as an overnight treatment will help with the damage

lovinglocks
January 17th, 2012, 05:30 PM
I used to dry and straighten daily, then I got a leave in conditioner from Lush and now I don't have much need for the straighten. I just dry my hair (I still straighten my bangs) and it comes out so soft and pretty darn straight. I always hated my hair shorter and the fact it's wavy/curly.

hellokrilly
January 17th, 2012, 05:40 PM
I understand you,I used to straighten and iron curl every day (even if i'm a curly head) I just couldn't get the big curls we see in magazines without heat!*i'mpathethic* but when I realised my hair hasn't grown since then,I've decided to reduce it (i'll never stop using it I know!) and iron once a week when really needed or once every two weeks,in between i do a heavy coconut oil/conditioning treatment and i've replaced the iron curl with pin curling!My hair is really shiny when straightened and natural,not poofy any more and after a proper trim they seem to be growing back!

allio21
January 17th, 2012, 05:54 PM
I used to have the same problem with my hair looking super frizzy and awful if I didn't use a straightener on it. I cut all but 2-3 inches off and quit using heat and products besides shampoo, conditioner and coconut oil. My hair is APL now and it air dries beautifully!

bumblebums
January 17th, 2012, 05:55 PM
OP, you are probably not a 1c. True 1c's do not *need* to iron their hair and they do not experience poofiness; if anything, their problem is a lack of body.

I would recommend identifying your hair type by following the instructions in the hairtyping article on this forum. Once you know your real hair type, pay special attention to advice from those members who have the same hair type as yours (my guess is that you are probably in the 2s, curl-wise, and a finey). Their experiences will be most instructive for you.

And finally, not to hector you more, but you will never get tailbone length hair as a finey if you keep ironing it. If you must straighten it, learn how to do so with a cool hairdryer, but hair looks best when you do not work against its natural texture. I learned this lesson the hard way when I ironed my hair (2c F, as it turns out) so much that it started breaking off in front of my eyes.

beachgirlla
January 17th, 2012, 05:55 PM
There are other ways to straighten hair beyond flat ironing. Those "serums" they have you use aren't super helpful toward protecting the hair. And any recovery effect they may offer is undone by the direct heat applied to the hair. Stylists love to talk about products possessing repair or recovery, but once hair is damaged, it's damaged. There's pretty much no fixing it.

"Ironing" is the operative word here, plus you're pulling and stretching the hair.

Another way to straighten hair can be to roll the hair on large barrel rollers (I recommend rolling under so the ends curl under and look more attractive.), and putting on a low heat cap. you could consider the use of steam rollers to control your curl, and shape your curl.

It's not the best solution, but it's better than hot heat directly laid on the hair, pressed between two presses that exude high amounts of heat.

The thing is that's going on is you've bought into the notion that you NEED your hair a certain way as dictated by fashion and society.

Ever heard of the book Curly Girl? It's a great book of hope for gals blessed with curls. They recommend CO washing. The super coily Conditioner Only wash all the hair, any of those with slightly less coil, curl and body just Conditioner Only wash the hair's length.

Flat ironing, which I'm assuming is your method for straightening, is not at all healthy for hair. Hair is like lace. You don't apply high heat to iron lace. Why? It burns the lace. You want to treat hair as lace.

I suspect that you don't know how to handle your hair in its natural state, and have long been fighting the natural curl of your hair. Why must we always want what we don't possess? Faking it is faking it. I suggest getting more in touch with your natural curl and learning to accept what you have and learning to handle what you were gifted with.

The biggest problem flat ironing creates is that no matter how nice the quality of the flat iron, you're applying high heat directly to lace, and this causes bursts along the hair shaft. I call them white dots. I can tell when someone flat irons their hair because I can literally see the white dots, and from a distance. This is where the outer layer/shell is burst and it forms what is a white dot. It looks like a white dot along the hair strand. Worse yet, the hair's integrity is compromised at this juncture and hair can easily break off at the point of the white dot.

