So, how many of us won’t leave the house (you know for work, seeing friends, dinners etc, not counting a grocery run) without using heat to style our hair? I have no idea, but I am definitely one of those people who cannot live without my hair straightener. I’ve probably been straightening my hair (or curling, in other words I use direct heat) around 2-3 times a week for the last 4-5 years. Often I’ll be bad and go without heat protector and I honestly use conditioner like 30% of the time :/ BUT, big but here! I don’t ever dye or bleach my hair! So I figure since I haven’t done that, I should be allowed some flexibility in how I care for my hair 😀 Right? *nervous laugh*
Well last weekend I thought I want to try and NOT heat style my hair for one week. It was a big ask, and whilst my hair to me seems healthy and fine (maybe a bit dry), I think I find my obsessive dependency on my hair straightener to be more frightening than anything else 🙁 In a small way, it does suck to not feel confident and proud without having to styling my hair (let’s not even touch makeup here!)
Happy to say I did it! This is me, with my natural hair, absolutely no heat styling (but I did throw in a bit of gel to stop it from frizzing, baby steps!?)
Sorry for my less than friendly face, I honestly did try and smile, but those photos ended up look a bit goofy :/ lol
It was strangely liberating to go a week without my straightener. I’m sure it could use the break from me, and now I have more time in the mornings to be productive (aka sleep)
As for right now (so 1.5 weeks) I still haven’t touched my straightener, but I DID blow dry my hair straight (in the photos in this post I let my hair dry naturally). I’ll probably embrace my straightener soon, but it’s good to know I can go out and look half way decent without it, plus I can probably use it a bit less too.
Enough of my rambly post, I would love to hear if you guys can relate, don’t leave me feeling like I’m the only addicted nut out there :D?
I used to use my straightener every day for … months… when I first got it a few years ago. Then that became a few days a week (mostly just for work)… and now it’s a few times a month. I think it’s just laziness, hahaha! I usually air-dry my hair, especially after getting my massive (but awesome) hairdryer, I used to use a crappy travel-sized one because I didn’t know the difference they made. What I always do, though, is put in a leave-in conditioner. I’m using Nak’s Moroccan Argan Oil at the moment, and I kind of like it. I kind of want to try natural coconut oil, though, mostly because I love the smell 🙂
Lol, actually you do have a point there! Part of not wanting to use my straightener is cause I’d rather be spending time you know… gaming or sleeping! 😛
I… actually use a tiny cheap hair drier too… how can a big salon one be any better? I thought it just blows hot air? O_o
Mine blows cold, hot and hotter air, at two strengths. It really does make a difference to how smooth your hair cuticle is, and so how shiny/smooth your finished style is. Also, the smaller the dryer, the less air it can actually move, so it takes much less time to blow dry.
That being said – I only use it on the hottest/fastest setting to get my hair dry XD But I have options!
Both you and Tanya have sold me! I’ll keep my little travel sized one for what it’s actually suppose to be used for, traveling!
Get the salon kind! Sefie’s right, it makes a big difference in the smoothing. You want that section of hair done in like, 2 or 3 passes. With the motel kind, you’re just pulling at damp hair, possibly breaking it. Not to mention it’s faster, so you can sleep/game more? =P
Frequent flyer points got me this:
http://www.vssassoon.com.au/products/dryers/VS6696WA.aspx
Bonus: cool air after seals in the shine. I suppose it’s like toner, for hair.
I used to blow my hair straight, or use straightening irons all the time. Then I (also) got lazy, and just blasted it dry. The thing is, no one really notices or cares. You are your harshest critic.
That said, I’m growing my hair out, and I’ve noticed the longer it gets, the straighter it falls (must be its own weight). Good, because I’m trying to lessen the damage I inflict on it.
Ahaha, seriously laziness is the real mother of good inventions =D!
Okay, you guys have sold me, $50 sounds really reasonable fora good quality hair dryer, I’ll checking them out tonight after work :9 Thanks for the recommendation! =D
I feel like the reject asian who wasn’t blessed with silky sleek straight hair 🙁 So even after blow drying, I find my hair to look dry or just fluffy / frizzy? Hopefully the new hair dryer will help.
