Hi Kendra :)

My hair is 3c and I have been straightening it for a little over ten years now. Normally, curly hair that is straightened will take a couple of days of treatment before it goes back to its natural state. However, since this was your first time and only two parts of your hair curled back up, I'll have to agree with KinkyCurlyQueen -you definitely damaged those strands (you probably left the flat iron in one spot for too long or the heat was way too hot).

I'd recommend you snip those bad ends out little by little while treating your hair. I fixed my problem by getting a layered cut (that way I didn't really notice the big chop that much) and then treated my hair with a leave-in conditioner.

If you do choose to straighten your hair again I'd suggest you try out a titanium flat iron. Here is a website that may help you choose one: http://www.folica.com/hair-101/buying-guides/flat-iron-guide

Hope this helps :)

-ChoKoLatNoir

@ChokolatNoir Well said!

I can tell you right now there is no magical solution to heat damage. After 3 years of wearing my hair straight (flatironed), I decided to wear it natural. Lemme tell you I had MAGOR heat damage. The bang area of my hair was stick straight, and the rest had gone from 4a, 4b kinks to 3b, 3c waves. After a few months the curl pattern returned to the back of my hair (for the most part-I can't really attest to whether deep conditioning and protein treatments helped) but the front was still straight. I grew out my hair for a little over a year, trimming it a bit every few months, and then cut off about 3 inches all over to get rid of the damage. Since it was mainly the front of my hair that was damaged I now have a little bang going on, but you could get layers if the damge is in the back(as ChokolatNoir also suggested)

My best advice would be to wait until you have enough new growth that your comfortable with and chop it off. I will say though, in my experience, the heat damage caused a lot of breakage. My hair retained almost no length and there were more broken hairs during styling than shed. Cornrows and other protective styles will most likely be your best friend.

Alright, good luck, best wishes, and DFTBA.

I too have experienced heat damage. I'd been pressing my hair since November 2008 and finally made the decision in March 2011 to wear protective styling (flexi rods) and not press my hair anymore. I would love to BC, but my boyfriend is giving me so much grief for even thinking about it. But I know exactly how Kendra feels. Good luck to her.

Thanks ladies so much! My hair is in braids now so I'll just keep it protected and treat it as best as possible. I'm glad there are others that have been through this and can relate.

Hey Kendra,

Although I haven't experienced heat damage I have come across damage from a rinse. It was herbal essence and because I saw bamboo extract on the box I figured i'd be cool lol .. WRONG ..I tried it in a small section in the front (of all places) of my hair and it hasn't been the same since. I've been letting it grow out and snipping it off little by little. It is VERY frustrating because some days I'll start cursing out my hair with the scissors in my hand ready for a new big chop lol ..

But because the section is small i'm just trying to hold it out .. It's been almost a year and about another inch or two and i'll be done ! .. Trust me i'm surprised I made it that long ... But like Shana said transitioning and snipping is an option ..

Good Luck !

I have been natural my whole life, but I regularly straightened my hair up until last September. I have soooo much heat damage, so I am no longer putting heat on my hair and cutting my hair every couple of months to get rid of the hair. right now I have a weave to help with the transition

www.curlychellez.blogspot.com

Sorry to hear about your hair. I made the mistake of flat ironing my hair for a two month period (every other week after washing). At that time I wasn't doing my own twists and relied upon salon visits. While trying to find another stylist I flat ironed. The instructions, which were not written for natural hair, stated to use the flat iron at 400 degrees for course hair. I didn't realize until too late that the recommended temperature setting was totally too much for my kinky hair. Sure, my hair was straight and convenient to style. But when I finally went back to the twists, the damage was done. I looked like I was growing out a relaxer with natural roots of 2-3 inches and 4-5 inches of limp straightened hair. I tried the rest of the year to get it to snap back to its kinky/nappy texture but it was too late. No treatments could reverse the damage. I ended up cutting it down. I now proceed with caution. I'm at the point now where I don't want to use any heat, not even a blow dryer on low. Just be careful if you choose to use any heat appliances. Use a lower temperature than recommended and heat protectants.