flexirod set natural hair klassy kinks statement necklace curls

How to Make Straightened Natural Hair Last for 3 Weeks

When I straightened my hair at Madu Salon at the beginning of June, I just knew it was going to last all but three days before I had to wash it out. Since I hadn’t straightened it in three years, and the San Francisco Bay Area is known for being eternally misty, there wasn’t much hope for keeping my hair straight and sleek – my stylist LaTasha didn’t even have faith! Despite the odds being forever NOT in my favor, I managed to keep make my straightened natural hair last for three weeks, here’s how!

Week One: Wrap & Scarf Curls

As soon as I came back from the salon, I took my behind to Target and purchased a paddle brush and large bobby pins to help me wrap my hair. I’ll admit, when I had a relaxer I wasn’t even good at wrapping my hair, so I definitely watched a few videos to remind me how it’s done. The next day, my ends were even more tamed then they were when I left the salon, so I beat the odds!

kinky to straight natural hair klassykinks

The next night, I experimented with lazy pin curls by tucking my ends underneath a silk scarf tied into a headband (like this). Since my hair only wrapped around once, I assumed it would be a miserable fail and I would have to wear a bun for my fiance’s graduation, but my hair came out very cute! Over the next few days, I alternated between doobie wrapping and curling at night, until things became too crazy and I just covered my hair with a bonnet.

How to Make Straightened Natural Hair Last for Three Weeks
2 days post straightening
How to Make Straightened Natural Hair Last for Three Weeks
3 days post straightening
Week Two: Wigs & Buns

Once we got back to the East Coast, I had to figure out how to wear my hair with a headwrap for my introduction. I wanted some hair peeking through the scarf, but knowing my own hair wasn’t long enough, I pulled out my Fingercomber Kinky Wave Unit wig. It provided just enough length and curls, and because it’s colored, looked close enough to my hair!

Fingercomber Kinky Wave Unit Ankara off the shoulder headwrap

After the introduction, I had nowhere to go and not much time to play with my hair, so I put it in a simple high bun/topknot. Even though the trim LaTasha gave me was beyond necessary, it did drastically reduce the length of my hair, making my bun require way more bobby pins than I anticipated. A few drops of ORS Black Olive Repair 7 Oil Elixir every other night kept my ends somewhat sleek and hydrated.

klassy kinks bun nyc skyline

Week Three: Flexi Rod Curls

By the end of the second week, my roots were still straight but my ends were starting to frizz up since I had not been wrapping them. I decided to use flexi rods to curl my hair so I could have some texture for my emcee gig at the Living No Lye Tour’s NYC stop. I’ve done flexirods on blown out hair before, so I had a good idea that they would turn out well, and with the exception of one rogue curl, I loved my results! I used Camille Rose Naturals Aloe Whipped Butter Gel because it is not water based – so I would get a curl without reverting my hair.

I loved my hair so very much, I’ve decided to use this dope picture by Fly Life Images as my new headshot!

The next day, some of the curls dropped so I pulled my hair up into a loose puff using an ankara headwrap for CurlFest.

orange jumpsuit ankara headwrap sunglasses curls puff

I didn’t do anything to maintain my flexirod curls, so in three days, my hair looked like this and it was definitely time to wash!

natural hair fro wash day curls

Stay tuned for Friday’s post where I share what products helped me revert all the way back to my fro without any heat damage.

What I Used to Maintain my Straightened Natural Hair

What methods and hairstyles do you use to preserve your straightened natural hair?

 

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Comments

  1. You did a tremendous job preserving your straighten hair for 3 week. This tips I will consider when I straighten my hair. I will save this post so I can come back to it later. I haven’t had my hair straighten in years but I think this tips will help out.