QuoteReplyTopic: Straightening hair survey Posted: June 19 2003 at 10:57am
Hi everyone!
This board is a little slow and this my attempt to get it moving again, hehe. I'm just curious to find out how you straighten your hair, how long you can wear it like that, and your fave products used for straightening.
I'll go first:
1) How do you straighten your hair? First, I shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Then I blot my hair with an Aquis towel until is damp. I apply straightening product, then dry hair on low/warm until it is a little dry. Then I take a large natural-bristle round brush and dry it section by section on high heat. This takes about 20 minutes. I put some finishing cream on my dry hair, then use my HAI ceramic iron and carefully press each small dry section. Then I put a little more finishing cream or serum on my hair and I'm good to go!
2) How long can you wear it like that? Two days, tops. During the middle of the second day, I want to wash my hair so badly because it starts to smell a little and it's dirty.
3) Fave products for straightening? Biosilk Silk Therapy for styling and finishing, Bed Head After-Party Smoothing Cream for finishing, Phytodefrisant, Kerastase Oleo-Relax Serum, and Matrix Sleek.Look Extreme Cream for straightening, and Redken Anti-Snap when I need some extra protection and strength.
I wash with one of my favorite moisturizing shampoos (All Soft, K-Pak or Nature's Therapy), then condition for at least five minutes with All Soft, Frizz Ease Glistening Creme or Biotera. I allow my hair to air dry 15-20 minutes then spray in Aussie Hair Insurance, Jhirmack HeatCare or Neutrogena Overnight Therapy, whichever bottle finds my hand first. Then I use Tresemme European Slick melting gel on my hair from the ears down. This is a wonderful product and keeps my hair virtually frizz-free even in high humidity. Unfortunately, it's also been discontinued (but my awesome hair talk friend Monica sent me some!! :-)
I dry my hair using a paddle brush and dryer, first "rough drying" then straightening each section individually with the brush's tension. Finally I mist a silicone spray on the bottom half of my hair and I'm done!
I wash my hair every 3rd or 4th day. I can stand wearing it down for three days tops and usually wear it up on the 4th. No one at work knows I have wavy hair, since I ALWAYS straighten it when it's down.
I have been meaning to ask someone about the Aquis towel so I'm glad you brought it up! What do you think of it? Does it really work better than a regular towel, and is worth the $16 Ulta.com wants? I'd appreciate your opinion...Thanks!!!
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
First of all, you look absolutely stunning in both pics. Your hair is gorgeous both wavy and straight. I like the Nature's Therapy and K-Pak stuff as well-delicious scents! Have you tried Redken Addictive? Same great scent as the All-Soft shampoo and conditioner and leaves hair quite silky and soft. I sometimes use a spray or two before I blow-dry.
Your hair color is about the same as mine naturally. I too have wavy hair, but not as well-defined as yours. But of course you don't torture your hair near as much as I do. Hehe.
About the Aquis towel, I received it as a birthday present last year. I really love it. I do think it absorbs water faster than regular towels, plus it doesn't leave my hair as frizzy as the regular ones. I never use regular towels any more to dry my hair, only my beloved Aquis. I think it is a tad expensive for a towel, but it's worth it. It lasts a long time and I dont think it tears or rips easily. It's also easily cleaned. And it's really soft-reminds me of the "blankie" I had when I was a young child.
I hope that helps you. Have a great day!
LiliBeach
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I beleive that all curls are not created equal. It is really interesting how others get their hair straight. Everybody has their own system.
Me? I must apply the product with my hair almost dripping wet. I first apply Redken straight, mixed with anti-snap and outshine. Then I comb through. Next I apply Modern Elixers styling serum mixed with a few drops of glossing drops. I comb it straight then apply my make-up (letting it dry for about 10 minutes. I blow dry upside down, shaking the hair. When it is almost dry i then begin using the round brush, starting in the back at the nape with the rest clipped on top of my head. I bring down a small section at a time and continue to dry. I finish with Paul Mitchells the shine.
This is basically the process I do on my clients also. They love my blow-outs.
I am a professional Hairstylist/Haircolorist with 19 years experience. I have traveled all over the country for my advanced education. I am also a salon owner.:)........and I LOVE Redken!!!
princessmonica
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I beleive that all curls are not created equal. It is really interesting how others get their hair straight. Everybody has their own system.
Me? I must apply the product with my hair almost dripping wet. I first apply Redken straight, mixed with anti-snap and outshine. Then I comb through. Next I apply Modern Elixers styling serum mixed with a few drops of glossing drops. I comb it straight then apply my make-up (letting it dry for about 10 minutes. I blow dry upside down, shaking the hair. When it is almost dry i then begin using the round brush, starting in the back at the nape with the rest clipped on top of my head. I bring down a small section at a time and continue to dry. I finish with Paul Mitchells the shine.
