Daily Hair Routine For Straight Hair

[MestizoGypsy]

So I have very straight hair with layers- the longest of it is at bra strap length, and I'm just letting the layers grow out as they will. I eventually want to have it at waist length with layers, but getting there is taking forever! Anyway, I'm trying to break my addiction to heat styling, or at least heat styling so harshly- I used to blow dry AND flat iron (my already straight hair) every morning, or curl my second day hair. I'm working on washing less frequently and at night so that I can at least put down the blow dryer... but I did just get an Instyler to make it all bouncy in the morning. I'm still trying to avoid the real flat iron and curling iron, but I've heard the instyler is less damaging? I have to do something to it, or my layers flip out in funny ways!

Straight haired folks, what do you do to your hair on a daily basis?

[Carissamarie08]

I'll be watching this thread because I'm addicted to the flat iron as well. I have an Instyler as well but I hate how loud it is!

[MestizoGypsy]

I'll be watching this thread because I'm addicted to the flat iron as well. I have an Instyler as well but I hate how loud it is!
Do you like how the instyler works on your hair, other than the noise? I used one once & really liked the results- that was during my 'no heat summer' of 2010.

[blaketob]

I don't have super straight hair but deffinately avoid heat as much as you can bare because it really does help! I felt as if I trained my hair to air dry a certain way. I used to put a clip in my hair bc it took away frizz and left a nice wave. At first it looked awful when I did it but after awhile it looked better and better. Now I can even let my hair air dry without putting a clip in and just leaving it down. I know it sounds dumb but I really do think people can train their hair to look a certain way :)

[luxepiggy]

Honestly, most days I roll out of bed, spritz on a bit of Aquage Beyond Shine, fingercomb, and go. I'm lazy. After a wash, though, I always blow dry on Cool. I don't like the way my hair looks air-dried (^(oo)^)v

I have an InStyler, but I don't think it's any less damaging than any other heat styling tool. Heat is heat. I must admit I'm quite curious as to why you were flat-ironing your hair!

[Allychan]

My hair is somewhere between straight and wavy, so I settle on calling it 'kinky'. My daily hair routine is conditioner during my morning shower then I let it air dry for an hour then it is bunned. Until I get it to the length and condition I want, it is staying up.

I gave up straightening 1.5ys ago and my hair is still feeling the effects, view my album you'll see what I mean!

As for the Instyler, I actually like what it does to my hair. I have given up the idea of straight hair so I use it (on the very odd occasion) to make a few curls and volume, that way it looks less stringy and a tad thicker on the length

[Carissamarie08]

Well I have straight hair naturally too but I use heat to flatten out those stray frizzys I have. My hair just isn't as straight as I want it. It's a pain!

[MestizoGypsy]

Honestly, most days I roll out of bed, spritz on a bit of Aquage Beyond Shine, fingercomb, and go. I'm lazy. After a wash, though, I always blow dry on Cool. I don't like the way my hair looks air-dried (^(oo)^)v

I have an InStyler, but I don't think it's any less damaging than any other heat styling tool. Heat is heat. I must admit I'm quite curious as to why you were flat-ironing your hair!
Haha I guess just to get the ends to flip under just right? With the layers they just flip however they feel like I guess. Believe me, you're not the first person to call that into question!! Everyone that knows I flat iron thinks I'm crazy (which I guess I am about my hair.) But I'm weaned off of the blow dryer at least!

[Justy]

My hair is now long enough for a solid cinnamon bun so that is my 'go to' most mornings.

I wash my hair at night and then french braid it damp for sleep. It always has great lift and waves on day one, so I usually just clip back the front and wear it down the first day. Day two might be down or up in a bun, depending on how flat it is. I just detangle with my fingers, then wide tooth comb in the morning, if I'm pinning back the front I will use a brush to make sure the sides are smooth, otherwise I just finger comb everything back into a pony (without elastic) and then twist it into a bun.

I use to flat iron every morning but stopped that when I joined here. My hair has been much happier! That along with CO washing only twice a week have been the best changes for me.

[Hollyfire3]

Well I have straight hair naturally too but I use heat to flatten out those stray frizzys I have. My hair just isn't as straight as I want it. It's a pain!

I have a friend (my best friend, she is like my sister) with WL 1c or so hair like this, its funny because now that she started with heat, she won't stop, even though she has seen what it did to my hair over the years. She always said how straight and flat her hair is, now, every little kink means a full on flat ironing sesion, it makes me very sad to see I must say, i always admired her hair to the point of envy, but now, I am learning to love my own at least, if only she'd do the same!:(

[Carissamarie08]

I know I need to be more gentle with my hair.. The heat has definetly dried it out... My flat iron is like my drug!

