Heat Training Support Thread

[momi]

I am so upset. i whole out a long diatribe of my heat training journey and i accidentally deleted it when switching tabs

I am giving the abbreviated version and i probably left out alot of details and pics but i cannot write that over again all of my pics are in my fotki if you are interested.

i haven't posted in quite some time but with all this heat training talk i wanted to give my personal experience with it and how it has greatly improved my manageability and styling. even after being on hairboards for so long and being natural for most of my life i still had alot of difficulty at times i even wanted to cry. hair shouldn't have to be this difficult so this is why i decided to try this out.

Natural texture. no heat no nothing. RAW. no product/manipulation i wore it like this for quite some time mainly in twists.

here it is after using heat regulalry for 6 months. i would flat iron 2 times a month.

after that i got a electric pressing comb and pressed my hair 1 time every 3 weeks and i would rest for one week or repress. i blow dry,press and then flat iron.. in the summer i would sometimes airdry. i did this for the rest of 2010

here is is nearly a year after i have been using heat regulalry

in december i pressed my hair 4 times in 2 weeks. a small curl in my nape doesnt curl right after that but otherwise i never had an issue with my hair curling up. i will never do that again.

as to the "limp hair" thing i did notice that my hair was as i call it "saggy"
but my hair has that same saggy look when i put a crap load of product in it
like here

this is my hair shingled with gel. this is the SAME day that i took the raw hair pictures.

otherwise this is has been the solution to my hair woes. my hair still irks me but i find styling,moisturizing and detangling much more easier. my tangles just fall out when i get it wet. no more 30 min-hour long detangling sessions.5 mins tops.

i noticed breakage after a while but for all of 2010 i rarley DCed. i started back in december after that mishap.

and as far as retaining length i retained quite bit. i think it may have been less than if i had stayed heat free but i am still satisfied overall.
dec 2009

dec 2010

its not accurate because i had to stretch in 2010 because i did such a crappy press but i went from scraping apl to scraping bsl.

also i do not have an issue with "roots" this is why i wanted to get away from relaxers. i dont notice a difference from my roots and the rest of the strands except my very ends but they have always been wonky even when i wasnt using heat(possible texturized ends that never broke off) and i am very keen about these things. i prefer it this way.

I hope this helps!

Wow it is obvious that heat training has worked for you! I also retain more length with heat.

 

[ctosha]

I have checked my local BSS they do not have apex pressing oil however they do have Dax pressing oil. Have any of you ladies ever tried this before?

 

[Minty]

just a thought:

perhaps the heat training sessions aren't going well for some of you because your hair is not prepared for it. patchouli85 gave a technique years ago about this here. Her technique works. Doing a deep moisture treatment on dry hair, then shampooing then flatironing/heat training gives excellent results. It is especially suited for low porosity and very coarse hair.

HTH

 

[TopShelf]

what are you gals using to moisturize so that there is no reversion. Also here are some pics of my weekend straighten. First time since my BC in Sept 2010:

Dc overnight with MoistPro by Hairvedsa then tried the extreme deep conditioning (moptopmaven) and then sat under steamer with Silk Elements megasilk (not crazy about it). Air dried with Sabino Moisture block and Aphogee Pro Vitamin Leave in. Blow dried hair when it was 90% dry (I love the way the sabino and Aphogee made my hair feel). It took me 3 hours to flat iron because I olnly wanted to use 2 passes at no more than 310. But this is what I got and i'm definitely gonna try again myself. this weekend I am going to NY to let my girl Juanita do a nano Keratin treatment on my hair (which i love)

 

[keelioness]

TopShelf..Juanita told me about the nano keratin treatment but I wasnt sure if it was really formaldehyde free.. have you had it before.. please do tell.. any pics?

 

[TopShelf]

@keelioness I remember her telling someone that it was formaldehyde free, but I could be wrong because it was a while ago. here are my pics, only problem is that my hair was relaxed when she did this last June. But I have seen her do naturals hair with it and its always came out lovely

 

[keelioness]

Hmm I think I'm gonna get that done once I deweave..thanks TopShelf

 

[blondemane]

Do any of you ladies only cowash before heat training? I think I'm going to keep my hair regulary pressed, and I was wondering if I should use my organix shampoo before or if it was ok to just cowash.

 

[30something]

I haven't read the thread, so I don't know if this has been asked.. have any transitioners or long term stretchers here heat trained their NG?

I transitioned using heat, and attempting to heat train my new growth. It was not successful in that I didn't experience any change in texture at all. It helped the transition go smoother but my relaxed ends were not happy 6 months into it which resulted in a early BC. After the BC my hair was very healthy and no longer breaking.

I don't know if I would recommend heat training before the big chop (if you are transitioning) because at least for me I got too see fully what hair I was really working with to help consider if or how I was going to train. One thing I did notice that straightening transitioning hair and natural hair was different..eventually I had to change my methods of straightening once natural. I hope you get what I'm saying. But if you want to heat train or just use heat during your long term stretch or transition don't let me stop you I'm just talking from my experience.

 

[Zay-neey]

did anyone heat train until their curly hair is straight?
I'm thinking of doing it, because for some reason, my roots when I heat train (touchups) gets staight and not wavy. Makes no sense bcuz this happens in one session. And it's way less passes than what I did to my ends, which are still curly. aybe it's the msm I'm taking,ive read that people have received a softer texture with it.

 

[OsnapCnapp!]

Ok I have a question. Im trying to help my sis heat train and her hair is 4b and SL. I did a press on her hair at first on 490 then to the max 500 (yeah I know). When we got down it looked like we just ran a blow dryer through it. That was the first time we used a pressing comb, the last time we used a blow dryer and the previous time before that we a flat iron. Neither of those scratched the surface. I wanted to know if done once a month if 500 on the pressing comb is too much?

 

[virtuenow]

Ok I have a question. Im trying to help my sis heat train and her hair is 4b and SL. I did a press on her hair at first on 490 then to the max 500 (yeah I know). When we got down it looked like we just ran a blow dryer through it. That was the first time we used a pressing comb, the last time we used a blow dryer and the previous time before that we a flat iron. Neither of those scratched the surface. I wanted to know if done once a month if 500 on the pressing comb is too much?

If 500 didn't do the job then I would say there is something more going on here. You're going to have to work on moisturizing and getting her hair fit to receive the heat. The more moisturized the hair is, the eaisier it will be to straighten. I suggest weekly deep conditioning w/Aubrey Organics GPB balancing conditioner and follow up w/an oil rinse. You should start to notice a difference in her hair immediately.

As far as the heat level... Is 500 normal for a press? That seems rather high. However, I do 450 w/the flat iron w/no prob. So I don't know what the extra 50 degrees will do.

 

[30something]

Ok I have a question. Im trying to help my sis heat train and her hair is 4b and SL. I did a press on her hair at first on 490 then to the max 500 (yeah I know). When we got down it looked like we just ran a blow dryer through it. That was the first time we used a pressing comb, the last time we used a blow dryer and the previous time before that we a flat iron. Neither of those scratched the surface. I wanted to know if done once a month if 500 on the pressing comb is too much?

I'm not afraid of heat, but I think 500 might be a bit too much. If 500 isn't doing it maybe its the techniques your using. Even now sometimes I face difficulty getting my hair straight, I notice the steps I do before I actually try to straighten has a lot to do with how straight it gets.. like if I don't do a good blow dry.

 

[Rocky91]

500!! wowza.
i recommend some deeeeep conditioning sessions first to help prep the hair for the heat. you def shouldn't have to use that much heat.
try Silk Elements MegaSilk Moisturizing Conditioner, or the GVP (Sally's generic brand) of Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm. those are both very moisturizing.

 

[GoodMernin]

Ok I have a question. Im trying to help my sis heat train and her hair is 4b and SL. I did a press on her hair at first on 490 then to the max 500 (yeah I know). When we got down it looked like we just ran a blow dryer through it. That was the first time we used a pressing comb, the last time we used a blow dryer and the previous time before that we a flat iron. Neither of those scratched the surface. I wanted to know if done once a month if 500 on the pressing comb is too much?

I think it may be a combination of moisturizing, technique, and flat iron brand that may be hindering you from getting smooth flat ironed results.

My hair is 4b shoulder length and I used a lower temp (392 degrees F) with more passes of the roots and length (20 passes) yesterday..and my results were the best that I have achieved thus far.

I would say for 4b hair (or anyone's hair for that matter), a weekly moisturizing pre poo and a weekly moisturizing DC is essential for great flat ironing results.

Furthermore, I think that anything over 400 is a bit much...especially 500!!

I think it's better to take your time and get heat trained results over a period of time than look for instant results and chance damaging your hair.

 

[caramel26Uk]

I am so upset. i whole out a long diatribe of my heat training journey and i accidentally deleted it when switching tabs

I am giving the abbreviated version and i probably left out alot of details and pics but i cannot write that over again all of my pics are in my fotki if you are interested.

i haven't posted in quite some time but with all this heat training talk i wanted to give my personal experience with it and how it has greatly improved my manageability and styling. even after being on hairboards for so long and being natural for most of my life i still had alot of difficulty at times i even wanted to cry. hair shouldn't have to be this difficult so this is why i decided to try this out.

Natural texture. no heat no nothing. RAW. no product/manipulation i wore it like this for quite some time mainly in twists.

here it is after using heat regulalry for 6 months. i would flat iron 2 times a month.

after that i got a electric pressing comb and pressed my hair 1 time every 3 weeks and i would rest for one week or repress. i blow dry,press and then flat iron.. in the summer i would sometimes airdry. i did this for the rest of 2010

here is is nearly a year after i have been using heat regulalry

in december i pressed my hair 4 times in 2 weeks. a small curl in my nape doesnt curl right after that but otherwise i never had an issue with my hair curling up. i will never do that again.

as to the "limp hair" thing i did notice that my hair was as i call it "saggy"
but my hair has that same saggy look when i put a crap load of product in it
like here

this is my hair shingled with gel. this is the SAME day that i took the raw hair pictures.

otherwise this is has been the solution to my hair woes. my hair still irks me but i find styling,moisturizing and detangling much more easier. my tangles just fall out when i get it wet. no more 30 min-hour long detangling sessions.5 mins tops.

i noticed breakage after a while but for all of 2010 i rarley DCed. i started back in december after that mishap.

and as far as retaining length i retained quite bit. i think it may have been less than if i had stayed heat free but i am still satisfied overall.
dec 2009

dec 2010

its not accurate because i had to stretch in 2010 because i did such a crappy press but i went from scraping apl to scraping bsl.

also i do not have an issue with "roots" this is why i wanted to get away from relaxers. i dont notice a difference from my roots and the rest of the strands except my very ends but they have always been wonky even when i wasnt using heat(possible texturized ends that never broke off) and i am very keen about these things. i prefer it this way.

I hope this helps!

Hi napp, Your hair is exactly like mine. can you tell me what your regimen was as I love the result you got after 6 months of heat training your hair. also what temperature and how many passes did you use regularly?

 

[Napp]

Hi napp, Your hair is exactly like mine. can you tell me what your regimen was as I love the result you got after 6 months of heat training your hair. also what temperature and how many passes did you use regularly?

caramel26Uk i would shampoo,condition and then blowdry with smooth n shine straighten polish. then i would flat iron on 400 it with a little more serum.i did 3-4 passes but i was still working on my technique back then. the effect heat training had on my hair was more apparent on my wet hair then my dry hair.

after a hiatus from heat and using shea moisture raw shea butter shampoo and conditioner and my hair had looked extra "nappy" like it compleltey reverted! it also had random wavy pieces at my crown and nape that did not blend. i thought that was so crazy because my hair was curly all over when i didnt use those products wet and dry. i wish i took pics because it was remarkable. i was too done with the natural at that point so i didnt bother.

 

[Poohbear]

Is this heat trained? My hair is damp in this picture:

And here is a blowdry comparison of my hair:


Blowdried hair in June 2011 - my ends still kinked up after blowdrying

Blowdried hair in September 2011 - My ends are straighter after blowdrying

 

[GoodMernin]

Is this heat trained? My hair is damp in this picture:

And here is a blowdry comparison of my hair:


Blowdried hair in June 2011 - my ends still kinked up after blowdrying

Blowdried hair in September 2011 - My ends are straighter after blowdrying

That does look like heat trained hair.

What flat iron process did you do to achieve that?

