Get an Extra Week out of Your Press

Stretching out your blowout

Does your blowout just not last long enough, do you tend to revert ever so quickly? Well, don't be dismayed; here's a few tricks to stretch your straightness, so all that effort and heat exposure doesn't go to waste.

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                                  #1 remaining straight

3 days have passed and applying that flat iron to your hair is a no-no, yet the flowing beauty your hair was is disappearing fast, so you have to move quickly. With a touch of serum and some big smooth rollers, you can do just that.

Setting your hair without heat is the gentle way of stretching out your hair, reminding it that you want it to be straight for a few more days.

Although you shouldn't sleep with hard plastic rollers, if you can, wear these rollers around the house for about four hours, then,  before going to bed, swap the rollers for hair grips or bobby pins so that your roller shape is maintained and your hair is still neatly rolled over. Note: this will look like you've got a head of invisible rollers.


                             In the morning, remove the pins or grips and welcome in bounciness.

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             #2  release the wave

This is for when #1 won't work; when your hair is so far gone into its reversion, heatless rollers aren't enough to bring it back, when you have some sections that are still straight but the rest can only be described in terms of which section is more reverted than the next. Then, it's time for #2.

                         This is your last resort. 

Embrace the curl. Well, the wave actually, your hair wants to relax and curl up so let it into flowing loose and bouncy waves or curls. All you need is hairpins, a light hold moisturiser, like Brillantina and a silk scarf or fine mesh hair net.

Part your hair into box sections, then, section by section, apply a light film layer of your light hold moisturiser. Brush it through to make sure the product is on all strands, then smooth your hair round into mini beehives, securing it and flattening it with pins. In the end, it will look as if you've wrapped your hair multiple times over, in mini sections all over your head. And in the morning, you'll be full of flowing curls or waves; once you've removed the pins and carefully separated each section, that is.




 
                                    #3 the power of the butter!

                Now this is only for natural, thick, coarse, tightly curled tresses that can hold the weight.

Pure Natural 100% Shea Butter, with no added ingredients (no aqua, no humectants, no moisture) will extend the life of your blowout on naturally coarsely coiled hair. Just lightly apply pure shea butter to your straightened tresses to help block out all moisture, and stretch out any reversion with the help of some rollers. Rub the shea butter in between your palms then flatten and smooth sections of your hair between your palms, for longer-lasting straightness.





                                                               Extras You Should Be Aware Of

• Please note that the size of your curl or wave depends on the size of your sections. But for effectiveness, be sure to put in at least 4-5 sections across your front hairline.
• The most important thing when setting is to make sure your hair is smoothly and evenly wrapped on the roller, or onto itself (as in '#2 release the wave'), and that product is evenly applied throughout.This makes or breaks a good set. 
• When setting your hair, ensure you are using the correct sized rollers, which must also be smooth and in good condition.
• If you sweat a lot at night, you should sleep on a silk pillowcase, and secure your hair with a fine mesh hair net, rather than wrapping it in a silk scarf. This will allow more air to get to your scalp, and help prevent sweat reverting your hair too quickly.
  

• Take into account the tightness of your natural curl and how reverted your straightened hair is when deciding the size of your sections, the tighter and/or more reverted the hair is, the smaller your sections should be; up to ten across the front hairline.
• Please note that light-hold moisturisers encourage your natural curl pattern to return, (they include humectants and often, water) so although '#2 Release the Wave' is a great style to do once your straightened hair has begun to revert, it is not to be used when planning to keep hair straight.
• You can shape your sectioning in any way you please; it is not necessary to part straight or evenly. In fact, it can be easier to blend the hair in the morning if section separations have no parting regularity, other than to overlap like brickwork.
• Some products are called 'serums' but actually include ingredients that cause pressed hair to revert, humectants that pull in the moisture from the atmosphere, or even water - these should be avoided. Instead, use atrActiva's serum; a smoother, heat protector and shine gloss in one.
  
• Please note that besides the light-hold product when setting in '#2 Release the Wave', all straightened hair rules still apply.

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