Miss Jessie's Silkening on Natural Hair vs. Dominican Salon Maintanence..HELP!?

[kj_evans90]

Relaxer free for about 15 months...I decided to go natural because my hair was pulled out while I had braids in during a scuffle back in February 2009. I've only had one cut (not the BIG CHOP!-TOO MUCH OF A PUNK AT FIRST) since then back in October 2009 at my local Dominican Salon. I have tried so many products to fill in my bald spots and to get my traumatized spots growing again (some of my spots were scalped!!!!) I finally see results & am beginning to be comfortable with going Natural. I was just on Miss Jessie's site & learned of a process called Silkening. Any one have any tips on this. I am also curious about continuing to visit my Dominican Salon every 2 weeks....HELP!

 

[Theresamonet]

I decided to go natural because my hair was pulled out while I had braids in during a scuffle...

I can safely say this is the first time I heard that as someone's reason for going natural.

Anywho...is silkening a permanent chemical process?

ETA: I went to Miss Jessie's site and basically a silkener is their version of a texlax. That's it. The active ingredient is sodium hydroxide just like a relaxer (note that they call it their trademark technique and not a unique chemical process)...if you were to get this process done you would no longer be natural or going natural. It will permanently relax your natural texture into a looser state. Even if you decide to go this route, you don't need their $hit...you can do it with a plain relaxer like the ladies on here do. Just search: texlax.

 

[kj_evans90]

Yes it is a chemical process...Here's an excerpt from their site (or maybe a little more than that:
What is the Silkener™?
The Silkener™ is a trademarked chemical technique created and developed at curve salon inc. To tweak existing curls , kinks or waves, address shrinkage, turn kinks to curls, combat frizz, and make hair more manageable. It's an excellent service for the individual interested in wearing both straight and curly hair with out permanent straight-style commitment.
What is the chemical used in Silkeners™?
Sodium hydroxide.
How is the Silkener different from a texturizer?
The end result. The Silkener™ is a custom service designed to accommodate the special needs of the individual's texture. Conventional texturizer methods often leave clients with random results (sometimes under processed or over-processed forcing you into a relaxer straight state.
How is a Silkener™ different from a relaxer?
The options. A relaxer is processed to remove all curl and texture for a straight result only. A Silkener™ is designed to embrace texture via tweaking or altering curl, kink or wave. The Silkener™ also creates curly and straight options for the individual interested in both.
Is the Silkener™ similar to a relaxer or texturizer?
Like a relaxer or texturizer, the Silkener™ too is chemical. So the precautions are the same to prevent a sensitive scalp.
Can I expect a perfect Silkener™?
You can expect our very best work. It's rare for any two curls to be exactly the same but we can get a 'great' result. So far there is no such thing as a perfect Silkener™ because of the many variables involved in the process (your natural texture).
Do I need a Silkener™ to turn my kinks to curls?
Maybe not. Have you tried Shingling™ (no-chem styling method) with Miss Jessie’s CURLY PUDDING™ or CURLY MERINGUE™ yet?
After I get my 1st Silkener™, when do I come in again for maintenance services?
For most, every 3 months/4x per year. But maintenance can vary person to person depending on hair texture.
Can I wet my hair with a Silkener™?
Yes. You can re-wet without your curls returning to its original/natural shrunk up state. Hair is natural.
I have a 'z' formation/pattern. My what can I expect from a Silkener™?
You can expect the Silkener™ to stretch out and elongate your existing texture. You probably will not get a ringlet curl because you do not have a circular pattern /formation to start with. But the Silkening™ service might be very useful if your hair is extremely thick and you have a lot of shrinkage. 2 strand twisting will be a lot easier.
I have a relaxer. What will my transition process be like if I want a Silkener™?
Grow at least 4-6 inches of new growth if you want to see the length and curl formation. Braids are a great option to keep your mind off the growing out phase. If you're not concerned with length, a closely cropped barber cut will immediately take you out of a relaxer state.
How much new-growth do I need for a Silkener™?
Grow at least 4-6 inches of new growth for your 1st Silkener™ if you want to see the length and curl formation. If you have less you might not see any curl because it is too short.
How will you determine what kind of curl I will or will not get?
Via consultation.
Style wise, what is the difference between natural vs. Silkener™?
Natural hair can be much more manual than Silkener™ treated hair. You can get silkened™ hair wet without returning to a naturally shrunk-up state.
Why might someone make a decision to get a Silkener™ if they can get a great result with Shingling™?
One might convert to a Silkener™ for ease and manageability because of the manual time spent (combing, shampooing, applying product, dryer time) to achieve the look desired and the unpredictable nature of natural hair. (muggy/moist/wet environment = shrunk back hair).
If the Silkener™ is so great, what are the benefits of staying natural?
No commitment. Being natural for some is glorious and liberating amongst other reasons. Chemical services are not for everyone.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/#

 

[beans4reezy]

I've seen this on her website, but I am still unsure about what hair silkening is. It sounds like a texturizer of some sort- but I think it is a chemical process.

 

[vkb247]

Silkening is basically texturizing or texlaxing except that it costs $$$$$ instead of $$ or even less than $40 if you do it yourself and have to buy all the necessary products.

 

[kj_evans90]

I probably will be better off just letting my Dominican sister maintain my hair every 2 weeks right? I don't get if it, If I want to be Natural why would they want to put a chemical treatment in my hair?....

 

[nikki2229]

From the posts that I have seen around the internet, Miss Jessie's salon was basically outed for using regular ole relaxers for their "silkening" process. Many clients were having issues post "silkening"/texlax and now they had to post it that the silkener was actually a chemical process, Sodium Hydroxide aka Lye.
Before they had people thinking that they were not getting a chemical service and just getting a process that made their hair more manageable while still being natural. This was not true.
You can google these things.
To me it sounds like they are using their consultation to differentiate their silkener from a texturizer but I think they just decide how long to leave it on your hair during the consultation.

 

[kj_evans90]

What do you think of the curl products ie pudding, treatments etc?