To Straighten...or Not to Straighten...that is the question? HELP

I need help!!!!! I LOVE my curly hair. But I get bored very quickly. I enjoy being able to wear my hair straight and curly. In January I had a small amount of heat damage in the front of my hair. Now, when used to flat iron my own hair I never used a heat protector. I used to blow dry and flat iron without any protection. It was not until November and December that I began flat ironing my own hair but I really think the damage was caused by the use of heat without protector for my hair.


When I get my hair straightened at the salon. There are usually two ways I get it done:

(1) Wash, Conditioner, Blow Out, & Flat Iron (Now that I recall, there is always a heat protector used.

(2) Wash, Conditioner, Rollers under hood dryer, brush out with round brush, and (optional) flat iron- this is also know as a Dominican Blow Out.

Now, I have been told time and time again that the second way of straightening hair is no healthy. Yet my hair grows long and healthy when I am going to Dominican Salons. Recently, I have made a deciding not to have my hair flat ironed after the blow out because honestly, you do not need it. 

I cut my hair in February but I want to grow it out again,and I know heat application (if not properly used) can slow down the growth process. I do not straighten my hair often. Maybe once a month, if that.

***I FLAT IRONED MY HAIR A FEW DAYS AGO AND I DID IT ON A LOW HEAT (320 degrees), with a IC heat protector, and Hair Rules 'Blow Out Your Kinks'.***

Thoughts and Opinons welcome and needed?