straightening curly hair

[liveloveluggage]

My dd has (lovely) curly hair. It is Caucasian type hair that falls in medium ringlets. She would like to straighten it sometimes and has some straighteners, but the curl comes back so quickly especially if the air is a little damp. I don't want her to go mad with products, but I don't mind using a few things to help it stay straight and protect the hair from heat. Can you recommend something for her please?

I have been on a fifteen year quest to find something to stop ringletty hair that has been straightened going curly in damp weather.

Nothing works. Nothing. I have tried everything. Right now I'm using Tresemme '7 day straight' straightening cream. It feels nice, but against damp air and fog it is a puny weapon.

My DD has ringlets also which are small (we're mixed heritage) I know its going to be a flipping nightmare to straighten if she wants that done. However there is a technique where as you straighten with tongs and use a thin bristle brush as you straighten it, then spray lightly with a hold spray you could keep the straightness longer. Also doing this in small sections is better.

After a 15 yr battle, DD has had hers relaxed (permed straight), as apparently it will give her more time to revise.

She hated the 7 day straight and said it was rubbish.

My hair is like that and I have had years of practice. The secret is a good blow dry and sectioning. This sounds like a lot of hassle but once you've got the method, you get quicker at it. As I say below, you can do your whole head in 6 or 7 sections.

1. You need a powerful hair drier on the hottest setting - needs to be very hot. It also needs a directional nozzle for best effect. Ignore people telling you it damages the hair; needs to be very hot. if you are that worried, use hair heat protection balm.
2. Let the hair "air dry" a little bit so it's wetter that just damp but a long way from wringing wet. You can use this method on very wet hair but it takes a lot longer and the results aren't quite as good.
3. Using clips pile most of hair onto top of head and take a small section near the base of the neck.
4. Comb the hair through with a fine tooth comb so it is flat and utterly untangled.
5. Pulling it taught - tightly - just with your hand - direct the air flow nozzle down the hair. Keep it moving but always down the hair.
6. Once most of it is dry- ish, take a brush under the hair and pull it through the hair directing the nozzle down it - use this to finish off the hair and do the ends. When I do it myself I tend to "lock" the dryer nozzle onto the brush and carry them both down the length of the hair. The absolute best results are with a good quality bristle brush - like Mason & Pearson - I think it smooths the hair or something. But brushes like that aren't meant to be used in that way and over time it ruins the brush - the bristles sort of warp and "melt". I use an old one or do the bulk of the drying with a ceramic brush and finish off with a bristle brush.
7. Once it's dry (it should be very straight now) finish off with good quality straighteners (gHDs or similar) and make sure you guide the straighteners with a comb. You need to watch how a hairdresser does it. The comb goes first and the straighteners follow. Do each section a couple of times. If you have used a bristle brush, you can actually do without straighteners amazingly - but it is better to seal the straightness.
8. Repeat with the next section of hair.
9. I can do my whole head in 7 sections - two at the nape, two either side (lower section above ears), two either side upper sections (above ears towards top of head) and fringe.

Then if you are prone to frizzing around the front, spray a little bit of strong hold hairspray along the front of your hair hair line, direction it back towards the back of your heard and brush it back through with a brush with one single stroke, keep the brush close to the scalp. Hair spray is water proof and this helps stop the initial frizz hair line that seems to infect the whole head

Voila. Straight hair that will survive damp frizzle weather.

You can if you want to use some straightening balm which does help. I used to be a fan of that pink straightening balm stuff but don't use it any more.

Thanks so much for your replies, it is a learning curve with a dd with curls. Mine is the opposite, very straight and hard to curl.