Us Naturalistas genuinely love our natural kinks, curls, and coils, but occasionally we want to rock a straight style.
How to Prepare Natural Hair for Flat Ironing
You should always take steps to prepare your natural hair for the flat ironing process. Always start with a clean and healthy base. Use a clarifying and moisture-rich shampoo to clean and hydrate your scalp and hair in preparation for the event. Do not skip the conditioning step in your shampoo process. Your goal is to remove product build-up before starting this process and seal in moisture to strengthen those strands ahead of this heat-filled event.
Take the initiative to assess your hair for existing damage or breakage before flat-ironing your hair. You never want to introduce heat to hair that is already experiencing excessive damage.
Use a Thermal Heat Protectant
Next, you should apply a thermal heat protectant to your hair before using any heat. Heat protectants, also known as thermal protectants, provide a protective layer between your hair and the heating tool you are using to create your next fabulous style. Heat protectants typically contain natural oil extracts, amino acids, silicones, and humectants that partner with one another to strengthen your hair.
Now, for all of you naturalistas out there who might be cringing a bit at the thought of using silicones on your hair, do not panic just yet. The combination of silicones with these other ingredients helps to insulate your hair strands and minimize their access to heat damage.
Section Hair into Equal Parts and Detangle
Before initiating the flat iron process, you will want to section your hair into four to six sections. Thicker or longer hair may require more than four sections for manageability during this process. This step will be the opportunity to apply additional heat protectant product, and for natural hair, a silk press product will further aid your in flat ironing the hair.
Try to exhibit an air of patience when detangling natural hair. Kinky hair is well-known for its tangles and requires a bit more time to remove tangles. However, this process is essential for the next phase of the flat iron process.
You will use a paddle brush to detangle the hair from tip to root, working your way back towards the root. Once this step is complete, you are ready to initiate the hairdryer phase of this process.
Use Your Blow Dryer to Initiate the Process
Using your paddle brush and a blow dryer with an attachment, begin brushing your ends with the paddle brush with the blow dryer and its attachment in place pointed at the area you are brushing, working your way to the scalp. Drying your hair from the ends to the scalp will help ensure that you avoid annoying tangles while straightening your natural hair.
Once you straighten the section, you will want to use a round brush to straighten the root further, which will help reduce those natural kinks and crimps at the root while using the dryer. This step will get you closer to straightening your hair. Next, you will proceed to the remaining sections and repeat these steps.
How to Flat Iron Natural Hair
Now that your hair is dry, relatively straight, and ready to go, you are officially ready to begin flat-ironing your hair. You will need to be mindful of a few things in proceeding with your flat iron or silk press.
Choosing Your Heat Setting
There are a few thumb rules to keep in mind as you set the temperature on your flat iron. Areas of your head with thicker hair will likely require a higher heat setting than the hair that adorns the space closest to your ears or at the nape of your neck. Most people have different textures all over the head, and blindly choosing a single heat setting for your entire head could do some damage. Most experts agree that you will rarely need more than 345° of heat to straighten your hair.
Therefore, as you embark on pulling out your flat iron, perform a test on different areas of your head, where you know there are different textures to determine which temperature settings will work best for each one.
The Rat Comb Chase Method
You can use one method to flat iron your hair to use a rat-tail comb to chase. In essence, you apply a comb in front of your flat iron as you glide it to the end of each pass. The chase method helps to ensure that there is an even distribution of heat among each strand. YouTube Vlogger GlamFam Hair & Beauty provides a tutorial on flat iron hair using the comb chase method.
The Brush Chase Method
Some naturalistas prefer to use a brushing chase method, in which they use a brush to pull the hair straight and chase it with the flat-iron. YouTube Vlogger Coach Shaunie, in her video The Brush Chasing Method: Easiest Way to Flat Iron Natural Hair, provides a demonstration of the brush chasing method below.
