Question....

[beyondcute]

Just a spin off (we have alot of those here lately huh? )

How old were you when you got your first relaxer or texturizer?

If you ever have children how old will they be (assuming youll have a girl and you actually want to relax/texturize her hair) beofer she gets one?

I got my very first relaxer (had to consult mama) when I was 12. If I have kids and I have a girl Ill make her wait till she gets to high school. I was too young to be pressuring my mama into relaxing my hair. Neither one of us was prepared to care for it. BUT thats my family. I know soem people do it younger and I just wanted to know how YALL do it Heck I might learn something.

 

[KiSseS03]

I was FOUR when I had my first relaxer!!! and AND my Mommy put a curly perm in my hair when I was in Grade 2!!! (the embarassment! )

That is waaayyyyyy too young in my opinion. If I have girl children I will not put relaxers in their hair at all. When they are old enough to look after their hair on their own (around high school age) if they want a relaxer they can go ahead...

 

[BSweet]

I was 12. Not too young but not that educated either.

my kids will have to wait till about 14 or high school.

 

[Elizabeth26]

I was 15 when I got a relaxer and my mom didn't want me to get one then. My sister was 22 and I had to have one when she finally relax her hair. My kid will definitely be in highschool before I relax her hair.

 

[felicia]

about 11. we were both tried of the long process of blowdrying and pressing since my hair was so long and thick. i hated that i had to stop playing and come in to get my hair done, while my sister could stay out longer since she had a perm. i agree w/whoever said if they have a daughter, they're going to keep them natural until they r older.

 

[mermaid]

I was in 6th grade. I really did have many relaxers after that, but I did go up until I was about 26 (I'm 38 now).
My daughter has 1a hair, so the relaxer issue didn't come up, HOWEVER, if she had any kink and wanted a relaxer, she would have had to wait until 12-13.

 

[Crackers Phinn]

The first perm I remember was when I was 5.

If I were to have a daughter, I would discourage her from ever getting a perm, even in high school.

 

[TwistNMx]

I think I was about 15...right into high school.
It was non-stop until about 3-4 years ago....and if I had the chance to do it all again?
My mom did not know how to care for my hair type. She passed when I was about 7. No way, I hadn't a chance...too difficult for me at such a tender and know-it-all age.

 

[Super_Hero_Girl]

I got mine when I was 10 years old and 10 years later I cut all of that ish off and now I've been natural for 3 years. I don't have kids yet and if I do have a daughter, I will not relaxer her hair!

 

[Cheleigh]

Rumor has it that I was 7, but that my hair fell out. No one has been able to confirm this though.

So officially, it was at twelve. I got tired of having my hair pressed (hated this process) only to have it revert soon thereafter (but revert into a frizzy mess, since I probably had already burned it straight).

If I have a daughter, she will probably not be able to relax her hair until she is able to pay for it herself (meaning she has a pt. time job, not that she saves her allowance, so she would be at least 16). Hopefully, my naturalness will be an encouragement for her so that she doesn't feel compelled to get a relaxer ((hopes)). I will strongly encourage her to stay natural.

 

[Sistaslick]

I got my first relaxer in the second or third grade. My daughter's 2c/3a hair will not accomadate relaxing so thats no issue for us-- but if she did have a hair type that could be relaxed I'd let her make that decision on her own as an adult. I was never given the choice with my own hair and became so conditioned to having it relaxed that my relaxed hair is natural to me. I don't feel like I was ever given a chance, you know? But of course now I do, but the choice is so, so much harder now.

 

[MiWay]

I was about 10 when I got my first relaxer. My mother tried a kiddie perm when I was maybe 9, but it didn't take.

Knowing all that I know now, I don't think I would give my daughter a relaxer until she was old enough to make that decision for herself.

 

[Miss*Tress]

I was 16 and taught myself how to care for my hair, do wet sets, etc. My mom pressed her hair so she didn't know how to do any of those things.

If I had a daughter, I don't know what I'd do. This is so embarrassing but I have no experience with type 4 hair so I really wouldn't know how to comb it.

 

[~*~ShopAholic~*~]

I was 16yrs old an eleventh grader in high school, my mom wouldn't let me get a relaxer to save my life. I went to the beauty parlor every 2wks for press and curls, as I got older I was into wearing individual platts (with my own hair, none added that was a no no too), lol. My daughter was 5 when she recieved her first Vigorol (liquid relaxer, basically).

 

[hot_pepper96]

I believe I was 8 years old. My sister did it and my mom was pissed. Of course, when my sister went away to school my hair started dropping off because my mom didn't really know how to take care of it.

 

[SparklingFlame]

I was 4, yes 4 years old when I got my 1st perm. I have a daughter and one on the way and I will not relax either one of thier heads but they may if they want to when they reach 14 or 15.

 

[onepraying]

I was about 11 when my aunt gave me one of those kiddie relaxers that only texturized it. She gave me the mild strength.

