QUESTION: Hello, We were discussing your book on a hair board and your sister posted some info and suggested we contact you w/questions. I have had bad experiences with heat and am interested in knowing how often you press and whether or not pressing has changed your texture? I like to wear my hair in its curly state and am concerned about it not curling back up after using heat consistently. I know others who have had this happen and had to cut their hair. Thanks in advance

ANSWER: I press my hair after I wash it which is approximately every two to three weeks. Pressing my hair along with using the hair care products I make has caused my hair to be a little softer that it was before, but it has not taken away the curl or texture of my hair. You can see photos of my hair in its natural state on my blog at http://myblackhairjourney.bravejournal.com/ entry/19208/. These photos were taken on 4/21/06, which is about four and a half years after I started pressing my hair again. If you look at the last two photos of my hair at http://www.black-hair-growth.info/my-hair-growth-pictures/ you can see that even in the pressed state my hair retains some of its body and curl. I understand your concerns, because when I was a child and had my hair pressed using a stovetop pressing comb, some of my hair did change texture. I have seen people who have pressed their hair so much and at such a high temperature that it permanently changed their hair to straight. My opinion based on my experiences and observations is that limited heat applied at the proper temperature to the hair is not bad. However, problems occur when too much heat is applied to the hair too frequently. The pressing comb that I have used for the past several years has 20 heat settings. I press my hair at 14. With this comb I do not go higher than that. And I only press my hair twice in between washings. The first press is to go from tightly curled to straighter. The second press, which is usually a day after the first press, is to touch up any areas that I might have missed. I could get it done faster if I turned up the heat on the pressing comb, but then that would burn up my hair. I do not apply the pressing comb again to my hair until after I have washed it. My personal goal in pressing my hair is not to have it perfectly straight (as you can see from the pictures). My goal is to detangle my hair and make it easier to maintain. I hope that has helped and if you have any other questions please let me know.

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