Recently our girl Lauryn graced the stage a week after giving birth with some boss plum raisin lips and an even bossier blow out. Doesn’t she look so pretty? There is something about a blow out and swanging hair that does something for the soul of a kinky or curly girl especially if you have not seen your hair straight in a while.
Blowing out my hair is not something I do unless I’m pressing my hair which this year I have not done yet, however I decided to try something new and do a blow dry braid out. Insta hair love! I realllyyyyy like blowing out my hair and so far this year, I’ve done it twice already. I cant’ get addicted though because I know a lot of heat is not good for my hair.
To blow out my hair I use my beloved and dutiful yellow bird blow dryer (which is on it’s last leg unless i can salvage it with duct tape) right after I’ve washed and conditioned my hair and applied some heat protectant. Recently I’ve been using so sexy heat protectant from Victoria’s Secret since it has ceramides and makes my hair smell like heaven just like the conditioner I talked about before that I love (read this if you don’t know what I’m talking about). Unlike many other heat protectants, it’s water based but I don’t mind it since I dry my hair right afterwards.
I will definitely be blowing it out for the holidays so that can have the big holiday hair I always want. I don’t know, for some reason, around the holidays, I MUST have extra banging hair and it must be big. Big hair is so festive to me and nothing says Merry Christmas like a blow out, huh? Now which holiday will it be – Thanksgiving or Christmas maybe. hmmm…decisions, decisions.
CN Says;
I too went through a phase this year where I’d blow my hair out to stretch it. I did it once a month for maybe 2 or 3 months in a row. The main reason why I reached for it instead of my gigantor rollers was due to time constraints… blowing it out (especially with the comb attachment) was the quickest method to stretch my hair for a twist-out and of course gave me the Joan Clayton look. BUT, my fine strands hate heat, so I knew I’d be in for a world of hurt if I didn’t put it down and step away.
At the end of last month I revisited CurlFormers, and I plan to make that my stretching method. It took about 40 minutes to get them all in, and although sleeping in them was tough going, I liked the smooth results. Oh, and it obviously made for a nice dry twist-out (see STL pics!).
I did a blow out on my hair and it did not work, I tried it after a conditioner with moisturiser and my hair did not flop down and become soft, its when I twisted it with moisturiser the next morning take it out and then it's really soft, I did a blow out about four times since I big chopped
I did a blow out on my hair and it did not work, I tried it after a conditioner with moisturiser and my hair did not flop down and become soft, its when I twisted it with moisturiser the next morning take it out and then it's really soft, I did a blow out about four times since I big chopped
I have been transitioning for 11 months thinking about a big chop soon. i have blow dryed my hair about 4 times since ive been natural… is this okay? i only do it right before i get braids or a sew in.
I don't blow out or flat iron my natural hair anymore. I did in the beginnning of being natural but noticed my fine curls were getting damaged and would not curl back up!!! Soooo no direct heat for me since Dec. 2009. My hair has grown tremendously since (couple of inches past my shoulder in a wngo). I am contemplating roller setting in large rollers during the holidays just so I can see the length!
I've been using Curlformers all summer to stretch my hair and this method has worked well with me. I can even use Curlformers on hair with conditioner instead of wet and still get great results. I use about 30 Curlformers, they take less time than rollers to put in, about 30 minutes. I can sleep in them, no problem. I also tried the conditioner/heatcap setting method (hair in twists) that CN talked about with great results; haven't used blow-drying for years.
I love flatironing also, but I keep it to once every 1 or 2 months and I dont' have much of a problem. I believe the amount that you flatiron depends on what your hair goals are. If you want hair down to your but, it's probably better to stay away from heat altogether, but if you like a shorter do (between sl and apl), you can probably get away with it more as long as you are deep conditioning, using heat protectant and moisturizing at night…
LOL @ the ever-present drama…..anyway…. 🙂
I'm going against the grain here and saying I like blowouts. (Pin a rose on your nose if you don't LOL.) I have done a total of 3 blowouts since September 2010, usually before putting in kinky twists. I get a kick out of seeing my hair super-stretched. I use a heat protectant by Motions, as well as grapeseed oil. I have not flat-ironed yet since before my last relaxer (April 2010), but I plan on flat-ironing this fall/winter.
I would like to try Curlformers, but I know I would need a gazillion packs with all of this thick hair on my head!
I have not used a blow dryer on my hair since I have been natural (about 20 months), but I have been contemplating roller setting in the near future. But after Nikki revealed that her hair at the STL meet up was the result of curl formers, I really may try that. Her hair was BEAUTIFUL on Saturday! Really nice look Nikki!
I'm transitioning (7 months post relaxer). I only use a blow dryer to trim my hair. I've done that only once since I've been transitioning. I will probably blow dry 2-4 times a year (for trims) until I big chop.
