am i setting myself up? opinions wanted, needed and appreciated.

[blessedandlucky]

i have been self-relaxing for the last year because i moved away from my stylist. it has been going okay. i relaxed about 2 weeks ago after a 10 week stretch and came out very underprocessed. the problem was a combination of not leaving it on long enough (i got scarederplexed) and the thickness of my roots. so, now i'm underprocessed.

i'm on spring break now and have an appointment scheduled for highlights tomorrow with my old stylist. there's a lot going on in my life right now and i need a change. i got them last year with no problems so i know how to take care of them.

i have been doing research on underprocessed relaxers and have been confused by all of the information. in some threads, i've read that you cannot correct a no lye relaxer at all. is this true?

i am thinking of two options:

option 1 - get the highlights and then drive back up in a few weeks (6 or 7 weeks) to have my stylist do my relaxer.

option 2 - no highlights and self relax again in 5 weeks.

what are your thoughts and personal experiences, if you have any? i'm most confused by the "you can't correct a no-lye relaxer" bit? thoughts?

thanks a lot!

 

[Barbie83]

IMO, you should wait on the highlights. I think any relaxer (lye or no-lye) can be corrected, with the proper technique. However, I've always heard "Color over a relaxer, don't relax over a color".

Basically, if you get highlights now, 6 to 7 weeks won't be enough time to correct the relaxer without getting some relaxer on the highlighted hair. This is part of the reason my hair broke off at the root in 05 Then again, that was before LHCF and I'm sure I wasn't taking care of the colored hair like I was supposed to.

 

[blessedandlucky]

good point. i've heard that too about "Color over a relaxer, don't relax over a color".

i always thought it meant if you were so many weeks post like when you normally get a relaxer, you should go ahead and relax first and then color. that's how i've always done it. gotten relaxed and then 3-4 weeks later, gotten the highlights.

i'm past apl now (need to update my siggie) and on my way to bsl in a few months and would hate to lose my progress...

thanks so much for your response.

 

[blessedandlucky]

bumping...

 

[blessedandlucky]

bumping..surely, someone else has been in this situation or is willing to share their experience.

 

[blessedandlucky]

trying this for the *very last* time..bump for the night crowd.

 

[robot.]

sorry I don't have any advice for you OP. but i hope someone else chimes in with some help soon. i haven't had salon color in a long time.

since you have to wait to get a touch-up anyway, maybe go for the color?

 

[lboogie2679]

I would suggest waiting on the relaxer bc once you do the highlights your hair will be alot weaker and you may suffer breakage trying to do a corrective. I say do the corrective and give your hair a chance to bounce back with deep conditioning and protein treatments then go for the color later. It will still be in time for spring!