Real Hair Answers

How To Flat Iron Your Hair
How To Shampoo Your Hair
How To Make Your Hair Grow Long
How To Blow-Dry With A Round Brush
How To Curl Hair With A Flat Iron
How To Curl Hair With A Curling (Round) Iron
How To Blow Dry Curly Hair Before Ironing

How To Flat Iron Your Hair

Having The Right Iron.

The Real Hair Answer for the best flatiron is the FHI. There are several irons (see review of irons) on the market that get hot enough but the FHI iron offers the best heat, tension and size. It has a 1” plate, which is the perfect size, and Size matters—too big will be too cumbersome and will not allow you to get close enough to your scalp, and will cause your hand to tire quickly. Too small, will take more time and leave lines in the hair. Temperature—it is extremely important to know the temperature of your iron and how fast it re-heats. An iron that does not have the right heat will leave your hair puffy, no shine and your hair will revert to its original state after any exposure to moisture. Any iron—flat, round, crimper it makes no difference—requires the right amount of heat in order to make your hair curl, straighten, etc. FHI gets hot enough for even the coarse straight and the extremely curly heads, more commonly called “black hair.”

Sectioning Of The Hair

It is important to have clean (see shampooing for flat iron), dry hair. If you have curly, or extremely curly, hair, you need to blow dry your hair with a pick attachment (see blow drying curly hair) prior to step three. Section your hair according to your hair type:

Fine Straight—2” w x 2” l
Fine Wavy—2” w x 1” l
Fine Curly—2” w x .5” l
Fine Overly Curly—2” w x .25” l
Medium Straight—2” w x 1.5” l
Medium Wavy—2” w x 1” l
Medium Curly—2” w x .5” l
Medium Overly Curly—2” w x .25” l
Coarse Straight—2” w x .5” l
Coarse Wavy—2” w x .5” l
Coarse Curly—2” w x .25” l
Coarse Overly Curly—2” w x .25” l

Sectioning is a critical part of flat ironing for two reasons: 1) Too much hair in the iron, and the iron cannot perform (it would be like trying to iron a cotton shirt on low) and 2) Getting all of the hair that is not going to be ironed pinned up and out of your way, so you can see what you're doing. Pin up all of your hair using as many Power Clips as you need until all of the hair on the sides and the top are out of your way, both visually and physically. If all of the hair is sectioned up and out your way, then when you slightly turn your head to the side you will be able to see most of the back of your head. Starting at the very base of your neck hairline, section out the amount of hair to place in the flat iron for your hair type (see chart above for how much). All the other hair on your head is pinned up, so only your first section is free to iron.

Any Flat Iron Less Than $100—Just like in any craft, the tools are extremely important. If you don't have the right tool, or if it is not top-quality, you will either not be able to complete the task or the end result will not be the same. The biggest difference between a quality iron and an inexpensive iron is the heat. The “wannabe” irons will not get hot enough—you won't have the Real Hair Answer which is heat. All of the above irons will run you from $120-$170. If you find one of these irons on sale and get if for less—good for you. However, the irons have been around for the past 8 years with very little decrease in cost. All of the wannabe irons are going to be less expensive, but they don't work! Beware of irons that cost less. Almost all of the manufacturers make a less expensive iron but they don"t work. The others look the same, but they do not work. Even FHI, T3 and CHI all make a less expensive iron, but with the reduction in cost ($75 vs. $150) comes a reduction in heat.

Comb The Hair Before Ironing

The third key to great flat ironing is combing the hair before you put it into the iron. The smoother the hair is before it enters the iron, the smoother it will be when it comes out of the iron. Your comb needs to be a fine-tooth comb. When combing the hair always direct the comb and hair upwards for body.

Holding Onto The Hair

After combing the hair, put your comb down and in your left hand (if you're right handed, just reverse it to your left) hold onto all of the hair that will be placed into the iron as close to the scalp as possible, leaving enough space for the iron to enter the section (approx 2” from the scalp). Hold onto all of the hair—and do not let it go!—place the iron as close to the scalp as needed for your hair type and guide the hair into the iron while holding onto the hair until you have fed all of the hair through the iron. Curly and extremely curly heads will want to get as close to the scalp as possible and iron the hair down for a flatter, less volume look.