No idea what mine is, but it’s also Vidal Sassoon, and about $50ish at Myers. Make sure you get one that “ionic” – apparently that helps smooth the cuticle as well as the cool blast.
I’m coming to terms with my bouffy Asian hair too XD At least we’re not killing it with backcombing and too much dying.
*shudders at thought of back combing*
Why we be those Asians with lovely straight sleek hair!? waaai!?
Er, wait, cautionary warning:
I don’t think my hair dryer is heavy duty enough. Sometimes, during a styling session, when I’m almost done (and running late, of course), a fuse or something in my hair dryer clicks and shuts it down. It thinks it’s too hot (probably a good safety feature, really), and I have to wait until it cools down a little, I hear the same click and it works again.
It’s ridiculous. I mean, I don’t see that happening in salons!
Whoa seriously!? Hmm… I mean, it’s a good safety feature that’s for sure, but I’d prefer my hair dryer not to reach heat levels where it’s too hot to handle itself and hence has to shut down, know what I mean?
Thanks for the heads up, this is stuff none of the salon ladies would admit to :/
The thermal fuse in these things is dead cheap and there’s a lot of variation in the temperature they trip at. The one you got is probably just a bit over-sensitive. Try letting more air flow through the hairdryer by not holding it as close to your head.
I wouldn’t bother with “ionic” hairdryers. The ion generators in them are massively ineffective. I can’t imagine ozone is good for hair anyway. Even if they were effective, this would be the likely result:
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/7213/128481d1247606498erasin.jpg
I too never go out without straightening my hair. I do it 3-4 times a week, the next day after a hairwash. I’ve got no choice; I’m never going to have that “sexy-tousled hair with a bit of a wave”. It’s either straight and sleek with the flat iron, or poofy, frizzy and all-together horrifying hair without.
Don’t have much of a choice, do I? 😛
*double shudder at the thought of back-combing*
I’m kinda glad I’m not alone here!! Esp when I constantly get told what I’m doing to my hair is unhealthy and will damage it etc 🙁 sorry we aren’t all born with beauitful hair 🙁 I’m in the same boat, if I really went pure natural, hello frizz!!! Else my lovely straightener can give me beauitful hair without tons of product 🙂
I heat style my hair every time I wash it (usually every second day) – hair dryer at the very minimum. I have a Parlux 3200… I love it. I have about the same length of hair as you do, and it dries it in 5 mins from dripping to straight and shiny on the highest settings. (Then I go to sleep on it and wreck the straight hehe….)
I should probably use my straightener a little more often, however. I feel so much more confident after I do, I seem to look so much better in the mornings – not to mention awake!
Yep, I definitely feel more confident when I’ve straightened my hair. I dunno, but I think I’d rather have good hair and no makeup, than makeup with bad hair. I feel like good hair just adds more to a person’s overall appearance. And… I’m so glad I’m not the only heat styling addict 😀
Though I tend to wash my hair every 3-4 days if I can, hmm… my hair doesn’t get that oily too fast, but also I’m a liiiittle bit lazy as I tend to wash my hair before bed and if I’m doing a late night there is a tendency to not properly dry my hair, and damp hair gives me headaches / disrupts my sleep @_@ But drying is such a pain, takes me like 20 mins at least 🙁
Thanks for the recommendation! Just about to leave work, can’t wait to so some window shopping tonight 😀
I actually love the natural wave of your hair, especially with the layers. I always wanted waves, ppl are never happy with their hair! hahaha
http://www.indramaticfashion.com
Aww! Thank you so much, that’s really sweet 🙂 And you’re totally right, we never are happy with what we have hehe
I used to straighten my hair a lot…especially when it was heaps shorter because it tended to be poufier. But now I don’t rememeber the last time I touched my straightener! My used to be pretty poufy and frizzy (puberty I tell you! lol) but now it’s really nice. It either dries almost dead straight or it forms half curls at the ends. So I haven’t needed to straighten it for ages. I do use a hairdryer to dry it to half to 3/4 dry but after hearing how quickly everyone elses hairdryers dry their hair I’m thinking mine is pretty inadquate. Guess I’ll need to look into buying a new one!
I’m so jealous of your nice hair!! I always get frizz with my natural hair, and my only solutions are straightener or tons of product!
Let me know which one you get, I still need one too, but am rather undecided~