Okay, so technically I didn’t receive a question about this, but I’m making it a QOTD because I anticipate it will come up in the future.
Anyway, so…when you flat iron your hair, water is your enemy, right? The natural’s motto is, “Oils and butters only! Prevent reversion!” This was so me until the last time I flat ironed my hair.
I’ve tried to do textured styles with my flat ironed hair using oil based products, and they were cute…for about five minutes. The oil on dry hair just didn’t give me enough style and hold, which makes sense, because oils tend to make your hair more flexible, but with a style, you want to freeze your hair in place. The only other option I had to keep using oils was to use heat tools to style my hair, and I did not want that to be my solution.
So last straight session, I shared my bantu knot out on flat ironed hair using a water based product, and it was great!! My style held, my hair was still smooth, and best of all, I was moisturizing my hair while it was straight! I’ve noticed some differences on the kind of products/methods you can use, so I wanted to share my tips.
1. While you want to use a product that’s water based, you don’t want to use SUPER watery products (spray conditioners, serums, RO conditioners – unless they are super thick and buttery), as they will wet your hair quicker and cause it to revert. I think using a thick cream or hair lotion will work just fine – these usually contain more oils and butters with the H2O. For the sake of reference, here are some products I’ve used on my flat ironed hair with success:
- Darcy’s Botanicals Cocoa Bean Curl Styling Cream
- CocoCurls Curly Styling Aid
- Cush Cosmetics Creme de Palm
- B.A.S.K. Palm Tapioca Deluxe Hair Cream
2. Only use a DAB. Do you hear me? A. DAB. Like…not even a fingertip full per section and no more than a dime amount on your whole head. Sometimes I add a weeeeee bit more on my ends (I’m trying to be my ends’ BFF, they get so much love.) for extra hydration because they were often rubbing on my clothes all day. But do not saturate your hair with product.
3. Set your hair immediately. However you want to doesn’t matter – braid, bun, bantu knot, twist, wrap, etc – just set your hair in some way so it can’t start curling up on itself. And when I say immediately, I mean…immediately. Even when I was doing bantu knots, I initially applied the product and split that section into two, and I could see the hair in the second section start to curl up. So, I switched to applying product to each section alone and twisting it right up before it could begin to curl. When I’m not trying a “real” style, I apply a bit of product to the bottom length of my hair only and put it in a low bun for bed. This way, I get a slightly textured, tousled look. If your hair is shorter and you can’t make a bun, try wrapping your hair or putting it in a few buns. The key is to not let the hair stay free to play with the elements.
4. Stay away from glycerin! And I don’t just mean in the first five ingredients, I mean none. Zilch. Zero. Nada. There were a few times that I used products that had glycerin, and within an hour my hair had poofed out to a ratty, spiderwebby, mess. Remember, glycerin attracts moisture, and that’s not what you want. Some products that worked for me contain honey, but if your hair reacts with other humectants, leave those alone too. For reference, products that did not work on my flat ironed hair include:
- Camille Rose Soylicious
- Oyin Honey Hemp
- HerbnLife Coconut Hemp (which is a pomade but contains glycerin)
**Note, if your hair is super porous, these tips may not help. I unfortunately can’t predict how this would work on hair that is not fairly low porosity and does not accept water easily. Also, if your hair reverts quickly, you may be applying too much. A DAB!**
xoxo
questfortheperfectcurl.com 
New to your blog.Thanks for all the info…Transitioning out of a really short “halle berry” cut(previously a mohawk…formerly a baldie), having a rrruuufff time in this transition, don’t wanna BC..not scared, just njoying the 3″ I’ve got (of which 1/2″ is NG. Live in hot,humid Miami.4c hair. Total PJ…like severe ProductJunkitivitis. Protien sensitive (found that out the hard way). Total nerd for info. Verbose. BLatina (translation: Black Latina)…’tis I, nice to meet you..
Hi, nice to meet you back! Have you checked out the Carol’s Daughter transitioning site? There’s a lot of good info on there for different kinds of methods of transitioning. I had a mohawk too, I loved it! 🙂
Hi Elle
I’m wondering if you ever use flaxseed gel. Is there a link I should use to ask this question?
Thx!
I have but did not finalize a recipe.
Thanks Elle, I suffer from premature posting syndrome! I went straight to your hg list which helped a lot.
LOL okay I’m glad you found it!
Hi Elle, question. For some odd reason, I thought the longer my hair got, the easier it would be to detangel! LOL silly me. Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of trial and error with different products looking for one with a decent amount of slip to help detangle my hair in the shower. I’m a drug store chick so is there any drugstore conditioners that you would recommend? TIA
Hi there! I have a post that lists out both conditioners, then another with drugstore products, and a video with drugstore products. Then, there are some conditioners that you can get at the drugstore on my HG list. HTH
Hey Elle, question. Do any of the products you use to straighten your hair contain silicones? I ask because I am curious if the silicones will block the moisture from actually penetrating your hair. Or does it depend on the type of silicones you use? Thanks
Not always – this time I did but last time I just used oil. Either way, there should be something in your hair when you flat iron so the moisturizing product should not be going on “naked” dry hair. It should already be coated with something. Also, silicones do decrease moisture penetration, but not to 100%.
I love this..i straightened my hair yesterday for a length check and my ends are trash 😦 and i only trim once a year which means im out until 2013..great tips..i’ll use em’ one day..love the title…lol
Fantastic post! Especially, giving advice on using some products sparingly.
You win the internet today for this blog post title!! LOL