Can we talk about relaxing bone straight and why people do this??

[LocksOfLuV]

How long do you leave it in?
My stylist does the touchups so I'm not exactly sure. For my next touchup I'm going to find out. I'm fascinated by this straight vs. bone straight vs texlaxed. I'm having a hard time figuring out which is the best for my hair and how to tell the difference between all the variations. My head hurts from all this thinking

Take one of your (dry) shedded strands and break it in various places. But the strand MUST show the tex'ed texture otherwise you won't know the difference. So if you have to mist i (and let it dry) to get the texture to show go for it. That's a good way to see which parts are stronger. ( I usually like the use the shedded strands from my comb afer washing/Dcing)

 

[SleekandBouncy]

Take one of your (dry) shedded strands and break it in various places. But the strand MUST show the tex'ed texture otherwise you won't know. So if you have to mist i (and let it dry) to get the texture to show go for it. That's a good way to see which parts are stronger. ( I usually like the use the shedded strands form my comb afer washing/Dcing)

Thanks, I will do that today. I may have to fight with my hair for it to shed, since last night's wash there hasn't been any shedding or breakage

 

[gabulldawg]

OKAY. I know a lot of people believe that relaxing bone straight is unnecessary because you can get your hair just as straight using a flat iron or hot comb. While that may be true, what about people that live an active lifestyle? I know that personally I am trying to get back into a good exercise routine, and if my stylist simply flat ironed my hair and didn't do a relaxer my hair would be a MESS as soon as I hopped on the stair stepper for 30 minutes! If you sit around and don't do much exercise or high-level activities it's not necessary to have your hair relaxed bone straight. But the main reason I got a relaxer in the 7th grade was because I had started playing basketball and my hair would be so beautiful after it was pressed, but the next day it would look like I never got my hair done at all!! And that's too much money to pay for a style that lasts 24 hours at the most.

 

[natieya]

My hair is very very thick. Even when I relax bone straight, it's still thick, not lifeless and without body. It's more manageable when it's bone straight. Now before the boards, it wasn't healthy. But now, since I know how to properly moisturize and take care of my hair without heat, it's the healthiest that it's ever been.

Ditto.....

 

[gymfreak336]

It seems to me that the end result of the debate is that if one wishes for straight hair one can relax it, thus potentially causing various levels of damage dependent upon how straight one chooses to relax

OR

one can "texlax" which is ultimately an underprocessed relaxer and then use heat which can cause damage dependent upon how often and/or how hot one chooses to use a heating appliance


So this is a matter of pick your poison or, in the case of taxlax, double poison?

Good point. I workout alot and I live in a very humid area so my underprocessed parts puff up sky high on a regular basis. I also have to use more heat when I am texlaxed. I usually only use direct heat once or twice during a 8 week stretch when I am relaxed straight vs once or twice a week texlaxed.

 

[sylver2]

Sylver I know I mentioned you as an example for healthy long bone straight hair so I hope you don't mind me asking a question.(That of course also goes out to Macherie)

I and others(ok maybe it's just me ) have this theory that everytime you relax it will straighten your ends a little bit as you rinse it out and the water runs over your previously relaxed hair.
That's why texlaxed heads often have straighter ends and bonestraight heads would have to fight hard to prevent their ends from being damaged or overprocessed.
Honestly that would be my biggest fear when it comes to going straight.

What do you think?Do you think this is true?Any experiences or advice on how to prevent this?

I'm not really sure..it may or may not be. never really thought that. if your hair is chemically processed the ends will always be like that until u grow hair out and do a blunt cut. No matter what..you have to take care of your ends.
I just pay special attention to them. DC, especially on ends. Leave ins, nice oil(i use jojoba) or serum to seal and protect.

 

[chica_canella]

This is what fascinates me. I have about 3 inches of newgrowth, and when I flat iron it, it is the straightest, silkiest my hair has EVER been. Even when it was relaxed bone straight, it was straight, but it had a coarse feel to it. My natural hair gets disturbingly straight with just one pass (I'm 4A/B). I wonder why that is?

Yes, I have the same thing happen to me and I don't have to use a high heat to get that silky feeling. I too, would like to know why?

 

[sylver2]

I swear I thought about you when I saw this thread....
and I'm like....I don't think the OP's statements were applicable to your head, but I knew you relaxed bone straight and your hair has plenty body.

*Lub ya hair girlie...*
:

aww thanks girl..back at ya((hugs))) I'm gonna email u I want to kno how the braidout is goin.

And since you up in here, when we go see some updates Missy! It's a good thing I ain't been holding my breath since April. :wink2:

lol..I kno, I kno. believe it or not I have been wearing braidouts since my last touchup which was the end of March. I haven't measured, or done anything. I've been soo lazy...lol
hopefully next month. probably do a updated braidout album, no combing album and stretching album.

 

[natieya]

OKAY. I know a lot of people believe that relaxing bone straight is unnecessary because you can get your hair just as straight using a flat iron or hot comb. While that may be true, what about people that live an active lifestyle? I know that personally I am trying to get back into a good exercise routine, and if my stylist simply flat ironed my hair and didn't do a relaxer my hair would be a MESS as soon as I hopped on the stair stepper for 30 minutes! If you sit around and don't do much exercise or high-level activities it's not necessary to have your hair relaxed bone straight. But the main reason I got a relaxer in the 7th grade was because I had started playing basketball and my hair would be so beautiful after it was pressed, but the next day it would look like I never got my hair done at all!! And that's too much money to pay for a style that lasts 24 hours at the most.

Great point!

 

[schipperchow1]

I've never been relaxed bone straight & never had a desire to. I know that many women like that look, (like the Mary J pic - but I would definitely go for the highlights ) but on my head & w/my face, flat & straight is very unflattering. Even when I flat iron, I make sure I have fullness to soften my features. Many days I wished my curls were looser, but generally prefer the fullness of my hair.

For those of you with bone straight long hair, more power to you. Youobviously know what you're doing to maintain your hair so that it thrives.

As for those who are texlaxing & having tangle issues, it sounds as though the cuticles are still raised. Ensure or Humectress, Porosity Control or a cone conditioner should help. Does anyone like their texlaxed hair?

 

[SleekandBouncy]

OKAY. I know a lot of people believe that relaxing bone straight is unnecessary because you can get your hair just as straight using a flat iron or hot comb. While that may be true, what about people that live an active lifestyle? I know that personally I am trying to get back into a good exercise routine, and if my stylist simply flat ironed my hair and didn't do a relaxer my hair would be a MESS as soon as I hopped on the stair stepper for 30 minutes! If you sit around and don't do much exercise or high-level activities it's not necessary to have your hair relaxed bone straight. But the main reason I got a relaxer in the 7th grade was because I had started playing basketball and my hair would be so beautiful after it was pressed, but the next day it would look like I never got my hair done at all!! And that's too much money to pay for a style that lasts 24 hours at the most.

But isn't there a happy medium?
When I was relaxed bone straight I didn't have issues with it reverting in humidity, but I've also had it relaxed straight/straightish with waves and never had a problem with it reverting while I worked out.

Personally I think texlaxed is only necessary (usually) if that's the look you want (read: aesthetic purposes). With proper care and diet a straight or semi straight relaxer can be used on most people while retaining elasticity and volume. The extra heat styling that's necessary to maintain texlaxed hair on a regular basis is just too much, not to mention the issues with humidity. I kind of view (for most hairtypes) bone straight and texlaxed as equally problamatic. Bone straight can lead to extra breakage unless one has strong or thick hair and texlaxed is a PITA if you're hoping to wear it straight on a daily basis. I think straight or semi straight is the best of both worlds. I like to call my current texture smedium straight

 

[chica_canella]

I've never been relaxed bone straight & never had a desire to. I know that many women like that look, (like the Mary J pic - but I would definitely go for the highlights ) but on my head & w/my face, flat & straight is very unflattering. Even when I flat iron, I make sure I have fullness to soften my features. Many days I wished my curls were looser, but generally prefer the fullness of my hair.

For those of you with bone straight long hair, more power to you. Youobviously know what you're doing to maintain your hair so that it thrives.

As for those who are texlaxing & having tangle issues, it sounds as though the cuticles are still raised. Ensure or Humectress, Porosity Control or a cone conditioner should help. Does anyone like their texlaxed hair?