How to Care for Flat-Ironed Hair
With proper care, some flat-iron styles can last for upwards of two weeks. Of course, it will require a bit of commitment on your end. Each night, you will want to wrap your hair to protect it from tangles and to preserve this style.
YouTube Vlogger Ksb Bombshell provides a detailed but brief tutorial below explaining how to appropriately wrap your hair.
During the week, you will want to use oil-based moisturizers to rejuvenate your hair and keep it looking vibrant. Steer clear of those water-based products that promise to infuse moisture. Water-based products can cause your hair to revert back to its natural state.
Which Flat Iron Is Best for Your Hair?
You might be wondering which type of flat iron will work best for your natural hair type. If you have dared to take on the task of flat-ironing your hair in the past, you might have struggled with having to make multiple passes to achieve that sleek, silky look you were going for, or your hair may have felt dry and crunch after trying to flat iron your hair.
Ceramic and titanium are two types of flat iron plates, and different hair types respond differently to each one.
Ceramic Plate Flat Irons
There are three types of ceramic plates, and they include:
Full Ceramic. Full ceramic plates are excellent for people who have fine or thin hair because they are not as likely as other plates to burn your hair. They allow for an even distribution of heat without you having to deal with traumatizing hot spots. While these plates will warm quickly, they are not the fastest on the market today. This plate may last you for a while, but the quality of work it will continue to deliver is likely to fade.
Ceramic-Coated. These plates are a metal variety that has a ceramic coating. Due to the metal material that lies beneath the ceramic coating, these plates will heat quickly, but unfortunately, they do not provide the equal distribution of heat that you experience with full ceramic plates. These irons are a cheaper variety and are not likely to hold the heat you need to deliver results.
Tourmaline. These plates are comprised of a crystalline material that yields impressive results on hair because of its use of negative ion technology. Hair often looks glossy and sleek. These are the costlier of the ceramic plates. There are some opinions that there are no real discernable differences between the results you can achieve with a tourmaline plate versus that of a full ceramic plate. In this instance, you may have to do your own research to glean whether or not a product is giving you the results you need.
Titanium Plate Flat Irons
Titanium flat irons work best on thick and coarse hair. If your hair seemingly rejects every effort you make to straighten your hair, a titanium plate iron is likely the tool you need to achieve results. These irons are the latest in plate technology. They offer a fantastic smooth and glossy finish. They have a long life span, so you won’t have to spend all of your coins replacing this iron.
This iron heats up quickly, holds heat amazingly well, and provides even heat distribution.
Straightening Your Hair Without Heat or Minimal Heat
If you are not a fan of using too much heat on your natural curls, you can opt for a heatless or low-heat approach by sectioning your hair and braiding it into large braids (after detangling), and allowing your hair to dry overnight. After your hair is completely dry, you can place your hair in a large roller set using foam or oil sheen and wrap this hair with plastic.
Leave this hair wrapped in plastic for a minimum of six to eight hours. Some hair may require a more extended period. You can sit under a hooded dryer and use a low to medium heat setting to help your hair dry faster. This low heat/heatless process is said to work well for some people seeking to straighten their hair without heat.
YouTube Vlogger Hairstyles by Eden provides a fantastic demonstration of this process below. The magic ingredient in this process appears to be ensuring hair remains saturated throughout the roller installation process. Although the stylists do use a flat iron to straighten the hair after the roller set, you will see that the iron was not a necessity, and it gives visual testimony to the idea of using a roller set to straighten your hair.
In Closing
In closing, naturalistas must ensure that they start with a clean and healthy base before embarking on a flat iron style. They must ensure that if they are flat ironing their hair from their home’s comfort, they are using the most appropriate iron for their hair type. Always use a thermal protectant so that you create a barrier between your hair and the heat. This action will help to minimize the risk of heat damage. If you are not a fan of heat, keep in mind that you have different options available to you to straighten your hair without having to use an excessive amount of heat. Finally, commit to a nightly hair care regimen. Wrapping your hair will prolong the life of your hairstyle, coupled with the avoidance of water-based products.