Just for Avis-tips for straightening natural hair

Hey there everyone,

So, my sister-Avis-said that I need to put something "helpful" on my blog :-/ Thanks for the family support, j/k :-). Unfortunately I don't know what would be helpful to others so if there's anything that you all want to know about let me know and I'll do my best to put the info up for you (and try to not make things up;-).

Anyhoo, she (my lovely sister) started complaining about the messy state of her hair after straightening so I thought I'd throw up some tips that help me straighten my hair. Hope some/all of these help (and I'm sure if they don't, she'll tell me ;-)

• Start with wet hair-I've found it to be much easier to get my hair straighter if I start the process while it's wet opposed to dry.
• Start with damp wet hair, not soaked-I have no idea why, but for me soaked hair is just harder to work with so I usually towel dry the hair by putting it up in the towel (like the ladies on commercials stepping out of the shower) for a couple seconds and then remove the towel. However, be sure to not completely dry it with the towel.
• Use a good blow dryer-the blow drying process is so important for straightening your hair. Often, you can actually just blow dry and if you do it well enough it may be straight enough to satisfy you (obviously not as straight as if you flat iron, but pretty darn straight). I highly recommend a ceramic blow dryer; they work well, cut down on drying time which means less heat, and get your hair pretty straight. I'd get one with a pretty high wattage so it'll get hot and get the job done. Also, a little aside, I'd get a diffuser attachment and a blow dryer with multiple heat settings including cold. Diffuser will come in handy if you ever want to dry your curls maybe in winter or something, and the cold setting will help with that too. A really good blow dryer might cost you a bit, but in the end, especially if you intend to straighten your hair often, it's worth it.
• Work on your hair in sections-Some people will tell you not to section off your hair, but it has been my experience that not sectioning the hair is overwhelming and takes a really long time. I usually section my hair into 4 sections and secure with a clip or ponytail holder of some sort. I then pick a section and go to work. I start by blow drying and once the blow drying is done I clip that section up and move to the next one.
• Get a good blow drying brush-So when you first start the blow drying process I recommend combing the section you're working on with a wide tooth detangling comb. Then, blow dry using the comb as a guide. I only briefly go through with the comb, until I can comb with ease. Then I use my brush-I use a vented brush that I bought from Sally Beauty Supply a million years ago, the bristles are all bent, but it's still holding on. I have no idea what brand it is, because all of the letters have come off. I start at the root, and follow my brush in a downward motion with my blow dryer, so the brush is always going through the hair before the heat hits it. I usually start by brushing in a downward motion (and you may want to sub-section your sections) then once I do that a few times I again start at the root with the brush on one side of my hair and the blow dryer on the other, and brush in an upward motion with the blow dryer following on the underside. I've read that it's best to always blow dry in a downward motion, but this is hard for me to keep up.
• Use a ceramic flat iron-You want to pick a flat iron that will get HOT and that has ceramic plates so that the job can get done in as little time as possible. I usually just start in the back and flat iron away. I try to do super small sections of hair at a time. I own a Chi, but I think most ceramic flat irons today are pretty good, and I'm still convinced that the real work is done by the blow dryer. If you have to splurge on one, but cut corners on the other splurge on the blow dryer.
• Use PROTECTION!!-Be certain to apply a heat protector to your hair prior to starting any of this process. I use Silk Elements Megasilk Olive Heat Protection, and I like it a lot.
• Don't overdo on products-the less products you can put in your hair the better. When I know I'm going to straighten I usually apply a little leave-in and my heat protectant, and I'm off.
• Do keep a fan nearby-Oh my goodness, this can be a hot process. Don't feel like you're having hot flashes and do invest in a small fan that can be placed near you during this process. No need to spend all that time straightening your hair just so you can sweat it out during the process.

Well, chicas, those are the only tips I have for now on straightening. I hope something was helpful, and if there are any questions or comments please leave a comment or email me!!!

Tootles for now,

Lady Shay