Choosing a Flat Iron

Flat Irons Explained

There are so many labels. What is the difference between Ceramic, Ionic, Tourmaline and Infrared? Ceramic or tourmaline is the coating material for the hot plates. Both ceramic and tourmaline produce negative ions when heated. There are benefits of ions. Your hair carries positive electrical charges caused by dry friction and natural movement of the hair. These positive charges cause the hair to fluff out, become difficult to style, and cause hair cuticles to open , resulting in dull, unhealthy hair. The negative ions cancel the positive electrical charges making your hair smoother and healthier. All heated items produce infrared rays which do not make a difference in the results.

What size flat iron should I choose? It depends on your hair texture and hair length. Unless your hair is very long, a 1 to 1-1/2 inch flat iron will do fine in most cases. If you have natural straight hair and you just want to smooth or de-frizz, choose small ones (1 to 1-1/2 inch). Small sizes are also recommended for hair that's short or already chemically straightened. Small sizes are lighter, easier to use and more versatile while bigger ones (2+ inch) work faster and save time with long coarse hair, but they are not as user-friendly and generally on the heavy side. Most popular sizes are 1-1/4" and 1-1/2 inch.

What temperature should I use? Different hair texture requires different temperature. It is very important to buy a flat iron with adjustable temperature.

• Normal Hair 360-380 degrees
• Very coarse, thick, curly or ethnic hair 380-410 degrees (450 is the truth, but you have to know what you're doing)
• Bleached, fragile, damaged or fine hair - below 360 degrees

How can I reduce damage from flat iron? First of all, it is extremely important that you set the right temperature for your hair. Try a few settings starting from low to high until you find a setting that will straighten your hair fast and efficiently while not scorching your hair. That perfect temperature is usually right before scorching, so take your time to find the perfect setting and use a heat protection spray or silicone before styling.

Is a professional flat iron really worth the money as opposed to a drugstore brand? Flat irons available from drugstores are generally made with cheap materials and are poorly designed. They may even claim to be "ceramic" or "tourmaline". In actuality, most of them are made with aluminum plates coated with paint. The coating usually comes off plates after a few uses and hair gets caught and broken between the plates. Some have complained that their hair becomes thinner and thinner after using inexpensive flat irons over an extended period of time. Maintaining constant temperature is vital to the performance of a flat iron. Consumer grade flat irons use cheap PTC heater that can not sustain a constant temperature, so you end up going through your hair many times to get it straight causing more damage. Also, with a consumer flat iron, curly or frizzy hair reverts back quickly. The hair has a burnt smell and is severely damaged after using it a while. For one hundred dollars or more, a good professional iron will pay for itself over and over again. To make your iron last longer be sure to unplug it right after use. Do not wrap power cords around the iron and keep your plates clean.

Ask A Primp: "Can You Comb Out Dreadlocks?"

YES, you can!!! You can comb out dreadlocks!

I did say, "Yes"!

With a lot of time and patience it can be done.

Dreadlocks are beautiful and a lot of people think they are irreversable. When most people are ready for a change from their dreads, cutting them off is thought to be the only option. However, there are other options for the extremely determined.

A dreadlock is created by not combing out the hair that naturally sheds everyday. Those unreleased hairs lock other hairs together and voila, the dreadlock is born.

COMBING THEM OUT

Supplies needed:

1. Lots of patience, commitment, and determination
2. A small toothed comb
3. A quality detangling conditioner
4. A ponytail holder
5. Patience

Before you start:

Get your mind right. Know that this will take a long time. Depending on your commitment, it could take days, even weeks. Plan it out. One dread could take an hour to comb out depending on length. So that is a good estimation for 6-8 inch dreads; one hour per dread. As you can imagine, this is not a one day project.

Come up with a system. You may decide to comb out two dreads a day over the course of a month. The commitment is important because YOU WILL GET DISCOURAGED at some point. If you are determined, you will press on and get the results you desire.

A lot of hair will shed. This is normal because, like I explained earlier, you hair sheds everyday, but with dreadlocks those hairs never get released. All of them will come out now.

Instructions:

1. Separate the dreadlock that you would like to work on by gathering all other dreads together securing them with a ponytail holder.
2. Saturate the dreadlock with a moisturizing, detangling conditioner.
3. With a small toothed comb and plenty of patience, start combing the dread from the very end. Take your time and move up the dreadlock slowly. You can even detangle the dread with short, scraping motions with the comb.
4. This process cannot be rushed. It may be cool to watch a movie or your favorite television show while you slowly move through your hair.
5. Good Luck!

Or, you can pay someone to do this. It is really a do-it-yourself project, because you couldn't afford it! You would need a lot of money to pay someone to do this for you. If 'BIG BUDGET' is your middle name, then call the Primp Club and get primped out!

Hair by Frederick Parnell

"Put Your Wait On It"

When contemplating a significant style change, give it the test of time. Wait a couple of weeks, or even a month. Alot of times, trends may catch our attention and excite us for a moment but that's the beauty of persuasion and repetition in media. If you see something enough, you just might start to think you like it. Deception.. ah ha ha ha

"Be ye not decieved." Looks that aren't worth it usually excite quickly then fizzle out; just like some bad relationship choices. These looks you should pass up on because they start out with a wow factor and later become a burden, a bore, or even cookie-cutter. And who wants that?

If, after a minute, you still crave this new look, then go for it! Use it as inspiration though, do not be too literal. An inspiration for a hairstyle can be customized to look beautiful on you, yet a literal interpretation may be a big mistake. Make sure you do all of your maintainence research to properly care for your new look.

Perfect example, on Sept 4th, Felicia (from the last blog entry) wrote, "I really wanna go blonde.. like mary/queen latifa/beyonce blonde..... i reallllllllllyyyyy reallllllyyy want it that color!" Then on Sept 30th Felecia writes, "....and im sticking with BLACKKK i want jet blackk!! .. "

See what I'm talking about?

When in doubt.... be-weave it.