I wouldn't recommend you use a brush on your curls--ever--as this will increase poof by separating the strands that form a coil or curl. Think finger combing or detangle with a wide toothed comb. You need to use a fair amount of conditioner if you're a curly headed gal, too. Curly hair always needs a bit more conditioner compared to other hair types.

The hardest part for you is going to be accepting what you were given. It'll feel weird at first to go round with curly hair. But you can do a lot with curly hair, more than I can. All I have is stick straight hair. That's it. That's all it does. To curl it is hours of hard, hard work, and at best it may last an hour. Hope for no wind as that'll also denigrate any bend in my hair.

Be proud of your hair. It's your crowning glory.

heidi w.

Excellent post heidi, just gave up the flat iron, still use the hair dryer 2 times a week for now, so I guess may be she needs to go slowly on accepting her hair, LOL :D

beachgirlla
January 17th, 2012, 06:00 PM
Sounds like you are stuck in the dreaded 'straightening cycle'. I've been there. And I did the Keratin Straightening Treatment too. DON'T DO IT!! My current hair is from the results of a Keratin treatment. No matter how fantastic they tell you your hair will look and feel it WONT stay like that. (don't believe the hype) And you have to keep straightening it after it gets done and it will at best only last for 3 months. The straightener may be helping infuse Keratin into your hair shaft but at the same time it is heating your hair and drying it out even more.
I've just had to accept my hair is kinky not silky smooth. 100% Argan oil is great for fine hair and will tame some of the frizz during the day, coconut or olive oil as an overnight treatment will help with the damage

what this Keratin crap, its just another nice word for formaldehyde even if they tell you the stuff is formaldehyde free they are using something else similar but have a different chemical name
Flat iron = damaged hair = end of story
If you need health long hair = then stop all this flat iron NOW
I wish I have a better answer
Companies are making billions of dollar from the heat protection crap they are selling, NOTHING will protect, its like you apply some heat protection on your skin before you put the iron on it, are you going to protect it from burning, no way, hair is same thing, it will get burned which is equal to the damage you see

Vanilla
January 17th, 2012, 06:26 PM
I'm a 1c and I used to straighten my hair with a blowdryer and a paddle brush twice a week, and only occasionally used a straightener.

It drove me crazy that there would be waves at my temples even after I straightened my hair. I gave up straightening by starting to put my hair up, as others suggested, and I started doing damp bunning to get a better wave pattern.

Bottom line is that I mostly still hate the way my hair looks wearing it down, but oiling my hair seems to weigh it down a little so it appears a little straighter.

whiterabbitz
January 17th, 2012, 07:30 PM
I stopped blow drying and flat ironing late Nov last year, so I've only had about 2 months of no-heat drying. The first week it was a horrible, fluffy mess and the only thing I could do was gather it all up in a ball, secure it with a scrunchie and just forget about it. Then I discovered CO and also began letting my hair dry naturally without touching it at all. I comb through with a wide tooth comb while rinsing my conditioner out, than ACV rinse, then blot dry with a microfiber towel, then nothing. This (and the CO) has made an amazing difference to my hair. Anyway, if you haven't tried it yet I would recommend trying CO, plus heaps of moisture treatments, and experiment with different ways of drying it naturally till you find one that suits. My hair adapted pretty quickly, your's might too.

Aimskylove
January 17th, 2012, 07:30 PM
Hello! I have done about ehhh 5-7 keratin treatments. They are awesome. It did not damage my hair it actually did the opposite. My hair has grown because I use to use the iron every day as well. Once I did keratin my hair was way more manageable and although not pin straight (which im fine with) it had a wave and no frizz! I was able to go without straightening it and without the heat damage my hair can breath and grow. If you use the right shampoo and cond it will last 5-6 months or more. I love it and to be honest I have never regretted it! I have photos from my past where you can see my hair and now with the keratin. Hope this helps!

StormVixen
January 18th, 2012, 03:22 AM
I believe there are different types of Keratin treatments

one is FULL of chemicals like formaldehyde and nasty stuff

the other is just like a conditioner/protein treatment with no nasty chemicals.

