Co-washing may NOT be for me

[Ms_Twana]

Okay, I have tried to blowdry and flat iron my hair before. And it turned out a hot mess. My hair had absolutely NO body, and my ends were still really poofy. They wouldn't get straight or flat for anything. So, for our 5 year wedding anniversay, I decided to get my hair straightened for my husband (who hates my hair natural btw). So, I went to a stylist, and when she did it, it was just about the same. She was able to get my ends straight....after blowdrying 3 times and flat ironing twice. But, my hair still had ABSOLUTELY NO body. Don't get me wrong, it looked good, but it still had not body. She said that my hair may be weighed down from condition washing everyday. Is that possible even though I clarify like every two weeks??? And I mostly used VO5 and Suave conditioners. I used cone products every now and then. But I definitely clarify after using those. I thought it was all in my technique at first. But I see that it's my hair.

Also, since she used SOOOO much heat. Now I'm afraid that my 4a coils are gone. I haven't washed my hair out yet because I'm afraid it will be a HOTT MESS. I mean she used Dominican blowout heat on her blowdry. I saw tons of steam coming out.

Here's a picture of how I wore it today. I have more pictures in my Fotki.

 

[gloomgeisha]

I'd say you're just going to have to wash it and see. Even after the first wash your coils may not snap back immediately. I've heard of women having to wash 2 or three times before their hair reverted completely back to normal. If she used a good heat protectant on your hair than it shouldn't be too terribly damaged, though all that heat sounds excessive.

As far as the conditioner washing goes, I'm not too sure of whether or not clarifying every two weeks would be enough to keep your hair from experiencing some kind of build-up. When I used to co-wash (I can't do this anymore), I'd have to clarify weekly or my hair just wouldn't act right. It'd be dull and tangle easily, then again I tend to use cone-heavy conditioners like Aussie and Pantene.

Your hair looks beautiful by the way and looked like it had great shine and movement in the one pressed pic in your fotki album.

Maybe it was the products she used when she pressed? Did she use a grease or oil?

 

[Ms_Twana]

Did she use a grease or oil?

Well, she used Foaming Pommade to comb it out and sit me under the dryer I think. Then she used some product for the shine. But believe me, that picture was telling A LIE!!! There was NO movement.

 

[Avin'sMom2010]

Your straightened hair came out really well!!......How long have you been natural??...I also liked the style that you have in your album (front up and down in the back) NICE!!

 

[Divine Inspiration]

As far as the conditioner washing goes, I'm not too sure of whether or not clarifying every two weeks would be enough to keep your hair from experiencing some kind of build-up. When I used to co-wash (I can't do this anymore), I'd have to clarify weekly or my hair just wouldn't act right. It'd be dull and tangle easily, then again I tend to use cone-heavy conditioners like Aussie and Pantene.

Maybe it was the products she used when she pressed? Did she use a grease or oil?

I agree with this and was going to ask the same questions. If you're CWing every day, I'd say you need to clarify at least once a week, if not more.

 

[Nonie]

Are your hair strands fine? I ask because my hair is so fine that when it was pressed, it didn't move at all and appeared to just go flat. (You would never guess it if you saw it shrunken; I have a lot of hair but the strands are very skinny). When it was relaxed and shorter, I remember it moved so you'd think since it was longer now it should behave the same, right? Nope! I couldn't get it to move at all. The only time I'd get movement is if the strands were somehow compacted so they'd have weight (Think density.)

What I mean is my twists moved - whether shrunken or not, because each twist was hair strands combined together to form a unit that had weight and therefore moved. I'd get movement too when my pressed hair was braided it into small plaits. Otherwise, left out or combed out, I'd have this very soft straight hair that appeared to be just there. I couldn't make an afro coz it'd flop but it didn't swing. I would've thought the products would've given it weight but in retrospect I wonder if they just made things worse? I'm sure if I'd sectioned and curled the sections leaving the curls unseparated, maybe I'd get movement. But I wasn't trying to put so much heat into may hair. So my styles were limited to something like this (tucked under braid coz left out, a thick braid woulda been just stiff and stuck out. LOL) or something like this (the back has not been heat curled but was sectioned randomly and curled around fingers and pinned in random directions).

I think your hair looks great. The bob appears to have body to me. Mightn't have movement, but it definitely doesn't look flat to me!

 

[Poohbear]

My hair has a lot of body from just flat ironing it. I do not blowdry it beforehand. Plus, I do NOT put the flat iron my on high heat for fear of damage, so my hair is not super straight. (See pic in my avatar above). Maybe you should try rollersetting it first, and then flat ironing on medium heat for more body. By the way, I have fine-stranded hair that is very very dense.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Your straightened hair came out really well!!......How long have you been natural??...I also liked the style that you have in your album (front up and down in the back) NICE!!

I've been natural for about 5 months. Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Are your hair strands fine?

I think your hair looks great. The bob appears to have body to me. Mightn't have movement, but it definitely doesn't look flat to me!

My hair strands in the back are fairly fine. But everywhere else, my strands are thick. Maybe I misunderstand the meaning of body. But when I use the word, I mean movement. When I was relaxed, I could barely move my head and my hair moved like crazy. And that was with me doing it myself. And I've had a short bob like this before too. So, seeing my hair have no movement is freaking me out because one of the reason's that I went natural was to let me hair grow to the length that I want it (midback), then I would straighten more often. But if my hair is not going to move, I've just about defeated the purpose of going natural.

 

[Cheleigh]

Well, you don't really need to CW everyday. Some folks do, but not even Lorraine Massey recommended it in her book. I've found that water rinsing a few times a week alternating with proper CW (cheapie condish wash-moisture condish-rinse-leave-in) is sufficient, if I'm on the daily curly girl routine.

On the flatiron--I'd revisit the technique, every step of the way. Some people need a certain product to give them body. Others prefer to roller set or braid/twist the hair overnight before even starting to flatiron (eliminating the blow dry process altogether). I haven't straightened my hair since I've been natural, but I remember my pressed hair having pretty good body. My strands are dense but thin though, so I have to be careful about putting too much heat on them--they WILL be flat and without body. When I do straighten, I'll probably band and twist my freshly washed and deep conditioned (strengthened with protein first) hair overnight, then in the morning, use BB straight pearl and kemi pressing cream, especially on my ends, and lightly flatiron each section. Then I'll band it again to retain the straightening process.

 

[glamazon386]

I doubt its from you cowashing. I don't think it's about the products. It's more about the technique. When I got my hair flat ironed he didn't use any products other than a little oil sheen for shine at the end. And my hair was full of body. I know you said you saw smoke but did you smell hair burning?

ETA: I went and checked out your fotki. I think it looks good. It doesn't look too flat.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Well, you don't really need to CW everyday. Some folks do, but not even Lorraine Massey recommended it in her book. I've found that water rinsing a few times a week alternating with proper CW (cheapie condish wash-moisture condish-rinse-leave-in) is sufficient, if I'm on the daily curly girl routine.

I don't CW everyday for moisture. I do it because I have horrible "bed head." So once I sleep on my hair. It's over!!!

 

[Ms_Twana]

Bump bump bump

 

[Ms_Twana]

I know you said you saw smoke but did you smell hair burning?

ETA: I went and checked out your fotki. I think it looks good. It doesn't look too flat.

Girl, I can STILL smell my hair. I don't think it's a "burning" smell. It's that "just left the shop smell". I mean, I can smell the flat irons, but not burning hair. If that makes sense.

And thanks for the compliment.

Any more responses or suggestions ladies???