Can someone explain "relaxer reversion" to me?

[ShiShiPooPoo]

Is it when you wash your hair too soon after getting a relaxer and it strips the relaxer?

Please explain it to me and how to prevent it. Thanks.

 

[Allandra]

Is it when you wash your hair too soon after getting a relaxer and it strips the relaxer?

Please explain it to me and how to prevent it. Thanks.

Relaxers are permanent (unless one cuts it out), so I don't understand how this could happen. As far as I know, a relaxer cannot be stripped.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Hmmm...I may be wrong, but from my understanding, there's really no way to "Reverse" a relaxer. A relaxer is a chemical, so once it has broken those bonds in your hair strands, it has broken those bonds down for good. I don't think it's really possible for a relaxer to "revert" back to natural state hair. At least that's what I've read anyway.

I think many people may have experienced their hair not being as "straight" as it was when they first got their relaxer. Well, that may be due to the fact that the hair is now a little stronger than it was when it FIRST got chemically altered. That could be it. I'm not sure.

Sorry if this wasn't much help! lol*

But it has always been my understanding that your hair doesn't really revert after it has been chemically altered.

Maybe some chemists or some other ladies on the board know more about this subject.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

Thanks ladies.

I always thought that you couldn't "reverse" anything permanent but I've read that term on this board a few times.

I thought I read something like if you wash your hair too soon after having a relaxer that you might revert it somewhat. IDK *shrugs*

 

[explosiva9]

Hey

Crystalicequeen123 is right. Once you relax your hair, that's it! It won't return to its former state. Once you relax, your hair is at it's weakest state which is why it is so limp. Once you start nurturing and feeding it (cond, oils, etc), you are repairing the damage caused by the relaxer so your hair "fattens" back up so it doesn't look as straight or as limp. Also, if someone else has done your hair or you got it done at a salon, sometimes the hair is underprocessed but you can't tell until you go home and do your own hair. If after the first was there is a curl pattern or wave, most likely they didn't leave it on long enough.

The only chemical process that can revert somewhat from shampooing too soon is a chemical perm (curly perm). You have to wait between 24-48 hrs to wash your hair to maintain the curl.

The confusion lies in that we sometimes call relaxers "perms" but that is not the proper term for it.

Hope that helped

 

[LongiLox]

I guess when we think our hair has "reverted", it wasn't really relaxed in the first place. All I know is that sometimes when I relax my hair, for the first week or so, it's straight. Then after washing it several times it goes back to being "curly". So in that situation, I guess the hair may have been underprocessed or wasn't even relaxed in the first place?

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

Hey

Crystalicequeen123 is right. Once you relax your hair, that's it! It won't return to its former state. Once you relax, your hair is at it's weakest state which is why it is so limp. Once you start nurturing and feeding it (cond, oils, etc), you are repairing the damage caused by the relaxer so your hair "fattens" back up so it doesn't look as straight or as limp. Also, if someone else has done your hair or you got it done at a salon, sometimes the hair is underprocessed but you can't tell until you go home and do your own hair. If after the first was there is a curl pattern or wave, most likely they didn't leave it on long enough.

The only chemical process that can revert somewhat from shampooing too soon is a chemical perm (curly perm). You have to wait between 24-48 hrs to wash your hair to maintain the curl.

The confusion lies in that we sometimes call relaxers "perms" but that is not the proper term for it.

Hope that helped

Yes. Thank you!

 

[SelfStyled]

I hear what you are all are saying in regards to relaxers are permanent and can't be reversed,

but riddle me this:

How come hair get more "different" the more weeks post touch up? And I'm not talking about just the roots, I'm talking about the whole strand of hair.

For instance, how come a 2wk airdry looks different than a 6wk air dry?

 

[JustKiya]

I hear what you are all are saying in regards to relaxers are permanent and can't be reversed,

but riddle me this:

How come hair get more "different" the more weeks post touch up? And I'm not talking about just the roots, I'm talking about the whole strand of hair.

For instance, how come a 2wk airdry looks different than a 6wk air dry?

I'd suspect it has something to do with the fact that the relaxer changed the pH of your hair, and the pH is continuing to change, depending on the products, etc, that you are using in your hair.

 

[belleama]

After I learned that relaxed hair can't revert I figured that reverting applied only to NG or Natural heads. You can still straighten both but if they get wet they revert back to wavy/curly.

 

[belleama]

I hear what you are all are saying in regards to relaxers are permanent and can't be reversed,

but riddle me this:

How come hair get more "different" the more weeks post touch up? And I'm not talking about just the roots, I'm talking about the whole strand of hair.

For instance, how come a 2wk airdry looks different than a 6wk air dry?

Are you looking at a single strand or a full head of hair? If you are looking at a single strand you should only see a difference in the amount of NG. If you are looking at a full head I'd say the reason it looks different is because there is still 6 weeks of NG under the relaxed hair "puffing" it up. The puffy wavy and curly hair shapes or molds the relaxed hair as it dries. KWIM?