How Heat Damage Led to My Mini Big Chop

My teeny afro after my Mini Big Chop
Feb. 2016

Stubborn.  I guess that's the word for it because I have no other way to describe it.  I keep trying to straighten my hair until it is laid to the gods and it keeps coming back with heat damage.  Yes, I have now, to date, given myself heat damage more times than I can remember.  There isn't a stylist to blame or even a lack of knowledge on my part.  I knew better and still wound up damaging my hair while straightening it.

I blame Youtube.  We've all seen the videos where people are cranking their flat irons up past 400 degrees.  Well, I thought maybe I could too.  I mean why not?  My hair was getting longer and healthier.  I was doing protein treatments and using multiple heat protectants.  I even thought I could just wear my hair straight whenever I felt like it.  I found out the hard way that those things would certainly not work for my hair.

In the past, when I noticed a little heat damage, it was near the ends of my hair resulting in loose curls.  Last year, however, I noticed that the hair from midway down the strands to the ends was thinner than the new growth coming in.  A lot thinner.  That eventually led to some breakage which sent me into emergency repair mode.  Of course I tried protein treatments; usually the 2 Minute Reconstructor by Aphogee.  This time though, I knew that the damaged hair would have to go.

Finally, I decided to do a mini big chop to get rid of the damaged hair.  This left me with a very teeny afro.  That was in February of 2016.  My hair feels completely different almost a year later.  It's even back to my old length from before the heat damage.

Of course, I'm stubborn, so I still like to use heat on my hair.  As far as avoiding heat damage, here is what I have learned, again.

My hair now
Jan. 2017
(curls are back after straightening)

1. Always clarify hair prior to straightening (A must!)
2. Always use a heat protectant (Duh!)
3. MY hair cannot withstand heat over 400 degrees (anything higher = heat damage)
4. Touch-ups are the Devil!  Pincurls, wraps and rollers only for styling after straightening.
5. Use heat less frequently (no more than 1x per month; less is even better)

I would like to think that this time I have finally learned my lesson.  What's good for some may not work for others.  I know that I sound like a broken record but it's true.

Have you ever tried something you saw on Youtube and it went horribly wrong?  Leave a 

comment below.

CHECK OUT MY LAST POST HERE 

How I Maintain My Straight Natural Hair

My Natural Hair Straightened

I've been wearing my natural hair straight more often recently.  My straight hair calls for a totally different routine than the one I would use for my hair when it is shrunken and curly.  My main objective for my straight hair is to keep it looking fresh while maintaining moisture levels.  Some naturals find this hard because our hair can revert back to curly so easily.

Hair that is moisturized looks and feels so much better after using direct heat.  I still moisturize and seal my hair while it's straight but I'm also aware that starting the straightening process with a moisture based deep condition is key.  I also use grapeseed oil to seal in the moisture from my leave-in conditioner prior to air drying, roller setting or blow drying my hair.  Ever since I added the grapeseed oil to my flat ironing regimen, I have noticed that my hair feels softer and more supple after straightening.  The oil also helps to give my hair a smoother finish without having to use extremely high temperatures.  

 CLICK HERE TO WATCH ME STRAIGHTEN MY NATURAL HAIR

Herbal Essence
Touchably Smooth Split
End Protector

Once my hair is straight, I continue to moisturize it using a leave-in conditioner.  I'm currently using Herbal Essence Touchably Smooth Split End Protector*.  The trick here is to use just a little bit so that it doesn't wet my hair.  I split my hair into two sections and then apply a dime size amount (or less) to one section.  I then use two to three drops of grapeseed oil to seal in the moisture.  I don't have to do this every day that my hair is straight because the oil does such a great job of locking the moisture in.

When I want to keep my hair really straight I just wrap it and then wear a wig cap to keep my wrap down tight.  I used to use a satin scarf but it kept coming off at night.  In the morning I just comb my hair down with a wide tooth comb and go.  If I have curls in my hair then I do five or six large pin curls and go to sleep with a satin bonnet or scarf.  The next day, all I have to do is take the pins out and finger comb my curls.  

I use Grapeseed Oil
to seal in moisture

My straight natural hair isn't perfect though.  I still get fuzzy edges from when water seeps in underneath the edge of my shower cap.  My nape area also tends to revert back way before wash day but I've learned to just live with it.  I usually wear it straight for about a week but would like to start stretching that to two weeks in the future.

*Formerly and currently known as the Long Term Relationship Split End Defense Cream depending on which packaging is available.

Be sure to check out my Youtube Channel, Mitchellzee, for videos on my Straight Natural Hair routine

Straight Natural Hair Talk: Thoughts on the Texture Manageability System (TMS) by Beautiful Textures

My straight natural hair

After spending several months wearing heat free styles, I decided to wear my hair straight for a few weeks.  A couple of months ago, straightening my hair seemed silly because I would only get to wear the style for a short period of time.  My psoriasis was in high gear so my scalp needed attention every couple of days.  This meant cleansing my hair and scalp multiple times each week.  At the time, it seemed necessary because my scalp was sometimes unbearable and had to be dealt with.   Once my psoriasis calmed down, I decided that I would finally straighten my hair.

