All Things O'Natural: NATURAL HAIR AND HEAT..THE DO'S AND DON'Ts (updated)

Hola Chica/Chicos..I pray all is well with everyone!!
Ok, so I get this question a looooottttttt..so I wanted to update the 'Do's and Don'ts of Using Heat on Natural Hair'. Now, let me first clarify that I do not advise the use of heat as no matter how much precaution you take, you are run the risk of experiencing 'heat damage'. Heat damage is when the protein bond in the hair has been permanently damaged and the hair does not revert back to it's natural curl pattern. It can occur on the first use of heat or after many uses of heat. So these are just some precautions to take when thinking of using heat on your natural hair. And these are precautions that I wanted to put to the test myself to ensure that the method works..Trial and Error, you know how it goes...Hope this helps, everyone!

THE DON'Ts

DO NOT...Use heat on unclean hair. Using heat on hair that is dirty hair creates a greater likely hood of experiencing heat damage due to the buildup, oils and..well, dirt.
DO NOT...Use a harsh shampoo that contain 'sulfates'. Sulfates is a harsh foaming agent that causes the hair to dry out..exactly, heat is harsh enough so don't add fuel to the fire.
DO NOT..Use a conditioner or moisturizer with silicones that are non water soluble (for that list, please see the post on silicones). Heat is harsh enough and silicones are dryings, so we don't want to add fuel to the fire.
DO NOT...Blow dry on sopping wet hair. Carefully dry hair in sections using either an old T-shirt or a microfiber towel prior to blow drying. Using a towel to dry aids in dryness, friction and frizz. Blow drying hair that is dripping wet leads to dry, damaged hair.
DO NOT...Use heat that is too high on the temperature setting. When blow drying the hair, be sure to set the blow dryer on the lowest setting. Kinky, coily and curly hair have a tendency to be on the drier side, naturally, so blow drying on a high setting is a no no that aid in drying.
DO NOT..hold the blow dryer too close to your hair. Hold the blow dryer 5-6 inches away from your hair. Holding the blow dryer too close to your hair, can also affect your scalp, which can lead to dry scalp and flaking.
DO NOT...Try to achieve bone straight hair. This too can lead to the possibility of heat damage, and the temperature must be at a higher setting when trying to achieve bone straight hair. Hair will burn and experience heat damage at 450 degrees of heat, so be sure to use a temperature setting much lower than that and even lower for finer textured hair.
DO NOT..Ever attempt to use heat without first using a heat protectant. Many naturals use pure grapeseed oil, a butter or for me and many of my clients, they use their Natty Butter.
DO NOT...Straighten the hair on a high temperature setting. Be sure to use a flat iron or straightening tool that has a temperature setting gage. You will know when the temperature is too high due to the smell (you know that burnt hair smell) and the feel of your hair and if you see steam coming from the straightening tool..it's too hot!! Warning, it's tooooo hot!!

THE DO'S

YES..Blow dry and straighten on clean, conditioned hair that a heat protectant has been applied to.
YES..Allow your hair to dry 75% before blow drying. This method helps to lessen how much heat is needed from your blow dryer.
YES..Properly detangle hair before blow drying and straightening the hair. Your hair should be smooth and tangle free.
YES..before blow drying and straightening the hair, condition with a nice moisturizing conditioner. This improves the moisture and elasticity in the hair. Deep conditioning before a straighening session is key to moisture and shine. Be sure to thoroughly rinse your conditioner as a heavy conditioner aids in buildup which also creates a smoky atmostphere when straightening the hair.
YES..Apply a heat protectant prior to blow drying and right before you straighten with your flat iron or pressing comb, especially paying attention to your ends.

MY STEP BY STEP PROCESS OF USING HEAT

I cleaned my hair thoroughly using Terressentials pure earth wash, then deep conditioned with my new Natty Cupuacu and Rhassoul Deep Conditioner, rinsed then used my Natty ACV Ayurvedic Hair and Scalp Mist, applied my Natty Moist as my leave in (not too heavy and no silicones or other synthetic ingredients), then applied my Natty Butter and twisted my hair to air dry a day before attempting to use heat.
Since my hair was 90% dry, it was perfect for blow drying as I didn't need nearly as much heat to dry my hair. I actually spritzed my hair with my Natty ACV Ayurvedic Hair and Scalp Mist only to moisten right before blow drying and to be sure there were no tangles.
I divided my two strand twists into halves and applied a little Natty Butter as my heat protectant and proceeded to blow dry. This was perfect as I could easily manage my hair due to my hair being previously sectioned and twisted.
With each divided section of twists, I applied blow dried heat on the lowest setting. It almost felt slightly cool, but it was enought to get the job done.
After blow drying a divided section, I applied a little more Natty Butter before using my flat iron.
I proceeded to flat iron my hair until straightened to my liking, on the lowest temperature setting (300 was my setting).
After one divided section was done, I repeated on the next section until finished..Now, since this was a demonstration, I only straightened my bang area as I stated before, I have no desire to press my hair out.
What I found was that I had NO split ends and did not need to trim at all, and this to say, I always trim my natural hair while curly..Here's a great video that I refer to when trimming my ends while curly: CLICK HERE
After wearing a straightened style, I cleanse my hair using either Terressentials pure earth wash or Dudu Osun Black Shampoo..Deep conditioned, applied a leave in, then sealed with my Natty Butter and twisted my hair...NO HEAT DAMAGE!!! I was oober excited!! As I stated, this is a style for those who wish to press their natural hair only and I always advise that the use of no heat is the best for achieving optimum healthy hair..but, should you choose to use heat, I hope these tips are helpful in maintaining your beautiful natural curls, coils and kinks. Here are some pics of my results..Hope this helped guys!!