new thread
o.k. some of you may be happy with the way your hair looks naturally and some of you might have had the best genes and have naturally straight hair, but unfortunately not all of us do.
if you had a choice, which way would you prefer your hair to look, like the gentleman's on the left or the gentleman's on the right with the sleek hair?
why resort to the clippers just because nature did not give you the type of hair you would like. flat irons are not all bad and most women you see with long sleek hair do not have naturally straight hair. get an ionic iron and use heat protectant.
Hi Jake,
Holy sh*t! I hope your hair doesn't look like the guy on the left! If so, you must take 4 hours to straighten it! Just kidding! I don't think people with stick straight hair necessarily have the "best" genes. The funny thing is I have met many straight-haired people who hate their hair. They hate the fact that their hair just falls flat no matter what they do to it.
But I have also met curly/wavy-haired people who get frustrated with their hair because of poof or too much volume and frizz. I guess we want what we don't have. My hair is neither real curly or real straight. The way I handle my hair is by which shampoos or conditioners I use. If I want my hair to appear more straight I avoid any product which says it adds moisture or volume. I also do not use shampoo as often as I used to. I found a shampoo/conditioner which is called sleek and smooth. It is very similar to Pantene, which is known to help hair appear more straight. But I must admit, I do like my hair because sometimes it wants to be wavy and sometimes it can look straight.
About the straight irons. I do think it is probably okay when you have a good quality iron and use the heat protectant. There is a girl at my dialysis clinic who told me she uses a straightening iron every day. She told me it takes her 1-2 hours to get it how she likes it. Her hair looks very smooth and undamaged to me. She also told me she paid $275.00 for her iron. Her hair always appears naturally straight to me.
It sounds to me like you know exactly how to use the iron. I do agree with you that I would rather a person do the iron than cut their hair. I certainly look forward to your updates and hope you keep your mane growing and flowing!
Ted
ten to fifteen minutes tops. she's overdoing it.
unless she has hair like that dude in the first pic then why would she need to spend up to two hours on her hair?
I need to make sure what she told me. I could be mistaken. She really doesn't have that long of hair either. Maybe mid-back.
Ted
That guy on the left looks like me...
Actually, I wish I had hair like the guy on the right.
you can have hair like the guy on the right!
all you need is the right tool!
Actually the guy on the left looks cool! Septet your hair is going to look awesome when it gets longer! Not to worry my friend! I look forward to your next update! Please keep it growing and flowing!
Ted
I've known of guys with huge afros and heads full of curls - I've seen straight hair that looks great.
It seems people often want what they can't have.
I say - embrace what you got!
I agree with you.
Flat irons are not bad if you use them the way you should, that means, getting a GOOD flat iron , using heat protectant EVERY TIME you flat iron, and do not flat iron every single day (professionals suggest to do it 3 times a week max).
Actually, you can flat iron once a week and keep your hair that way all week long. How?
The key is not letting your hair in contact with water. You can flat iron and avoid water all week long.
If you take a shower, you can always wear a shower cap , try not to wet your hair and use DRY SHAMPOO instead ( not shampoo for dry hair, I mean the actual DRY shampoo, the one that is like a foam).
When going to sleep you can put your hair in a pony tail in order to avoid your hair getting waves while you sleep.
That way you can flat iron once a week and have a great hair every day until your next flat ironing day. And the most important thing: you will not need to do it every day, because that is what damages hair, abusing of heat.
... there are pro's & con's no matter our genes & what nature randomly happens to bestow upon us: ( including the gift of hair on our heads, way into our 40's, 50's & 60's = spare a thought for 1/2 the men on our beautiful planet that go bald = not that bald is not a GOOD look ) - personally I like both photos of both guys hair-do's ) - as already stated, just love what you've got & be grateful for what you have - count ones blessings !!! (◡‿◡✿)
I agree. I like my hair smooth and streak and use a Croc flat iron with digital control and digital temperature readout.
Hi N2L,
I always thought your hair was naturally that straight. It looks great nonetheless.
Ted
Thanks, Ted. It is not curly but has some wave that I don't like. Flat ironing only takes about a minute in the morning, and I use CHI silk Infusion to protect it from the process.
Hi N2L,
Well, I must say you and your hair look fantastic! Of course, I would be overjoyed if you grew it back to waist length like you said you had it before! The color is just great man!
Ted
Thanks again! My terminal length got to be about mid-back with age and the bottom half of it was all ratty. I had too much Captain Morgan one night and had my wife chop it at my shoulders. We then agreed it needed professional repair and that led to getting it styled in a popular bob style. Oddly, I get more looks than when it was just real long, and I get as many compliments. I also like not wearing it tied back all the time--it might as well have been a buzz cut from my mirror viewpoint, with it in a tail.
My color also went with age and I used to color my grey myself, until I wrecked a shoulder and I was in a sling for 6 weeks and could not do it. I then got my stylist to do it and I have never looked back! Professional work, minimal impact (she just does the roots for most of it--I can't imagine doing it that way myself, sort of like washing your car while you are still in it!).
I then added highlights and a darker back area for contrast--I have really gotten compliments for that. Some accuse me of going blonde but I just say when you are now grey you will NEVER be in your original color naturally again, so the whole palette is open!
Through the process I have become an advocate on this board for a bit of style, trim that we guys need to adopt to have our hair look good. You do not see women going around with ratty terminal lengths, as a lot of guys do. Of course, there are some extremely long haired guys with great ends, but those are a bit more rare.
Thanks again!
What types of brushes do you use especially when flat ironing?
do you use a flat vent brush by any chance?
I use a coarse tooth comb, not a brush, when flat ironing. The link below is to one like I use, on Amazon.
Type of comb I use
Hi N2L,
That's an interesting story! I think a lot of guys would need Captain Morgan or some other libation to get them to cut their hair! I am happy to hear that you agreed it needed repair. It does look good in the bob style you have now. I am aslo glad you get many compliments with the short style-as you should!
Hopefully you have recovered fully from your shoulder injury! I have always believed it is better to have color handled by professionals. I don't color mine, but would use a pro if I ever did. Now I know why your hair looks so good!
I am hoping I can grow my hair to at least waist length with nice ends. We shall see what kind of hair genes my parents gave me! I am planning on maintaining my hair at the longest length I can have with nice ends.
Please keep being the advocate that you are! Hopefully we can see a current pic of you one of these days! Thanks for the excellent history on your great hair man!
Ted
Ted-
Good luck with your growth--you look to be younger than I am so hopefully your terminal length will be longer!
I include here a pic that shows my basic current color mix and cut. This pic is a year old but it is still about like this although I have taken the very front inch or so a lot blonder.
Hi N2L,
Thanks for the well wishes on my growth! I do hope I can get waist length with nice thick ends.
Your hair looks awesome in the pic! I really appreciate you posting it! Please keep up the good work my friend!
Ted
Thanks, Ted. You keep it up, too!
I'm sorry but I'm baffled how you see someone with straight hair having better genes