Then my mom gave me a Dark 'n Lovely. Up until then I got my hair pressed every once in a while, I was mainly wearing ponytails, plaits or those design braids(sometimes with beads) like the guys are wearing today. We were Double Dutchers and always were jumping rope, it was easier that way..

My stepdaughter is 12. Eversince I started out on this journey to healthy hair she's been in it with me. She pretty much knows what her hair needs. Her mom wants to leave the choice of relaxing up to her, her dad says no "Stay natural"...she told me of a conversation she had with her mom about a time her mom text'd her hair. She said she'd do that when she got older. I told her that was fine but she'd never be able to say she was 'natural'. She said, "Well, I don't know then, I'll have to think about that."

I, personally, would let her decide when she reached 16. But only when she can demonstrate that she can take care of it. Physically and mentally.

I'm not totally against relaxers for others because being on this board has shown me that hair can be healthy both relaxed and natural. It all depends on the person. But you take a big chance relaxing because your hair may not be able to take the chemical. That's what I told my daughter.

 

[caligirl]

I was 6 when I got my first relaxer. My mom sent me to the salon every 2 weeks to get my hair done. Then at 12 my hair dresser transitioned me because my hair was breaking off.
For those ladies who won't allow their daughters to relax until highschool, a little warning: I was teased and bullied mercilessly in high school for having natural hair. Its going to be an uphill battle unless times have changed.

 

[Cooyah]

i got a relaxer the first time i ever went to the states for holiday, i was 5 i do believe, one of uncles then girlfriend and one of my aunts convinced my mother that no one had natural hair anymore and mummy let the girlfriend put PCJ in my hair, the little bit of hair that I had went bye bye and I was left with patches and bald spots and practically no hair on my head.

after it grew out some more mummy put in a jheri curl (i have pictures to prove the horror) and it grew back and then eventually back to a relaxer by grade 3 and my hair has been shatty since. Short broken off and basically unhealthy.

 

[kristina]

I was six when I got my first relaxer. It looked great in my old pictures but I hated going to salons- we went to one that literally had us there for 12 hours!!!!! Things didn't start getting really jackked up hair wise until high school when I started going to another shop, self relaxing and using a blow dryer weekly. I wouldn't relax my child's hair ever. She'd have to get it on her own.

 

[Enchantmt]

My first chemical was actually a curly perm. I was in the 6th grade. I wore it about 3-4 years, but I was soooooo tired of it by highschool that in the 9th grade I put a relaxer in it myself. Its amazing my hair didnt fall out. It came out ok, no breakage or anything.

 

[beyondcute]

I think by the tiem I introduce my children to BBBH and LHCF they wont want to relax.

 

[lala]

I was 16...

 

[sweetascocoa]

i was 15 and i did the BC a month before i turned 20. i will not relax my daughters hair and as soon as she's 14/15, ill introduce her to natural hair websites

 

[Aquafina]

I was pretty young, about 4Looking at old pictures, it was so short, dry and brittle. My sister is 6 and she wants a relaxer so bad. She has the most beautiful 4a natural hair ever. Next time my sis says something about a relaxer, I'm gonna put a load of cond in her hair and say theres ur relaxer

 

[sylver2]

I was 6 when I got my first relaxer. My mom sent me to the salon every 2 weeks to get my hair done. Then at 12 my hair dresser transitioned me because my hair was breaking off.
For those ladies who won't allow their daughters to relax until highschool, a little warning: I was teased and bullied mercilessly in high school for having natural hair. Its going to be an uphill battle unless times have changed.

lol..I was teased too. I was known as the frizzy bushy hair girl.


I was 16 when I had my first relaxer. My mom wouldn't let me get one until then.
Our daughter is 14 and she use to beg for a relaxer for years. She was also teased. Not lately though since she sees that her hair is stronger and thicker then all her lil friends with relaxers.
Its up to her if she still wants one when she gets 16. She knows all about good haircare from me and lhcf..lol.

 

[Southernbella.]

I was 4. My mom said I got a kiddie perm every 3 months. My hair thried and was super thick and looked healthy, so they must have been doing something right.

I dont' plan to relax my daughter's hair. If she wants a straight style, I can Maxiglide it. I guess there will come a time when I can't stop her, but by then, she should know enough to take good care of it.

 

[*ElleB]

I Know I was relli young also, prolly, 5 yrs old. I was cared for by my grandmother, and she relli didn't have the time to be chasing my hyper behind around...it takes alot to deal with a little kid with natural hair... ANyways, I remember getting an adult perm by one of my cousins and all my hair fell off... (well not all of it, but it came out!!!!) Now I kno that there isnt relli that much of a difference between kiddie and adult perms, so I dont kno wat happened. But my cuzzin was a teenager at tha time so, she prolly didnt know what the heck she was doing, lol!

 

[PretteePlease]

I must have been about 6th or 7th grade so sad i had to get chopped in 8th grade for A JHERI CURL

 

[karezone]

Vigorol in the 1st grade. A straight relaxer in the 4th grade.