4a/4b stretch relaxer

[hottopic]

O.k...I am looking at some of these pictures and understand why some people are able to stretch their relaxers. But what about 4a/4b....I don't hear them saying they stretch...I can't even make it pass 2 months without having my mom bring out the holy water to tame the beast....Any tips for a girl like me (4a/b) try to push at least to 4 months.....Help..

 

[hottopic]

I read some of the forums about 4a/b...but the real question is tips on how to really stretch.....stretch your relaxer....maybe I am not trying hard enough, but my hair love to break when it thinks I am up to something...Like pushing it pass the realaxer date... I am going to try...But I still need more help on this topic.

 

[WhipEffectz1]

Well, the majority of my hair is 4a and I am currently 8 weeks post relaxer. I intend to try and stretch it for nine months but if not then I will settle for six months. My hair's in cornrows right now and I intend to keep it like that for the remainder of the time. Before, I was doing the baggie method and moisturizing my hair whenever I got the chance. This is just my two cents cause I am new to the board. I hope you find some stretch your relaxer out if thats what you want to do.

 

[Daughter]

When I used to relax, I did it every 12 weeks, sometimes a week or two longer and my hair is type 4A/B.

 

[cutebajangirl]

I understand your frustration hottopic. 4a/4b can mean a wide range of textures on this site. But as a very kinky haired person what works for me is making sure I have protein for strength and lots and lots of moisture so that it doesn't break. What I have found over time that works the best for me is to wash and then dry in a ponytail and then flat iron from root to tip. This leads to the least breakage for me. Or the easiest thing for me is to after week six get braids, cornrows etc.

 

[KathyMay]

Streching a relaxer in 4a/b hair requires a lot of tlc and patience. I realized that my hair does better in braids while I am streching out a relaxer. Braids are an easy solution but you still have to maintain your hair so when you take the braids out you don't have to worry about breakage when it comes time to get a relaxer.

 

[JenniferMD]

I'm 4a/b and I relax at least every four months. I'm at 4 months now and I'm planning to stretch maybe two more months. The key for me is staying away from water based products. Don't do anything to 'wake up' your newgrowth. I get my hair done every two weeks and just keep it up with a wrap or pin curls. Only use oil sheen for shine and again, (((((((STAY AWAY FROM WATER BASED PRODUCTS)))))))

 

[zoya_j]

i'm 4a/b and i texturize every 3 months. first 2 months are usually ok, after that i braid or weave my hair until it's time to touch up. i just took out my braids yesterday and attempted to do a rod set. did not work, you should see my roots. anyways i have lots of pics during the various stages of stretching my touch ups in my album.

 

[Isis]

I stretched to 16 weeks once this year but not on purpose and had more shedding than usual, not that bad though. 13 weeks works just fine for my mostly 4b hair, without much shedding, and that's what I do. I usually wear braidouts and the last two weeks, I'll make 4-6 braids and pin it up as a style and wear it everyday. The new growth blends in easily with the rest of my hair.
I love relaxing only 4 times each year than every 8 weeks like I used to.

 

[Keen]

I can usually go 2 months without any breakage. I can get away with wearing buns for up to the 12 week. I only get about 1/4 inch of new growth a month, if not less. So usuallky I don't have much new growth. They are just really unmanageable because of the kinks. After 3 months I have to get braids or sew-in. I haven't been able to go pass 16 weeks. I'm going for at least 6 months this time.

 

[reformatio]

I am 4b and I am 10 weeks post relaxer. What helped me to stretch my relaxers this far is frequent washing [every other day], combing only when wet/damp and constant moisturizing. I will be getting braids soon in an effort to grow out my no-lye relaxed hair...

 

[aqualung]

I'm a 4b, and I have difficulty stretching the relaxer past 8 or 9 weeks. If I go to the salon past week 4 post relaxer, the shampoo girl and stylist just rip through the new growth and the tangled relaxed hair. I'm forced to style at home on my own if I want to retain hair.

JenniferMD is right about avoiding water on the new growth. But that means no surging or frequent washing and airdrying or sweating when i stretch the relaxer. (This may be specific to my case.)

Part of my problem is that the lye relaxers I use don't straighten my hair. The other part is that I'm 4b with coils that draw up very tightly.

 

[BrEE]

i'm 4a/b and stretching out 12 weeks has never been a problem. it's the 16 weeks and more i dont understand how people do. i get major tangling/breakage and shedding if i try 16 weeks or longer. i'll stick to 12.

 

[Camille]

I don't understand how you guys do a sew-in when you are streching your relaxer. Do u do a full head? becuase there is no way you could leave any out to cover the tracks. Unless you are using a kind of kinky weave that will blend ok?

 

[Britt]

You could always try a glycerin based product to spray on your roots to soften it up a bit.

 

[dreemssold]

I am a 4b, and I have found that there are two opposites which enable me to stretch past the normal 8 weeks I could usually go. I have decided that 12 weeks is the best point for me...maximum benefits, minimal breakage. Either I have to have my roots blown out after a rollerset and, aside from moisturizing, pretty much leave my hair alone until my next set (this means weeks of no washing) or condition wash my hair every day or every other day and put it in a bun/ponytail/2 buns/2 ponytails to airdry and leave it alone. The less manipulation, the better. The former option means that my hair will look nice, but be filthy, the latter means it will be clean, I will likely yield more growth, but it will look a mess. I switch back and forth between them, depending on how I feel. The results have been worth it, though, my hair is noticeably thicker just from stretching an extra 4-6 weeks. HTH .

