I’m a self-proclaimed true curly girl. I ditched relaxers and even color about four years ago to help nourish my hair back to health. I had done so much damage to my tresses over the years; from self-relaxing to self-coloring to professional relaxing and coloring/ hi-lighting. Yes, my hair has been through a lot!
These days, I try to use products that do not contain petroleum, “cones” or mineral oil. Products listing these ingredients are what I consider “fast food” for the hair. On the surface, it will make one’s hair look and feel soft, shiny and healthy. In reality, over time these products wear down the hair shaft and cause breakage. This, along with heat styling can cause irreversible damage- especially to ethnic hair textures.
I usually wear my hair in its naturally curly, 3c state. However, when I want to don a sleek and straight style, I heavily depend on my trusty flat iron (I currently have the Megastar Silver Nano flat iron). The high-end flat iron definitely exceeds its price in performance. With ceramic and tourmaline technology, the hair color is protected while the hair condition is enhanced.
One thing I’ve noticed with my flat iron is that my hair exudes the most healthiest shine after styling. It gets pretty hot too! Most flat irons come with temperature control. Therefore, you can control the heat settings (usually between 140 to 420 degrees) to your liking. Since I like my hair to be “bone” straight I set the temp to the highest temperature possible. Based on one’s hair type though, it isn’t necessary to do this unless YOU feel it’s necessary. I definitely suggest coating your hair with some kind of thermal protectant prior to any kind of heat styling.
Since I’ve stopped relaxing I’ve never looked back! Once I realized that a really good flat iron could get my hair JUST as straight as a relaxer could, I was sold. Not only does this save me money, it is much healthier for my hair and gives me the utmost versatility in styling. I also save a lot of my precious time- I used to dread getting up Saturday morning and spending half of my day in a salon under a hot dryer! I now wash and blow style with a CHI Hair dryer (which is also tourmaline treated to provide ions and shine), then flat iron and go.
So, if you’ve ever considered going natural there’s no need to fret. A great flat iron will provide you with incredible styling ability. Many are also afraid of going natural because they feel it may not be appropriate for work, but a quick blow dry and flat iron will fix any misunderstanding. Don’t be scared; Give it a try and let me know what you think. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
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Thanks to Wesley B of honeybrownsugar.com for writing this article for Misikko!