This is basically the process I do on my clients also. They love my blow-outs.
a couple questions lilibeach. 1. do you use a flat iron at all? 2. can you come live with me to do my hair? LOL! i live in san diego and we have lots of nice beaches
to lyris- i'm so glad i could help! have you use the gel yet?
Nature's Therapy is great, second only to All Soft in terms of scent. I wanted to use Addictive if for no other reason than the fact I could smell like All Soft all day, but the ingredient list is ambiguous: One of the first ingredients is "alcohol." It doesn't specific WHICH alcohol, which is very odd. Cetearyl, stearyl and cetyl alcohols are fine for hair (they're fatty coconut-derived emollients) but benyl/ethyl/isopropyl/SD alcohol 40 are drying over time. I'm a little hesistant to try something I'm not fully familiar with. I might still get the towel because I'm curious what this magical thing can do!
Monica, of course you've been a huge help. I cracked open the bottle you sent first thing and it's so nice to have a backstock going again :-)
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
CrazyGirl
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Lyris, I bought the Aquis towel a couple of months ago. I have to tell you, I have not used a regular towel eversince. My only complaint is that it's too small for me. I have such long hair - Do you guys know if they come in bigger sizes?
Is there a Bed Bath and Beyond store near you? They have Aquis towels for the body. They're much larger than the ones intended for the hair. That should be right for your hair length. If not, you can go online and get one at the BBB website.
My hair is really thick and can get SUPER frizzy if i'm not careful. Its about shoulder length but I cant do anything unless I straighten it. I usually air dry it (blow drying my hair tends to cause it to frizz even more) then I put in VO5 hair serum and use a revlon straightening iron ($17 at Walmart) Revlon is the best flat iron I've found for my hair. It takes 20 minutes to straighten it but the results are almost always perfect. To de-frizz I use a little lotion or hair spray. If my hair doesn't smell great when I'm finished I spray some body spray into my hands, rub them together to dissolve the alcohol and then smooth down my hair. It makes my hair smell great all day because hair holds scents the best. The second day is always better for me because my hair has a chance to create just enough oils to flatten my hair without looking greasy and my hair will still smell great!
CarrieM
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After getting out of the shower, I towel-dry my hair, and let it dry a bit more while I put on my makeup (it doesn't work for me to style it when very wet). Then, I put on some sort of conditioner, spray, or gel to help smooth and control. I have a bunch of products that I buy off and on, and always have a few of them on hand: Phytodefrisant, a Clairol spray conditioner for color-treated hair I bought at Beauty Mart, Paul Mitchell's The Conditioner, Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Sculpting Foam, Redken Traction, TIGI Extra Extra Straight spray, and this awesome reconstructor from Grund called Tiger-- this stuff is great for dry, damaged hair, and smells good too. Has anyone else tried Grund products? Anyway, then I blow-dry my hair, but I don't use my brush right away- I start using my small round metal brush with those plastic bristles with the little balls on the end (no idea what those are called), when my hair is damp. Then, I use my great Revlon straightening iron (the best one from Target I've used) to smooth, and finally curl the ends and do my bangs with my Conair curling iron. Whew! Sometimes this takes awhile, other times not that long. It really depends on how my hair feels like behaving. I am probably going to get my hair straightened with the Artec Texturesmooth soon, my whole routine is getting old, and the humidity up here is terrible in summer. My hair is not super curly, but very fine, so I think that makes it more difficult to get the style I want.
CarrieM
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Oops, I forgot to specify what shampoo and conditioner I use. I really love Matrix Logics COLOReserve Remoisturizing Shampoo, it's the only shampoo I use. It helps keep moisture in my hair, and with all the heat styling I do, with the occasional coloring, I really need that. The only place I have found Logics at is JCPenney salons. I'm sure they sell it other places, but it's kind of hard to find, at least in Minnesota where I live. I have started using Nature's Therapy Conditioning Cream (I think that's what it's called, it's in the plastic jar). That is great too, and for such a good deal at Sally's. I have found I can deep-condition every day with the right product, to keep my hair in good shape. My ultimate favorite deep conditioner is Biolage Conditioning Balm. I love it, but the tube is kind of small, and I go through it way too fast. I know they sell it in a small tub, and that they at least used to make a larger tube size. Does anyone know if they still make the larger tube? I don't know how many ounces, but there is a lot more than the smaller tube size.
I have had a super absorbant towel now for around 7 years and I have long hair so I position my hair specially in it to hold it all, but I have never used another normal towel since. I have an aquis towel, one I got at an outlet, I think it is martex, I just replace them after they stop working, I think it is about a year for me, my mom's last forever because she never puts them in the dryer.
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Have you tried Redken Addictive? Same great scent as the All-Soft shampoo and conditioner and leaves hair quite silky and soft. I sometimes use a spray or two before I blow-dry.
LiliBeach wrote:
