Is texturizing for me?

[chica]

I have about 11-12 inches of natural Type 4a textured hair. I have been natural for years, but I am overwhelmingly tired and frustrated with my hair. I beleaguer the issue in my mind all the time now of what to do with it, where I should go with it. I do not want to wear extensions of any type right now to give my hair a "break" or to ignore the issue because I won't have to be dealing with my real hair. I do not want locks either. Nor am I suffering from any type of self-hatred or hair loathing.

The reality is, I feel like I am losing more hair than I should be with all the braiding and twisting I do, and the subsequent knotting that can result. I know that I am spending too much time on my hair to get the look I want. I prefer the way my hair looks post-twist or braid-out, though I have no "problem" rocking a full-fledged afro or afro puff. I am tired of having my shoulder-length hair shrink into something that appears to be 3 inches long.

I am really considering texturizing, but want to make a fully-informed decision. I want to the option of wearing my hair curly or straight. I do not want to spend a lot of time twisting or braiding. I don't want to be a slave to heat either. I have looked at the Curve site and like a lot of the results I see. I also saw an ad in the latest issue of Essence about a new Mizani texturizing system. The alleged results of both systems appeal to me.

I have some questions for those who texturize or have texturized in the past:

1) What is your hair type and what did texturizing do for its appearance?

2) Have you experienced much visible damage? If so, what?

3) What brand of texturizer did you use? Did you do it on your own or professionally? How did you apply it, how long did you leave it on and how often do you retouch?

4) What maintenance or styling products do you use?

5) Do you have any regrets or words of wisdom?

Looking forward to replies. Thanks!

 

[sweetcocoa]

You ultimately have to decide for yourself...I thought I would regret texturizing...but now that I've gotten used to it I like it.
1. I'm 3/a-4a and it elminated most of the frizziness and shrinkage...although I still have alot of curls.

2. No damage...my hair felt thinner at first but I attributed that to the texture change.

3. I did my own and used Motions Mild Lye(10 minutes max).

4. I use the same products I did when Natural(in my profile)..

5. No regrets so far.....I only plan on relaxing every 6 months or more....

 

[sbg4evr]

It is a hard decision to make. A texturizer looks different on different people. It all depends on your specific curl definiton. When my hair was texturized, my hair looked liked it was blowdried. Now that I am natural. I can get the curls that I want but my only problem is shrinkage. I have the curls but not the length. With the texturizer I had the length but not the curl.

 

[CurlyCrly]

1) What is your hair type and what did texturizing do for its appearance?

Primarily 4A, with some 3b. It loosened the curl, which decreased the shrinkage considerably. I can wear it curly, without braid-outs or twist-outs. There's also enough texture in it to do twists without it unraveling. I can also wear it straight by blow drying/roller-sets. Also, I can go longer without touch-ups because the difference between the two textures is not as extreme as it would be if it was relaxed straighter.


2) Have you experienced much visible damage? If so, what? Nope.


3) What brand of texturizer did you use? Did you do it on your own or professionally? How did you apply it, how long did you leave it on and how often do you retouch?
Revlon Realistic (lye) relaxer in Regular strength. I apply it myself. I've been relaxing my own hair for more than 20 years. It takes 5 minutes to apply and I leave it on for 15 additional minutes. The time/strength for me was determined by doing a strand test on various sections of my head. I highly recommend this. The sides do not need as much time as the rest of my hair, so I adjust my application procedure accordingly. I retouch every 3-4 months, but can go 5 or more if I desire.


4) What maintenance or styling products do you use?
Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner
Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo (a couple of times/month)
White Rain Conditioner (Passion Flower) for conditioner "washes"
Optimum Conditioner with VitaPlex for protein
Hennalucent (neutral) for protein
Apple Cider Vinegar (for clarifying)
Water/Glycerin/Conditioner in a spray bottle
I also use virgin coconut oil and liquid shea butter mixed with essential oils for hot oil treatments.

5) Do you have any regrets or words of wisdom?

No regrets whatsoever. Wisdom: Do a strand test on several sections of your hair if your hair texture is different throughout your head.

 

[chica]

It is a very tough decision to make. I am literally fatigued with my hair these days though. And very frustrated with it. It is very thick and quite healthy and I would not want to surrender those characteristics to chemicals. I know that chemicals impart at least SOME damage to the hair, but to get the level of styling ease I desire and the time I would gain from not having to manipulate it all the time, I think it would be worth it. I have seen texturizers appear very different on different people. For some, it looks like a played out S-curl. On others, it resembles a regular relaxer. And for others, it looks like I think a texturizer should, like the photos on the Curve site.

I just don't know! But I am ready to make a decision.