A Word on Heat Damage...

In my first post I shared how the texture in the front of my hair is straight in some areas. In fact, the hair in the front is curly then straight then curls at the ends. When I first started my hair growth journey, I thought, What the heck?? I don't remember my hair being straight like this before....

As you can see, even with a twist-out the
front doesn't curl as much as the rest of my hair.

And it probably wasn't. I've determined that the straight hair is probably the result of heat damage, which would make sense considering that's all I used on my hair after I transitioned since I didn't know how to care for or style it. The good news is that since I made the decision to grow my hair long, the straight part will eventually grow out and hopefully those strands will return to their curly state.

Although I'm obviously not happy with the straight areas, it's a good lesson for me in controlling how much heat I use on my hair. Now I know that the front, probably since it is a looser, more wavy curl, can't tolerate high temperatures, and the same probably goes for the back since the texture is similar there. I will keep this in mind when I straighten my hair tomorrow. I plan on using a low temperature in the front, back and sides and at the crown (my thickest, curliest area) I'll use a slightly higher temperature. And, of course, I'll deep condition and apply a heat protectant first. I expect to have no problem with getting my hair to revert.