Why...

[mrsloh]

So I bought some ORS Loc and twist Gel - I have been a no chemicals, no heat natural since around June.

I bought it because I was expecting to be going into the hospital and I thought that if I used the gel then I could have hold with my twists that my hair could stay "cute" while I was in the hospital. (Admitting to having hidden issues about a smashed fro/twists)

After I was done twisting, it felt all gushy and wet. It was a feeling that I didn't enjoy or miss. I should have ran over to the sink and washed it out right away. But what did I do? I had the bright idea to grab my "cool air" blowdryer and help it along. I had it on my hair for only 3 -4 minutes. Now mind you, I hadn't used heat on my hair in almost a year.

What was I thinking? Was my ailing kidney clouding my judgement! My hair is ruined. My twists are all stringy in some places and puffy in others. I have no fro. My hair feels all weird. Dry, like straw.

I am not looking for sympathy with the "I'm so sorry this happened to you" - I am posting this as a warning to EVERYONE who has the tendency to get bored, lazy, curious in regards to your napps; DON'T DO IT! STEP AWAY FROM THE HEAT!

The thing is - you won't know until it's too late what even a "little heat" will do. The best thing you can do for your napps is to love them and let them be who they are.

My napps do not like chemicals, so -- no matter what is going on in my life, I will not be using them EVER AGAIN.

My napps do not like heat. So I will protect them from ALL kinds of heat.

[CASCT]

Thank you very much for posting this. Before I came across this thread my mom and I were having a discussion about getting my hair burnt after I cut my relaxed ends off. This just proves that even just a "little heat" can damage hair.

[1ariel]

My naps pay me back when I get heat near them too. The worst is hand blow dryer and of course the straightening comb. I end up with permanently straighten hair on the front sides and the back has a VERY loose wave. The back already hangs more loosely than the other parts as it is. So if I EVER slip and go straight again I might as well slap some creamy crack on it because my lovely naps will have to be cut down to the undamaged parts anyway. I have no plans on straightening… I already know the damage it does to my hair from the other times I was natural.
http://public.fotki.com/1ariel/

[Jazitones]

After I was done twisting, it felt all gushy and wet. It was a feeling that I didn't enjoy or miss. I should have ran over to the sink and washed it out right away. But what did I do? I had the bright idea to grab my "cool air" blowdryer and help it along. I had it on my hair for only 3 -4 minutes. Now mind you, I hadn't used heat on my hair in almost a year.
[/b]

Using the cool setting from your blow dryer for about 3 or 4 minutes wouldn't do much damage IMO? I'm really confuse because you said you use the cools setting, but yet you haven't use heat on your hair in a year. If you use direct heat on your hair for a long period of time then I would say yeah don't do it.

[NappyAnnie]

Curiousity killed the cat. Well, it killed me years ago. A friend of mine got her hair burnt and curled and her hair looked fabulous. So, I made an appointment to have mine burnt. I had it burnt and it looked great, lasted 3 weeks by just wrapping my hair at night. Well, I decided to wash my hair and wear a bush for a week or so. Out of the question, around the front and the back of my hair it was stringy...look like I got a fresh perm on my bangs and on the last row of the back of my hair. I learned my lesson years ago and can't nobody talk me into it if they tried.

Don't worry Mrsloh...your hair will grow back. Try not to make the mistake twice. I know. It was a learning experience for me. I just cut it out and it grew back nappy as ever.

NappyAnnie

[mrsloh]

<div class='quotemain'>
After I was done twisting, it felt all gushy and wet. It was a feeling that I didn&#39;t enjoy or miss. I should have ran over to the sink and washed it out right away. But what did I do? I had the bright idea to grab my "cool air" blowdryer and help it along. I had it on my hair for only 3 -4 minutes. Now mind you, I hadn&#39;t used heat on my hair in almost a year.
[/b]

Using the cool setting from your blow dryer for about 3 or 4 minutes wouldn&#39;t do much damage IMO? I&#39;m really confuse because you said you use the cools setting, but yet you haven&#39;t use heat on your hair in a year. If you use direct heat on your hair for a long period of time then I would say yeah don&#39;t do it.
[/b][/quote]

Didn&#39;t mean to confuse ya Jazi. That was my first time using ANYTHING CLOSE to heat in almost a year - even the "cool setting". On my dryer, its not even really a setting - there is a button that you have to suppress the entire time while blowing to maintain the "cool" air - The air didn&#39;t seem as hot as it would if I didn&#39;t use the cool button - but it wasn&#39;t as cool as the air on a fan. But I said, "it&#39;s only a few minutes - it won&#39;t hurt." And boy was I wrong.

I don&#39;t know - maybe the button is broken or wasn&#39;t completely supressed. Whatever happened that day - I know that my hair is jacked up.

My hair is already fine and loosely curled on the top and back. I had trouble with twists staying. And it would lay straight if I tied a scarf on it when it&#39;s wet and then combed it out in the morning. My braidouts don&#39;t look like braidouts at all because of my texture. They look wavy on some parts and straight on others. And that was all WITHOUT using ANY heat - cool or otherwise.

Now - even when wet - my hair doesn&#39;t even shrink in some places and the ends of some of my twists are straight. And I swear - I had never used any heat on my hair before that day. I think I will just stay on the safe side and not even use a cool air blowdryer. I should&#39;ve did what I used to do and just sit in front of a fan until it dried.

[natitwists]

your hair sounds alot like mine mrsloh. Thanks for posting this

[mrsloh]

your hair sounds alot like mine mrsloh. Thanks for posting this
[/b]

It does Nati! Those darn twists! And I had to go am make it worse! So if anyone with hair texture similar to Nati&#39;s or mines - STEP AWAY FROM THE HEAT!

But you know what they say - "experience is a good teacher..."

:blush: I actually am a bit embarrased because I knew better. Somewhere deep inside I knew that if I even went close to heat that it wouldn&#39;t be a good thing. But I did it anyway. So I figured that I won&#39;t let this experience be a waste - but that I would tell as many people as I could.

So once more for the road...if your texture is combined and or fine, thick, curly, coarse, nappy or wavy - don&#39;t play with heat. But that should be a bigger warning for people with combined textures because the heat will have a different effect on each texture in your hair.

Back in high school my choir teacher told me "you don&#39;t have to live through or experience everything you need to learn, some things you can and should learn from the experiences of others"...

ETA:
I am lovin that wrap in your avatar Nati!

[carmenjones]

The only time I use a blowdryer is when my feet are freezing cold and they won&#39;t warm up. A quick blast of blowdryer heat solves that problem! And it feels good! :P

[KinkyB1216]

Wow...that was a lesson learned. I&#39;m afraid to go near any heat.