Re: permed hair after 2 years of being natural and my hair changed texture and volume
so in december 2005 i cut off my hair down to the new growth which at that point was the length of a very very very short fro'. i helped it grow by braiding individuals corn rows and sew-ins which all three seem to work wonders and force my hair to grow at a rapid rate!in between the style changes i noticed how thick and coarse it was pre-relaxer. after relaxing it i gained even longer lenghts down to my shoulder and it the texture completely changed to a fine silky bone straight texture! regardless of how much i wash it moisture does not switch it back to that thick texture it remains silky and straight!i am a slave to weave and i love full and thick hair! are their any volumizing products for black hair or do the white products work just as well?
Hello lovelydeep-- welcome!
Congrats on the growth!
The individuals and cornrows didnt really force your hair to grow fast, it just protected your hair from breaking because it was being left alone, and you were able to keep all of the hair that grew from your scalp. I guess if you had a small fro in 2005 your hair was about 1-3 inches long, since your shoulderlength now, your hair is probally/i guess about 15-18" long. Hair grows on average 6" a year, so that would be 12 inches you should have gained from 2005 to now, so your hair probally grows alittle faster than normal. Alot of times black hair is coarse because of the tight curl pattern of the hair, and it would be more thick then someone who had plain ole straight hair. You probally couldnt see how long your hair was because your hair had "shrinkage", or the natural pattern of your hair caused it to look shorter because of the curls/waves than the actual/stretched length. Thats why when you got your relaxer your hair showed the actual length (not really gained any), and changed from coarse and thick with some time of pattern probally to more "silky" and straight.
When you relax your hair, all it does it take away some of you curl pattern. When you get your hair wet/wash it, some of the curl pattern should show up again, and then people usually flatiron or blowdry their hair for it to get all the way straight again and reduce its thickness or some of the curls/waves.
But it seems that when you relaxed your hair you took away all of the curl in your hair, and thats why it doesnt change when you wash it.
Texlax is when you leave the relaxer on for a shorter time on purpose to keep some of the curl in your hair. I think the word comes from a mixture of the word relax, and texurizer. People were suggesting you texlax because for some people its hard for them to keep their hair healthy when its bone straight. The reason is because when you leave some of your natural curl in your hair, then your hair has the ability to stretch more, and to retain more moisture. When you take all of the curl out of your hair, it cant stretch as much or at all, so your hair snaps easy, or it has no elasticity.