Well, my niece finally convinced me to straighten my hair for my nephew's wedding last weekend.

Here is my before and after pics...can't believe how SMOOTH my hair felt.

It was ALOT of work...she did it all for me, so I didn't have to do anything but sit there. Took about an 90 minutes to tame this wild hair.

you looked beautiful! I like your natural curls too but how fun to totally change your looks for a day!

AWWW, I thought the first was lovely. Here I put my hair up in curlers and keep it that way for 8 or more hours overnight, just so I can have some curl in it.

One of my friends has really and truly natural curly hair, I envy her sooo much!!!

looks great!! but wait till it starts growing out!! I went through this in the 6th grade - I have a school picture from that year with 4 inches of wavy ending in 4 inches of straight - definitely a weird look!!

Wow - very pretty!!! I LOVE the back!
Please forgive what might seem a dumb question - how long will it last? Until you cut it? Is it basically a perm, only in reverse?

when I had it done it was the same process as a perm.

when I had it done it was the same process as a perm.

wow, very nice. Now, since the 60s I've worn my hair long because it was thick and wanted to curl/wave, but when it was long the weight of it pulled all that out. It ended up easier to deal with long.
Will yours stay this way for awhile or will you have to do it again after a few washes? sharet

Once I washed my hair, it went back to being curly.

She used one of those hot flat irons to straighten it...no perm.

I was happy to get my curls back.

My mom use to be a beautician...and as kids we always wanted poker straight hair. Now that I'm older, I can appreciate my curls...I thought the back of my hair looked super cool too...but I don't think I would take the time to wear it that way every day.

Maybe the next time my niece comes to town she will do it for me again....she loves doing hair and makeup on us...she's only 14, but is so grown up and talented.

My daughters hair is curly and bright red, she straightens hers with a hot flat hair styling iron. Lasts till she washes her hair. I took her for the reverse perm and the waves and curls were so tight the refunded my money. It looks nice both ways, nice to have a choice.

this brings back a memory of the 60's when it was popular to straighten one's hair by ironing it. my blonde hair had only a slight wave, but i tried it. when i arrived at school, my boyfriend said that my hair did not look good [paraphrasing in a nice way]. i never did that again !!!! :lol:

I flatiron my hair often. I like my hair the way it is naturally (it air dries into really nice waves most of the time), but sometimes it's nice for a different look, and it makes me feel more put together in a way, especially when I have to dress up for something.

I love your hair either way! :)

well it was a success. looks great!!!!

I love it!!! I used to have super straight long hair. I always wanted a wave put in it. I went and got it cut shorter and I now have a natural wave in it. Now I want my straight hair back...lol.

so glad to hear it was not a perm and you were able to transition back gracefully!!

Does anyone else remember setting your hair on orange juice cans to try and get it straight??

very nice...and it looks good on you!
Being a hairdresser I know what she went through...BUT if you keep it conditioned well, and keep it relaxed, it will get easier to do!

and now you can roll it, curl it, crimp it..etc..ehhehe

You're lucky, you look great both ways!

I have that very curly Jewish hair, which is very tough to keep straight. I've had it professionally straightened in different ways over the years. Some ways work, some don't. I've also done it myself.

I bought a straightening iron but I'm just hopeless at using it. Oh well, at least in the cooler weather, I can straighten it with my regular blow dryer.

Your hair looks beautiful both ways. I have naturally straight hair and have to pay for my curls. $100 a pop for a spiral perm and haircut. Three hours and I'm curly.

I think it is pretty both ways, but IMO the straight hair makes you look younger. :thumbup:

I would love to have your curls. I can't get a perm anymore because of medication I take. They are afraid my hair will fall out.

You hve beautiful hair both straight and curly. my daughter, 23, has natural curls. Spent ages 13 to 19 straightening and has now embraced the curls. I love her natural look even when it gets a bit wild. Just like everything else, it's nice to try a new look. BTW, my son, 32, also has long natural curls. I like his tied back out of his face. Not much for a guy with long curly hair but he has a reat looking pony tail!

No, my hair is naturally straight, would love to have curly hair, use to perm it, now I just wear it very short and straight.

I have naturally curly hair and do I wish for straight hair - yes!

One time my daughter used one of those irons to straighten it. It took quite a long time and then I stepped outside into the humidity and back came the curls.

Guess I'm destined for curly hair the rest of my life! I'm just trying to decide if I should keep it long and pull it back or cut it short!

Your hair looks really good both ways. Nice to have options!

thanks for all the compliments. My family told me it made me look younger....so I'll have to keep that in mind if I go on a date...lol.

Both are lovely on you. What is really nice is you can have both with ease (smile). Most of us work and work at getting those curls. Thank you for sharing.

I have that "poker straight" hair you mentioned. When I was little my 2 older sisters would curl my hair and then watch the curls fall out. Never took long. :) When I was in my 20's I got perms every 3 months. I did this until about 2 years ago. Decided I didn't want to keep spending the money. Now it's straight and about shoulder length. Still doesn't hold a curl but I can put a flip in the ends with a flat iron. I've decided ponytails aren't that bad, especially when we go camping in the summer. :)

success! Love the hair.

my hair is poker straight. won't hold a curl for anything.

My hair is so straight I think the ruler companies could use it to test with. Wish I had your curl. Oh well at least I have hair.

There's the chemical straight.... like a reverse perm. And there's the ceramic iron (flat iron) straight, that only lasts until you wash your hair again. OR if you're in a topical climate like I am... it lasts until you go outside for while.

I have naturally curly hair, live in south florida, the frizz central of hair! I had it straightened temporarily when the youth group high school girls got a hold of me (I was a youth volunteer minister). lol. What fun we had! But my husband HATED it when I got home. lol

It look great both ways. My hair is weird. Is super curly and I kept it like that for many years. My family did not support changing it. When I became an adult and could have it my way I started to relax it and let it grow. I went back to curly 5 years ago but wasn't me any more, so I let it grow again. I have it relaxed every 6 weeks. Usually do it myself, but is easier to get someone else to do it. I them wash it and wrap it around my head over night. I n the morning I blow dry it and use the flat iron to straighten it further. I have done it for so long that it now takes me 20 minutes to do the whole thing. My hair is a few inches shorter than yours.

WOW! Not only your hair, but girl you are really gorgeous! Beautiful lady! I like your hair really well either way. Lucky you! Thanks for sharing.

I've had my hair curly and straight. It's easier to put up and wear combs and such when it curly but it's easier to brush when it's straight. Now it's just natural and I don't do a whole lot to it because it's pretty long---around 4 ft, and it's thick. However, your hair is beautiful both ways and so are you.

Your hair looks pretty either way. I had my hair chemically straightened years ago. I ended up with hair 1/2" long on the front of my head.....it had cracked off due to the harsh chemicals. Fortunately my hair grows fast.

From someone with perfectly straight hair, I love your hair in the first picture.

Before the days of special irons for hair, my oldest daughter used to iron hers on my ironing board with the regular iron for laundry. I thought she was nutz. I had a bit of natural curl, but not as curly as hers. I would have exchanged with her in a nano-second.

Very pretty!

I am of the my Mother used a curling iron on the stove to bend my hair. It does not curl even today at 70.

Gosh, I think you look incredible in both pics. I love curls cause I don't have any .

Never had a cause to straighten my hair it is straight as nails.

My natural hair is like your 2nd and 3rd pics.