...A quote from The Catalyst for Your Obsession thread:
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RELAXER/TOUCH-UPS
· Investigate your relaxer. Try to purchase/use a relaxer in the 9-10 pH range.
· No-lye relaxers defat the scalp. Add an EFA oil to your relaxer. (Aphogee makes an EFA oil for this purpose.)
· Limit relaxer retouches to every three (3) months. If this causes breakage for you, you can retouch no less than 8 weeks after your last retouch.
· New growth maintenance will allow you to extend the time between touch-ups. A soft texture should be attainable through constant moisturizing. Carrot oil and jojoba oil are recommended
· The scalp should not be invigorated for at least 24 hours prior to a relaxer or touch-up. This means no combing, brushing, scratching, shampooing, track or braid removal. If the scalp is invigorated before a relaxer, it will allow the relaxer to penetrate into the follicle of the hair, and could result in the hair shedding or just falling out.
· Prior to a touch-up, the hair that has already been processed should be coated with a heavy oil or a conditioner like Queene Helene Cholesterol Treatment to prevent overlapping.
· Apply the relaxer according to product instructions making sure that you apply it quickly enough to remain within the time constraints.
· A relaxer should be applied to the most resistant or coarse hair first. The hairline should be relaxed last.
· Leave the relaxer on your hair for the length of time designated on the product instructions. Start timing your relaxer from the first moment you apply it to your hair.
The general rule of thumb is:
- For fine or previously damaged hair the relaxer should not be left on any longer than 13 minutes
- For medium-strength or slightly damaged hair the relaxer should not be left on any longer than
15 minutes
- For coarse, resistant or minimally damaged hair the relaxer should not be left on any longer than
20 minutes
NOTE: While these time constraints are guidelines and could vary depending on the texture and condition of your hair, they should not be EXCEEDED under any circumstances.
· Thoroughly rinse the relaxer from your hair.
· Apply a conditioner while the cuticle is still open and before using a neutralizing shampoo.
Suggestion: Use Hi-Pro Pac conditioner and leave in the hair for 3 minutes. Even though the relaxer is rinsed out before the Hi-Pro Pac conditioner is applied, the hair is not neutralized yet so there could still be some processing going on. Therefore, you should consider the 3 minutes associated with leaving in the Hi-Pro Pac conditioner as the overall time to leave in the relaxer.
In other words:
- If the relaxer should be left in for 13 minutes, that time would now be reduced to 10 minutes.
- If the relaxer should be left in for 15 minutes, that time would now be reduced to 12 minutes.
- If the relaxer should be left in for 20 minutes, that time would now be reduced to 17 minutes.
· Wash with neutralizing shampoo three times to ensure that all of the relaxer is out of the hair.
· Follow with the Nexxus Ensure Acidifying conditioner to close the cuticle.
· It is recommended that you apply a balsam conditioner last to seal the cuticle.
· Take care not to pull on the hair after it has been relaxed. It is still in a fragile state.
· Hair should not be shampooed again until at least two days after a relaxer.
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