How To Get Through The Rest Of This Summer As A 'Straight Natural'

So, let’s dig in. Starting (and ending) with a couple of other straight naturalistas and their tips, along with 10 of my own that I’ve personally found to make being a straight natural pretty awesome and (relatively) easy — even when it’s hot as literal hell outdoors.

1. Invest in a Really (REALLY) Good Hair Dryer

If you’re going to make the decision/commitment to be a straight natural, you absolutely cannot skimp on your hair dryer. Since it is going to be playing such a pivotal role in stretching out your tresses, you want to make sure that you go with one that can get the job done with as little damage and drama as possible.

The one that I personally use is the CONFU Hair Dryer Professional Ionic Salon Blow Dryer; that’s because it dries my hair hella fast without a lot of pulling and tugging (plus, the price was reasonable). On the other hand, if money grows on trees in your world, first, can I come and live with you? Secondly, you might wanna cop a Revair Reverse-Air Hair Dryer. Although it costs a few hundred bucks, the people I know who own it say that it’s well worth the investment.

Some other options that you might want to check out are featured in InStyle’s “The 8 Best Hair Dryers for a Blowout Minus the Damage, Tested & Reviewed” and Cosmopolitan’s “8 Blow Dryers for 4c Hair That I’m Obsessed With for My Natural Curls” articles. Another tip is to go to YouTube and put “best blow dryers for natural hair” in the search field. Naturalistas are full of hot hair hacks on that app.

2. Watch the Hell Outta Some Silk Press Tutorials

Although I would consider myself to be a straight natural, honestly, all I do is blow out my hair (check out “One Thing About Fall Is It's The Ideal Season For Blowouts”) and go on about my life. However, if you want yours bone straight to the point where it looks like you’ve relaxed it, a silk press (which is a styling technique that combines blow drying with flat ironing) is probably gonna be your best bet.

And if you want to keep a few coins in your pocket by avoiding seeing a professional stylist, YouTube also has all kinds of DIY tutorials for the technique on there. Some examples are located here, here, here, here and here. Oh, and there’s no point in knowing how to do a silk press if you don’t have a suitable flat iron.

3. Try a Hair Straightening Shampoo

It’s kind of wild how, back in the day, shampoo was pushed as simply something that got your hair clean. These days, though? There seem to be all sorts that can do all kinds of stuff. Take hair-straightening shampoo, for example. Although it might sound like nothing more than a marketing ploy, actually, what could make them a good choice if you want to be a straight natural is the fact that they contain more silicones and polymers than standard shampoos do.

This is a win because they “weigh down” the hair a bit and also reduce frizz so that your cuticles are smoother for a longer period of time. If you’d like to give hair straightening shampoo a shot, a list of some of the best ones are located here.

4. Use a Silicone-Based Conditioner

Speaking of silicone, if you’ve always wondered if it’s something that you should try, as a person with high porosity hair myself, one of the best things that has happened to me and my hair is a silicone conditioner (the one I use is here). My hair is softer, the detangling process is much easier and the way that it reduces blow drying time while also keeping my cuticles flat — GIRL! The reason why silicone is able to do this is because they are made up of a combination of synthetic oils and waxes that help to keep your hair hydrated for a longer period of time. Plus, they reduce humidity which is always the nemesis when it comes to trying to keep hair straight/stretched for longer periods of time in the hotter seasons.​

That’s not to say that silicones are the holy grail for everyone because they can sometimes be too heavy for finer hair strands. Also, if you don’t use a clarifying shampoo from time to time, they can actually block your tresses from receiving more of the moisture that it needs (from say, humectants).

Bottom line, test silicone conditioners out to see if it’s a good fit for you personally. As for me and my house, though, they are one of the best things ever!

5. Rinse Your Hair with Cool Water

Although you might think that how you rinse your hair isn’t really that big of a deal, there is actually some science out here that says otherwise. The reality is, if you opt for rinsing your hair in cool water, it seals your hair’s cuticles so that they lie flat which reduces frizz. Another perk that comes with cool water is it actually helps to lock in moisture (and moisturizing ingredients) for a longer period of time. So, although hot water might feel absolutely amazing on your scalp, it does tend to dehydrate it as well as your hair. So…for the health of your hair and scalp — and so that your hair remains straighter for a longer period of time — rinsing your hair in cooler water really is the best way to go.