Wearing my hair straight during the summer heat may also sound silly but I can get away with it here.  In Colorado we have a very dry climate so there is little to no humidity on most days.  Still, reversion is always possible with straight natural hair.  I have been hearing about the Beautiful Textures Texture Manageability System or TMS.  This product claims that you can use it on natural hair to help with straight styles over a 4-6 week period.  After a few weeks and multiple washes, the hair will supposedly return to its natural state.  Well, after reading this article by The Natural Haven blog I'm not so sure.

Half up half down style
on my straight natural hair

The article gives a breakdown of what happens to the hair structure when using the product.  It appears as though the hair bonds are effected but not permanently broken.  So yes, the hair does return to a textured state after using the product.  However, the product also seems to slightly change the protein bonds.  This makes me wonder what would happen after using it multiple times.

Back to curly after wearing it straight

It would be nice to have straight natural hair that lasts longer but I think I'll stick to my current routine.  I use several heat protectants including grapeseed oil, IC Fantasia's Heat Protectant serum and Tresemme's Heat Tamer Spray.  The serum helps to combat reversion while the spray and grapeseed oil protect my hair from heat damage.  While it's straight I use things like Herbal Essences Split End Protector to moisturize and grapeseed oil to seal.  I also do either pin curls or wrap my hair at night to preserve the style.  When I'm ready to go back to curly, I use Aphogee's 2 Minute Reconstructor to give my hair a light protein treatment.  My curls seem to always bounce back just fine with this routine so why change now?


What are your thoughts on the TMS system by Beautiful Textures?  Please share below in the comments section.

Grapeseed Oil for Hair

I use an old Hot Six Oil bottle
to store my Grapeseed oil

In the natural hair world we always hear about using oils for our hair but I'm beginning to learn more about how they work.  I've mentioned in recent posts how coconut and olive oils are both light enough to actually penetrate the hair shaft.  For this reason, they tend to make great moisturizers but not sealants.  It's important to moisturize the hair and then seal it in with something heavier.

In the past, I reached for castor oil to seal with because it has a very thick consistency.  However, it left my hair feeling really heavy so I thought I would give grapeseed oil a try.  Grapeseed oil is heavy enough to use as a sealant after moisturizing but is lighter than castor oil.  An added benefit for me though is that it has a high smoke point meaning I can use it when I use heat on my hair.  Now, I'm still not sold on the idea that it can protect against heat damage, but I have noticed a difference.

SEE HOW I STRAIGHTEN MY NATURAL HAIR

My straight natural hair after
using Grapeseed oil and a serum
for protection against heat

I recently used it when I straightened my hair and I was very happy with the results.  Sometimes after heat styling I'm left with hair that is dry and crispy feeling but I didn't get that when I used the grapeseed oil.  My hair felt very soft and moisturized after using my flat iron on a heat setting ranging from 370 to 400 degrees.

The only drawback is that I've read that other naturals noticed that their hair reverted quicker after using the grapeseed oil as a heat protectant.  For this reason, I also used a silicone based serum by IC Fantasia to help keep my hair straighter longer.  I was able to go a full ten days and probably could have gone longer but it was time to cleanse my scalp.

I've decided to continue using the grapeseed oil in my hair routine for oil rinses, sealing in moisture and for added protection against heat.  I prefer the Napa Valley Naturals brand which I found at a local health food store.  If you haven't tried it I say give it a go!

My Easy Ponytail Roller Set

I sometimes get discouraged with my hair when I see those little tiny fairy knots on the ends.  Single strand knots (SSKs) can cause a lot of trouble because they tend to catch on hair strands and cause tangles.  Since I won't be doing any major cuts on my hair this year (fingers crossed) I figured I should try my best to keep the knots to a minimum.

Since I sometimes use heat on my hair I can tell it still has lots of curl and shrinkage but is slightly more manageable than if I had skipped the heat altogether.  I tend to think that this factor has contributed to my success with roller setting lately.  The drying time is still the same but I can sometimes get away with using larger sections than I used to.  I thought maybe I would put my theory to the test by doing a ponytail roller set using only a few ponytail sections.  Instead of doing 4 ponytails down the middle (like a mohawk) and 4 more sections along the sides, I just used 4 large ponytail sections; 2 in front and 2 in back.  I then split each ponytail in half and rolled each section.  I also placed 2 individual rollers for the bangs.  My new method only took 4 ponytails and 10 rollers which is much easier and still gave me great results.

Since my main objective right now is to keep my hair stretched this method will work just fine.  It keeps my ends smooth so I don't have to worry about them knotting up on me.  Not only that, it also takes a lot less time to get all of the rollers in.  Now that I have this figured out I can use this method to stretch my hair before doing protective styles like buns and up-dos.

