May consider Mild Relaxer...Need Help

[hairfanatic]

Okay ladies,

I have been natural since May of 2000. I went natural because I suffered from nerve damage due to relaxing. Don't get me wrong, my health is important and I love my natural hair but with working, children, husband, and school, the pressing, twisting, etc. is taking it's toll on me and the time I have to spend doing it. I am considering a relaxer with the focus on doing it once a year, starting next summer. Although I just pressed my hair last night and it comes out looking like it's relaxed, I'm just tired of the long hours and major up keep.

I used the conditioner method and braids over the summer (braids damaged hair badly). I don't want a straight relaxer and just want something that is mild enough to give me some manageability. My hair is very thick and the longer it grows the more tangled it becomes. I am starting over because when I took out the braids, it damaged it so bad, I had to cut about three inches. I just cut another two inches yesterday so due to the braids and the damaged it caused, I am back from bra strap to shoulder length hair.

What I want to know is this. What do you think about these two relaxers Revlon and Motions? When I was relaxed a salon put an Affirm relaxer on my head and it burned a lot. I used the Revlon in the box when I was relaxed but was curious of the comparison between Motions. Do you think Motins is better than Revlon? I read in Shamboosies book that if anything you should buy your relaxers separately oppose to the kits. The Revlon Mild Relaxer comes in a kit. Does Motions come in a kit also or separately?

 

[BlkMane]

Hairfanatic,

First off, hello! And welcome to the forum.
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I read in Shamboosies book that if anything you should buy your relaxers separately oppose to the kits. The Revlon Mild Relaxer comes in a kit. Does Motions come in a kit also or separately?

[/ QUOTE ]

The key factor is NOT whether a relaxer comes in a box or separately, but whether the relaxer is LYE or NO-lye. I think Shamboosie made the "box vs. no box" analogy, because no-lye relaxers are usually sold in kits that come in boxes and lye relaxers are usually sold separately.

Shamboosie (and most of us on this board) believe that LYE relaxers are actually better for the hair. They are less drying and usually give a smoother and shinier finish to the hair.

Revlon (as well as Motions and most other relaxer brands) make lye AND no-lye relaxers. So, your best bet is to read the box or container and make sure that it says Lye.

You can also look in the ingredients list for the following:

Lye = sodium hydroxide
No Lye = calcium hydroxide

Personally, I've used the Affirm LYE Mild and it burned me too. I switched to Motions Oil Moisturizer LYE Mild and I really like it.

My sister swears by Revlon Lye (they also call it "NO-BASE" on the container which is white with red letters). She likes this relaxer, has been applying it herself for years and her hair is shiny and very healthy.

However, I don't think that the Revlon Mild (lye) is as conditioning as the Motions or Affirm relaxers. Revlon has had the same formula for years--way before the "conditioning LYE relaxer" came into vogue. If I were you, I would give Motions a try (since Affirm burned you).

 

[hiddy3]

Hairfanatic,
Your point about Revlon being around for a long time and thus might not be as conditioning as the "newer" so-called conditioning relaxers is well taken. I don't know if any of you remember the article that Consumer Report did comparing relaxers. They made a point of stating that the Revlon "Professional" version was quite a bit more damaging than the Revlon "Extra Conditioning" (the one in the kit). Both are lye based formulations but the Ph was higher on the Professional. The Revlon Conditioning relaxer did quite well in their test as far as straightening and very little damage to the hair. Most salons have the professional version in the large tubs. Something to think about...

Pallas

 

[hairfanatic]

Oops, I think you were responding to Black Mane on this one</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Your point about Revlon being around for a long time and thus might not be as conditioning as the "newer" so-called conditioning relaxers is well taken.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you so much for the interesting insight on the Revlon relaxer from the Consumer Report.

 

[sweetcocoa]

<font color="purple">Hey Hairfanatic! You've been gone for a while.... anyways I'm going back and forth on the relaxer thing myself...although today, my hair looks good(someone asked my if I got a relaxer /images/graemlins/grin.gif ). I've decided to go back to the routine I did last winter...plus I started wrapping my hair at night again. I'm still debating though...since I learned how to take care of my hair and what not to do..it may be an option. I know I will be very sure if I do.. to make a long story short, the Revlon Mild in the kit was the one I was thinking about.</font color>