new thread
Hi,
I am impressed by some of the hair you guys have and
I have always wanted to grow my hair long ,but unfortunately I always end up usually giving in and getting it buzzed off.
it tends to be quite curly and I really don't like the way it looks which is the reason I get it buzzed off, but if I could use some products or styling tools that could make it less curly I would be willing to try growing it for a year or two to see how it might look on me.
what suggestions would you have that might be helpful so I can grow some nice looking hair?
DavidK,
I'm relatively new here and by no means a hair expert, however I would say let it grow as it and do NOT use any straitening products. These products can be very damaging to your hair and curly hair is already prone to being very dry.
Curls are awesome... let it grow.
Kenny
Hi DavidK
Whilst I'm sure most people will tell you just to grow it and let your natural hair type win through, that's not an awful lot of help nor is encouraging if you don't like the way it looks and quit.
First up, my own hair is naturally quite wavy and I DON'T like the way it looks either, so I do straighten my hair. Fortunately my hair is pretty mailable and blow-dry's straight without too much effort. For a more lasting affect I occasionally use GHD hair straighteners.
Depending on how wavy/curly your hair is the effect will last between 2-5 days (or until you next wet your hair) before your natural hair shape starts to come back
People will tell you that hair dryers and GHDs damage your hair. Yes this is true any heat styling will eventually damage your hair, however you can minimise that damage using conditioners that contain silicones and heat-protect sprays.
Don't believe me? Look at my picture. This is taken after blow-drying my naturally wavy hair straight.
Regards
Sorted
Hi Sorted,
Nice to see your return to recently posting here again, as your presence has been missed!
I had no idea that you did any straitening of your hair. You are definitely the first guy I've ever seen whose hair looks GOOD, rather than damaged, as well as your length is impressive, too!!
My own hair is wavy, and oddly enough, I always wished it was even MORE wavy; but hey, it's typical human nature to always wish for whatever we haven't been gifted with by Mother Nature, right? (LOL)
Anyway, I just wanted to comment that reading your reply here was very enlightening, as perviously I had never heard of anyone successfully doing any straitening without it resulting in a very negative aftermath.
Thanks again for sharing your comments!
- Ken
Hi Ken.
The truth is its about having the right tools and techniques.
This board spreads two myths:
(1) Silicones (cones) are bad, and
(2) Heat styling is bad.
Yes silicones can cause a build up in your hair but this is easily cleared by using a different clear shampoo once a month.
The damage done by heat styling is small but progressive, so provided you don't heat style every single day, what's more its the silicones in conditioners that can protect (or artificially restore) your hair shaft from heat damage by creating a protective barrier. This further minimises the damage done by heat-styling.
So lets say you wash and condition your hair twice a week. You then blow-dry your hair. Provided you use a heat protect serum/leave in conditioner before blow-dry your hair the cumulative damage you will do to your hair will be so minimal it will be un-noticeable, except on the very ends of very long hair. And if you get your hair trimmed 3-4 times a year you can keep this damage at bay without sacrificing hair length.
(My own hair is 4 inches longer than it was last year and I've had it cut 4 times!)
Obviously the more naturally straight your hair is the stronger its inherent qualities so it will be less likely to show the affects of heat damage than say curly hair.
So can heat styling slow your progress to really long hair? Yes.
Does it totally destroy your hair? No. Not if done properly with the right products.
Most people who have 'destroyed' their hair are those who use a mild 'cone'-free shampoo/conditioner, no heat protection products and then use GHDs every single day.
Sorted