From Relaxed 2 Texturized....Need a Map!

[MoezThunder]

I'd like to know what process you need to go through to transition from traditional relaxer application to a texturizer, and what are the benefits? Does it have any affect on rate or quality of growth?

 

[MoezThunder]

bump

 

[MoezThunder]

Can a girl get a little guidance here?

 

[CurlyCrly]

IMO....I do not think a hairstyle will increase the rate of growth. I believe that it can, however, increase the rate of hair retention due to less manipulation....depending on the style. If you plan to primarily wear your hair curly after texturizing, you will be manipulating your hair much less than you would if you were wearing it straight, hot curling, etc. Therefore, you will have a hairstyle that requires very little "extra" effort to maintain.

The steps that you need to go through are dependent on how straight your hair currently is, how curly you'd like it to be when you texturize, and how you intend to wear it during the transition period. For example, if your hair is bone straight now and you'd like to wear it quite curly or even wavy once texturized, you may experience less breakage than if you wore it straight due to the difference in textures. You may have to do twistout or braidouts to get it curly/wavy though. This can be very manipulative too, so you may still get breakage. Everything will depend on the current state of your hair and what your intentions are once it is texturized.

-I am assuming that you are referring to a relaxer texturizer.

Edited to change the comment about breakage to clarify what I meant.

 

[MoezThunder]

Thanks CurlyCrly. I checked out your album, I don't want mine quite that curly, just a deep wave. I've got about 2-3 inches of new growth right now. My last relaxer was Thankgiving 2003 and I did not do bone straight then. It sounded like you thought I wanted to transition to natural, I do not, but I would like a versatile texture.

 

[MoezThunder]

How would I need to adapt my next relaxer retouch to achieve the texturized look?

 

[DahomeyAhosi]

Moez,

When you say you want a deep wave can you suggest a celebrity or board member who has the hair you want? Depending on your natural hair texture you may or may not be able to achieve what you want with a relaxer that's left on only for a while but if you do have the texture you certainly may be able. A texture will simply elongate the curls you already have. So what is the main texture are you starting with (4a or 3c)? If you want a deep wave regardless of your current texture you may want to consider a wave nouveau which is actually more of a jheri curl but imho these are healthier for the hair than relaxers. My sis had a wave nouveau in her picture in my signature. Let us know and we'll try to give you some guidance.

 

[model_chick717]

Hey--I went from texturized to relaxed hair accidentally, actually, but I guess I can tell you how I did it. I initially was transitioning to going natural, but it became to difficult trying to manage two different textures, so after 6 months of transitioning (no relaxing), I decided to just texturize my hair. I used Elasta QP Relaxer (regular strength). After applying the relaxer, I left it on for about 5 minutes. I touch up my new growth about every 12-16 weeks, depending on how my hair is doing. I think initially you should try to go without perming for a significant period of time (i.e., 6 months) before trying to texturize, just so when you do, you have enough new growth to actually see just how the relaxer affects your hair. My hair is pretty resistant to relaxers, anyway (always has been) so you may let it sit on your hair for less time.

Anyway, I just posted a new pic in my photo album that I believe is the best picture yet, showing my texturized 4A hair. It's the very last pic. Hope this helps!

My photo album

 

[Armyqt]

Model Chick, your hair looks beautiful. I love your curls. They look like 3c hair.

MoezThunder, thanks for starting this thread. I've been contemplating doing the same thing. I planned to go a significant period of time without relaxing and then only leaving the relaxer on for a few minutes. I mean my sorta is already like this in a lot of places from being underprocessed, so I figured, why fight it.

 

[model_chick717]

Thx Armygt! I guess it does look 3C--but I am naturally a 4A...so this goes to show that there is "middle ground" by texturizing. I just figure, if I'm going to relax my hair anyway--I might as well do it in a way that gives me more styling options (i.e. curly, straight, etc..)

 

[RabiaElaine]

bumping for more suggestions

 

[longhair75]

Model Chick I love your hair, by looking at your hair I think my hair is 4A, I never been able to determine this, your hair looks so healthy

 

[Queenie]

Try a strand test after your hair has grown out a good 2 inches. That way you can determine exactly what you want your hair to look like w/o messing it all up.

 

[sweettrini]

Rabia,

I am also texturized, mostly 4a with some 3c areas. I decided to texturize for the versatility of wearing my hair straight and curly. I transitioned for a year from bone straight relaxed hair to texturized. If you don't want to cut off your currently relaxed hair, YOU DON"T HAVE TO!! You need to let 8-10 weeks go by before your next relaxer so you can get enough new growth to do a strand test. You will need to process several strands with different strength relaxers until you get the look you want. Once you know relaxer strength and timing, you can begin transitioning from straight to texturized without waiting 8-12 months while growing out your hair.

However, if you go this route, you will have to be very careful to avoid breakage, especially at the line of demarcation. You should probably style your hair one way, all straight or all curly. Meaning after each texturizer application, either rollerset and straighten your hair or do bantu knots, twistouts, braidouts to have all curly styles. Also moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. Curly hair does not distribute moisture well along the hair strand. It is harder for moisture and products to travel along a coiled/wavy strand of hair as opposed to a straight strand. So you have to pay extra attention to he hair by CW, or deep conditioning on a regular basis. As your hair grows out, you can trim away the relaxed ends until you are left with a head full of texturized hair . However, unless you have the patience of Job, many people end up doing the BC because the two textures become too much to handle.