Me, I love my telaxed hair. it was an accident because I wanted it to be bone straight but my stylist only does about 80% relaxing. He said it isn't healthy because the hair becomes too pourous and startst to clup and tangle with each other because it can't (the strands) sustain on their own. But I didn't know I was telaxed and was so happy that I was finally bone straight but he uses products to give the effect of being bone straight. The products I use at home don;t give that effect which is how I found out I wasn't bone straight.


Also, I didn't know that Suave Humectrus makes your hair straight. The conditioner.

 

[Arcadian]

I watched my hair dry last night and I learned that my hair was relaxed bone straight since I started relaxing my hair. During the last 6 months I had switched to a new stylist and to ORS olive oil relaxer so I can give feedback on both textures.

When my hair was bone straight I didn't have any problems stretching out touchups. My only real problems were breakage and major tangles. The most recent 4" of my hair is not texlaxed, but not bone straight either. It's a weird straightish with little ripples. I've not had any problems getting those sections straight or having them stay straight throughtout the week even on humid days. I think it's possible to relax straight, but not bone straight and get the best of both worlds. I've grown my hair long and I was relaxed bone straight, now I'll probably stick with ORS which gives straightish results. When dry it has a semi straight/rippled texure. I'm not sure what it's called.

I consider that about 80-85% relaxed. I have a medium texure and this is what my hair likes best. bone straight looks like crap on me.

-A

 

[Nightingale]

It seems to me that the end result of the debate is that if one wishes for straight hair one can relax it, thus potentially causing various levels of damage dependent upon how straight one chooses to relax

OR

one can "texlax" which is ultimately an underprocessed relaxer and then use heat which can cause damage dependent upon how often and/or how hot one chooses to use a heating appliance


So this is a matter of pick your poison or, in the case of taxlax, double poison?

This makes sense, but many people relax bone straight AND use heat to straighten/smooth. I figure if you're going to use heat regardless, then don't relax bone straight. Also, I haven't met a relaxed person who was truly bone straight, there was always some wave/kink when airdried.

 

[SleekandBouncy]

Me, I love my telaxed hair. it was an accident because I wanted it to be bone straight but my stylist only does about 80% relaxing. He said it isn't healthy because the hair becomes too pourous and startst to clup and tangle with each other because it can't (the strands) sustain on their own. But I didn't know I was telaxed and was so happy that I was finally bone straight but he uses products to give the effect of being bone straight. The products I use at home don;t give that effect which is how I found out I wasn't bone straight.


Also, I didn't know that Suave Humectrus makes your hair straight. The conditioner.

Wow! That explains my hair problems from a while back, my hair would clump together and tangle because they were so weak. I thought it was just because I needed more protein in my conditioners.

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

I texlaxed by accident about 4 weeks ago and it's not been working for me because my 4a/b hair is SOOO thick. I don't like feeling like I'm six weeks post all the time, and that's definitely how I've been feeling. So maybe for me, bone straight (or something close to it) is best.

I wonder, does anybody have a relaxer they use that gets them pretty straight and they still feel like their hair is healthy?

 

[thegirltolove]

Thanks, I will do that today. I may have to fight with my hair for it to shed, since last night's wash there hasn't been any shedding or breakage

You make it seem like that is a BAD think or something

I WISH I could be in your position....

 

[SandySea]

Well, my hairdresser took great pride in making me look bald with bone straight hair. I finally found someone who left me with some texture--not quite texturized though. At first I wasn't sure if I liked the change, but now I'll never (on purpose, at least) go back to bone straight. The pic in my siggy is right after a perm and I never had body like that when bone straight, unless I had new growth.

 

[dona_flor]

This makes sense, but many people relax bone straight AND use heat to straighten/smooth. I figure if you're going to use heat regardless, then don't relax bone straight. Also, I haven't met a relaxed person who was truly bone straight, there was always some wave/kink when airdried.

ITA with this, Nubianqt,

I choose to relax bone-straight and. it's not been a problem for me. I live in a very humid climate and I have hair that grows 'wide' before it grows long . The trade off is that other than the occasional roller set, I do not use irons or blow dryers on my hair. I also self-relax being careful of over-lapping. In other words, I relax to maximum straightness to AVOID using heat.

