flat ironing

What is the steps I should go through when I flat iron my hair?

My extension hair seems to be getting full of split ends also and not really shiny or have that glow to it anymore. I have a mixture of the volume wave and french refine in right now. (Jetset & Bohyme).


Edited by stormchaser - September 19 2007 at 8:22am

Thanks Malibu ! I'll give that a try.

I have the same problem, though it doesn't look that bad since my natural hair isn't perfect. But as Diva said it's probably a good idea to use a thermal protectant, and a good one too. I'm not really educated in professional hair products, but you could go to any salon and explain to them your problem they could probably help you. My perfered drugstore brand for pre-straighting is John Frieda....

stormchaser wrote: oh*so*sassy:    I am alittle bit confused, are you saying that using shine serum and than flat ironing your hair will speed up the damage to the extension hair? Should you flat iron without these products and just use shea butter or coconut oil to flat iron or is that just to condition the hair? Should you use these on wet or dry hair?(shea butter & coconut oil) I know alot of dumb questions, but not for me. Just trying to understand all of this stuff and sometimes it all gets mighty confusing for me.

I saw this question on the other thread..... to avoid hijacking that thread I brought it here.
No- that wasn't precisely what I meant, but I understand by my wording how you may have thought this.
What I meant is that flat ironing is very damaging to hair. They are usually used at high temperatures and any heat styling will damage your hair and your extensions. But- flat ironing will create the look and feel of smooth hair - masking much damage and dryness following the flat ironing.
Ironing will help often with blending extensions and certainly for making extensions and your own hair  and the extensions look smoother and healthier.
What I was saying was just a reminder that flat irons do, in fact, damage hair just as any other heat styling will.  It might seem like a silly reminder, but many people (including myself at one time) will forget that even though a flat iron will make your hair look and seem more healthy, it is actually making it less healthy.

The comment I made about shine serums was not actually in reference to using them with a flat iron. Shine serums are good to use after you flat iron. I do not think they will necessarily increase the amount of damage done by a flat iron if you use the serum before you flat iron. Actually, they'll probably help reduce damage a little bit.
Like Diva said, there are some thermal serums, creams, and sprays that can help protect your hair a bit by using them before you flat iron.
As for the Coconut Oil and Shea butter- is you use Pure Shea butter or Coconut oil (NO mineral oil- mineral oil is no good for your hair) on dry hair it will help smooth the ends and make your hair soft. Just a little bit. On damp hair, it works well, too, as a leave-in conditioner.  As a deep conditioning treatment, they work wonders.  A little goes a long way with either of those oils, especially on dry hair.
Hope this helps...

Thank You all! I understand now what you meant Thank You oh*so*sassy. I got things straight now. I always use a spray that's why I was wondering.