My friend is afraid of H20!!

[Divake22]

Ladies,
My girlfriend is natural and presses her hair. She wanted to know how to properly maintain it. She says water will make her hair curl instantly--so shampooing/air drying are not an option. I recommended using S-curl and she does not want to do that. Plus, she has bald spots on the sides of her hair resulting from her recent pregnancy. Your suggestions?

 

[turnergirl]

It sounds like she needs to go through a mental transition. A person that wants healthy hair should never be afraid of water. Especially a natural. Natural hair thrives off moisture and moisture comes from water. Especially when it is constantly straightened with harsh heat. If she wants her hair straight all of the time she should probably relax it if she is not willing to wear it in it's natural state. At least having it relaxed will help her possibly avoid the heat and be less afraid of water. Co-washing or even washing hair with great conditioning is the absolute best thing that can ever happen to damaged hair. If she is relaxed she may be more likely to actually allow water to touch her hair if she does not have to go through the whole ordeal to get it back straight. Either way Water is our friend not the enemy. Why does she wear her hair natural? Is it perm damage? Alopecia? A desire to love her natural texture? I think the answer to this question will tell you how to approach a solution for her.

 

[PinkSkates]

Wow... why is she afraid of water. I'm natural and I press and mantain healthy hair. Tell her water is yummy for natural hair. And also tell her it's good that her hair curls up immediately as soon as it gets wet; that means her hair is not heat-damaged. If she truly wants her hair straight 100% of the time; then she should consider taking the plunge and get a relaxer. It is nearly impossible to keep pressed, natural, AA hair straight 24/7. My pressed hair will last almost two weeks. After that I will shampoo and then wear and experiment with natural hairstyles for another two weeks.