If you’ve read my last blog post on African threading you’ll know that I prefer to stretch my hair without using heat. Braids, twists, and African threading provide safe alternatives for elongating the strands of our hair without the worry of incurring heat damage. For those that like blowouts, a heatless blowout on 4c hair using African threading may provide a safe alternative to using a blow dryer.
What is African Threading?
If you haven’t heard of African threading, it is the process of stretching your hair by wrapping rubber thread or yarn around sections of hair to stretch it. Like cornrowing or plaiting, African threading is used to create protective hair styles. You can vary the amount of stretch on the hair by wrapping the threads closer or farther apart. The more spaces between, the less stretch the hair will have.
African Threading Takedown Process
The takedown process of the African threading method is super simple. By simply undoing the finishing knot, you can gently tug on the thread and it quickly unravels from the hair. What is left is super stretched hair. I usually like to leave the unraveled hair “as is” and style the sections without combing them out. This time, I thought that I would try something different and comb my hair out for a blown out effect.
Heat Damage
When people think of heat damage, they often think of the direct heat of a flat iron or a hot comb applied to their hair. However, excessive heat from a blow drier can also result in damaged hair. Used incorrectly, heat can damage the structure of your hair resulting in its inability to revert to its natural curly form. Therefore, it is best to avoid heat if you can’t use it safely.
Heatless Blowout on 4c Hair
I wore the threads in my hair for close to a week before taking them down. I heavily moisturized my hair prior to installing the threads. The result was hair that was super soft and super fluffy.
I rarely do blow outs on my hair. In fact, I’ve only done a blowout once or twice since going natural. Since I normally finger comb my hair, this was an exciting change to my regular hair care routine. What I found from this process was that when my hair is fully stretched, using a comb to detangle my hair was in some ways easy. I was better able to maneuver the comb through my hair and shed hairs slid out without much of a challenge. The downside was that I had to dry comb my hair otherwise my hair would start to revert. As a result, I probably ripped out more hair than was necessary.
How Long Does it Last?
As with all stretching methods, my hair was susceptible to moisture and quickly reverted with the humidity of summer. However, this method is great for stretching hair during those times of year when there is less humidity. It is also great for those curly naturals who want to do a length check or to trim their own ends.
Do you prefer stretching your hair with or without heat?
