Simple New Growth Flat Ironing Technique for Relaxed Hair

Puffy, reverted roots and limp flatiron jobs getting your relaxed hair down? Is your new growth hair frizzing at the slightest bit of moisture? Flat ironing is one of the easiest ways to get relaxed hair sleek and straight. While flat ironing freshly relaxed hair is relatively simple, straightening hair with a bit of new growth at the roots can complicate things a bit. Humidity can puff the new growth before its time, but the proper flatironing technique can help you get the most "wear" of out of your flatironing. This article describes a simple, relaxed hair flat ironing technique that works for straightening new growth/ roots and distal hair length.

Warning:
I don't think I need to say this, but it bears repeating. Using too much heat via flat ironing and other implements can be very damaging to black, chemically treated hair. Use your own judgement. If your hair is damaged, using heat weekly won't make that any better. Similarly, hair that was once healthy can easily move over to the other side if heat is used too often. To reduce damage to the hair, always use a heat protectant and avoid blowdrying before flatironing. Air dry your hair prior to flat ironing relaxed hair instead. While these steps can reduce heat damage, they can't prevent it entirely-- so use your own best judgement!

Personally, I like to flat iron my hair once or twice a month. I find that flat ironing more often hurts my hair. Some people can flat iron safely every day with little to no damage-- I'd love to be that girl, but that isn't me!

Simple Flat Ironing Technique for Relaxed Hair New Growth and Roots
Tools Needed:
Clips
Heat protectant
Rattail comb and wide-toothed comb
Quality ceramic or tourmaline flat iron (a MUST for keeping pesky humidity out of the cuticle!)

After washing, deep conditioning, drying, and applying a thin coating of your favorite heat protectant to the hair, section the hair into small, workable units. I prefer to flatiron my hair in 2 large sections, top and bottom (ear to ear part). I usually make smaller sections of these two larger sections as I go.

After my hair is sectioned in two, I release the bottom half of hair and detangle it first with my fingers. Then, I move through it with a wide toothed comb. Here's the new growth and roots flat ironing technique:

1.) Make a small, half or quarter inch part starting up from the nape, or back hair line. The half or quarter inch refers to the thickness of the section of hair. Since I am flat ironing myself, I like to keep the nape part one of the bigger sections because 1.) it's hidden and 2.) I'll burn the mess out of my neck trying to get in close! If you're really good, or have a smaller flat iron, you might be able to split that quarter inch section in half.

2.) Secure the other detangled hair in your section, and comb the small section out with your rattail comb. Make sure all tangles are removed from the new growth and length. If you flat iron a tangle into your hair, you can do some pretty serious damage. Each thin section will need to be no wider than the width of your plates so that no hair escapes to the sides.

3.) Gently tug the new growth hair and put just enough pressure on the hair so that it is pulled back straight. (At this point, you may choose to make one more pass with the rattail comb as you continue to hold the new growth hair taut and straight.) You want the hair as straight as possible when the heat hits it to avoid crushing the new growth curls in an awkward crimp or angle. You'll have to add more heat to get the crimp out-- and you don't want that!

4.) Place the flat iron on your new growth hair as close to your scalp as you can get without touching it. Squeeze and carefully pull the flatiron down the hair shaft approximately one inch. Open the iron plates quickly, then repeat this process at the top moving down the shaft along the same inch again. Remove the iron and detangle once more with the rattail comb. This is a very quick process. This should be done in a span of no more than 3-5 seconds. Do not LINGER on the new growth hair.

5.) Take the iron back to the top of the section and slide it down the entire length of hair to smooth it. Slowly decrease the pressure of the closed plates as you near the ends.(You decrease pressure on the hair as you move down by slightly opening the plates.) This pressure decrease is needed because the lower length of hair is the most fragile and prone to breakage. The full force of the squeezed plates + heat will hurt those ends.

6.) For additional sections I'll need to flatiron, I use even thinner sections. Subsequent sections are about the thickness of a credit card or two. The smaller the sections, the better the turnout.

IMPORTANT!
Remember, this should be a QUICK 1-2-3 second process. In fact, that's what I say when I'm flat ironing! 1-newgrowth, 2-newgrowth, 3 all----------- as I go down the length.

Why this Works for Controlling New Growth and Roots!
I find that if you are going to use heat, its best to get the flat ironing right the first time around. Some people make one pass for the entire head of hair, including new growth to "reduce heat damage"- then will have to touch up the flat ironing throughout the week. (Or they'll have to wash it back out in one day which is a waste to me!). This method allows my new growth to resist being sweat out, rained on, or simply puffed back out in the shower for days at a time-- well into a relaxer.

Ceramic or tourmaline irons are the keys to this method. They will help you seal the cuticle so that humidity is unable to penetrate. They produce an even, controlled heat that is easier on the hair and doesn't require a ridiculous number of passes to get the hair straight. Lower temperatures achieve the same great results with these irons, so you're protected there as well. As a closer, you can apply a bit of serum or anti-humectant for an additional barrier.

In this method, the new growth gets 3 passes at most, while the distal length gets one pass. You can alter this so that the newgrowth only gets 2 total passes. I use 3 newgrowth passes on stubborn areas, and only make a pass or 2 on sensitive areas I have. You have to be the judge. Some areas won't require special new growth attention and you can simply flat iron it all in one good passing. Heat levels can be adjusted throughout to accommodate different hair textures on one head.