I think I like Pinterest. I don’t know. As with most social networks, I’m pretty sure I’m using it wrong. I’ve been on Tumblr for four years and I still don’t think I’m using it right. Twitter is lost on me; I mainly use it to air my grievances about food. But Pinterest is fun, I guess. I only ever use it to look at makeup tips and recipes with pumpkin in them.
But every once in a while in the Hair & Beauty section, there are pins that simply seem too good to be true. For example: spraying brown sugar on your hair to straighten it.
There are a bunch of different versions of this pin floating around, but they all have a picture of some girl with pin-straight hair and the same recipe.
I personally like my natural texture, but sometimes I want it to be straight, without having to deal with the damage/effort required by using a flat iron. This pin would be super-handy if it worked.
HYPOTHESIS
I don’t think this is going to work. The only reason I could think this might work is it might make the hair sticky and sort of moldable so it stays straight after drying. I’m concerned this stuff is going to feel gross in my hair.
EXPERIMENT
I washed my hair, which was hard for me because I rarely wash it and it looked really good that day. I then combed out any tangles. Then I put two tablespoons of brown sugar with a cup of water and poured it into a spray bottle. The spray smelled like cookies, which was pleasant. I sprayed it in my hair until it was dripping and then combed through and let it air dry.
RESULTS
Yeah, it didn’t work. I don’t know why anyone thought it would. My hair was just as curly as it always is when I let it air dry. Bummer.
There are a few options that do work to get your hair straight. Obviously you could use a blowdryer or a flat iron. If you don’t want to do that, you could get a straightening treatment at a salon. If neither of those float your boat, your options are pretty limited. There aren’t any magical products out that that you can put in your hair when it’s wet that will leave it perfectly straight when you wake up.
However, Bumble and bumble’s Curl Conscious Calming Creme is the closest I’ve found to a product that matches that description. I use it in my hair after I shower and it takes a considerable amount of curl out of my hair, leaving me with looser waves. The more you use, the straighter your hair will be (within reason). It’s a good substitute while we wait for that magic product (get on it scientists!).
Are there any other pins you’d like to see proven or disproven?