If your going to do it, don't use the chemically one... I've read too many horror stories.


I say quit straightening, pamper your hair with moisture and protein treatments and get a tiny trim... just let your hair be natural and grow out the damage for a while, you will probabaly find that once you stop fighting against your hair it can look better than you ever imagined it could do, naturally.

hellokrilly
January 18th, 2012, 05:05 AM
Avoid like the plague home kit keratin treatments (I did some and it was really bad and it requires more heat on the hair!)!I know a girl who had one in a salon and it was fine,she had really thick hair so it helped,but nothing amazing in my opinion!But it's like everything it works on some people and doesn't on other,you have to be confident in the hairdresser you choose...some of them aren't really pro when it comes to sell an expensive treatment!

hototogisu
January 18th, 2012, 08:33 AM
Hair typing has been brought up, but I'd be really interested to see what your hair looks like after you properly type it. It's amazing what a difference appropriate styling methods and products can make when you work with your hair texture, not against it.

Fine hair just can't take the abuse from heat, especially longer fine hair. If you want to reach your length goal you just have to quit.

PurusNox
January 18th, 2012, 08:48 AM
The first step to being able to give up heat styling is you have to learn to love your hair type, I used to blow dry and straighten my hair almost every other day until I discovered LHC, now i'm currently at 6 months heat free! :D

There will always be times when people with straight hair wish their hair was more curly and vice versa, but once you accept the hair you have, the hair journey becomes much easier :)

maborosi
January 18th, 2012, 09:01 AM
You could also henna. Henna is known to reduce curl pattern and straighten out hair. Since my hair's already pretty straight, I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but it does apparently work.

Plus, it's strengthening and good for people with damaged hair.

~maborosi~

torrilin
January 18th, 2012, 02:51 PM
You could also henna. Henna is known to reduce curl pattern and straighten out hair. Since my hair's already pretty straight, I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but it does apparently work.

Plus, it's strengthening and good for people with damaged hair.

~maborosi~

For some hair types, it reduces wave or curl. My sister-outlaw is a henna'd curly tho, and for her it does just the opposite. When she started hennaing, her hair went from looking vaguely wavy and poofy to having clearly defined waves, without her changing anything else in her routine... and since she's got a mom who loathes curly hair and some family skin conditions that require Neutrogena T-gel or her scalp flips out, it was about as curl unfriendly a routine as you can imagine.

She's gradually moving to a more curl friendly routine so she can figure out just how curly she really is. Right now it looks like she's a 3a like her brother.

I suspect if I went for henna, I'd get a similar sort of result, since protein heavy conditioners help bring out my feeble 1c waves.

kitten1986
January 18th, 2012, 05:22 PM
hello caroline :D
I went through this EXACT same thing as you when I was at your length, It was when I first decided I was actually going to grow it out for real haha

The only way I could make my hair look presentable was to straighten it because it was all so damaged it looked horrible.
Here is what I did ;

1. washed my hair less and used dry shampoo so I didnt have to straighten every day

2. did HEAPS of deep treatments (tried protein but my hair hated it) in attempt to restore some of the appearance.

3. Overloaded the damages length with cones, but used less coney products on the undamaged roots and length. - this reduced the poof and I wasnt really concerned about further damage because I knew it was going to get chopped anyway.

4. Began self trimming and slowly cut off the damage (and by slowly I mean SLOWWWWLLLYYY I am at BSL now and I still have about an inch I want to cut off) also S&D for splits

and 5. heres the one I wish I had discovered earlier... start wrapping your hair instead of using the straightener... there are heaps of videos on youtube which will teach you how :D

6. put it up and try to forget about it! there are heaps of updos you can do at your length if you have a look around, if its up it doesnt matter if it is poufy or not (sometimes the pouf makes the updo look better haha)

I still straighten my hair occasionally maybe once a month, If I am attending a special event. I also blow dry my hair on the cool setting to get my bangs to sit right.

Hope these help you... it is a difficult stage to get through.