How To Shampoo Your Hair

It DOES matter what you shampoo your hair with. Many companies, people, etc. will tell you how great Pantene or Finesse are, that they leave the hair feeling so soft. The truth is that those products are made with a lot of wax; this allows you to easily comb out your hair. Wax on the hair will result in dull/no shine, weighed down hair, a film on the hair that will hinder color and perms and when you try to put an iron to the hair the wax melts from the heat and the hair will be clumpy and almost wet looking.

Hair needs quality tools to create a great style, but it needs quality products on the hair to create the foundation of the hair. Using quality products is the first step to creating the right foundation for your hair type, but also you must you the right shampoo for your situation. Each manufacturer makes a shampoo for every hair situation, so using a great product on the wrong hair situation give you bad results.

Daily Washers

Hair Type 1-6
- Volumizing and Deep Cleansing shampoos will get your hair clean and leave it full of body.
- Never use a moisturizing shampoo daily; it will weight your hair down. Once in a while is o.k. but not daily.
- Focus on your scalp when washing, the ends of your hair will be washed by default.
- Getting your scalp clean is what will give your hair maximum body and shine.
Hair Type 7-12
- Moisturizing Shampoos are great for hair that is more unruly and is being cleansed daily.
- Moisturizing Shampoos will leave unruly hair soft and shiny
- Focus on your scalp when washing, the ends of your hair will be washed by default.

Shampoo Routine for 2-3 Day Washers

Hair Type 1-2 - You need to wash daily
Hair Type 3-12
- First Shampoo use a Deep Cleansing Shampoo
- Second Shampoo can be Nourishing or Volumizing Shampoo.
- You MUST wash a minimum of 2 times, removing all of the debris from the scalp and hair will give your hair more shine and allow your hair to stay cleaner longer.
- Focus on your scalp when washing, the ends of your hair will be washed by default.

Shampoo Routine for Weekly Washers

Hair Type 1-2 - You need to wash daily
Hair Type 3-12
- First Shampoo use a Deep Cleansing Shampoo
- Second Shampoo use a Deep Cleansing Shampoo
- Third Shampoo use a Nourishing or Volumizing Shampoo.
- You MUST wash a minimum of 3 times, removing all of the debris from the scalp and hair.
- Removing all of the debris from your scalp and hair will give your hair more shine and allow your hair to stay cleaner longer.
- Focus on your scalp when washing, the ends of your hair will be washed by default.

Shampoo Routine for 2 Week Washers

STOP!!! You must wash your scalp and hair a minimum of once a week. Bacteria on the scalp cause scalp problems. Our scalp is just like the rest of our body, there are pores all throughout our scalp, and through these pores is how our body releases toxins. Many women with extremely curly hair have been taught not to wash their hair more than once a week and many have been taught not to wash for 2 weeks. While the hair doesn't look much different from day to day, the scalp does. The scalp needs to be cleansed a minimum of once a week and cleansed correctly. Your scalp is producing new skin daily that is not being sloughed off and even worse the debris from our scalp is not being removed which creates a perfect breading ground for bacteria that leads to scalp problems - redness, itching and a slow down of hair growth.

Steps to Shampoo and Condition for All Washers

Shampoo twice (1 deep cleansing, 2 nourishing)
Towel Dry or squeeze all the water out of your hair
Place the correct amount of reconstructor or daily conditioner (depending on condition of hair) into your hand and rub hands together.
Expose the ends of the hair by bending over and allowing your hair to hang away from your scalp.
DO NOT apply to the scalp; always apply conditioners to the areas that need the conditioning, i.e. the ends and the breakage.
Allow to stay on 3-5 minutes
Rinse
If you needed a reconstructor add this step - apply daily conditioner in the same manner, towel dry, mid-shaft thru ends and rinse

How To Make Your Hair Grow Long

GENETICS, it does not matter your race or hair type, your genetic life of your hair will determine how long you can grow your hair. The life of our hair is how long your hair stays attached to your head before it naturally falls out and replaces itself. Hair Life is why some people can grow their hair to their ankles and some people are lucky to get it to their chin. If you have straight thick hair chances are you have a long life to your hair. On the other hand if you have extremely curly, baby fine hair chances are you have a short life to your hair and therefore you will not have long hair.
Hair Vitamins - There are hair vitamins by Phyto called Phytophenere that will make your hair grow faster (1/2" month). But if you have a short hair life it will not increase the life of your hair, they just help speed up the hair growth that you have naturally. If you got a bad haircut or chemical Phytophenere will help you get thru a bad hair time faster.

How to Blow-Dry With a Round Brush

Great technique for Hair Type #1, #2, and #5. All other hair types need an iron—flat or round. The only tool that controls frizzy hair is an iron; no frizzy hair products will work the way you want them to. Blow-drying will achieve volume and some curl (mostly at the ends).

Product

You need to use some type of volumizer (a product that will add volume to your hair and that will allow your hair to hold onto the style). Apply this to your damp hair before beginning, and apply it again to your almost dry hair. Not enough product or the wrong product will make your hair either too stiff/sticky or it will not hold the style.

Drying

Get your hair completely dry first with your fingers, using an upward motion or against the direction that your hair falls in order to create more volume.

Why not wet? —Did you know that blow-drying wet hair with a brush damages your hair and wastes your time? Hair will make whatever style change you desire—volume, curls, smooth, or straight—but it must be dry before the change will occur. Heat on wet hair is simply steam (imagine putting a curling iron on wet hair). In addition, and even more important, pulling on your hair with any tool, especially a round brush, while it is wet will cause your hair to break off. Hair is more fragile when wet, but it has a lot of strength once it is dry.

Using the Brush

Once your hair is completely dry, you will use the brush much like a curling iron. Sectioning is a critical part of blow-drying for two reasons: 1) If you have too much hair around the brush, the brush cannot perform. 2) You need to get the other hair out of your way, so that you can see what you're doing. Pin up your hair using as many Power Clips as you need until until all of the hair on that side and the top are out of your way, both visually and physically. If your hair is sectioned and out your way, then when you turn your head you should see most of the back of your head. Starting at the very base of your neck hairline, section out the amount of hair to place around the brush according to your hair type (see chart above for how much).

Why start in the back? —Starting from the bottom and working up allows you to see the back of your hair while you are styling. If you start in the front, you will not be able to see the back.

Blow-Drying

Once you have sectioned the top part of your hair, leaving out the hair you're going to blow-dry, section another section of hair that is not wider or longer than the size of the brush you are using (i.e., 11/2" brush = 2"-3"w x 1/12" l section). Wrap that section of hair around the brush, pulling the brush to the ends and then rolling the brush around until it's close to the scalp.

Heat and Then Cool

Heat the brush with the blow dryer by moving the dryer all around the brush for approximately 5 to 7 seconds. Then remove the heat from the brush, let it cool, and then remove the brush from the hair—this locks in the style. If you don't give the hair and brush enough heat, you'll only have flat hair with no movement. If you don't cool down the heat before you remove the brush the hair doesn"t hold the change.

How To Curl Hair With A Flat Iron

The flat iron is a great tool to curl your hair because of the design of two heating elements (the plates). Therefore whether your hair is very straight or overly curly the flat iron is the great tool to curl your hair.

Having the right iron — If your iron does not get hot enough it will not curl your hair or hold curl in your hair. It doesn't matter if your hair is baby fine and straight or overly curly or coarse, you need an iron that gets hot enough. The Real Hair Answer for the best flat iron is FHI. There are several irons (see review of irons) on the market that get hot enough, the FHI iron offers the best heat, tension and size. It has a 1" plate that is a perfect size for making soft curls. Size matters, too big will be too cumbersome and will not leave much curl in the hair. Temperature and how quickly the iron re-heats is extremely important, any round iron, flat iron, crimper, etc. makes no difference heat is what you need to make your hair curl and keep the style. FHI gets hot enough for coarse straight and the extremely curly heads, more commonly called "black or African American hair".

Sectioning — It is important to have clean, (see shampooing for style) dry hair. If you have curly or extremely curly hair you need to blow dry it (see blow drying curly hair and flat iron curly hair) before you curl your hair. Wavy hair does not need to be straightened before curling.

Sectioning is a critical part of styling for two reasons - 1)Too much hair in the iron and the iron cannot perform (it is like trying to iron your cotton shirt on low). 2) Getting all of the hair out of your way so you can see what you are doing. Pin up all of your hair using as many Power Clips as you need until all of the hair that is on the side and the top is out of your way visually and physically. If all of your hair is sectioned up and out your way, when you slightly turn your head to the side you can see most of the back of your head, this is how to see what you are doing. Starting at the very base of your neck hairline, section out the amount of hair to place in the flat iron for your Hair Type (see chart below for how much). All the other hair on your head is pinned up so that only your first section is free to iron.

Section According to Hair Type for Curling with a Flat Iron:

Fine Straight - 2" w x 3"
Fine Wavy - 2" w x 2"l
Fine Curly - 2" w x 2"l
Fine Overly Curly - 2" w x 2"l
Medium Straight - 2" w x 2"l
Medium Wavy - 2" w x 2"l
Medium Curly - 2" w x 1.5"l
Medium Overly Curly - 2" w x .1.5"l
Coarse Straight - 2" w x 1.5"l
Coarse Wavy - 2" w x 1.5"l
Coarse Curly - 2" w x 1"l
Coarse Overly Curly- 2" w x 1"l

Comb The Hair Before Ironing — The third key to a curling your with the flat iron is combing the hair before you put it into the iron. The smoother the hair is before it enters the iron the smoother it will be when it comes out of the iron. In addition, you are creating a curl, which requires a certain amount of hair directed in a certain way. Your comb needs to be a fine toothcomb and comb each section of hair just before it goes into the iron.

Creating a Curl —

After combing the hair, put your comb down and in your left hand (if your left handed hold the hair in your right hand) hold onto all of the hair that will be placed into the iron as close to the scalp as you desire (the closer to the scalp that you curl, the more curl you will have).
Hold onto all of the hair and do not let it go
Hold the section straight out from the head. This not only allows you to see where to place the iron but it also gives volume to your curls (holding the hair down will cause the hair to be flat hair at the scalp).
Place the iron close to the scalp of the section as you desire (the closer to the scalp the more curl)
Guide the hair into the iron, holding onto all of the hair just outside of the iron and wrap it around the iron one time
Close the iron and using your wrist to not only run the iron down the section but also to give it a little twist just like when you are creating a curling ribbon on a present.
DO NOT allow the hair to fall out of the iron. As long as you keep hold of the end of the section as it enters the iron all the way thru, you will not lose control. But in contrast once you let go of the ends or let up on the tension of the iron(closing of the iron), all of the hair will fall out of the iron and you will have to start all over. Keep sectioning the hair back and forth from ear to ear to complete all the sections of the head.

Creating Direction — When curling the top of the head and around the face, make sure to curl in the direction you want it to lay. Hair should always be directed to one side or the other. Down the middle is for models and teenagers, they are the only ones who can pull that look off.

Use a comb or the edge of a pic to place a side/center part.

Create the direction that you want your hair to go by starting a side part but direct the part towards the center, so that the part is at an angle not straight back on the side of your head. This disperses your hair more evenly so that your hair is not all on one side of your head but you have a side part or side direction. Having all of your hair directed to one side can have a "comb over" look and causes the hair to be flat on one side.

Finish The Style — Once all of the hair has been curled, DO NOT brush your hair, allow the curls to evolve and stay somewhat chunky. After about 20-30 minutes the curls will relax and look more natural.

The final touch is a little shine spray or hair spray (see what is best for your hair).