 

[Falon]

I just touched up yesteday at the begining of week 15. After week 10 I put in braided extensions. I kept those in for two weeks and then I took them out. I did an Aphogee treatment and blew dry and flat ironed my new growth. I realized that I couldn't keep stretching past week 15 w/o using heat so I gave in and touched up. But it isn't as difficult as I previously thought to maintain the two textures. I had to cut back on washing...after week 11 I didn't want to bother with taming the new growth more than once a week. Domincan conditioners helped a lot...Rysell aloe vera and milk and honey are good for softening new growth. I also think it is necessary to use more oils It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be....from now on 12 weeks will be the minimum for me.

 

[cutebajangirl]

I don't understand how you guys do a sew-in when you are streching your relaxer. Do u do a full head? becuase there is no way you could leave any out to cover the tracks. Unless you are using a kind of kinky weave that will blend ok?

The hair I use is a corse Yaki with minimal shine and I just flat iron the front part I have left out 1x week.

 

[JuJuBoo]

FLAT IRON. That's the only thing that works for me. When I tell people I'm 9 weeks post relaxer they don't believe me.

 

[candibaby]

Well my hair is mostly 4a, and I'm only 6 weeks post right now, but I stretched to 21wks earlier this year. I stretch my relaxers by keeping my hair in braids and simple styles that I wont have to manipulate much like perm-rod sets. I'll switch up between getting cornrows (w/ extensions) and getting my own hair braided and doing the baggie methond w/ a phony pony to keep my edges from becoming non-existent. I also moisturize my new growth (Sta Sof Fro) like crazy because the more I moisturize it, the softer it is, and the softer it is.. the more manageable it is.

 

[cutebajangirl]

FLAT IRON. That's the only thing that works for me. When I tell people I'm 9 weeks post relaxer they don't believe me.

Isn't it amazing what a flat iron can do? The more I use it the better I get at it.

 

[DangerouslyShy]

Im 8 weeks post relaxer i will be nine weeks on wednesday. What I do is I cornrow my hair and do a sewin...cornrows grow out my hair so much more than it just being out....

before i came to the hair site in July really before i went to college...I would get a relaxer every month and that destroyed my hair after a while....

than when i went off to college...I started getting sewins more often and stretching my relaxer...but than i hit a bump in the road when i dyed my hair...big mistake it couldnt take it....

so now im growing my color out and stretching my relaxers untill at least 3 months...with a sewin...no heat...or manipulation for me is the key....I was flatironing and applying heat to my hair EVERY day!!!

i texturize now so i dont relax it straight...

 

[Faith]

O.k...I am looking at some of these pictures and understand why some people are able to stretch their relaxers. But what about 4a/4b....I don't hear them saying they stretch...I can't even make it pass 2 months without having my mom bring out the holy water to tame the beast....Any tips for a girl like me (4a/b) try to push at least to 4 months.....Help..

I stretch mine to 13 weeks. I may not last this time around. I'm at 6 weeks and oy! I keep it in a bun and I moisturize mostly the roots which are out of control right now with unbraid spray and WGO.

 

[JuJuBoo]

Isn't it amazing what a flat iron can do? The more I use it the better I get at it.

It CERTAINLY is!

 

[DatJerseyDyme]

I've gone 16 weeks once and 17 weeks the other (12 weeks is normal for me). I just washed more often (2-3 times a week) to make sure that my hair STAYED detangled. I also wore more curly styles (braid-out/twist-out) and stopped trying to FIGHT the texture, instead I worked WITH it. I don't think I'll ever go that long again though. Even though I washed and detangled faithfully, my hair began to dread up. Not cute. And it took so much manipulation to detangle my hair during the touchup that my scalp was on fire. There is a limit to how much stretching I am willing to do..and that limit is 8-12 weeks for me!

 

[hottopic]

I thank you guys soo much for the responses......you gave me so many ideas to stretch my relaxer out. One thing for sure, I will have to leave my hair in braids for a while..I just hope my hair is up for it.

 

[Aerie17]

I just can't seem to get past 8 weeks! I don't wear braids; just pull my hair back and clip it up. Comb-out's to the root are what tear my hair out after week 6. I try to only comb through to the roots once a week during pre-shampoo. I have found that if I don't comb before shampooing that my hair tangles badly. I wish I could touch up just 4 times a year. However, I am pleased with the growth progress my hair has made and figure that I must be doing something right! I believe I am 4a with a few 3c sections, (does anyone just have one type of hair on her head)?

 

[melodee]

I do the same thing JenniferMD does. I usually get a blowout (roots at least) when I want straight effect and not shaggy edges. Otherwise, I live with a little shagginess, knowing that my scalp and hair is getting a chance to breathe. Currently, I have braided my hair so that I can streatch out my relaxer to two or three times a year instead of four.

 

[Honi]

I stretch mine to 20 weeks. I must do frequent condition washes to keep my hair detangled or else it will start to get matted at the roots. It's the only way I "comb" my hair. Never comb it dry. It will break. Other than that I just leave it alone and wear updo's and buns.

Sometimes I'll do a rollerset and flat iron the roots afterwards.

 

[Country gal]

I have gone for most of the year with out a relaxer. Braids and a wig gave my hair a nice break. I also roller set my hair a lot which really helped me maintain my hair's health.