new thread
Hey all! First of all I wanted to thank everyone for the warm welcome to this community, really appreciate it!
As for the topic at hand, lately I've been having a hard time with my ends (which in a way influenced the small doubt about trims) as it seems to curl at the tips and I'm not really fond of that specific look. I didn't use to curl before and it gets a tad bit annoying now. I wanted to know if there's a natural and/or none damaging method to get rid of it or if I'm stuck with them until the end. Combing my hair tends to get rid of them temporarily but it always ends up curling as time passes. My boyfriend's a hair stylist and he told me it will probably end up getting straighter once it grows out more due to the weight but I wanted to see what you guys had to say, specially if any of you has had the same experience.
Thanks again!
P.S. Picture is a couple months old, excuse my laziness.
Try some straightening shampoo and conditioner or any other shampoo or product that contains keratin .
I would do nothing, the curls should dissappear with the weight
when the hair grows. But even with the curls/waves your hair
looks great. I would let it grow.
But he stated that he doesnt feel comfortable with those waves.
While it's true that the waviness will go away as hair grows, in the meantime he can try other things - like straightening shampoo - to get it straighter. That is something totally ok, is not even a treatment or something harsh for his hair , its just changing the kind of shampoo he uses to get the result he wants.
But those waves may disappear with the weight of added length.
In the meantime i'd suggest doing nothing except to let the hair grow. I'd suggest being cautious about anything to straighten the hair for fear of causing permanent damage to the hair.
Are there any sttraighteners that don't cause permanent damage?
I know they will EVENTUALLY disappear. But if he isn't feeling comfortable NOW , then why waiting? His hair will eventually gain more weigth in 6 - 12 months maybe? Probably more depending on his growth rate. Then why not taking care of this "issue" right now?
I consider his hair looks amazing, and I like the waves too. But HE stated that HE doesn't like them so let's give him some tips to work on the "problem" he is trying to focus on .
If I were fat and asked an advise to lose some weight and people would tell me "You're not fat, you are ok" I would hate that reply because I am not asking whether I look fat or not, I am asking how to lose weight.
The same thing happens with this!
I suggested to try straightening shampoos and conditioners. They dont cause ANY problem because they dont work with heat. Its just a shampoo with a special formula that straightens hair.
You are referring to hot tools such as flat irons which do not cause permanent damage if you use the correct flat iron, do not over-use it and take all the precautions to avoid damage.
Something that I would like to add:
I don't believe in permanent damage. It's almost 2014, 21st century. There are tons of products and treatments to take care of "damage".
There are a lot of laboratories all over the world developing products and formulas to help any type of hair (dry hair, damaged hair, split ends, frizzy hair, etc).
E.g.: I have had split/dead ends a few months ago and did not even think about cutting them. Instead, I preferred to try other restoration methods and searched online the reasons why ends split, etc and got to find THE product to treat them and did not need to cut them . They look super healthy right now.
I never believed in "permanent" damage. Not now. If I had lived 40 years ago, probably I would. Not today.
While it's ok to be cautios with our own hair, I dont think we should panic about EVERYTHING.
Our hair is exposed to damaging situations all the time: hard waters are damaging (and we cant control that), sun is damaging, ocean water is damaging, over-use of shampoo is damaging due to the harsh products they contain, ponytailing is damaging ( it can cause breakage).
EVERYTHING at certain point will damage our hair.
My hair was about waist length several years ago. I wasn't happy with the ends so chopped off about eight inches. About a year later I still wasn't happy with the ends, so I again
chopped off about seven inches. Now i'm on the road to growing the hair back to waist length and being exteremely careful not to sustain damage. I abosuletely refuse to chop off another seven or eight inches of hair but I also absolutely refuse to have damaged ends. So we'll see how that works out this time around.
I'm also very careful to pony tail/braid/bun/pig tail the hair
to prevent damage.
I would also mention that i'm much more aware of how my hair looks now. Back in the 1980s my hair was knee length but it
wasn't in as good shape as I would have preferred. Between
commuting to school, biking to school, rock climbing,
mountain climbing, jogging my knee length hair was often
getting caught in things, got stepped on, etc. Also not t
mention how difficult it was to take care of. The rattiness
and damage got to me and I cut it back to waist length. Back in the 1980s I was in college and didn't care what condition the hair was in. After 2003 I became concerned about the condition of my hair and became determined to have it at waist length
and in as close to peferfect condition as possible.
I've noticed a number of women who have long hair have hair
that is in bad shape, I'm determined to not fall into the category. Hence my determination to have waist length hair that
is in great condition.
Police found a mutilated longhair this morning behind the MLHH Building on Mane Street. The victim, possibly named "Jesse", has yet to be identified. He was wearing a black shirt with the large white number "33" on the back. Neighbors overheard a brawl where two other longhairs were fighting over how the victim should care for his hair. The victim tried to escape but was drawn into the fracas. The perpetrators fled after they realized they had pulled most of the victim's hair out while fighting about it, making the fight pointless.
(Hey guys, I offer this bit of humor to suggest that we should work together to be supportive of each other. A man seeking advice is not looking for those who've come to help to then turn the advice session into a slugfest.)
My 2¢,
Bill
Because you don't want to damage the hair.
Is there a way to straighten the hair without damaging it?
Not really a good comparison. I know folks that people will say
they are overweight when in reality they are below what their ideal weight is. Also someone may look "overweight" when all they need to do is hit the gym and work on the abdominal muscles.
Anorexia is a huge problem because someone will say someone is fat when they really aren't.
Except i've heard they are harsh and do damage the hair. I know some who used them and had to cut their hair short to get rid
of excessive hair damage.
I've been told by hair care people that every method of straightening hair will damage it.