For the hair types 3-12 that need shine spray - spray your hair first with the shine spray then run you finger spread out through top section (eyes up) of your hair. Running your fingers through your hair of the top of your head is all you need to do to finish the style.

Hair Types 1 & 2 needs hair spray. Run your fingers spread out through the top section (eyes up) of your head. Running your fingers through your hair of the top of your head is all you need to do to finish the style. Spray all of your hair with hair spray (see hair sprays it matters!!). Hold your head to the side to spray the curls that are under to top of the hair and at the bottom.

How To Curl Hair With A Curling (Round) Iron

The round iron is a great tool to curl your hair, smooth wavy hair and slightly frizzy hair, add volume to straight hair.

The Right Iron

If your iron does not get hot enough it will not curl, hold a curl or smooth your hair. It doesn't matter if your hair is baby fine and straight or overly curly or coarse, you need an iron that gets hot enough. The Real Hair Answer for the best curling iron is FHI. The second best is the Hot Tools, both will perform but the FHI will put the curl in quicker and be more gentle on the hair. Temperature and how quickly the iron re-heats is extremely important, any round iron, flat iron, crimper, etc. makes no difference heat is what you need to make your hair curl and keep the style. FHI and Hot Tools get hot enough to curl coarse straight and the extremely curly heads, more commonly called “Black or African American hair”.

Sectioning

It is important to have clean, (see shampooing for style) dry hair. If you have curly or extremely curly hair you need to blow dry and flat iron before curling your hair with the curling iron. (see how to blow dry and flat iron curly hair) Wavy hair does not need to be straightened before curling.

Pinning up all of the hair (except the section to be ironed) out of your way so you can see what you are doing. Use as many Power Clips as you need until all of the hair that is on the side and the top is out of your way visually and physically. If all of your hair is sectioned up and out your way, when you slightly turn your head to the side you can see most of the back of your head.
Starting at the very base of your neck hairline, section out the amount of hair to place in the iron for your Hair Type (see chart below for how much). The width of each section that will go into the iron is determined by the size of the iron, i.e. 1” iron needs 1” width section. The length of the section is the same no matter what the size or density of the iron because you will be ironing vertically NOT horizontally. If you could outline the sections on your head, you would see long rectangles.
Combing the hair before you put it into the iron. The smoother the hair is before it enters the iron the smoother it will be when it comes out of the iron. In addition, you are creating a curl, which requires a certain amount of hair directed in a certain way. Your comb needs to be a fine toothcomb and comb each section of hair just before it goes into the iron.
Hold the section straight out from the head. This not only allows you to see where to place the iron but it also gives volume to your curls (holding the hair down will cause the hair to be flat hair at the scalp).
After combing the hair, put your comb down and in your left hand (if your left handed hold the hair in your right hand) hold onto all of the hair that will be placed into the iron as close to the scalp as you desire (the closer to the scalp that you curl, the more curl you will have).
Hold the section straight out from the head. This not only allows you to see where to place the iron but it also gives volume to your curls (holding the hair down will cause the hair to be flat at the scalp).
Place the iron vertically as close to the scalp as possible, once the iron is closed keep turning the iron (either away from your face or toward your face) until all of the hair has been directed into the iron including the ends. If you guide the hair past the ends all of the hair will fall out of the iron.
Alternate the curling direction (away from face/toward face). This is what makes the style balanced and not look like something we did in 1978.
Keep sectioning the hair back and forth from ear to ear to complete all the sections of the head.
When curling the top of the head and around the face, make sure to curl in the direction you want it to lay. The hair that is around the face must be curled away from the face. If you have shorter layers round your face you need to make the curl looser around the face.
Use a comb or the edge of a pic to place a side/center part. Create the direction for your style by starting a side part but directing the part towards the center, the part is at an angle not straight back on the side of your head. Having all of your hair directed to one side can have a “comb over” look and causes the hair to be flat on one side. Hair should always be directed to one side or the other, down the middle is for models and teenagers, they are the only ones who can pull that look off.

