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I've been growing my hair since September. My hair is naturally thick and wavy. I'm curious if straightening it would harm the hair or put a damper/slow down the growing process?
I would not straighten it. 1. it will damage the hair and 2.
as your hair gets longer the weight of the hair may straighten it out.
Yes, if you use chemical straightener on your hair now, the new growth will look different from the straightened hair and be kind of odd. You'll probably end up cutting off the processed hair and waiting for the new growth to grow out.
My hair tends to be fairly wavy to curly when short, but when long becomes fairly straight, especially if I brush it regularly. Avoid using straighter at all if you can. When growing your hair out, the less you do to it the better. In fact, doing less shampooing would probably be a good idea, too.
If you must have straight hair upon occasion there are ways to do it without damaging anything. Guys don't use them often, but large hair curlers will do the job quite well for the short term. I've done it now and then and like the look when I do. You don't have to make it too girly curly, just a few of them for an hour or so after a shower can work for me. 'Just an idea.
Like the guys above said, if you chemically straighten your hair, you will damage it and it will look weird with new growth at the scalp being curly. In my opinion, the more natural the hair, the better it looks. You can have GREAT curly hair or kind of damaged, dull straight hair.
Why not just blow dry it straight when you feel like it? Or go for a blow dry at a salon (which costs like $15)? You can achieve the same results but it's not permanent and if you only do it occasionally, you won't damage your hair much. Now, if you blow it out every day, you'll mess it up. But once in a while shouldn't hurt.
Of course, it's your hair and you can do whatever you want. However, Anything you do to your hair beyond mild shampoo and conditioner will Damage your hair. Heat, chemical straighteners,bleaching etc. all permanently alter and damage your hair, including too much intense blow drying. Although the curls in your hair may be a source of aggravation now, they will relax with length and weight and actually look fantastic. This is all part of a hopefully enjoyable and informative process for you. You kind of just have to go with it. In my opinion, which you don't have to accept in any way, the best way to have long hair is to just let it grow, and treat it with care. This gives the best final result. All this is just food for thought and I wish you well. sj
Olive oil is a natural straightener. Coat your hair with it and then wash it out as best you can. You do not need to use a lot, just enough to coat the hair. Olive oil will help your hair have shine to it too.
Anything that defies the natural state of your hair is not good for it. Grow in your hair naturally for best results. I never straighten my hair and have beautiful hair as a result of it.