Anyone else use a flat iron?

[Faux]

I love my flat iron. I absolutely love my hair when its straightened. I have loose waves naturally, but I usually style it. I blow dry and flat iron my hair around two times a week. I also dye my hair, but I use a gentler professional dye. My hair is in excellent condition and I always get compliments from my stylist (though I only go in for a trim two or three times a year). Right now I'm at 21" and probably won't go much longer. I know a lot of people on here swear off heat, but I really think it depends on the tools. I have used cheap tools in the past and they were horrible for my hair. I only use professional tools now and my hair looks great. I love Chi and I have a flat iron and blow dryer made by them. Does anyone else flat iron? Is your hair in good condition? I honestly think you can use heat and still have amazing hair if you use the right tools!

[Jesabel]

I think you can too and it's about moderation and taking care of it :) unfortunately I abused my hair so much in the past with bleach and dyeing all the time and straightening every day without a protectant.. that I'm waiting til my hair is healthier to straighten it fully even once.. though I curled it lightly the other day for a birthday and damn did my hair feel and look great haha :o

If you don't love your hair and can't do what you want, then whats the point of having long hair if it's only a burden, right? :)

[spidermom]

My hair couldn't stand up to it. I can tell the difference with just one flat-ironing by my stylist, who has the best tools and is very fast. I do love that sleek smoothness of straightening, though. Sigh ......... I wish I could do it more than once every year or two.

It also depends on how fine your hair is and how long your length goal is. I got almost to waist length before my ends were so trashed, they had to be cut back (1-2 times per month flat ironing with a CHI; usually my daughter did it for me).

[Tizzles]

I wish I could still use mine, my hair just can't handle it, but I am also growing out damage. I agree though that it's your hair and don't feel like you're committing the "unforgiveable sin" by straightening it. You know your body and your hair. I wouldn't do it daily but if you don't see your hair being damaged by it, then do what makes you happy! You have to live with the hair on your head, not anyone else! I will second the thought of "Why bother having it if YOU can't have fun with YOUR hair."

I envy your sturdy hair for sure :) Mine looks great straightened but my poor ends cuss me. 3 and a halfish months no heat and my hair looks better and feels better than it has in years. Everyone is different :)

[kallarina]

I do straighten for occasions and such. I never see any terrible results from it. I straightened my hair every day for years, and still never saw too much damage from it. All my damage came from bleaching the living daylights out of mine. :p
I will probably still straighten for occasions, even though I haven't even reached my goal yet.
As long as you enjoy your hair, it's fine. It's most important for you to be happy with it.

[TheMechaGinger]

I've never really been able to use them, they really dry my hair out. But my hair is also on the fine side so that might have something to do with it

[Copasetic]

I use a flat iron! Not every day, but about once a month I like to wear my hair straight. I like to be able to enjoy the length. My hair is still in very good condition.

[Littlewing13]

I agree, you can do what you want with your hair. It does depend on hair type, some gals can straighten daily & beach their hair & still get it long, unfortunately not me.

I have straightened my hair for special occasions since joining LHC. But I tend to find with my colour damaged ends that it just frizzles & its not worth it. I prefer a blow dry on low anyways, I use an ionic Parlux & it makes my hair soft & silky, but with volume that I don't get with the irons. I hope that one day my hair will be long & healthy enough to be able to straighten every few months.

[Faux]

I fried my hair in middle school. I take really good care of it now though. I barely have any damage at the ends. I don't know how well it would hold up if it was classic length though... Its beautiful to see hair that long, but I don't have the patience for it! I don't think I could style it myself either if it was that long.

[Helix]

I just got my hair flat ironed today for a mid-year length check thingy.

My flat iron routine is very involved and I take every precaution known to man b/c I'm paranoid about heat damage. Consequently, I only flat iron maybe once or twice a year...3 if I'm bad.

[jeanniet]

If you don't want to go past 21", then you don't have to worry all that much about damage because that's really not all that long. If you were interested in growing really long, then minimizing heat damage would be more important. I don't straighten my hair because I don't particularly like straight hair, but even if I did I wouldn't straighten because I'm more interested in length and want to minimize damage.

[battle_angel]

OMG Faux, you commited a LHC sin!! :)) AND got away with it! I'm feeling so jealous right now, I'll have to keep an eye onto your hair-care routine ;)
I think it's great that you can straighten your hair and at the same time keep it healthy. If your hair is beautiful, I say why not do it? Have fun and enjoy your hair!
Now you made me curious if there are other ladies that use heat styling on LHC?! Hmm...

