My Straightening Process

The tools that I used: 2 Goody barrettes, rat tail comb, 2
clips and a tape measure. (Not pictured: wide-toothed comb.)

These are the steps I took to prepare my hair for and protect it from the heat.

Straightening Prep

• Detangled with olive oil then shampooed with KCCC
• Deep conditioned with my Yummy Moisture Treatment (I also added some Shea Moisture CE Smoothie to it for an extra boost). Put on 2 disposable shower caps plus my thick shower cap and left it in for 35-40 minutes. Afterwards, following Shelli's tip of hairscapades.com, I took off the shower caps and let my hair cool for 10 minutes before rinsing it out (this closes the cuticles).
• Diluted my detangling conditioner with water and poured it over each section before rinsing out the deep conditioner completely with lukewarm water (I was supposed to use cool water but I was already so cold in the shower! lol). Detangled a bit again then twisted up each section.
• (Note: I do not dry my hair at all after washes - not with a towel, t-shirt or anything.) Applied the Kimmaytube leave-in conditioner (my hair's favorite!) to each section then braided each section up for bedtime. 

By morning (actually only a few hours later because I went to bed late and woke up pretty early) my hair was still very damp, which I expected. This actually worked out great though because the heat protectant directions indicate to apply it to wet hair.

Straightening Process

• Starting from the back, I parted my hair in long, narrow sections straight across and applied the heat protectant thoroughly from root to tip, focusing on my new growth and ends. (Note: I researched heat protectants for weeks before deciding on and purchasing one. I am very picky about what I put in my hair. I might post later on how I chose the heat protectant.)
• My blow dryer has the following settings: Cool, Warm, Hot, Very Hot. After applying HP to each small section, I combed it with my wide-toothed comb then I blow dried each section on Warm (I have a comb attachment on the end, too). The only time I turned it up to Hot a couple times was for the crown, which is thicker and curlier. I figured if I had to use more heat, I'd rather have it come from the blow dryer than the flat iron. I repeated these steps for my entire head.
• When I was about halfway through blow drying, I turned on the flat iron (courtesy of my sister, thank you, Trelle! :) if you ever need an event planner then you absolutely must call her - she's AH-mazing! partiesbylu.com). The temperature range is 140 - 410 degrees. I wanted to use the least amount of heat possible to achieve straight hair, so I turned it down to somewhere around 300 degrees, probably less, much closer to 140 degrees than 410 degrees (I couldn't tell because the degrees aren't marked off in the middle). I was surprised to discover that I had to turn down the temperature several times during the process. The few times I saw smoke I turned it down. Anyway, to flat iron I started from the back and once again parted my hair in long, narrow sections. I applied a little more HP to each section, took small (maybe 1"x 1"?) sections, gently combed them from tip to root, then ran the flat iron over them. (I know in my post on flat ironing I said it's best to hold the rat tail comb in front of the flat iron for each pass in order to avoid tangles, but I tried that and it was just too awkward for me. I could probably do it on someone else's hair, but not on my own, especially at my length.) I repeated this process for my entire head.

After flat ironing, I smoothed a little more heat protectant over my ends, roots and edges. Later, I got a hold of some a "Texture Balm" (similar to a pomade) and smoothed it over my hair. I will continue to use this throughout the week to keep my hair smooth.* Each night I plan on wrapping my hair, although I haven't done this forever so hope I haven't lost my touch!

* Starting November 25 I replaced the texture balm with an anti-breakage serum.

Straight Hair After 7 Months!!

I just finished straightening my hair a little while ago and wanted to write as soon as possible to record my first reactions.

Here are a few of the things I said to my Hubby immediately after I'd finished flat ironing:

• "I feel silly!"
• "I feel like the girl from The Ring."
• "I feel like a dog!"

Now, seven months ago when I vowed not to use any heat for six months with the intention of growing my hair, I never would've imagined that I'd say these things. After all, having long hair (what I used to call "back hair" when I was little) had always been a dream of mine. But as I got closer to finishing with the flat iron, I found myself making funny faces at my reflection instead of smiling from ear-to-ear like I'd expected. Who was this person looking back at me in the mirror?? I felt...different. It wasn't a good or bad different...just different. After going so long without straightening my hair, I'd definitely grown accustomed to my protective hairstyles. I just love them!

Interestingly enough, as I flat ironed my hair, I enjoyed seeing how far it went down my back. It was long - not as close to waist-length as I originally thought, but it had still grown a lot. But still, the finished product surprised me. I felt like I was wearing a wig! LOL!

It is now evening and I'm still adjusting, so I'm interested to see how long it takes for me to get used to my hair being straight....

9 Tips for Flat Ironing Your Hair

I am getting so excited to straighten my hair! I keep seeing women with long straight hair everywhere I go because I'm thinking about it so much! This will be my first time straightening it since early April 2011.

At first I was scared of causing heat damage, so I vowed not to use a flat iron. But as I did more research, I discovered that an important part of preventing or minimizing heat damage is to use a good heat protectant. After scouring through what felt like dozens of heat protectants, I finally found one whose ingredients I am happy with. So I will be using a flat iron, but here are some tips I've found on safely flat ironing your hair:

• Always detangle your hair first! I know this goes without saying, but I still had to say it! lol
• Moisture, moisture, moisture I've been learning that it's vitally important to make sure your hair is properly moisturized prior to applying heat. Deep condition beforehand.
• Use a heat protectant Prior to putting any heat tool to your hair, you want to first apply a heat protectant. There are many options to choose from, so find the one that's right for you. 
• Choose a flat iron with temperature control If you use a flat iron that has no temperature control, chances are it will get too hot, probably 400+ degrees. At those temperatures you are literally singing your hair.
• Use as little heat as possible to get your desired effect Figure out the lowest temperature setting that will yield your desired results.
• Once, twice, but not thrice The fewer passes you make on each section of hair, the better.
• Small sections When grabbing sections to flat iron, make sure they're not too big. If you flat iron too much hair at once, it'll take more passes to get your hair straight.
• Use a fine-toothed comb If you've ever had your hair flat-ironed in a salon, you probably noticed that the stylist used a fine-toothed comb in front of the flat iron on each pass. I haven't found much info that says this is absolutely necessary, but it is recommended if you'd like to take extra precautions against taking fewer passes with the flat iron.
• Different texture, different temp For the thicker, curlier, or kinkier parts of your hair, use a slightly higher temperature. For the areas of your head that have a looser, softer or wavier texture, use a lower temperature. I would probably avoid using high heat along your hairline in the front and back. 

I will be posting the results of my straightening and length check soon. I'm so excited! Stay tuned :)