Photo Credit: Pintrest

One of the most frequent questions I receive from other naturals pertains to my ability to straighten my hair often and experience minimal heat damage, thus after my looonnngggg hiatus from the blogsphere I thought this would be a good topic to discuss upon my return.

Firstly, in my opinion heat damage (in some form) is inevitable. If you cannot accept this fact then do not straighten your hair. Ever. What varies however is the extent of damage done to the hair. What most people mean when the refer to heat damage is the loss of elasticity i.e when the hair no longer curls. With the following 3 short tips and tricks I have manged to avoid loosing my curls whilst straightening my hair 1-2 times a month.

Disclaimer: I love my natural hair texture but I also love straight hair. My favourite thing about being natural is the versatility, so please no judgement from the natural hair extremists. Also I find in the winter straightening my hair also acts a protective style as I mostly wear my hair in a ponytail or high bun)

1) MOISTURIZE

The key to maintaining your curl pattern is having well moisturized hair. If your hair is dry and brittle and you then add heat you shouldn't be surprised if your hair snaps off if you experience breakage and/or heat damage. Before straightening your hair ensure moisturizing your hair is a  staple in your regimen, don't expect to moisturize the day you straighten it and avoid heat damage. Healthy hair is a habit that requires discipline and consistency.

2) SPACE OUT THE AMOUNT OF TIMES YOU STRAIGHTEN
 
This is quite ironic because I straighten my hair quite often, however if I straighten it on Monday I will not re-straighten it till I rewash my hair  2 1/2 weeks later or if if I straighten my hair 2 times within a fortnight, I wear my hair curly for the next few months. Essentially if I feel I've been naughty and straightened too consecutively, I'll stop straightening for at least 2 months. (I'm currently aiming to refrain from straightening for the next 4 months, wish me luck). If I've been out in the rain or my hair gets frizzy or greasy I just put my hair in a bun till my next wash day, I do not re-straighten. Consistent re-straightening in an attempt to get your hair as flat as possible in my opinion  contributes to heat damage. Also, when I am straightening my hair I only pass the straightener over my hair once.

3) DON'T PRODUCT OVERLOAD.

*As part of the straightening natural hair series I will post my entire routine*
After washing & conditioning I only use the Kera Care Straightening Serum and the Tresemme heat protector. THAT IS IT. I used to use 4+ products which just made my hair sizzle and caused a lot of heat damage (which I had to cut off). After putting those two products in I blow dry and Straighten. To moisturize daily I use a lot of olive oil which makes my hair soft and also eliminates frizz and protects from humidity (post on maintaining straight hair also coming soon).

Those were my top 3 tips on avoiding heat damage and as aforementionned there will be more in the Straightening Natural Hair 101 series, if there is any questions you'd like answered or any specific topics you'd like me to discuss comment below.

Ta for now,

Juliette xxxx