Using straightening shampoos does not damage your hair at all. Simply because the key ingredient added to the straightening shampoo is Keratin.
Keratin is a strong protein that is already in your own body (skin, nails and hair). In fact, 95% of your hair is keratin. As years go by this protein fades away (haven't you ever wondered why babies have perfect silky hair?) , so adding keratin to your hair care routine will restore your hair and is more than ok.
So, using straightening shampoo is not even a "method" to straighten your hair because it does not do that, it simply tames your hair (and the waves this guy has can be easily tamed by using these types of shampoos). Its not that you wash your hair with straightening shampoo and immediately looks like you flat ironed it. No.
I have been using straightening shampoos (again, they contain keratin, thats all) for the last couple of months and got nothing but excellent results. So, I am not even speaking out of something I read, I am speaking out of my own experience.
What do you mean by "hair care people"? The only "hair care people" that I can think of are stylists. I dont think a stylist would tell you that a straightening procedure can damage your hair because that's how they pay off their bills.
Straightening hair using hot tools such as a flat iron will only damage your hair if:
- If you don't use the correct flat iron (There are millions of flat irons out there with plates made of different materiales. The material the plate is made of is important to avoid damage).
-If you flat iron every single day: Most specialists recommend not to do it every single day (like most women do - thats why they damage their hair). Indeed, they only suggest to do it 3 times a week max.
-If you dont use heat protectants: It is a MUST to use heat protectant when blow drying, flat ironing, etc. Heat protectants are very new, like 15 years ago they did not even exist or were not that common. So imagine how many people (specially girls) burned their hair just because heat protectant did not even exist!!
-If you dont use the right temperature: The first flat irons did not come with temperature selector, that means that the first flat irons would heat up straight to 430°F without giving you the option to select the temperature. Every person will need a certain temperature depending on their hair texture. People with fine hair will literally burn out their hair if they flat iron at 430°F. People with afro hair will tolerate it just fine, etc.
So, the first flat irons did not have a temperature selector like they do now. Selecting the correct temperature also helps to avoid damage. No need to use more heat that the one your hair needs.
-If you don't moisturize your hair: Besides of all the precautions I mentioned, if you use heat you HAVE to moisturize your hair every now and then to avoid your hair from drying out and breake.
So as you can see there are many things to have into account if you are going to straighten your hair with a flat iron or with a comb/blow dryer. Most of the people who do this do not even take the precautions they need to avoid damage so thats where the "Heat damages hair" myth comes from.
In my personal opinion I would still not use a flat iron because there are new healthy & modern ways to keep your hair straighter without having to use a flat iron. (Not to mention that if you flat iron you cant get it wet or your hair will revert).
Segmented ponytail with one tie near the very end, or maybe a hair glove?
It tends to be that if you have your hair curled on the way growing down, it'll shape into that and won't straighten out.
Well, my hair was really ridiculously wavy when it was like, at my shoulders, and now it's a lot straighter. Time is probably your only weapon here, other than straightening.
It actually looks pretty cool, though, so maybe this is a fight you don't have to fight lol.
I'm surprise your BF/stylist didn't have a product suggestion for you (Perhaps BF actually likes your hair just the way it is). He is correct that weight (and gravity) will pull the curl out as your hair gets longer. What you have is more waves than full curls, and the fact that you can temporarily comb them out means that a styling product might work. Try an styling gel, pomade, mouse or paste. Squeeze some into your hand, rub the palms of your hands together, then work it through the ends of your hair where you have the unwanted curling effect, use a fine-tooth comb to style and let dry. Try to not touch your ends once your hair is dry, they will feel crunchy and stiff.
Styling products wash out with your next shampoo, if you don't want to shampoo just yet, you can simply rinse the ends to remove the bulk of the product. Avoid using spray-type products; they contain alcohol which can dry your ends and make them brittle, and they contain lacquer which can build-up on your hair over time, requiring the use of a clarifying shampoo. Use a basic light-control product, you don't need the heavier ones (unless you planned on spiking your hair ;-) ). Pantene makes a styling gel in a tube that is safe for your hair, it is one of the few products that can be used on kanekalon wigs due to the fact is easily rinsed out with water, and doesn't cause build-up.
Hi Jesse,
Your hair looks just wonderful here my friend! Your hair looks like it has wave to it that appears to have flattened at the top due to the weight. The waves at the bottom may stay with added length and weight. The only way to find out is to just let it grow longer and see. Hopefully the ends will straighten out at your goal length. Personally, I just love your hair! I believe my hair is very similar to yours. I can only hope mine looks this good at that length! Thannks for the inspiration!
I really don't have anything to add to everyone's great commments here. I would just enjoy that beautiful hair! Thanks again for posting this nice pic!
Ted
I second Dave AR's suggestion of a keratin shampoo/conditioner. I use the "Keratin Complex" brand which you can find at some Target stores (warning: it's expensive). It's worked to mildly straighten my curls to the point where my hair just lays better and does fewer crazy things during the growing out period.
Chris
I wouldn't do anything other than good shampoos and conditioners. The more you mess with it the more you risk messing it up. In my opinion it looks absolutely great right now. The curl toward the ends adds visual interest and it will undoubtedly relax over time. I suspect the only other safe thing you could do would be to trim it back a few inches, which would probably leave it looking very good. It's up to you, though.
Hi Jesse,
Adding a bit of extra weight to your hair ends by massaging in a small amount of beneficial oil (examples: olive oil, kukui nut oil, jojoba oil, or almond oil) has always helped me attain more manageable hair; so give it a try.
It's an old-fashioned solution; but sometimes the simplest, and most "tried & true' are still the best!
Your hair looks GREAT, by the way -- hope you keep it growing!
- Ken in San Francisco