Fine hair: what relaxer?

[Belle Du Jour]

What relaxer are the ladies with fine hair using?

I called one salon that uses Vitale. It seems to have gotten good reviews here. What else are those with fine hair using? And indicate if regular or mild. Thanks!

 

[littleaudie]

I love your natural hair. I say if you can get your hair that straight stay natural and invest in a flat iron to perfect your straight styles. This way you can always go back to your curly style options too.

But if you must relax I used Affirm regular strength. I have very fine hair and it always gave me the best results. I now use affirm fiber guard mild to texturize. Because my hair's so fine, color is what I really prefer to give more dimension.
I think you can do so much more with your natural hair. HHG whatever you choose.

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Thanks littleaudie. I've been thinking about this for a long time. I do like the versatility of natural hair, but I think I can take better care of my ends if they're straight.

 

[sareca]

I'm a creamy crack addict, but I agree with littleaudie. But if you must I recommend Phyto.

 

[Chinagem]

I think I have fine hair but i'm not 100% sure. Anyway, my stylist uses mizani mild on me and I like it. She didn't relax it bone straight so I can use Tracy's method for curls on relaxed hair and get some curls or I can wrap it or rollerset it and get it straight and it stays straight.

 

[Belle Du Jour]

I just spoke with a stylist who says she would use Design Essentials mild on my fine hair, but not break it down completely. Maybe mild is the way to go.

So right now, Vitale and DE are in the running for a relaxer.
Any other fine haired ladies??

 

[pyxis777]

I use affirm no lye mild. I just went back to a relaxer on Jan 7 of this year after 2 years of being natural. So far so good. The No lye was gentle on my scalp, and thanks to the no heat and moisturizing techniques I learned from you ladies, so far so good. My hair is silky and feels nice. I have very fine hair. Rollersetting my hair keeps it looking thick and full eventhough my strands are very fine (not thinned out by relaxer, i just have fine hair).

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Pyxis, did the mild get your hair mostly straight? Or is it kind of texlaxed? I think I will stick with lye, though. . .

 

[pyxis777]

My hair is bone straight. It is not texturized. I don't have my relaxer pics up but I'll put them up later tonight, so you can see them by tomorrow.

Like I said, I have fine hair. The relaxer was left on a normal time - about 10-12 min, and my hair came out bone straight. You can't tell the difference between my dry pressed and dry relaxed hair hair except that the relaxed hair is shinier!

 

[glamazon386]

I really like Affirm. Mizani was okay.

 

[~Nigeria~]

My previously stylists used Affirm (regular) which got my hair smooth and straight. But my current stylist uses Mizani (regular). It doesn't come out as straight but I like it too. I liked Affirm better though.

 

[SandySea]

I have used Mizani sensitive scalp relaxer since I started wearing a perm again about 5 years ago. It gets my hair very straight with no breakage--I love this relaxer. I have had several different stylist apply it, and the results are nice, but the one I go to now allows my hair to get too straight.

 

[LikeNoOther]

I have 3c/4a hair (I think ) and I just used Mizani Lye Regular with my last relaxer. I LOVE it! My hair came out like silk and has stayed that way and I am almost 9 wks post, I used Affirm Regular for over a year, and it was "good" but Mizani has been "excellent" for my hair.

Also less shedding. Fine haired ladies know we have to hang on to as many strands as we can

 

[vevster]

I like Dudley's LYE mild strength... Dudley's really goes w/ my hair. My hair is baby fine.

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Thanks again ladies

 

[neonbright]

I use Proclaim mild, it works great for me. It doesn't take too long to relax my hair after getting sick and my hair change from very thick and hard to relax to very fine and very easy to relax. Plus my hairdresser and I agreed that this relaxer doesn't conflict with any of my meds I take.

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

Which relaxer do you think is best for ladies with fine hair? Lye or no-lye

 

[Belle Du Jour]

Which relaxer do you think is best for ladies with fine hair? Lye or no-lye

I think lye is less drying than no lye. I read that no lye is for people with sensitive scalp. But that lye is more "conditioning" than no lye.

 

[pyxis777]

My hairdresser said that she would use no-lye on me because I have fine hair. I've heard and read on this board that lye is better as far as the dryness of the hair, so of course I was skeptical. But I decided to have faith and let her do it anyway.

All I can say is that I've had lye relaxers in the past and been burned with them (scabs ). I don't know if it's because I have a sensitive scalp, or because they were leaving it on too long (which occasionally they were), or what.

So far I have been happy with the feel and look of my hair. It feels even better than it did when I had a relaxer before, but that's probably because I know so much more about hair care than before! I'm going to chalk it up to the skill of the sylist and my regimine not the lye/no-lye formula. I make sure to moisturize it daily, esp since the winter is sooo harsh on the hair . It hasn't even been a month yet though, so only time and touch ups will tell as far as lye vs. no-lye for me (I plan to touch up sometime in mid to late March).

 

[LABETT]

Mizani Sensitive Scalp give me the best result for my fine hair.
I can go 12 weeks post relaxer.