Can you add oil to a relaxer and other questions..

[Tara]

http://www.geocities.com/blackhairsupergrowout/subclubs/rchat4.htm

More info from the relaxed sub-club. For you relaxed ladies, this information is TERRIFIC!! I'm still in shock cuz I thought all this stuff was erased. Anyway, it answers questions about the best EFA's , adding oils to your relaxer etc.

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tara]

More info, just don't want it to really dissapear so figure I'd put it here
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Beginning Message #20917

Participants at Sunday’s, October 8 chat included: adrienne0914, camay_777, celes58, curlymo_2001, debo1986, devcon0921, jrw1112, Miss_Korea_Ladyswan, nizoral2, rosiebuttah, sjack827, somebodysbabygirl, and todamor.

Old Business:

We briefly touched on frizzies at the last chat session. In the meantime, I was able to locate a couple of links that were very informative. The first link offers some additional information on the subject and the second link addresses some familiar hair concerns.

http://www.jazma.com/forum.html - Scroll down to the very first question.
http://www.jazma.com/archive.html - Read all of the information on this page.

Assignment:

1. Our first topic of discussion was how to wrap your hair. The technique is the same whether you wrap it wet or dry. On wet hair, put wrapping lotion in your hands and then evenly distribute it throughout the hair. For dry hair, shea butter or oils should be substituted to moisturize your ends. Comb the lotion or oil through your hair using a wide-tooth comb. Your hair must be parted because this will serve as the starting point of the wrap. There can be a part from forehead-to-nape or from forehead-to-crown, a diagonal part on either side of the head, or a part from ear-to-ear. Some people even add a couple of rollers to the crown area.

Begin combing your hair toward the direction you want to wrap. You are combing your hair around the perimeter of the head. As you comb a section, use your hand to hold it flat. Continue to alternate this combing-and-holding-the-hair-flat pattern. Make sure that no hair is left out. Once completed, your hair should look smooth and flat.

On wet hair, secure a neck liner around your hair in preparation for drying. You can either use a dryer or air-dry it. Make sure that the wrap is completely dried before taking it down. Once dry, the wrap can be loosened by lightly dragging your fingers through the hair in the direction of the wrap. Now it is ready for styling. If it was done correctly, the hair will have a smooth finish to it. For those just starting out, you may want to try this over a weekend until you are able to get the desired results. Additional instructions on wrapping can be found at the following link:

http://beauty.about.com/style/beauty/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fww w.insidesalon.com%2Farchives%2Fgetrid.html . Click on "feature articles." The page will take a while to load up. Scroll down near the last row of pictures and click on "wrap how-to." The page that comes up does not pertain to wrapping, so you will have to click the arrow near the bottom of the picture a couple of times. There are 7 steps associated with the wrap how-to, so click the arrow until you have read them all. Please note that RSC does not recommend using a brush.


2. Our next topic of discussion was porosity. It refers to the hair’s capacity to absorb liquids. It is affected by chemical processing, excessive exposure to the sun and wind, and the use of harsh shampoos and thermal styling appliances. Why is porosity important? Each product we put on the hair requires a different degree of porosity. If the porosity is not right it can have an adverse effect on the outcome of the chemical process.

Porosity can be tested by feeling strands of dry hair taken from the front hairline, in front of the ear, and in the crown area. Each strand is pulled through the thumb and index finger from root to end. If it feels smooth and the cuticle is dense and hard, it is considered resistant and will not readily absorb liquids. If it has a slight roughness this tells you that the cuticle is open and that the hair is porous.

A cuticle layer raised slightly from the hair shaft is said to have a good porosity. It can absorb moisture or chemicals in an average amount of time and does not present a problem when receiving hair services. A cuticle layer lying close to the hair shaft is said to have a poor porosity and will absorb the least amount of moisture.

The ends are the oldest part of the hair. They have been subjected to frequent shampooing, thermal styling, and environmental influences. The older hair is at an undesirable level of porosity. It will respond differently to hair coloring than the newer hair closer to the scalp. As a general rule, over-porous hair will look more dull or flat and reflect more cool tones, while the healthier hair will reflect more warm tones.

Relaxed hair is more porous. An uneven porosity is created as the hair grows out. The new growth will have less porosity because the cuticles have not been exposed to the same environmental factors as the relaxed hair. The hair can be treated for porosity, but it cannot be permanently restored.

Porosity and elasticity go hand in hand. Hair that is overly porous tends to be inelastic. Elasticity is the ability of the hair to stretch and return to its original form without breaking. Inelastic hair is unable to do that. So you can see the role that porosity plays in the strength of your hair. Overly porous hair can let moisture in, but since your cuticles are open it will only leak back out usually resulting in dry, brittle hair.