Finish The Style

Once all of the hair has been curled, DO NOT brush your hair, allow the curls to evolve and stay somewhat chunky. After about 20-30 minutes the curls will relax and look more natural.
For the hair that needs shine spray - spray your hair first with the shine spray then run you fingers spread out thru top section (from the eyes up) of your hair. Running your fingers thru the top section of your head is all you need to do to finish the style.
For the hair that needs hair spray run you fingers spread out through top section (from the eyes up) of your head. Running your fingers through your hair of the top of your head is all you need to do to finish the style. Spray all of your hair with hair spray (see hair sprays it matters!!). Hold your head to the side to spray the curls that are under the top of the hair and at the bottom.

Section According to iron size for Curling with a round iron:

Fine Straight - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Fine Wavy - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Fine Curly - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Fine Overly Curly - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Medium Straight - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Medium Wavy - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Medium Curly - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Med Overly Curly - 1.5" w x .2"l
Coarse Straight - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Coarse Wavy - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Coarse Curly - 1-1.5" w x 2"l
Coarse Overly Curly - 1-1.5" w x 2"l

How To Blow Dry Curly Hair Before Ironing

It is important to start with clean (See How To Shampoo) wet hair if:

You have extremely curly hair (hair springs tightly to the scalp) needs to be dried from wet to dry. Do not allow the hair to dry out before blow drying, hair that is this curly will become too tangled to blow dry if it dries before the curl is removed. Begin sectioning and using the pic blow dryer immediately.

It is important to start with clean (See How To Shampoo) dry hair if:

You have curly hair (curls that hang freely from the scalp) you can air dry or dry with your fingers and a blow dryer. Once the hair is dry you can begin using the pic blow dryer. The pic blow dryer will glide through your hair easier and remove more curl when your hair is dry.

Step 1 — The Tool — it not necessary to find a top of the line blow dryer, but it is necessary to find a blow dryer that has a comb attachment. The attachment must lock on, not slip on and the teeth on the comb need to be close together.

Step 2 — Start at the bottom in the back and work your way up.
When hair on the sides and the top are pinned up and out of your way, you can see the back of your hair when you slightly turn your head from side to side. In contrast when you start in the front (which most people do) the hair on the sides and the front are in the way and you cannot see the back.

Starting at the very base of your neck hairline using both of your index fingers, place each index finger at the outer edge of your hairline, run your fingers across your scalp until they meet in the middle. Separate the hair from the top to the bottom to expose your first section.

Step 3 — Putting the Hair in a Clip — Put all of the hair (except the section you will be drying) in Power Clips up and out your way. Pin up the top hair leaving out the amount of hair to blow-dry for your Hair Type (see chart below for how much).

Section your hair according to your hair type:

Curly/Overly Curly, Thin - 2" deep
Curly/Overly Curly, Normal - 1" deep
Curly/Overly Curly, Thick - 1/2" deep

Why Section?

The ability to see the back of your head comes from getting all of the other hair out of your way.
Keeping the rest of the hair out of the way will avoid the pic attachment from getting tangled.

Step 4 — Pulling the Hair Straight — Wet or Dry pull the section to be dried straight out from your head with your fingers. Start at the ENDS and work your way up, if you start at the scalp you will drag/create tangles in the hair and the pic will get stuck. The pic should easily comb through the section of hair, if it does not you have too much hair out or you are to high up the hair shaft.

Follow your fingers with the pic blow dryer, pulling/stretching the hair straight all the way thru the ends. Keep climbing up the hair shaft until the majority of the curl is removed and the hair is dry. Pull down the next section starting at the edge of the hairline, using your index fingers and continue until all of the hair is dry and most of the curl is removed. The hair should look frizzy, fluffy and almost straight.

Step 5 — Blow Drying All Hair and Scalp — Once the hair has been section dried, blow-dry all of the hair together (make sure all of the clips are out of the hair). Concentrate on pulling the hair that is at the scalp tight and straight, follow your fingers with the pic blow dryer removing any last bit of wave at the scalp. This will take any stray curl out and get the hair at the scalp even straighter.