With admiration,
- Laetitia

[Altariel]

I also dye my hair and blow dry them i also use flat iron about 1or2 times a week and I didn't notice any damage but I have short hair. :)

[Carissamarie08]

I flat iron my hair almost everyday. I think my hair is still in good condition but my hair is also really coarse and can withstand heat.

[carmac21]

Aww I really wish I could say I straighten my hair but I cant. My hair just wont take the heat. I straightened it on my holiday and I loved how it looked, but I paid for it the next day. If you have strong healthy hair that can take being straightened then I dont think its a problem. Shiny thick straight hair is a bit of a fantasy for me, I have thin, curly hair :p

I might have read somewhere that years of straightening may cause lose of volume etc, but I really dont know any facts about it.
I next plan to straighten my hair for a wedding in July, using alot of heat protection spray!!

[afu]

I used to straighten with GHDs daily and my hair was always in good condition without even a split end in sight. Then i started bleach highlighting at as well as straightening and my hair just couldn't take it, so i dropped the heat and kept the bleach. For me, my hair could withstand one damaging action but not the two combined. I havn't used heat now in almost 6 months but that doesn't mean to say i never will again, I have a ball in just over a week which i think i might straighten for to show of my length - the curls just eat up the length so much.

[Altariel]

And when I dye them I don't straighten them until i feel them fully recovered and healthy (so usually for 2 or 3 weeks)

[faellen]

I have a GHD straightener that I got for Christmas and I treasure it! I don't straighten frequently though, maybe once every two weeks, and sometimes less occasionally than that. I am growing out a side fringe and the iron tames it really well. I can also use it for curling!

I am trying to cut down on heat styling but sometimes it's necessary for me. I have some great heat protect products that help, though :)

[MonicaJean]

I love the feeling of flat ironed hair too, but fine hair just really does not handle it well, even with the most precautions used. It just instantly dries out my hair and makes it want to go fuzzy on the ends. I do use it occasionally though. Very very occasionally, lol, like once a year.

[midsummernight]

Has anyone tried caruso steam curlers to straighten hair? I love my hair straightened but had to give it up due to damage.

[HairySherry]

I don't typically flat iron (I actually just gave my years-old FI away to a friend) but I DO blow dry pretty much every time I wash my hair. I just like the way it looks better than when it air dries. I take pretty good of my hair though so I don't think (well, I hope) it's really doing too much damage. I always use a heat protectant (Tresemme heat tamer) and since my hair is relatively thin I'm able to dry it in about 5 minutes on the lowest heat setting (not cool). I've never dyed my hair so that might be why it doesn't seem to be too damaging. Who knows! But yes, I think you're right that you can use heat without causing tons of damage, especially if you use it sparingly. At least I hope that's the case!

[HairCareJunkie]

Guilty as charged... I straighten my hair about twice a week and even more when I'm on holidays. I let my hair dry naturally (no blowdrying) and when it's completely dry, I take out my CHI. I have tried to kick the habit (for three months) but I felt so unhappy with my coarse, frizzy hair that I couldn't take it anymore.

I'm all for healthy looking and feeling hair, but I was suffering. I just didn't feel attractive without my sleek & shiny looking hair. To make matters worse, everybody thought the same...

On the other hand, I have totally kicked my bleaching ways and haven't bleached/dyed/relaxed since August 2011:cheese:
And lot's of other things which I improved on...

Is it damaging? Probably, but I'm willing to ignore this (I have almost shoulder lenght hair btw / years of abuse got me almost at BSL and my hair wasn't that bad...)

[joyellen]

I do occasionally, maybe once every few months. I have a Solia flat iron. I used to straighten my hair almost daily, but once I hit waist length the last 6" or so was in horrible condition. It took a lot of time and trimming to get the damage off. Now I'm growing it out for the second time. I've almost reached waist length and my ends are fine, so I think occasional flat ironing doesn't affect my hair too badly.

[DayDreamerDani]

My hair has never been able to withstand flat ironing. It's so obviously fried after I do it! I was always envious of my best friend in high school who would always flat iron her hair and it was as healthy and gorgeous as ever!