6. Apply a Heat Protectant

No matter how much I like applying heat to my hair, I’m not blind to the fact that, if I’m not careful, it can end up doing more harm than good to my strands. That’s because, when extreme temps (or constantly applying heating tools) hit hair strands, it can severely dehydrate them and that can lead to breakage. That’s why, as a straight natural, one of your absolute best friends needs to be heat protectant. I’ve shared before that hair professionals say that if your locks are on the thicker side, you’d be better off applying a cream instead of spray. While that may be true, I’ve been rocking with L'Oréal Paris's Advanced Hairstyle Sleek It Iron Straight Heat Spray for a minute now and I have not one complaint.

7. Allow Your Hair to Air Dry Before Blow Drying. Try to Do 1-2 Passes Tops with the Flat Iron.

There’s no point in being a straight natural if that’s only going to be the case for a few months because you end up damaging your hair so much that you end up needing to chop it all off. And so, even if your blow dryer is all things wonderful, it’s still a wise practice to allow your hair to air dry, at least 40-50 percent before applying any heat. That’s how you can significantly reduce the chances of overheating/frying your hair.

Speaking of hair frying, when it comes to that flat iron of yours, if you want bone straight hair, try to keep your hair sections relatively small and slowly pass the iron through each one. If you do this, 1-2 passes really should be enough. Do more than that and it’s another way to make your hair vulnerable to damage, breakage and split ends.

8. Smooth Your Hair Out with Some Jojoba Oil

Even though I deep condition the heck outta my hair, I can tell a real difference whenever I coat it with a bit of chebe butter or a carrier oil like jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is bomb on a few levels. It strengthens your hair. It helps to reduce breakage. It moisturizes your hair and scalp (without making your hair feel too greasy). It reduces split ends. It helps to make your hair strands thicker. And it also reduces frizz and adds sheen, so that your straight natural is as smooth and sleek as ever.

9. Apply a Leave-In Conditioner on Your Ends at Night

Just recently, I was talking to someone who was telling me that her hair never grows past her shoulder blades. Now, although genetics absolutely play a role in hair length (and more important, hair length speed), if her hair continues to grow out from her scalp, technically, that means that it should get longer with time. Y’all, the reason why our hair tends to hit growth plateaus is because our hair breaks off (or we cut it) damn near as fast as it grows out.

And that’s why, another surefire tip is to apply a dab of a leave-in conditioner to your ends at night. Not only will it protect the oldest parts of your hair but again, the more hydrated/coated your hair is, the easier it is to avoid frizz — and if you want straight hair, you’ve got to avoid frizz at all costs.

10. Spray Some Oil Sheen on Your Locks

Aight, so some folks who I have a complete and total attitude with right now are the Bronner Brothers. The backstory is this: I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that one of my all-time favorite products, their Shea Butter Conditioning Spray, is discontinued because it literally took me two days to find some cans that didn’t cost over 20 bucks (I’m not exaggerating). SMDH. I personally adore it because, once I finish styling my hair, it’s the kind of spray that gives my hair shine. As a bonus, it conditions my strands really well for the rest of the day too.

Anyway, now that I’m trying to accept that seasons may be changing when it comes to my “get me right” product, I think that I may have found a solid alternative. It’s the Fantasia IC Shea Butter Sheen Spray. Although it’s not exactly like the Bronner Brothers brand, it’s still pretty good. Besides, I think what I am coming to realize is it’s the shea butter in the spray sheen that is actually giving me what I am looking for. Bottom line, definitely land on some short of oil sheen. It’s the icing on your straight natural look, no doubt.

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Is it easier to have chemically relaxed hair in the summertime? Eh, probably (I mean, why lie?). Is it impossible to keep your natural curl pattern and still be a straight natural right through here, though? Absolutely not.

Follow these tips and you can have (pretty) sleek hair — the kind that you can switch back to curly at a dime if/when you feel like it.

Something that the relaxed girls simply can’t do, chile. #justsaying

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