[MestizoGypsy]

I know I need to be more gentle with my hair.. The heat has definetly dried it out... My flat iron is like my drug!
I'm right there with you girl. I'm really hoping that just quitting the blowdryer will make a difference for now. I'll rarely be heat styling this summer, since I'm working at the pool. I've always found that once my layers get longer, it's easier to just let it do it's own thing.

[luxepiggy]

Haha I guess just to get the ends to flip under just right? With the layers they just flip however they feel like I guess. Believe me, you're not the first person to call that into question!! Everyone that knows I flat iron thinks I'm crazy (which I guess I am about my hair.) But I'm weaned off of the blow dryer at least!

You're actually better off going the other way around - direct-contact heat styling tools are more damaging than blow dryers.

[luxepiggy]

For those who can't get off the heat styling, look for a heat protectant that contains "hydrolyzed wheat protein polysiloxane copolymer" - it's been demonstrated to reduce cuticle lifting from heat styling.

[battles]

My hair is somewhere between straight and wavy, so I settle on calling it 'kinky'. My daily hair routine is conditioner during my morning shower then I let it air dry for an hour then it is bunned. Until I get it to the length and condition I want, it is staying up.


Sorry to butt in, but the term "kinky" when talking about hair is normally used when talking about type 4 hair (if I'm remembering correctly). :flower:

[Kerrilynn]

I rarely use heat styling tools on my hair, but when I do I use a heat protectant spray. I use the one from TresEmme and really like it. I follow a few hair blogs and it was the most recommended that is also affordable. Might be something to look into. Also, I've read that ceramic styling tools are less damaging? Something else to look into, perhaps.

[AnqeIicDemise]

Am I the only 'straightie' that has a huge dislike for the flat iron? I own two -- a full sized one and a mini one. I haven't used either in more than two years with the exception of three times and each time its because I've done something stupid like cut my bangs too short and they needed some form of heat styling for a day or two while I figure out how to cool style.

I wash every four days CWC/ WC depending on my mood/what needs to be done. I oil the ends every other night, deep condition twice a month.

I braid my hair every night and stare at the more defined waves wishing it'd curl more every morning. (I know what i have to do to cultivate a full on 1C. I just hate layers with a passion. I hate little bits sticking out of my updos so much I have to hide the scissors.)

The most heat styling I do is if I miscalculated for some reason and took my shower too late. I then have to blow dry. At that point I rather blast it on the hot setting to get my hair dry quickly versus dealing with the pain of a cool setting. It takes me about 3 times longer to dry my hair on a cool setting and I manipulate it the whole time. :\


My go to style lately has been:

Lazy Wrap
Rose Bun
Nautilus Bun
French Braid
Dutch Braid
Fish tail braid.
Loose

I change the braid placements more than I do the bun placements. The braids distribute the weight better so I dont' get as many migraines. Buns have to be perfectly placed or I suffer. :\

ETA: I feel superbly odd when my hair is pin straight. Its funny because my hair used to be as straight as Piggies in HS to the point I couldn't hold a curl. It wasn't until I came onto the boards, clarified the first time and realized that I have a wave pattern like my Gammy. I just have been weighing it down with products.

[ladylowtide]

I wrote big long thing about what I do, and I realized there is an underlying philosophy that relates that is much shorter and easier to get through. Being happy about your hair type and your particular head of hair. I am by no means saying you should aspire to 100% virgin hair or whatever. I am just saying that my best hair improvements have come from liking it more the way it is, instead of pining for something else. Now I have developed a taste for naturally pretty hair, when I look at magazines I no longer despair, because to me, the hair just looks tortured, and if that is their hair after 2 hours in the salon chair.... I don't want that hair.

I am just saying: learn to like your hair the way it is, and your hair will like you back.

[Bagginslover]

I have very straight hair, and I used to straighten it too. My avatar is my hair air dryed, so you can see, its pretty darn straight! Using an iron would make it extra sleek, and would add in the flick or curve that I couldn't get from blowdrying alone, even using products.

Now that I henna, I am terrifed of any heat, which I'm sure my hair will thank me for ;)

[Ticky]

I don't do much with mine, on a daily basis it only gets detangled. Sometimes not even that :o as for heat styling, never used a flat iron or anything similar, so I can't talk about that. I blow dry it if I am in a hurry and that's it.

