Best Brand for Pressing Combs: Kentucky Maid

Over the years, there have been two brands of pressing combs that have made pressing hair easy.  Kentucky Maid is #1 because of their wider selection of pressing comb choices.  You can choose between fine and medium teeth.  As well as brass or steel teeth.  As well as copper or steel spacers.  Their pressing comb construction has maintained a higher standard than the Golden Supreme brand.  The Kizure brand comes in second place because they do not have spaces.

 This fine tooth pressing comb pictured above has copper spacers and has done nicely to straighten hairlines for about 10 years or more.

I just bought more Kentucky Maid pressing combs because I saw another artist at the hair show doing a great job pressing the model's hairline. I asked her about her pressing comb. She said out of the brands that she has gone through, Kentucky Maid wins in lightweightness and getting the job done.

In the picture above, the pressing comb on the left has copper spacers versus the one on the right has steel spacers.  Can you tell the color at the base of the comb between the brass teeth?  Steel construction is heavier and more pricey than the copper construction.

I talked about my Kizure pressing comb in a separate article on this blog.  I like it because of its oversized teardrop base.  The Kizure pressing comb has no spacers, and it's a little heavy, but the base size makes it work for me.

As for the Golden Supreme line, I love their marcel irons, but their pressing comb construction is without spacers and limited in selection.  I find them hard to press with.

If in the Charlotte, NC area, Buywise Beauty Supply off Beatties Ford Road keeps a wide selection of Kentucky Maid pressing combs.

I was happy to see more conventional stoves at the Bronner Brothers Hair Show.  Most flat irons were being used to curl hair extensions versus real hair.  Sometimes we have to go back to what was healthy and working for Black hair.

The Press and Curl Regimen to beat the HEAT!

The Summer Heat is on, and the only "Afro Circus" that you want to see is probably in the latest Madagascar III movie! (Loved it!!! in 3D! :)

On a more serious note . . . Are you all natural and want a press and curl service that will beat the heat?

I have been tweaking this regimen for years! This one is the best one yet!!!!!

Tools needed: Kizure Pressing Comb, pressing pad (optional), paddle brush, Marcel curling iron and stove.

Products needed: KeraCare 1st Lather sulfate-free shampoo, Bee Mine Botanical Moisturizing Shampoo, Mizani Moistufuse conditioner, Chi Silkeratin17 treatment, Joico Detangling Leave-in, Pureology SuperSmooth Elixir, Kayvel Creme Press, and Kayvel Curling Wave.

Technique: 1) Shampoo with KeraCare 1st Lather Sulfate-free shampoo once or twice if hair is extremely oily from a hot oil treatment, etc. 2) Shampoo with Bee Mine Botanical Moisturizing Shampoo two or three times until hair feels soft. 3) Towel blot the hair and generously apply the Mizani Moistufuse conditioner through out the hair. Comb the Moistufuse conditioner through the hair. Spray the Chi Silkeratin17 fortifying treatment through the hair layering the treatment on top of the Moistufuse conditioner. Comb through and apply the Silkeratin17 everywhere that the comb is catching in the hair. As soon as you are completely detangled from the Chi and Mizani cocktail, then sit under the platform dryer for about 15 minutes. Not much longer because most of your work is already done . . . you detangled before going under the dryer remember? 4) Rinse the treatment out and apply your two leave-in conditioners for your blow-dry service. (Joico Leave-in detangler and Pureology Supersmooth Elixir) Comb through to distribute evenly. 5) Blowdry completely, start warming up the pressing comb, and then apply your Kayvel creme press. Distribute a nickel size amount emulsified in your hands trhoughout the hair, and that is all that you need. Comb the creme press to finish even distribution through the hair. 6) Test the pressing comb to make sure it is not too hot. Grab your pressing pad if you have one. Soft press the hair all over with pressing comb and pressing pad if your comb is starting to cool down on lengthy hair. The hair should be manageable by combing through without being bone straight. Warm up your marcel irons. 7) Comb the hair into a ponytail. If there are any extremely uneven ends, clip some of the hair ends off. Apply your a nickel size of Kayvel Curl wave emulsified in your hands throughout the hair. Comb through for even distribution 8)Test your marcel iron. Begin curling your hair and clipping the curls down until they cool down.

Then voila - your core press and curl is complete! If you need smoother edges, then decide if you need a temple pressing comb (small pressing comb) or just some smooth edge styling aids.