Also you may find, as many of us have, that the products you used when you were bone straight do not work as well on texturized hair.

I hope this info helped. Good luck!

 

[RabiaElaine]

Rabia,

I am also texturized, mostly 4a with some 3c areas. I decided to texturize for the versatility of wearing my hair straight and curly. I transitioned for a year from bone straight relaxed hair to texturized. If you don't want to cut off your currently relaxed hair, YOU DON"T HAVE TO!! You need to let 8-10 weeks go by before your next relaxer so you can get enough new growth to do a strand test. You will need to process several strands with different strength relaxers until you get the look you want. Once you know relaxer strength and timing, you can begin transitioning from straight to texturized without waiting 8-12 months while growing out your hair.

However, if you go this route, you will have to be very careful to avoid breakage, especially at the line of demarcation. You should probably style your hair one way, all straight or all curly. Meaning after each texturizer application, either rollerset and straighten your hair or do bantu knots, twistouts, braidouts to have all curly styles. Also moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. Curly hair does not distribute moisture well along the hair strand. It is harder for moisture and products to travel along a coiled/wavy strand of hair as opposed to a straight strand. So you have to pay extra attention to he hair by CW, or deep conditioning on a regular basis. As your hair grows out, you can trim away the relaxed ends until you are left with a head full of texturized hair . However, unless you have the patience of Job, many people end up doing the BC because the two textures become too much to handle.

Also you may find, as many of us have, that the products you used when you were bone straight do not work as well on texturized hair.

I hope this info helped. Good luck!

Very helpful, thank you. I'm going to have 12 weeks of new growth when I take these braids out. I'm using the crown and glory method. I'm going to go and get a consultation from A. Dickey who wrote Hair Rules, when I take the braids out to see what he thinks I should do after seeing my hair.

 

[lkg4healthyhair]

Model Chick, your hair looks beautiful. I love your curls. They look like 3c hair.

MoezThunder, thanks for starting this thread. I've been contemplating doing the same thing. I planned to go a significant period of time without relaxing and then only leaving the relaxer on for a few minutes. I mean my sorta is already like this in a lot of places from being underprocessed, so I figured, why fight it.

Me too.....

 

[Guyaneek]

Model Chick I love your hair. You are my new hair idol

 

[cafe_au_lait]

Hey guys! I know this is a little late, but I just wanted to warn you not to listen TOO much to what I hairstylist suggests you can do... Not to knock all stylists, especially one acclaimed like A. Dickey, but I just had a bad experience with this.

I wanted to know if my kinky, fine, 4a hair (which when natural one hair curls up upon itself into a perfect, tiny o) would texturize without trying it and failing and ruining my naturalness forever, so I made an appt. with a certain hairstylist to the stars acclaimed in DC (Shirley at Strands in Wheaton, MD) she took one look/feel in my hair and told me it would never texturize. So I paid her $265 and let her deep condition and rod-set my natural hair, which she did a very good job on, and left with plans to just relax. And do you know what? My self "relaxing" attempt left me with big, bouncy, texturized curls1 HA! Take THAT, SHIRLEY!!!

In short, sometimes just knowing the rules for yourself (that a texturizer looses the curl pattern you already have, and if you have 4a or above hair more than likely you DO have a curl pattern even if it is not defined) and then taking an honest look at you hair can tell oyu more about what your hair can do that ANY stylist, I don't care who he is.

I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!!!

 

[lkg4healthyhair]

Hey guys! I know this is a little late, but I just wanted to warn you not to listen TOO much to what I hairstylist suggests you can do... Not to knock all stylists, especially one acclaimed like A. Dickey, but I just had a bad experience with this.

I wanted to know if my kinky, fine, 4a hair (which when natural one hair curls up upon itself into a perfect, tiny o) would texturize without trying it and failing and ruining my naturalness forever, so I made an appt. with a certain hairstylist to the stars acclaimed in DC (Shirley at Strands in Wheaton, MD) she took one look/feel in my hair and told me it would never texturize. So I paid her $265 and let her deep condition and rod-set my natural hair, which she did a very good job on, and left with plans to just relax. And do you know what? My self "relaxing" attempt left me with big, bouncy, texturized curls1 HA! Take THAT, SHIRLEY!!!

In short, sometimes just knowing the rules for yourself (that a texturizer looses the curl pattern you already have, and if you have 4a or above hair more than likely you DO have a curl pattern even if it is not defined) and then taking an honest look at you hair can tell oyu more about what your hair can do that ANY stylist, I don't care who he is.

I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!!!

Thanks for sharing this Cafe.

From you description of your natural hair I would have disagreed with her as well. Sounds like a texturizer would work very nicely on your hair (to loosen to curl/coil). I am glad you have the results you wanted..now $265 for deep condition and rod-set

I can't wait to hear what A. Dickey has to say. I have already decided not to do a BC so I am curious if he will say BC is the only way or not.

Thanks again for sharing

 

[imstush]

now that I am learning about texturizing, I wonder if that's what my hair is...because my curls are not much different then my natural texture hair. I can still wear a wash and go..without my hair looking stringy, it just curls right up. I wonder...

on another note...Modelchick....you are so pretty (no I am not coming on to you, LOL) and your hair is beautiful!