THEN:  Ponytail rollerset using more sections

CHECK OUT MY ROLLER SETTING NATURAL HAIR VIDEO ON YOUTUBE 

NOW:  Fewer ponytails still worked fine

What I used to get the look:
Creamy Leave-in Conditioner
Heat Protectant serum (to minimize frizz)
Plain Water (to re-wet each section)

 CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY ORIGINAL POST ON THE PONYTAIL ROLLER SET

Goody Ouchless Ponytail Holders

The Results
Stretched hair with smooth ends

Saying Goodbye to Heat Damage

In the last couple of videos that I posted to YouTube, I discussed my straight, heat damaged bangs and how I styled them so that they would blend in with the rest of my hair.  Shortly after posting those I started a six week Wash n' Go binge and wore my hair curly the whole time.  For a while I was fine with pushing the straight pieces back or braiding the hair into a headband.  During this time I was also reading the Curly Girl Handbook by Lorraine Massey and learning more about my curls and how to work with them.  I kept looking at my damaged hair and wondered, why was I holding on to the straight pieces?

Using small perm rods to camouflage the straight pieces

After much contemplation, I finally decided to break out the shears.  I already knew that I had curly bangs in my future so why not just get on with it?  First, I wet the hair that I sectioned off for the cut.  This made it easier to tell where the textured hair met the straight ends.  Then I placed a long metal clip across that line of demarcation and cut.  I thought that would do it but the straight pieces were still another inch into the length of my bangs so I snipped again.  I was surprised to see a small, one inch section where my hair was just blah; not really curly or straight.  The rest of the bang was curling up the way I expected.  I ended up with a Betty Paige style look which for me was just fine.

AFTER
Short Bangs

BEFORE
Straight Pieces in Front

It's been about a month and a half since the mini chop and I have to say that for the most part, the bangs are fine by me.  The curls are in good shape even after wearing my hair straight a couple of times.  I refuse to use my flat iron on that area because the 400 degree temperature is just too much.  Instead I use my Gold n' Hot Curling Iron which only gets up to 300 at best.  I'm also liking the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny for my heat protectant these days.

I do wish the bangs were a teensy bit longer though so that it would be easier to braid them down into a cute headband.  Of course this is possible with a little help from my Eco Styler gel.  I'm also realizing that I won't be able to slick all of my hair back for awhile.  For now though, I'm just enjoying the new look and loving the curls.

Used a metal clip to section off bangs

Bye Bye Heat Damage

Bangs before cutting a bit more

Check out my post on how I treated my Heat Damaged Hair

Recovering from Heat Damage

After my most recent bout with heat damage, I wasn't too sure how to go about getting my curls back.  I wore my hair straight for Easter Sunday but decided to use the flat iron again later in the week after using oils in my hair.  My curls did not revert back like they normally did when I wore my hair straight and I was afraid that the damage was permanent.  Was I upset?  You damn skippy I was!  I couldn't believe that I let this happen again.  Not only that, I just chopped off 1/2" of damage at the start of the year which gave me curls galore.  Now I was right back where I started and worse.


What did I do you ask?  Well, I did what I always do when I need answers, I went to the internet.  I was pretty certain that what I was experiencing was permanent heat damage but I was really hoping that someone out there had a magic remedy.  I stumbled onto a YouTube video that I remembered watching by Taren916, where she used the Aphogee 2 step Protein Treatment to help repair her heat damage.  She showed a before shot where her hair was limp and not so curly and another after the treatment when her hair had more texture. 

After watching that, I went to the hair forums and read articles for more info on how the protein treatment worked.  Basically, heat can cause significant damage to the cuticle layer of the hair strand.  This is the protective outer layer (imagine tiny shingles that overlap one another).  Once these cuticles are damaged, the hair is vulnerable and more prone to dryness and breakage.  The protein in the Aphogee treatment helps to fill in the gaps where the hair strand is missing these important little pieces. 

So, the very next day, I shot over to Sally's and made a B-line for the Aphogee products.  I still wasn't too sure if this was all I needed so I grabbed a silicone based conditioner (the GVP version of Paul Mitchell's The Detangler) and said a prayer.  After the application and rinsing it all out, I was very surprised to see curls where there was once very non-descript strands.  The treatment actually worked, but the curls were still looser than before (as you can see from the photo).  My hair was still much thicker at the roots.  Afterwards, I decided to go back to an old regimen I employed when I used to use semi-permanent color on my natural hair. 

Damaged hair regimen:

• Deep condition 2x per week- 1x with moisture; 1x with protein
• Stay away from heat...lol
• Protective styles to avoid further damage



My curls 4 weeks after the treatment.
Using braids to protect hair from too
much manipulation

• Silicone based conditioner for detangling and co-washing

I added the silicone conditioner because the primary reason for using silicone in hair products is so that it can help mask damage incurred by heat styling, hair color and chemical treatments.   Thankfully, my hair is back to being nice and curly but is just a bit more stretched than before with a few lazy curls here and there.  Some people use heat for this effect but that was never my intention.  Needless to say, me and my curls are stepping away from the heat for a good, long while.