The Straightening Process

I finally straightened my hair after going practically the whole summer without using heat… unintentionally. I did blow dry once.

In any case, I am quite surprised by how long my hair is. I feel like it’s almost as long as my relaxed hair was. I’ll probably do a comparison pic sometime soon.

I tried the Motions 3-step system for straightening natural hair, minus the shampoo. (Selsun Blue is my old ball and chain). I went straight to step two after shampooing. I applied the leave in conditioner to damp hair as directed, except I braided my hair and let it air dry overnight rather than blow drying it to dry it.

When I unbraided my hair the next day, my hair was soooooo soft and shiny. It would have been the perfect braidout if that was the goal.

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Once I unbraided it, I applied the third step which is the sealer. I began straightening my hair (I use a big barrel ceramic curling iron… me and flatirons have never really been friends) and realized that it wasn’t quite coming out how I wanted. My hair was too set from the braids. I decided to blow dry my hair first to loosen some of the curls. That worked well, then I passed the curling iron over my hair.

I started with the bottom right section of my hair because the right side of my head tends to be the worst in terms of ssk’s and dryness. I didn’t want to start with the “good” side and be disappointed when I got to the “bad” side. That was an excellent idea because my hair just got better and better as I moved along rather than worse.

I am very pleased with the growth. I plan to straighten my hair for most of the Fall/Winter. It helps me to keep a close eye on my ends and my hairs moisture balance.

I am also quite pleased with the Motions products. They were a but too fragrant for me at first, but the smell fades quick. The leave in conditioner was excellent. It’s very moisturizing and made my hair very soft and hydrated. The sealer was a nice addition as well. It is a heat protectant and smoothed out my hair as I straightened it.

Without further ado, here’s a follow up from the last shrinkage picture. Official straight hair pics and length check pics to follow.

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XOXO
Rece

Straight Hair Prep

I have an irrational fear that my hair has not grown at all since the last time I straightened it.

I have a rational fear that after I trim the ssk’s from my ends, I will have no growth to show for the last few months.

I plan to straighten my hair before the weekend comes and these are the thoughts running through my head. I’ll be whipping out my length check t-shirt and measuring up. I don’t know why I feel like the pressure is on.

I bought some new Motions products for heat styling natural hair. It’s a 3 step process with shampoo, leave in conditioner and a sealer. I didn’t buy the shampoo because I have to use Selsun Blue for my scalp anyway.

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I saw @empressL (on Instagram) use these products on her daughter’s natural hair and it looked really straight and silky and made me curious about the product.

I can’t wait to try it and also to face my fears about my hair growth (or lack thereof). I’ll keep you posted.

XOXO,
Rece