The silky straight mane is making a guest appearance this week! I haven’t straightened my hair in over a year since I began the process of trimming the damage I experienced in October of 2010. I figured I’d change things up a bit and film an OOTD while I was at it. Check out that post HERE.
There were a few questions on my Facebook page regarding the process after I posted the preview pic below. I have to say, its still pretty similar to what it was before. This time I switched out my usual Chi Infra Heat Treatment for Andre Walker products sent to me by his PR reps.
The Process
1. Night before I slathered a Silk Elements Megasilk Moisturizing Treatment mixture all over my hair. I added a little EVOO, coconut oil, raw honey & jojoba oil.
2. Covered my hair with a plastic cap topped with my Hair Therapy Wrap and slept with the moisturizing conditioner treatment in — this paired with the mixture in step one is my first line of defense against heat damage.
3. The next morning, I lightly shampooed the mixture out — because of the amount of oils in the conditioner, this ensures there is no residue when its time to blow dry and flat iron. Note: even though I shampooed, the moisture does remain in the hair from the treatment.
4. Andre Walker’s Make Peace with You Hair TKO was used as a follow up condish — this provides an additional layer of moisture and protection against the heat especially since it contains keratin and dimethicone.
5. I rinsed and then blow dried with Phytodefrisant.
6. Before flat ironing each of the 6 sections, I ran Andre Walker’s Make Peace with Your Hair Q-Oil through each section and flat ironed on 400 degrees with ONE PASS of the flat iron only.
The Review
I’ve had Andre’s products for a few months, but because of the high keratin content, I held off on using until deciding to straighten my hair. Reading the ingredients of TKO, dimethicone is 6th on the list. After reading How to Prevent Heat Damage When Flat Ironing Hair, we know that dimethicone and a few other ingredients help to heat the hair in a slow, uniformed fashion which helps to protect against permanently damaging ones curl pattern, therefore preventing heat damage.
The Q-Oil only contains 4 ingredients, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Argania Spinosa Kernel, Fragrance; the article previously discussed mentions the first two ingredients listed in the product as the best in slow and even heat conduction. When using the Q-Oil I did notice the temperature of my hair was cool to the touch immediately after the pass of the flat iron, as compared to the temperature of my hair on an untreated portion.
My only gripe about this system is the pricing. Yes, the website offers a slight discount when you purchase multiple products in a system, but for someone like me who doesn’t straighten often, it is still a high price to pay. Also, it is important to mention that the TKO only contained enough product for one use (at $15 a jar)! Depending on the length and thickness of your hair, you may be able to get two uses out of it or not have enough for one application, especially if you use a method similar to mine which ensures that all strands are saturated with product.
The day these pics were taken, the weather in Atlanta was a little rainy and wet, but my hair held up pretty well. Also, don’t forget to check out my OOTD titled Floral Pleats & Fringes.
What’s your regimen for straightening?
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