Results: Soft, straight hair without the grease! Very humidity resistant too!

Let me know how you like this technique and product selection!!!!

Texture Talk: SisterLocks Consideration

I decided NOT to perform a relaxer touch-up, but I want to give people what they want to know: So how is my hair doing? LOL! So I am pouring it all out in this article.

First of all, most hairstylists do NOT have my kinky, wiry type of hair. So they typically do not know how to handle this type of hair. Can you see my line of demarcation? My last relaxer touch-up was about five months ago. You can see the thicker density of hair at the roots and about two inches out. Then it is thinner density where the relaxed hair starts. (I have another picture later to explain this better.) Also, I actually think that the front quadrant of my hair is type 4b, the back above my occupital bone is type 4c, and my nape area below my occiptial bone is a type 4a. Three different textures, but back to my initial point . . .

So secondly, I have purchased a "cruise ship" worth of products over twenty years without regard to price, and I am convinced that the 2 million product lines on the market have no idea how to work with my type of hair. I literally have to eat a meal and do body stretches before I start to tackle my hair. When "sistas" feel that they want to just "cut it all off" - I know exactly how they feel. (and I am an active licensed cosmetologist in three states and feel the exact same way.) Unfortunately, my huge forehead and fat jaws are not going to pull off a "crew cut." Also, the products on the market are still not for kinky, wiry hair.

My sideview: So almost an hour later, I have my hair flat twisted. Those relaxed ends gave me "hell." I did not condition because the shampoo seemed to soften and detangle enough. I shampooed with Bee Mine Botanical Moisturizing Shampoo as my final shampoo. I had to use Paul Mitchel Shampoo one and KeraCare First Lather Sulfate-free shampoos initially to get all the extra hairdressing washed out. Then I used Design Essentials Defining Creme Gel to twist. These twists are still wet. The texture between the new growth and the relaxed hair looks about the same. Now, I have to sit under the dryer for at least another hour . . .

My Backview. I have not captured the backview in awhile. Remember, my hair is wet in this picture. I still have to go under the dryer.

Okay, look closely here! My flat twists are now dry. Can you see the new growth clearer now? Honestly, the relaxed ends are still the core hair that is still twisted. The relaxed hair did NOT want to dry. Because there is such a big difference between my relaxed hair and my new growth, I really need two different setting agents. The Creme gel really is too heavy to dry my relaxed hair, and if I used a lighterweight product, then it would not be heavy enough for my new growth. Remember I mentioned "SisterLocks" in my subject? Well, SisterLocks do NOT require you to cut off your relaxed hair. They can start sisterlocking one and a half inches at the roots and leave the relaxed hair alone. So my protective styling has got me to another milestone to do something different. Yay!!!

So about three hours later, my finished style with transitional hair. Way too much work . . . way too much time . . . and I had to make it into this style. So why not relax it? I have been really meditating on this. I have had quite a few setbacks in my life: Ionic Flat irons -HUGE SETBACK! Permanent haircolor - my type of hair does not need two permanent chemicals in it! Relaxing too often - I have seen too much scalp damage out there! So for those of us who can not get a comb through our hair at the five week mark - what do you do? Okay, those with "finer" strands but same curl pattern will find that mild relaxers will straighten their hair to their content. However, medium to coarse hair need a stronger strength to straighten the hair strand, but stronger relaxer strengths are NOT good for the scalp. So people say do not put in on the scalp. With curl patterns that coil back on itself, the scalp is going to get relaxer on it. For those whose hair grows away from the scalp, thank your Higher power. Your hair is easier to part and to comb through.

So as you can see another backview, you can not see my scalp- right? Well, I will say that I am not looking forward to sisterlocks because I will be forever tied to a SisterLock technician. However, I am over 40 years old now, and I really feel that relaxers and my scalp have come to the crossroads. I can not continue to subject my scalp to damage then wait for it to recover. One day it is not going to recover. I have seen enough pictures and images in my head to know the future if I continue in my same path.

In the days of Madame C J Walker, the beauty industry was offering the "hair growers" showcasing fair-skinned Black women. Our kinky head sisters were afraid of those "relaxers" back then and that is why the "press and curl" and the "Walker hair cosmetics" were embraced. The art of press and curl is getting lost. The pressing combs are made differently now. Even the high end pressing combs by Kizure and Golden Supreme all are made differently. Please see my other articles on pressing combs. I would consider going to a press and curl, but my natural hair is resistant to heat straightening, and I do not want it burnt out. It has been about twenty years since I met a hairstylist that knew the art of press and curling without the heaviness and the right amount of heat to temporary straighten the hair without damaging it. I do not remember her name, but she was close to the Clemson, Easley, South Carolina area. After 20 years, who knows where she is now.

