Not natural anymore after 7 years /Request for tips

[sunshinelady]

Okay, I am still freaking out. I got the courage (a bit of recklessness too) and went and got my hair relaxed. I can't believe I did it! The stylist was very nice and seemed fairly knowledgeable. I have been natural for 7 years and I just finally got tired of not being able to comb my hair. She used Silk Elements Regular, left it on for a while, but only got me 75% straight. She put Humecto on before she neutralized it and washed me 3 times and then deep conditioned my hair. She then rollerset it and brush wrapped it. I like it, but my hair is kinda frizzy looking and I am hoping that some of the natural curl will come back.

Okay, so here is what I was told:

1st week: Moisturizing deep conditioner
2nd week: Protein treatment/reconstructor
3rd week: Hot oil treatment
Alternating each week.

Question: How long should I wait before I shampoo my hair again? I'm so used to being able to wet my hair everyday that I forgot to ask. Please share any other tips you have for newly relaxed heads.



Thanks!

 

[sunshinelady]

Dag, y'all mad at me or something?

 

[babygirl_00]

sunshinelady

I totally understand where your coming from. I self relax my hair two weeks ago after being a natural for about 7 yrs. too and I'm loving every minute of it... I'm so far washing my hair once a week. I work out a 3/4 times a week and sweat in my hair badly...so I figure I need to do it once a week..I'm thinking that salty sweat can't be to good for the hair. I hope this helps....As I was told after I relax... back

 

[Legend]

I agree. I shampoo my hair every weekend, alternating with a CO wash mid-week. After a retouch, I always wait a week before shampooing my hair.

 

[dillard]

sounds like you have a good plan!! i know how you feel, i'm recently relaxed again (well, 10 months but still it feels new ) after 5 yrs natural. when i first relaxed, i did hot oil treatments a lot and my hair loved it. now it prefers weekly protein treatments with a creamy treatment. make sure you have a journal and take lots of pictures so you can "listen" to your hair and see what works and what doesn't. if u don't you'll forget and repeat some of the same mistakes. and stay away from direct heat as much as possible!!!!

 

[sunshinelady]

Thanks ladies! My curls fell while I slept last night, so now I am trying to figure out what to do.

Dillard, your hair is beautiful. Is your hair bone straight or do you still have texture? You want to adopt me

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

I can't believe you texlaxed!!! Wowie. I wanna see some pics because I KNOW your hair is even more beautiful now

 

[dillard]

Thanks ladies! My curls fell while I slept last night, so now I am trying to figure out what to do.

Dillard, your hair is beautiful. Is your hair bone straight or do you still have texture? You want to adopt me

my hair is bone straight. i never heard of texlaxed til i found lhcf but now i'm considering transitioning to that. i would love to be able to wash-n-go and still have some curl... yeah consider urself adopted!! do u have pics??!

 

[Empress Yahudah]

Sounds like u got it down ..I wanna see pics

 

[Kurlee]

 

[sunshinelady]

I know, I know.

 

[fluffylocks]

Okay, I am still freaking out. I got the courage (a bit of recklessness too) and went and got my hair relaxed. I can't believe I did it! The stylist was very nice and seemed fairly knowledgeable. I have been natural for 7 years and I just finally got tired of not being able to comb my hair. She used Silk Elements Regular, left it on for a while, but only got me 75% straight. She put Humecto on before she neutralized it and washed me 3 times and then deep conditioned my hair. She then rollerset it and brush wrapped it. I like it, but my hair is kinda frizzy looking and I am hoping that some of the natural curl will come back.

Okay, so here is what I was told:

1st week: Moisturizing deep conditioner
2nd week: Protein treatment/reconstructor
3rd week: Hot oil treatment
Alternating each week.

Question: How long should I wait before I shampoo my hair again? I'm so used to being able to wet my hair everyday that I forgot to ask. Please share any other tips you have for newly relaxed heads.



Thanks!

WOW congrats!

You can shampoo your hair anytime after a relaxer.

You can wet your hair everyday also, you just have to set your hair into some sort of style--- or you could *try* to do some sort or wash n go if you have enough curl in your hair for it to look okay. The relaxer has just loosened some of the natural curl in your hair. (also took some protein, sulfur, opened the cuticles alittle bit, took some oil, and made it more prone to be dry since it opened the cuticles)
You have hydrogen bonds in your hair that keep the shape of your hair, when your hair gets wet they break, and your hair falls and stretches, when it starts drying the hydrogen bonds rebuild into their natural shape (or curls)

So, when you get your hair wet w/ a relaxer, just set it into whatever style you want it to dry in....braids, bantuset, rollerset, straight back---you can wash it everynight & undo what style you did inthe morning.....

Or you can do it once a week and rollerset w/heat, airdry & flatiron....whatever.


Anyway. You want to restore on a constant basis what the relaxer did to your hair so it can be really healthy. That is
-Replace protein
-Replace moisture
-Repalce Oil
-Keep the cuticles closed.

So basically it would be a pretty good idea (and alot of relaxed heads do it) to do all of those things everyweek.

Like:
-Oil preshampoo (or you can add oil to your conditoner as a hot oil treatment, or you can try oil rinses)
-Shampoo
-Light protein treatment (like aphogee green tea, aphogee 2 min.)
-Moisturizing deepconditoner
-And some kind of rinse w/a low ph that will close your cuticles.....(or maybe a conditoner w/ a low ph like Keracare conditoners)-----or simply rinse your hair in really cold water after rinsing out the conditoner.

Then you know---daily moisturize your hair & the ends and seal w/oil.

Also as im sure you know try to get your relaxers no sooner than 8 weeks.

And you *might* need to do a protein treatment (a hard one) a week or two after your relaxers ( or some people do it before)