[Amanah]

I'm a slightly wavy; if I use cones and the right leave-in products, my hair is much smoother leaning towards straight.

[Libbylou]

My hair is very straight. My updos include, french or peacock twist, cinnabun, gibson tuck. If I do want curls I use the caruso. This is coming from someone who had perms for 15 years. I blow dry my bangs daily, but the length is air dried.

[Tisiloves]

Non-wash day: stick it up.

Wash day: heavy oil, wash, oil, coney condition, leave for 30mins, rinse, towel dry either top knot for waves or air dry and glare at the shoulder kink (my hair thinks it's funny to be dead straight in the back, but dry to a 90degree angle over my shoulders).

[Lilli]

I don't get why if your hair is straight and past your shoulders you need to flat-iron it?

When mine was between ear and shoulder, I used to iron the ends so that they wouldn't flip out, but I broke that habit by just dealing with it and seeing that it still looked fine to everyone else. Now it is BSL and I never use heat. If I want it to be smoother (my underlayers are wavy), I just use a coney S&C and comb it while wet and it is smooth.

Now I think that ironed and blown-dry hair looks dead and dull.

[firegypsy]

I just bun it most days. I've never been one to blow dry. Never even owned a blow dryer. I do have a flat iron but I have only used it a handful of times.

I'm not sure I'd say ironed hair looks dull, generally it looks super shiny! But I know that it's very damaging (and far too much work as far as I'm concerned) so I don't do it.

I braid occasionally, but I like the feel of a bun better. Today I did two dutch braids that ended in a gibson tuck. It looked lovely but I couldn't take it! I took it out and threw it up in a fork. Ahhhhhhhh. Bliss.

[heidi w.]

Straight hair does not need to be flat ironed. The hair is already straight by nature. The biggest problem straight and mostly fine-haired folks have is protecting against tangles. Heat anything offers no protection and in fact, flat ironing can create a volume of white dots, which is where the cuticle is burned through and the hair strand can become quite weak in that white dot location.

I do all my hair care for my hair surrounding the day and day after a fresh hair wash. Daily I merely detangle my hair and put it up. That's it.

Nothing fancy.

The less one fusses with their hair, the better.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

My hair is very straight. My updos include, french or peacock twist, cinnabun, gibson tuck. If I do want curls I use the caruso. This is coming from someone who had perms for 15 years. I blow dry my bangs daily, but the length is air dried.

IF your hair can take a curl, it's not straight hair. My straight hair won't even accept a bend.

heidi w.

[firegypsy]

IF your hair can take a curl, it's not straight hair. My straight hair won't even accept a bend.

heidi w.

I'll "yeah that." I'm not an expert, but is that your hair in your avatar? It doesn't look 1a to me. But I am just learning the system!

[Bagginslover]

IF your hair can take a curl, it's not straight hair. My straight hair won't even accept a bend.

heidi w.

Your signature goes against this statement Heidi-you have (what I assume) are braid waves, so your hair will hold a wave.

My hair is just as straight as yours, and since I've been taking better care of it, it will hold a curl or wave better than it ever has. I think the ability for hair to hold a curl, like everything else, is an individual thing. Just because yours won't, and is straight, doesn't mean that if someone else's will, their hair isn't straight.

[Zesty]

On non-wash days I just finger comb and put it in a bun or sometimes a braid. On wash days I leave it down to dry while finger combing and sometimes put it up to help slow down drying because that seems to make it softer. Really I think straight hair is really low maintenance (although for sure any kind of hair can be) so I don't see why you'd need to flat iron or any of that.

[teela1978]

I'm more of a "straivy" (straight/wavy) on the borderline between 1c and 2a these days. I'm pretty low maintenence with my hair. I wash/condition, gently comb out while wet, air-dry, and go. If I don't comb out while damp I end up with the waves trying to show up and somewhat strange (to me) looking locks. In my experience the straight iron is not a good plan, using it damages your hair and makes it more frizzy so you need it even more, its a vicious cycle!

[LaFlor]

I have straight layered hair. It looks straight even when air dried, so it seems pretty silly to flat iron it, although I did for a while in high school :rolleyes:

I like to bun my hair at night to give it a little wave and movement, but it doesn't stay very long and still looks pretty straight anyway.

I also find that my hair doesn't look too good if I go long inbetween washes. It looks best when freshly washed. It gets too flat and greasy otherwise.

I find that my hair is pretty low maintenance... wash and go!