I don't think I could ever trust a beautician to do this for me. I have my own technique that is specific to the way my hair grows. My hair is more loosely coiled at the front and the back. In the middle/crown area is the most tightly coiled. Because of this, I start at the crown area, as opposed the back. I air dry often and use pure coconut cream oil as my leave in. It comes out straight when it's fully dried. I use Porosity Control shampoo and conditioner leading up to relaxing, so my results are very consistent.

Even though I have a routine that works for me, I still know that I must treat my hair carefully. It is a very fine balance.

Good topic, by the way

 

[CurleeDST]

The few times I tried to self-relax (years and years ago) I was never able to get bone straight even though that is what I was going for. I was using a regular relaxer. Is it strength or is it technique?

 

[SleekandBouncy]

You make it seem like that is a BAD think or something

I WISH I could be in your position....

It's not a bad thing, I'm just wondering if I'm being punked by my hair products Hopefully next week the tangles won't be back.
Honestly I think I may have finally figured the perfect balance for what hair (or at least my hair) needs to not break and tangle.

 

[schipperchow1]

Me, I love my telaxed hair..

Thanks for answering my question, but would you go back to bone straight if your hair strength wasn't compromised?

I don't know about Suave Humectress, (I've only used Nexxus Humectress) making the hair straight, I was thinking in terms of detangle ability.

 

[mango387]

This makes sense, but many people relax bone straight AND use heat to straighten/smooth. I figure if you're going to use heat regardless, then don't relax bone straight. Also, I haven't met a relaxed person who was truly bone straight, there was always some wave/kink when airdried.

I was an earlier poster in the thread who mentioned relaxing bone straight. For the record, although I relax bone straight, I do not use blowdriers or flat-irons except for special occasions (about eight or ten times per year).

 

[gymfreak336]

I thought about an old coworker last night and her hair is relaxed bone straight and she has permanent red color on the tips. Her hair is close to bra strap length and looks healthy. I know she gets it done every week so I guess its just low manipulation. Its beautiful though. If any lady is in greensboro nc, check out the TJmaxx on high point rd.

 

[LocksOfLuV]

Thanks for answering my question, but would you go back to bone straight if your hair strength wasn't compromised?

I don't know about Suave Humectress, (I've only used Nexxus Humectress) making the hair straight, I was thinking in terms of detangle ability.

I'll be honest. I don't really care for the texlaxed hair. It's too puffy for my liking and it tangles something fierce with the bone straight ends. BUT I do like the: strength, the ability to retain moisture, and the softness. If my hair could grow WSL bonestraight I would def go back.

 

[thegirltolove]

It's not a bad thing, I'm just wondering if I'm being punked by my hair products Hopefully next week the tangles won't be back.
Honestly I think I may have finally figured the perfect balance for what hair (or at least my hair) needs to not break and tangle.

Please....PUNK ME hair products....PUNK ME!!!!

With THAT being said, I'm off to Aveda to get on that Damage Remedy line. Thanks SleekandBouncy, you done activated the PJ in me.

 

[seeminglysweet]

I relax bone straight because that is what my stylist does and growing up I never knew there was any other way. I have never had a problem with it in terms of damage or thinning.

I now get relaxed with a sensitive formula, which I've read could be considered texlaxed by some, but my stylist still leaves the relaxer on long enough for my hair to get as straight as possible.

I have lightly considered not relaxing bone straight but nothing concrete...

 

[morehairplease]

I have no idea. LOL! I assume that it means to relax and leave a slight kink or wave pattern.

thanks nubian

 

[*Michelle*]

WOW...I would have never thought this thread would have grown so much, not sure I want to bring it back to the top...LOL! I'm doing so cuz I want y'all to know I just didn't run off...My boss got fired last week so I had major OT and didn't have time to post here.

Anyways, I haven't read the whole thread yet...looks like I touched some nerves...LOL! That wasn't my intentions. I was just trying to understand why. I stand by what my experience is, but I REALLY appreciate all the feedback and perspectives. Now I know why some do, and some have a better understanding of the processes.

Thanks ladies

 

[PinkPeony]

I know the question wasn't directed towrads me but you can prevent it by putting conditioner/oil/or vaseline on the previously relaxed hair before you relax. i got that from sistaslick.

Thank you and Sylver that's what I already do I just wondered if there is something else you could do