I always follow a few key steps before I apply any heat to my hair; always start on freshly washed hair, beware of heat damage, and prepare to devote the necessary time and labor for best results.
Blow Drying
- Wash, condition, and detangle as normal.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner and twist hair in 4-6 sections.
- Allow hair to partially dry. (about 2 hours)
- Take down one twist and detangle again if needed.
- apply a heat protecting product of your choice.
- Use blow dryer on low heat setting with comb attachment.
- Start and the ends of the hair and work your way up to the roots.
- Apply a light oil and lightly re-twist.
- Repeat steps 1-8 on each section.
- Untwist each section and style.
Flat Ironing
- Wash, condition, and detangle as normal.
- Apply a leave-in conditioner and twist into 4-6 sections.
- Allow hair to dry completely. (For me this is 10+ hours so plan accordingly)
- Take down one section.
- Apply a heat protector.
- Take a small piece of the section and use flat iron on lowest setting for desired results.
- Bone straight hair will require higher temperatures.
- Try passing the flat iron only once or twice on each section.
- Repeat steps 1-6 on each section.
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| Low/Medium Heat 11/2012 |
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| Low/Medium Heat 8/2011 (before second big chop) |
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| Medium Heat 9/2012 |
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| Medium Heat 7/2012 |
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| Lowest Heat 8/2013 |
Tips:
- Never use temperatures higher than 450 degrees
- Always work with clean hair and clean tools.
- If your ends are split and damaged it will effect your results. (consider clipping before using heat)
- Always deep condition after heat use.
- Use heat sparingly, even at lowest temperature you may sustain heat damage if used too frequently.
Do you use heat? How often? What is your technique?