[Faux]

I might have read somewhere that years of straightening may cause lose of volume etc, but I really dont know any facts about it.
I next plan to straighten my hair for a wedding in July, using alot of heat protection spray!![/quote]

I've been flat ironing for several years and I still have all my volume. Straightening does make your hair kind of flat because it smooths it all down, but it comes right back after you wash it. :)

[Hollyfire3]

Aww I really wish I could say I straighten my hair but I cant. My hair just wont take the heat. I straightened it on my holiday and I loved how it looked, but I paid for it the next day. If you have strong healthy hair that can take being straightened then I dont think its a problem. Shiny thick straight hair is a bit of a fantasy for me, I have thin, curly hair :p

I might have read somewhere that years of straightening may cause lose of volume etc, but I really dont know any facts about it.
I next plan to straighten my hair for a wedding in July, using alot of heat protection spray!!

Yes, flat irons cause loss of volume...it happened to me, luckily, I lost no real thickness but it might be different for others...my hair took a beating in the curl and volume department, I cried alot over it and thought it was permenant and in a way, it is, until it all grows out again...so beware of flat irons if you like your curls

[Hollyfire3]

I might have read somewhere that years of straightening may cause lose of volume etc, but I really dont know any facts about it.
I next plan to straighten my hair for a wedding in July, using alot of heat protection spray!!

I've been flat ironing for several years and I still have all my volume. Straightening does make your hair kind of flat because it smooths it all down, but it comes right back after you wash it. :)[/quote]

It SHOULD come right back....mine just stopped after a while....now I am working on fixing it, its a big pain really

[mzBANGBANG]

I have actually just started using my flat iron again since I started my new job. I've never had to get up this early before, so if I can't fix my hair any other way it's the easiest route to looking professional.

And I will never give up my blowdryer, though I never use it on anything but low heat. Test it on your skin, if it's burning your skin it's burning your hair :) If you can give your hair a 2 week break from heat every now and then I think you'll be fine. Sometimes it just needs to rest.

[sedonia]

I don't flat iron ever. My hair is fine and it just can't take very much heat. I do blow dry on warm settings, but even that would have to go if I wanted to grow my hair longer than waist (which I don't).

Its all about time. Flat ironing does damage hair, its just that if your hair is only bra strap length or shorter, you probably trim the ends off before the damage really starts to show.

Anyone with waist or longer hair use a flat iron regularly?

[Raiscake]

I heat style my hair every now and then. Not just with my flat iron but curling irons too. My hair used to be unfazed but lately the heat damage seems to be catching up to me again. My ends feel rough everytime I heat style, so I'm gonna try and cut back on it some more.

[MomOf2Gremlins]

I have bangs so I use a small FI every day for them. Other than that I sometimes do it with a few strokes through my pony tail when I have really frizzy hair from humidity and like the sleek look I get. I wouldn't use it on a daily basis though! (But I do use a hair dryer on low heat pretty much every day. I can't run around in an AC cool house with a wet head.. I get sick right away!)

[bubblyredhead]

My hair laughs at me when I try to flat iron it anymore, unless it has been damaged for like 6 months from it then it will actually fully straighten otherwise I still get my flippy ends and bangs that do as they please, I do however, use my blow drier a few times a week depending on what i have going on but I let my hair mostly dry then I will finish off the bangs and other areas and use the cold setting.

[tiarefleur]

My hair is coarse and I grew to MBL and cut back up to APL+ out of boredom over and over for years (it was pretty much a cycle for me), all the while straightening it with a CHI every 3 days. I went through a phase where I repeatedly used bleach over dark hair dye to get highlights and started curling over my natural hair instead of straightening (thinking it was somehow healthier despite the fact that I would leave it there for 15+ seconds each time), and my hair just snapped off immediately. I'm not sure which of the 2 caused the most damage but my white dots and breakage are almost exclusively on my lightened hair (haven't touched hair dye since), so I'm pretty sure that it was the bleach. I now have a CHI with an adjustable heat setting which I pretty much locked away for the past few months, but I know that my hair can handle it so I'm not afraid to use it when I want it to look manageable again! Maybe it's a bit drier, but with coarse 2C hair what can I really expect anyway? :)

[quintanion]

Only for really special occasions (1-2x/year max). I'm prone to splits/breakage even when I take care of my hair, and the flat iron really exacerbates the damage. When I had bangs a few years ago, I used the Chi daily to keep them nice and had horrible split ends on hair that was only a few inches long and got trimmed monthly

[RedBlue]

I use a flat iron every now and then on my bangs. My mom, who is a hairstylist, likes to straighten my hair every time I get it trimmed/cut or dyed! Speaking of flat ironing hair, what is everyone's favorite heat protectant to use? I'm currently using TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray.

