Is it possible to straighten long hair every time you wash it, without killing it?

[BoobiesToTheRescue]

My waves have gone to shit.

I'm thinking of turning to straightening my hair.

Will it dry up and snap off?

Depends how often you wash it, whether it’s completely dry before you start straightening, whether you use heat protecting products, how resilient a hair type you have. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Eg, I wash my hair medium/fine textured hair every day and so even with the straighteners on the lowest temp I can get away with and with heat protection products, plus dry hair to start with, mine would struggle massively to fend off heat damage.

If you were washing twice a week, you’d probably find it easier. I try not to heat style my hair at all, tbh. It doesn’t cope well.

It's ridiculously thick, I wash it 1-2 times a week. Which is a good heat protection product? I've got vo5 that's all they had in Tesco.

It’d probably be ok. I use the Joico smooth cure thermal protectant balm (orange pump bottle) but I think it might have been discontinued. I don’t like a lot of the boots/supermarket ones, I find them a bit too silicone heavy.

I've used tresseme heat protection spray and straightened my hair nearly every day for about 15 years and it's fine really- a bit dry sometimes. I deep condition it once a week and sometimes sit with some coconut oil combed through it for a few hours-normally when I'm doing my two hours weekly house clean-rinse it out when I'm done which seems to combat any effects of heat styling. No major breakage or drying. Mine is also very thick and wavy (more at back and underneath so not the nice waves I would leave natural more than the approx two days a year it manages to look ok with nothing done to it)

I've been straightening mine for years now. It's thick and wavy. The key is to really look after it.

I use a heat protection spray on my hair as well as getting the ends trimmed regularly to keep them neat.

I also allow my hair to dry naturally as much as possible as I've found this really helps.

I've got ridiculously thick, curly in places, wavy in other places, coarse, dry hair. I have to straighten it everytime I wash it otherwise it's a horrible frizzy mess no matter what 'de frizz' products I use. I let it dry naturally before straightening and make sure it is completely dry. I use a boots heat protection spray

Great I will get some deep conditioner and Tresseme heat protection stuff.

Thanks.

Not really what you asked, but if you had wavy hair before could you try The Curly Girl Method? It is a way of taking care of wavy / curly hair that turns a frizzy, frazzled mess into healthy soft curls.

I straightened my hair every day for 15 years thinking that my natural hair was wavy but frizzy. I started TCGM last year and now have proper ringlets. The first few weeks I looked like a poodle (the transition period is nobody's friend), but gradually the damage has grown / been conditionered out and I never straighten my hair now.

@Tilikum I've never heard of it, I'm going to look now - thanks!

It's a bit tough at first to find what works for you but so worth it to never have to heat style your hair anymore. My top tips are:

1. Deep condition hair with Shea Moisture Jamaican black caster oil hair mask once a week. Put a shower cap on and tie a t shirt over your head while it's on, then rinse out with lukewarm water. This is THE BOMB. Your hair will actually feel like silk.

1. Tie hair up gently with a claw clip rather than with a bobble that kinks and breaks the hair. Especially important when you sleep so your hair doesn't lose the curl by being pressed between your face and the pillow all night.

1. Never touch your hair with a normal towel, use a microfibre towel or T shirt to gently squeeze the moisture out.

OK, going to stop evangelizing about it now... Good luck if you decide to try it!

Honestly all the people I know who straighten every day or most days have crap hair now we're in late 30s/early 40s. These are people who had hair very similar to mine in our teens - long, curly and average thickness. Even though they use good products their hair is much thinner and doesn't curl properly any more. If I were you I'd try the curly girl method or go to a good curly hair hairdresser who will show you how to make it look good.