The past couple years have been such a journey for me. Whoever said that we are supposed to have it all figured out by age 30 lied... yup that was a flat out lie!! I've always known that I wanted some kind of digital presence, I've always known that I wanted to be an entrepreneur but I've never quite got it to click. Over the past years that I have been absent from this blog I've gone from working a fulltime 8-4, to creating my own hair product line, opening an online retail store, having several part time jobs, whew I am getting tired just writing this lol. Then came 2020..... the year covid hit. There was a lot of silence, stillness and healing in 2020. I needed a time out. I needed to stop. If I am being totally honest 2020 rocked me in ways that I still cannot quite put into words. Maybe one day, far far into the future looking back I could explain. At present I sit here in June 2021, still trying to catch my footing, not wanting to go back to the mundane activit
Hi Guys,
I flat ironed my hair yesterday and I figured that I should do a post on safe flat ironing. It seems that with all the information out there about caring for our hair, heat has become the enemy. I believe that like everything else, heat can be used in moderation without having harmful effects to your hair. Below are some useful tips for flat ironing:
1. Deep Condition for atleast one hour prior to flat ironing. This is important as it infuses moisture and protein into the strands. Curly hair normally reverts when flat ironed because of humidity (moisture in the atmosphere), if your hair is moisturised well, it would not suck moisture from the atmosphere into your hair, thus your press would last longer.
2. Use a liquid leave-in. I have found that cream leave-in conditioners make my hair heavy and limp when I flat iron.
3. Use a heat protectant
A good protectant is absolutely necessary when using heat. Fine strand ladies should use a liquid and for thicker strands a serum can be used.
4. Try to air dry your hair in braids or blow dry on the cool setting prior to flat ironing
Most people blow dry their hair to prepare for flat ironing. This helps stretch out the curls and makes the press last longer. Instead of blow drying on high heat, a warm or cool temperature can be used along with the tension method. A better alternative is to braid the hair and air dry or sit under a bonnet dryer.
5. Try low manipulation styles on pressed hair.
Twist outs, braid outs, bantu knot outs etc. are great on pressed hair. After wearing a fresh press for about a week, it tends to get a bit heavy and the *swag* is gone. These styles are great as it allows you to wear your press for a longer time. My flat ironed hair can last for about a month. This helps in reducing how often heat is used. I think using heat once a month should be the max. for our hair.
6.NEVER RE-FLAT IRON ALREADY FLAT IRONED HAIR
This is a BIG mistake many ladies make. Please do not do this, it is very damaging to our hair. The effect may not be visible immediately but after some time you will get breakage.
7. Use the comb-chase method. This is simply inserting a comb into the root of the section you are ironing, as you move your comb downward, insert the flat iron behind the comb and follow it down to the ends.
8. Be mindful of the thickness of your strands and using the appropriate temperature. Thick strands need a higher temperature 450F is good for this type of hair. Medium hair like mine should be pressed using 400-430 F and fine hair ladies should use a temperature below 400F. This is just a general guideline as curl pattern and general health of the hair must also be considered.
Below are some pictures of my flat iron results, yes I am aware that I am posing like super woman lol, I was just trying to give an idea of where my natural waist is ;)
I hope these tips are useful, thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment and subscribe.
HHJ
Ren
I flat ironed my hair yesterday and I figured that I should do a post on safe flat ironing. It seems that with all the information out there about caring for our hair, heat has become the enemy. I believe that like everything else, heat can be used in moderation without having harmful effects to your hair. Below are some useful tips for flat ironing:
1. Deep Condition for atleast one hour prior to flat ironing. This is important as it infuses moisture and protein into the strands. Curly hair normally reverts when flat ironed because of humidity (moisture in the atmosphere), if your hair is moisturised well, it would not suck moisture from the atmosphere into your hair, thus your press would last longer.
2. Use a liquid leave-in. I have found that cream leave-in conditioners make my hair heavy and limp when I flat iron.
3. Use a heat protectant
A good protectant is absolutely necessary when using heat. Fine strand ladies should use a liquid and for thicker strands a serum can be used.
4. Try to air dry your hair in braids or blow dry on the cool setting prior to flat ironing
Most people blow dry their hair to prepare for flat ironing. This helps stretch out the curls and makes the press last longer. Instead of blow drying on high heat, a warm or cool temperature can be used along with the tension method. A better alternative is to braid the hair and air dry or sit under a bonnet dryer.
5. Try low manipulation styles on pressed hair.
Twist outs, braid outs, bantu knot outs etc. are great on pressed hair. After wearing a fresh press for about a week, it tends to get a bit heavy and the *swag* is gone. These styles are great as it allows you to wear your press for a longer time. My flat ironed hair can last for about a month. This helps in reducing how often heat is used. I think using heat once a month should be the max. for our hair.
6.NEVER RE-FLAT IRON ALREADY FLAT IRONED HAIR
This is a BIG mistake many ladies make. Please do not do this, it is very damaging to our hair. The effect may not be visible immediately but after some time you will get breakage.
7. Use the comb-chase method. This is simply inserting a comb into the root of the section you are ironing, as you move your comb downward, insert the flat iron behind the comb and follow it down to the ends.
8. Be mindful of the thickness of your strands and using the appropriate temperature. Thick strands need a higher temperature 450F is good for this type of hair. Medium hair like mine should be pressed using 400-430 F and fine hair ladies should use a temperature below 400F. This is just a general guideline as curl pattern and general health of the hair must also be considered.
Below are some pictures of my flat iron results, yes I am aware that I am posing like super woman lol, I was just trying to give an idea of where my natural waist is ;)
freshly washed and deep conditioned hair |
Blown out on low heat using tension method |
I hope these tips are useful, thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment and subscribe.
HHJ
Ren
Your hair looks beautiful! You've just made me miss my flat iron ;) lol.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteNice tutorial!!Your hair looks amazing and My hair is so heavy and Curly.these tips are useful, thanks
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Hi Ren,please how can i nurture ny gair to grow like yours? My hair is really suffering,its not growing out and its very thin.
ReplyDeleteHi Stella,
DeleteThanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. One of the most important practices for healthy hair is deep conditioning. Since your hair is thin, protein can help strengthen it. To help you more I need to get more information about what you are currently doing. Search for me on facebook at healthy hair by ren, we can chat more there.
gorgeous results!
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