[Tia2010]

No. But i really didn't use one a lot even before I joined LHC.

I have a great ceramic flat iron and hairdryer .... I bought them (well the hairdryer was a gift) with every intention of using them, but my hair looks just as good (if not better) when it air dries...and I never did get the hang of making my hair look beachy with the flat iron-which is why I originally bought it (I couldn't for the life of me figure out which way to 'roll' and pull the flat iron LOL) :p .... I think maybe if I had been better at styling my hair, I would have used them more. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise :)

If you like it, do it. As long as you don't want super length than it shouldn't be a problem because you will be trimming any damage.

ETA: I will let my SIL do my hair if I want it to look great for a night out ( she is great with a flat iron :) ) so I wont say I never use it...I just am not really likely to unless it's a special occasion and I can talk her into doing my hair :)

[fairystar32]

I stopped heat when growing my hair for a few years and it made NO difference. I have since gone back too blow drying and the occasional flat iron (only after washing at weekend)

[Heatherzilla]

I pinch my sisters hair straightener a couple of times a year to attempt to do mine. I suck at doing it and it turns into a poofy mess a few minutes after I finish. If I wasn't so terrible at it I'd probably attempt it more often. The idea of magically gaining a few inches in lengh is a tempting one.

[Simone_Fatale]

I guess I'm lucky cause I flat iron my hair 2 -3 times a week and I have yet to see some damage. Although I am a guy so my hair is kinda coarse and tougher, so I guess it's related to that. I also take good care of my hair and never flat iron without heat protectant. I wish I could give up heat, though, but it's impossible to get my hair looking alright without flat ironing it, at least bangs and the face framing layers (I'm currently growing out a scene haircut).
My hair is pretty much straight, btw, so I guess it's the lack of lenght and weight that makes it curl up and wave away :3 Hopefully I'll ditch the heat when it gets longer.

[lmfbs]

I guess I'm lucky cause I flat iron my hair 2 -3 times a week and I have yet to see some damage. Although I am a guy so my hair is kinda coarse and tougher, so I guess it's related to that. I also take good care of my hair and never flat iron without heat protectant. I wish I could give up heat, though, but it's impossible to get my hair looking alright without flat ironing it, at least bangs and the face framing layers (I'm currently growing out a scene haircut).
My hair is pretty much straight, btw, so I guess it's the lack of lenght and weight that makes it curl up and wave away :3 Hopefully I'll ditch the heat when it gets longer.

Is that a thing? That males have coarser hair than females? Definitely doesn't fit with my observations!

[Simone_Fatale]

Is that a thing? That males have coarser hair than females? Definitely doesn't fit with my observations!

Not sure, but my transgender friend (MtF) claims that taking hormone replacement therapy and testosterone blockators made his hair grow softer and finer. So I guess it's gender-related due to hormones.

[Little Unicorn]

No, I already have straight hair. I have never in my life used styling tools or products on my hair, although I do admit to using a blow dryer before :o

[lmfbs]

Not sure, but my transgender friend (MtF) claims that taking hormone replacement therapy and testosterone blockators made his hair grow softer and finer. So I guess it's gender-related due to hormones.

I know someone who went FtM who had the same effect. I wonder if it's just what hormones do to hair?

[Simone_Fatale]

I know someone who went FtM who had the same effect. I wonder if it's just what hormones do to hair?
It could be possible. Hormones always have a great impact on the body. I'm definitely intrigued. I'll have to google it and find out something more. :)

[Silverbrumby]

I love my flat iron. I absolutely love my hair when its straightened. I have loose waves naturally, but I usually style it. I blow dry and flat iron my hair around two times a week. I also dye my hair, but I use a gentler professional dye. My hair is in excellent condition and I always get compliments from my stylist (though I only go in for a trim two or three times a year). Right now I'm at 21" and probably won't go much longer. I know a lot of people on here swear off heat, but I really think it depends on the tools. I have used cheap tools in the past and they were horrible for my hair. I only use professional tools now and my hair looks great. I love Chi and I have a flat iron and blow dryer made by them. Does anyone else flat iron? Is your hair in good condition? I honestly think you can use heat and still have amazing hair if you use the right tools!

Some hair can take heat with regular trims, good care and genetics. If you were going for hip I'd say it might get difficult.

For me the whole point is this. Be happy with your hair. That's it. No matter how that is achieved.