 

[wofford16]

I'm not afraid of heat, but I think 500 might be a bit too much. If 500 isn't doing it maybe its the techniques your using. Even now sometimes I face difficulty getting my hair straight, I notice the steps I do before I actually try to straighten has a lot to do with how straight it gets.. like if I don't do a good blow dry.

I am heat training my daughter's hair and I took her to a stylist for professional help and she stated that when I press her hair to make sure we straighten under the hair first and then straighten from the roots down, also make sure you use a light pressing creme.

 

[Poohbear]

That does look like heat trained hair.

What flat iron process did you do to achieve that?

I currently use the Andis 1" Ceramic Flat Iron that I bought from WalMart.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Has anyone ever tried flatironing both after air drying AND after blowdrying? If so, did you notice any differences? Have any pics?

 

[toinette]

i am totally jumping on the heat training wagon. I cant deal with detangling my hair. I dont remember having this much trouble back in the day but at the same time i never had to deal with short natural hair before. So I DCed overnight, blowdried and flat ironed today. I'm not wearing it out or anything but its straight. But i hate these crunchy ends I didnt use pressing cream, just Lacio Lacio leave-in and some Chi heat protectant serum. How often do you guys press or flat iron?

 

[texasqt]

i am totally jumping on the heat training wagon. I cant deal with detangling my hair. I dont remember having this much trouble back in the day but at the same time i never had to deal with short natural hair before. So I DCed overnight, blowdried and flat ironed today. I'm not wearing it out or anything but its straight. But i hate these crunchy ends I didnt use pressing cream, just Lacio Lacio leave-in and some Chi heat protectant serum. How often do you guys press or flat iron?

I flat iron (not heat train) weekly - always have. What DC did you use? What's you're hair type?


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[texasqt]

Has anyone ever tried flatironing both after air drying AND after blowdrying? If so, did you notice any differences? Have any pics?

Air drying just doesn't do it for me. I guess I haven't mastered that yet. My hair dries super dry and brittle regardless of how much moisturizer/moisturizing products I use. It makes flat ironing that much more difficult and I never get the smooth results I get with blowdrying first. If I ever try again, I'll take pics but I can tell you what I look like - a mushroom head.


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Janet']

How are you ladies doing??? Happy Tuesday!

 

[naturalbeauty21]

Does anyone here heat train with a blow dryer? My natural hair looks very thick but when I blow dry & flat iron it gets too flat! I look like I have asian hair. I think I'm just going to stick with blow drying straight but will this heat train my hair?

 

[babyshuf2]

Thank you Brittany for starting this heat/thermal training support thread. I have been following your YT page for close to a year or more. I started HT in Feb. of this year and it really did get me through my "non-retention hump". My stylist has been helping me to HT but I'm taking it more into my own hands now...lol. I alternate heat sources (flat iron or blow dryer etc.). I only HT once a month. Heat training can really work well and promote excellent growth if done properly. Thank you again for help! You hair is GORGEOUS!

 

[joslingeneva]

Hello everyone

I started heat training after seeing Brittany on Youtube!!! Thanks B I would say for about six months I flat ironed every week on 450 heat 20 passes on my roots and 5-10 on the rest of my hair. My texture definitely changed. The front got a little too straight for my liking probably because of touch ups during the week but I am happy with my results.

I now only use heat on the roots as I don't want to risk the rest getting any looser.

Detangling is a breeze and wash and go's are so easy to manage now.

I use the pink ic heat protectant serum for any heat styling or training. I also DC'd once a week with Hollywood Beauty and did a weekly ACV rinse.

I will post pics later

 

[mstokes2008]

Hello everyone

I started heat training after seeing Brittany on Youtube!!! Thanks B I would say for about six months I flat ironed every week on 450 heat 20 passes on my roots and 5-10 on the rest of my hair. My texture definitely changed. The front got a little too straight for my liking probably because of touch ups during the week but I am happy with my results.

I now only use heat on the roots as I don't want to risk the rest getting any looser.

Detangling is a breeze and wash and go's are so easy to manage now.

I use the pink ic heat protectant serum for any heat styling or training. I also DC'd once a week with Hollywood Beauty and did a weekly ACV rinse.

I will post pics later

Can't wait to see pics! How has your retention been since heat training?