Mostly I do roller sets with a hooded dryer (safe heat) and then I wrap my hair. It doesn't get the roots super straight, but it's good enough to creat buns, which is how I where my hair most of the time anyway.
I'm transitioning and try to air-dry(unless I'm doing a rollerset) before flat ironing or doing a blowout. I always apply a heat protectant (Aphogee's Green Tea & Keratin or Keratin's Cement). I noticed that this gives me soft, smooth results and reduces shedding or breakage.
http://therootproblem.blogspot.com/
@Anon 11:32 – *crickets*
I was just saying I want to blow my hair out more.. while ppl are claiming about 5 or 6 SSk's i feel like every strand has one or TWO on them! I want to start regularly trimming every 3-4 months so i'll most likely blow it out then (=
I've been natural for almost ten years and have only done it once. I'm considering doing it again SOON so that I can get my ends trimmed and check my length.
http://lovepeaceandnappy-ness.blogspot.com/
Anon @ 4:06 and 3:59. so basically its ok for YOU to have shoulder length hair, but ur telling other naturals not to grow theirs to hip length. Expecially if its kinky…….. because of time n blah blah blah. N u dont understand why ppl want blah blah blah. Stop telling other naturals what to do with their own heads of hair. ur not the NATURAL HAIR POLICE. If they want to experience really long hair so be it. Maybe they have never had that length, n they are curious. maybe YOU think its hard to manage. But others dont. How do u know what the lady with hip lengths hair routine is. DID U ASK HER. It might be simplier than urs. Smh. Even ur rebuttle sounds like a bunch of HATERADE. n dont say its their decision if they want to deal with all that it entails. We are woman. looking good is only a choir cuz we like to complicate things that are quite simple. its in our nature. u sound jealous of that woman. Smh God bless you have a great day 🙂
I went through a period where I was getting Dominican blow outs ALL the time…I was just hooked on the ease of wrapping it at night and combing it down into a doobie in the morning (can't lie)!! 😉 That was in 2009. However, it really did damage my super-fine, thin hair. I have not blown out my hair in almost two years, but here is a question for you ladies…how do you go about finding a stylist for a blow out? I moved from the Triangle area of NC to a verrrrry small town in TN. Have you ladies had luck with picking a salon w/ no naturals on staff, or either a staff that is all Caucasian? I would love some feedback on that! Thanks!
I usually blow out my hair once every few months when I get it trimmed. Its always such a fun surprise to see how much my hair has grown.
jen
http://blankwhiteframes.blogspot.com
I blow dry my hair around the winter and early spring months… I only blow dry my hair when i'm going to straighten it cause I know that ultimatlely heat is NOT our friend :p
I've stayed away from blow dryers for a couple of years, but recently I have been lightly blow drying damp hair on the "cold" setting. I then twist my hair. I do it to save time, stretch my hair, and reduce tangling. Does anyone else use a cold setting???
I've been wanting to try a blowout but it's so big i'm afraid of what i should do to it after! But, a twist out is a good idea. I'll have to try it out soon
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to Anon 4:50 PM Thank you and I agree with you that if one wants to have really long hair and want to deal with all that it entails, it's their decision. Just didn't feel like adding another line. I do think too many of us over emphasize hair length. I've always had long hair all my life so it's no big deal with me if it's long or short (just as long as it's cute and healthy).
to Anon 4:55 PM Since I was responding to the lady who mentioned having hip length hair in her comment, then in my opinion, my comment is on topic and it appears that with your response, maybe you should do a MYOB and you appear to be the one rude with your sign-off! Case closed.
@anonymous "4:06 PM" you're rude. What's the point in you saying that, ESPECIALLY when its off topic? KEEP IT CUTE OR PUT IT ON MUTE. I'm done.
@anon 4:06
I pretty much agree with you, I don't think its practical to have hair that long for ME…. but whatever floats another persons boat shouldn't sink mine (or yours). Some people really enjoy having long hair. You don't need to know or understand why another person makes the decision to have hair a certain length, or worn in a certain style.
P.S. One of the ladies said she had hip length hair. No offense, but outside of bragging rights (just to show everyone Black hair can grow) what's the point…that kind of length is a totally drain on time, energy and money to upkeep it (especially if it's not of a looser curl) and if it's in a bun or braids most of the time, again, what's the point outside of saying "look how long my/her hair is!" Long as it's healthy and of reasonable length with a style that should be the goal. I'm done.