So in conclusion, I desire to keep a European professional look for the corporate setting. So I want a straighter look without a relaxer, the Sisterlocks are smaller than dreadlocks. I have seen a lot of pictures of SisterLocks. Please note that sisters with slightly looser textures get sisterlocks and they look absolutely fabulous. For those of us with kinky, wiry textures, our Sisterlocks may have a little more frizz as they mature, but you still will have more freedom of style without the chemicals. Also, sisterlocks do not require any pomades. They use a tool to lock the hair.

Well, you may ask whether or not, I will become a Sisterlock technician? I do not plan to. I really feel like most women in the Carolinas do not want to pay for the SisterLock service. The initial investment is steep and time consuming and if you are starting your hair over, it will be short in length.

Most women will rather pay $500 on a few long sew-ins weave services before they spend that much money for a short, kinky hairdo. Patience is key. It takes two years to start enjoying the length of sisterlocks, but at least you can keep your relaxed ends while the roots are growing out. They will look like invisible braids, but it will be your own hair.

I will keep your posted. For now, I am going to continue playing around with my wigs until I find a certified Sisterlock technician that is not going to kill my tenderhead!

Pressing Comb Review: Old school versus New School

Pictured are two "old fashion" pressing combs and one "new school" pressing comb (in the center).
I have written about the "tear drop" of the pressing comb in a previous article. However, today, I had a lady to visit the salon who was interested in an old fashion pressing comb. So she got me to thinking . . . I pulled out eight pressing combs. Only two of them were from 20 years ago . . . then I began to realize the difference between the "new" pressing combs and the "old" pressing combs. Look at the ridges on the teardrop base. The "new school" pressing comb had a solid base with teeth sawed into it. The "old school" pressing comb seems to have individual teardrop teeth welded together. Actually, the teeth of one of my "old" pressing combs has become loose. I can move them slightly like running my hand down a keyboard. Amazing. This would never happen with a "new school" pressing comb.

They just are not built the way they used to be.

Mr. John's Hair Clinic of Detroit, Michigan

A client originally from Detroit, Michigan told me about this business. She says that they have an assembly line. During the hair pressing service, three pressing combs are being rotated in and out with a wet sponge to test the pressing combs prior to silkening the hair. My client says they are listening for a certain sound to determine if the pressing comb has cooled down enough.

According my own separate Internet research, the "salon" does not offer any relaxers nor haircolor. They also make some of their own products that they use in the salon.

They focus on straightening natural hair with old school pressing methods.

I did not find an official website for this business, and the main phone number listed is no longer in service.

The "salon" had high recommendations from the hair forums on the web from 2008. They were charging between $45 and $65 per person. The economy changes may have shut them down. The hair industry in North Carolina was already dipping for years.

Anyone considering hair styling as a new career should re-think their decision unless they are willing to operate on pure passion.

But back to Mr. John's Hair Clinic . . . closed or not; it seems to be noteworthy enough for an article on my blog.

Comparing pressing combs and their teardrop base

In this picture, you see two of the leading brands of "iron" tools: Kizure and Golden Supreme. I am loving my Golden Supreme marcel irons, but I have found the Kizure pressing comb to be "second to none."
Look at the side of the teardrop bases. The Golden Supreme has a smaller teardrop (pictured on the left) and requires an extreme flipping angle to get the base of the iron to straighten the hair. However, the larger teardrop base of the Kizure pressing comb (pictured on the right) can just guide down the hair strand almost effortless. I prefer the Kizure pressing comb over the Golden Supreme. I believe that both are pre-tempered brass. In addition, I found the teeth on the Golden Supreme pressing comb to be sharp and rough which is not a good combination when it comes to hair nor skin. I tempered the Golden Supreme pressing comb a little and roughed it up to dull the tips; so the teeth are not so abrasive now. The Kizure pressing comb was perfect. No sharp tips nor edges and was ready to use.

Be careful with the cheaper pressing combs, you probaby will run into some of the same sharp teeth/tips and a small teardrop base. These deficiencies can make your work harder and not as healthy for the hair.