Hair Straightening Nightmare
About eight months after deciding to grow my hair out, my hair was now much longer and fuller. I was interested in seeing how my hair would look flat ironed.
However, I wanted to wear it straight for at least a couple of weeks and I had read and heard stories of naturalistas spending hours straightening their hair only for it to frizz up later that day. I wanted to prevent this from happening and after much research I came to the conclusion that I would either have to (a) use a very hot flat iron* (450 degrees +) or (b) try a straightening treatment.
I decided to go with a keratin straightening treatment. Being a broke college student, I bought an over the counter straightening treatment without researching the brand or product (dumb, dumb, dumb). The treatment claimed to not have a permanent effect on the hair and that the natural hair would revert back to its curly state after a few washes. I applied the treatment and followed the directions closely.
Once I finished the entire process, I had a deep feeling that something was terribly wrong. My hair was very coarse, flat, and looked extremely processed. I immediately washed my hair several times hoping it would revert but it didn’t. My heart began to race and pound.
I gazed in the mirror at what appeared to be my permanently straightened and damaged hair. I immediately surfed the web to see what people had to say about the product. I was shocked to see that many women had the same experience and broke down in tears when I read that their hair never reverted back to its natural state.
They compared the product to a relaxer and pointed out that it contained some of the same ingredients as a relaxer. I was completely devastated.
I never planned on permanently straightening my hair; I loved my natural hair. After a week of washing my hair repeatedly, I realized that my hair was permanently straightened and my only option was to shave my hair, AGAIN. I was definitely disappointed with myself for making such a stupid decision but happy to rid myself of the bone straight damaged mess on my head.