As long as you use a good (hopefully natural based) heat protectant (I also use grapeseed oil–holds up under 450 degree heat), a SUPERIOR blow-dryer (SEDU 4000i) and a ceramic/touralmine flat iron (SEDU) , and don't overdo (3-5 times a day running iron thru hair), your hair will be FINE! I've been natural for close to a year and my hair is flourishing and touches the top of my shoulders now so I must be doing something right.
I love you ladies but stop tripping and stressing over natural hair and enjoy–hair is so much stronger w/o the relaxer chemicals (which none of us no longer deal with) and with the proper daily treatment/maintenance we've all learn to give our hair, we should be able to wear it straight as long as we want to w/o any problems as long as we use commonsense. (look at the young actress who played Rudy on the Cosby her hair straight is gorgeous…healthy, shiny and thick!
I went a little crazy with the blow outs after 2 years natural. I like the look and I was excited about the length and being able to pin my hair up. I only used medium heat, with heat protectant. Now I've got quite a few split ends and mid-shaft-splits
🙁 🙁 🙁 My hair is really really fine and so I guess I have to nix the blow dryer. I bought some curlformers and plan on trying them out very soon. I also swayed from my 90% natural routine preference and have been using Nexxus Pro Mend Overnight Treatment and Conditioner. Whoa!! It has strengthened my fragile stands sooooo much! ~s.noelle
Once a quarter for trims. The month before I am so excited to see length and wear it straight. Then after the blow drying, which is usually not as gentle as I would like, I feel defanged because my hair is so much lighter. That usually cures me of wanting to blow dry my hair again until the next time.
I don't do blowouts very often. My hair seems to hate two things: shampoo and heat.
I haven't had my hair straightened since October 2010 and am planning on not blowing it out until the end of January 2012 (the end of my site's grow out challenge). When I do "straighten," I just want to do a blow out on a cool setting and then try a braid and curl or twist and curl. No flat iron for me. I have 6 months to find the best heat protectant out there (Nik, have you done a post on that?!? Gotta search the site=). Prior to this, my hair probably has been straightened twice a year for trims. So, I'm trying to break that trend and do S&Ds myself or get it trimmed by stylist who know how to cut curly hair and don't need to straighten it to get rid of split ends.
Shelli
I haven't blown out my hair since last year. The way I stretch my hair is by banding or plain ol' ponytails. My fine tresses don't take too well to heat and blow dryers are my hair enemy.
Barely ever. I think staying away from blowdriers is what got me to hip length so quickly.
I am still trying to find a good heat protectant. Currently using Redkin Smooth Glide. My blow dryer is a real gem – FHI Nano!
Got a trim last month and the stylist blow dried my hair and I absolutely loved it! I achieved the best braid out ever and I didn't have the single strand knots that I typically experience over a two week period prior to washing. I washed my hair this weekend and I atttempted a braid out. Took the braids out and decided to stretch my hair by blowing it out on the cool setting after it dried. Not as great as the professional blow out but it helps with increasing my style options and preventing knots, tangles, etc. I am thinking of using the blow dryer on the cool setting more often.
since i have gone natural i haven't blow dried once. my hair is growing in a very healthy way, and for my hair's sake, i am refusing to do that to it and myself again. Hopefully i will be able to cut off the dead relaxed ends when it gets long enough(anytime now would be nice), and just do wash and go's!!!
I hardly ever blow out my hair. Last time I did was in the Spring of 2010.
A healthier way I stretch my hair is to towel dry it with leave-in conditioner and put it in a scrunchie. I braid or twist the free end and tie everything down with a scarf. Then let it airdry for a few hrs or overnight. I 2-strand twist it after that.
I also revisited curl formers last week. Love the smoothness that it gives while strecting my hair.
Nothing wrong with a blow out but the curlformers are easier on my strands
I blow out my hair every 2 to 3 months. Before I transitioned I've always had long hair unless I cut it short/medium into a specific cut. I just hate(on myself) short or medium length hair that isn't in a cut. So now my hair is about 2 inches above bra strap length when I straighten but I can't stand it being that short with no shape so back into my curly fro it went. Hopefully by December it'll be long enough that I feel comfy wearing it straight OR maybe I'll cut it into a style… I doubt I'll do the cut though since I prefer wearing my hair curly. It would probably be silly to get it cut into a style I won't hardly ever see. lol
I've been natural for the past 10 months and have blown my hair out 3 times. I used grapeseed oil for a heat protectant. I love the look of a blow out afro, however, it really didn't stretch my twist outs all that much. I will blow out once more to get my hair straightened, and then after that, I will be done for a LONG while. I'm noticing stray straight strands (try saying that three times fast, lol) of hair. I don't like that!
tiannamae.blogspot.com
She looks pretty, but my first thought when I saw the photo of her on another blog was, "I wonder if Lauren did like Jill Scott and got a relaxer?" If she did, she did…but I hope not!