Some product recommendations are Nexxus Ensure Acidifying Conditioner, Nutrivive, and Revlon’s Porosity Control Conditioner.



The following questions were addressed.

1. Parts of my hair stick straight out after combing out my wrap. The part that curves forward will not lie down. How do I avoid this? You might want to consider a few things when doing your next wrap. First, make sure that you are getting all of the hair and smoothly combing it against the curve of your head. Make sure that your hair is completely dried before combing it out. You might also want to consider wrapping it in the opposite direction to see if that provides better results. Most of us have a side of our hair that responds differently and perhaps that is what is happening in this case.

2. My wrapping lotion makes my hair crinkly. You have to be very careful with how much wrapping lotion you use and how you use it. Do not apply it directly to the hair, instead rub it in your hands and then apply it to your hair. Most people indicate that in this case less is better. If you feel that you have applied too much, rinse your hair out and start all over again. Also, consider experimenting with other brands of wrapping lotions or foams. Of course, this response is based on the assumption that your hair is in good condition.

3. Why should we wait every three months to get our hair relaxed if we are only touching up the new growth? There are a couple of issues that need to be addressed here. Even though only the new growth is supposed to be touched up, based on the shared experiences of many of our BHSGO sistahs, on more occasions than not, this was not the case. Also, everyone should please understand that while our RSC regimen states that we should wait for three months before getting our touch-ups that is not carved in stone. One thing that has been learned, however, is that once you find a means to address the texture of your new growth, it makes it much easier to last a longer time before touch ups. Now there were a few reasons given for the justification of the timeframe. Some had multiple chemical processes and wanted to use this as a time to give their hair a rest. Another mentioned that they were tired of hairdressers "making them bald" and felt that they could do a better job of taking care of their own hair. The wait allowed many to become more attuned to their hair and what it needed. And last, the financial considerations were a major factor.

4. Does anyone trust themselves to relax their own hair? The general consensus was no. This was based on the texture and length of the hair being relaxed. Concerns were expressed about not being able to accurately apply the relaxer to only the new growth, not being able to see the back of head to see what you were doing, and not being able to adequately do the job or complete the process in the allotted amount of time.

5. Can I texturize new growth on a relaxed head? This was strongly discouraged because it would be difficult to keep the texturizer on the new growth only. It was noted that if this were done, the result would still be two textures of hair.

6. Why is my hair shedding? Everyone seemed to be experiencing some degree of shedding. Of course after determining that you and your hair are in generally good health, we concluded that the shedding was probably due to the change in season. However, the situation should be closely monitored just to make sure that nothing else is going on.


Product reviews:

1. Bone Marrow Conditioner: This conditioner gives the hair shine and great moisture. The hair was thicker and stronger. It was strengthening and helped with breakage along the new growth line. THUMBS UP

2. Allways Oil Moisturizer: One member’s hair was left really soft and moist, while this product made another member’s hair hard. NEUTRAL

3. Pantene Hair Strengthening Complex: Worked wonders, noticed very little hair breakage. THUMBS UP

4. Allways Supergrow Grease: It was too thick on 4b-relaxed hair. The hair felt like it had "clumps or goo on it." THUMBS DOWN

5. Giovanni Remoisturizer: This is a good detangling conditioner. It made the hair soft and easy to comb through. THUMBS UP

6. Black & Sassy Crème Wrap: This is a leave-in conditioner that makes your hair very soft. THUMBS UP

7. Let’s JAMM-Slick: This gel is good to use on stray hair. It is very moisturizing and does not harden the hair. THUMBS UP

Our next scheduled 2-hour chat session will be held on Sunday, October 15 at 4 p.m. PACIFIC, 5 p.m. MOUNTAIN, 6 p.m. CENTRAL, and 7 p.m. EASTERN. It is important that everyone respects the chat schedule. There is a lot of information that needs to be covered in a relatively short period of time. The next discussion will pertain to scalp treatments, new growth, and protective styles.

All additions/comments/questions on the agenda should be directed to Arianna, somebodysbabygirl[removed] and questions pertaining to the chat summary should be directed to mailto:nizoral2[removed].

Prepared by: Arianna and Niz

edited to add: I just removed Nizoral's and Arianna's e-mail from this post cuz I don't know if these ladies want e-mails now, this info was back in '00 and '01.

 

[adrienne0914]

thanks for posting this stuff, tara! i really miss the sub-club. that is where i learned the most about caring for permed hair. those women were serious about their research. i just kinda stood back and took it all in though. lol! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

adrienne