Thanks followup...
It would be great if you can share how you flat iron. I plan to post some videos about it soon. I haven't used direct heat in my hair since January of 2008, but I'm thinking of flat ironing it just to see how it looks now, but I'm too scared to do it myself and definitely not going to let a stylist touch it.
A couple of days ago I had typed up this nice long step by step and wouldn't you know it a damn database error had me messed up... this is a shorter version.
(1) Cleansing: I use any shampoo. Usually I use just plain shampoo, but I also have a combination shampoo for those days when I don't have time to let my conditioner sit in for at least an hour. I'll shampoo twice and use only my fingertips to massage the scalp. No scratching or fingernails to the scalp, it is skin just like on our faces.
(2) Conditioning: I always use a creamy conditioner. Take your pick. I put a generous amount in my head and comb through with a rake from tip to root. Then I part my hair into 4 parts and braid each of them. I throw on a shower cap and then do housework or take a nap or whatever for at least an hour. Then I rinse it out.
(3) Hand drying: I towel dry my hair off and spray in a detangling leave-in conditioner. Comb through from tip to root again. Then I part it into 4-6 sections. Braid 5 out of the 6 sections and leave one of the back sections out. Use your hand dryer to blow it out. For my hair I use the highest heat setting on the low power on my ionic hand dryer. I go through all of the sections from back to front. The point is not to get your hair bone straight with the blowdryer, but to get the roots as straight as possible and get all of the dampness out of your hair. The more sections you part, the better your results will be in the flat ironing step.
(4) Flat ironing: You will need some form of petroleum based grease or hair oil. I like the Isoplus and Doo Gro lines because they are lighter weight and smell great. When I'm lazy, I just make thin parts across my head starting from the back. Add a dab of hair oil to each section before putting that heat on it. I use the Andis 1 inch ceramic flat iron ($15 at Walmart, $25 on their website). I never use it higher than 10 because I am scared to burn off my hair
Ceramic irons are superior to the regular metal ones. I don't know how they work, but they are much better. I flat iron section by section until I've done my whole head. On the weekends I will make 6 parts and braid them. Then I individually part and flat iron each section separately.
(5) Maintenance: I use wonder 8 oil or any liquid oil for the skin/scalp/hair as needed. I tend to have a dry scalp so I also use light petroleum based scalp oils and conditioners every few days on my scalp. One of my favorite ways to wear my hair after either a good blow dry or flat iron is to make 6-9 braids, spray oil sheen on it and tie a scarf. Go to sleep and the next day take out the braids. Your hair will be wavy and more manageable than if you did the same thing without straightening a little first.
