December 13, 2012

How I Straighten 4A Hair

Check out my updated method for straightening 4A hair 
using bantu knots here!



I don't straighten my hair too often because I get scared that every time I straighten it, my ends will break off. I like straight styles but I try to keep the use of my straightener to a minimum which I am hoping will help it to grow. When I do straighten it, I try to deep condition the night before to give my hair a boost of moisture and elasticity to help prevent breakage. 

I'm not picky with deep conditioners but I happened to have these ingredients in my house and so these are what I used to make a safflower coconut oil mask. This is very oily, so if you don't use shampoo, I would suggest leaving out the oils and just using coconut milk alone or oat milk instead. I heated up my ingredients in a bowl so that they would mix and so they would soak into my thirsty hair. I find that pre-straightening masks help prevent as much breakage from happening the next day. I also find I don't shed as much in the shower and when detangling.



Pre-Straightening Hair Mask:



Safflower Coconut Oil Mask Recipe:
1/2 C. coconut milk
1 Tbs. Safflower oil
1 Tbs. Coconut oil






My Regimen & Products: 




Top:
Over night hair mask (Safflower coconut) 

Bottom, left to right:
Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Shampoo
Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner
Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner
Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Protective Leave-In Treatment
Smooth N Shine Polishing Instant Repair Hair Polisher





My 4-Step Straightening Routine:


1. Hair mask



To apply the mask, I separate my hair into four sections. I apply the mask to each section and twist into bantu knots as I go to keep my hair less tangled. I end up with around 8-10 twists (2-3 per section). I cover the hair with a plastic bag and then slept with the mask in. 




2. Shampoo & condition



The next morning I shampoo and condition using Trader Joe's Nourish Spa shampoo and conditioner. Since the mask I used is extremely oily, I shampoo twice. I leave the conditioner in for about 5 minutes and then rinse it out. After I rinse, I add less than a quarter sized amount of conditioner back into my hair and scrunch it through. I don't rinse this out entirely which helps with detangling later. (Freshly washed hair above). 




3. Blow out



After my hair is washed, I dab with a towel to remove excess water and then part into four sections for detangling. I apply a dime sized amount of the Giovanni Direct Leave-In to each of the four sections and come through with my Denman brush from ends to roots.

I keep my hair divided into 4 sections for blow drying, too. Before blow drying, I spray on a few pumps of a light non-oily heat protectant (Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Protective Leave-In Treatment) onto each section since I use the high heat setting. I split each of the 4 sections into 2-3 smaller sections and blow dry each section, clipping straight hair out of the way as I go. 

I don't have a comb attachment to my blow dryer so I use the Denman brush to smooth out my hair while I blow dry straight. If I had a blow dryer with a comb attachment, I'd use that. 



4. Straighten 



After blowing out my hair, I part into 4 sections. I apply a dime size amount (very little) of a heat protecant serum (Smooth N Shine Polishing Instant Repair Hair Polisher) evenly onto each section. The cones in this product help smooth and shine the hair making the straight style last longer. 

I work with a small strand of hair at a time, clipping back the rest of the section out of the way. I brush through gently with my Denman brush (or a small comb) and then run my straightener over twice. If I need to, I comb through again and re-straighten. After I finish straightening the section, I leave the hair out and move on the other sections until it's done. 

The way my hair is cut is really layered so I accentuate the layers by rolling the straighter under as I pull which adds some texture and volume. 




Results:


Check out my updated method for straightening 4A hair 
using bantu knots here!


7 comments:

  1. Very pretty! I love it! Your hair looks great, and I'm going to try that mask!!

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  2. That sounds awesome and your hair looks great! I definitely need to try this.

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  3. Nice! I have 4a hair too and I think the best thing I discovered for straighten was raw Shea butter ... You don't have to even blow dry ... I just cowash in the morning and do a wet bun and by the time I get home my hair is dry. So I put just take lil pieces of hair apply the butter , detangle then use the brush chasing method to straighten the piece of hair and it's pretty much completely straight on the first pass ! The Shea butter really helps to hold the straight style for looooong !

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    Replies
    1. Sounds easy! I don't usually like wearing my hair wet but maybe this would be good for the Summer time.

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  4. looks great! did you say you didn't rinse out all of the conditioner? or were you referring to the leave-in conditioner? Thanks!

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  5. Thanks! I need to update this post with my new regimen...and update my blog in general! I usually rise out all of the conditioner and then sometimes I may reapply a little bit if I think my hair needs it...Otherwise I'll just use the leave in. If I do leave some conditioner in my hair, I'll go lighter with the leave in. I just try not to use too much conditioner and/or leave in to avoid buildup. :)

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Any insight?