Relaxer Stretching Pros

[mytia]

I'm 9wks Post relaxer with 4a/b hair. I have really thick hair so the longer I go the thicker it gets at the root and the more tangles I get. I'm having real trouble combing, I use conditioners and detanglers and they don't work. I read on Cathy Howse's site and she says to just comb the ends, but I don't want a bunch of tangled new growth at the top, and I'm trying to make it to the 12 or 13wk mark. What do you all think! Any suggestions on how I can comb my hair effectively but gently.

 

[greAtness333]

You have to do what works for you. Not everyone's hair texture can wait 3 mnths before it becomes extremely thick and snaps off. My hair is 4b thick so I feel your pain. However, the more new growth you have the more you have to sit and wait with the relaxer in your hair and who wants to do that? More power to ya!

 

[shygurl]

i get a relaxer every three months. what i do is wash and condition my hair twice a week (i do a conditioner then a deep conditioner) and once every two weeks i give myself a hot oil treatment. before i discovered how to take care of my hair i would also get alot of new growth which i thought would give me a lot more length once i got my hair relaxed but i wasn't taking care of it properly. i would often ignore my new growth and not bother putting conditioner on it or even hair moisturizer which made it impossible to comb through....you could tell that the roots were thick and hadn't been combed because i would have a hump in the middle of my head when i wore a ponytail. i also now use blow drying lotion (Breakthru) every time i blow dry my hair..i don't air dry it because it makes it look and feel rough. then i part my hair in four sections and apply hair mositurizer to the new growth and the ends (i use Breakthru). i usually wear the bun look for about two days after i wash my hair and then i use my 1 1/4 curling iron to straighten my hair to give it a smoother look. that's my regime and because of it when my three months roll around you can't really tell that i'm due to get my hair relaxed

 

[Dreamn]

only comb your hair when its wet with detangler in it. im at 12 weeks and im waiting for 16 weeks

 

[JenniferMD]

Sectioning became very important the longer I got in my stretching out. I'm 9 months post relaxer and sectioning is very important. Tackle one section at a time.

 

[LiLi]

[ QUOTE ]
mytialpn said:
I'm 9wks Post relaxer with 4a/b hair. I have really thick hair so the longer I go the thicker it gets at the root and the more tangles I get. I'm having real trouble combing, I use conditioners and detanglers and they don't work. I read on Cathy Howse's site and she says to just comb the ends, but I don't want a bunch of tangled new growth at the top, and I'm trying to make it to the 12 or 13wk mark. What do you all think! Any suggestions on how I can comb my hair effectively but gently.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well this is what I do and I only relax every 6 months. Actually this last 6 months was the first time I ever went through the entire time without battling huge knots from tangling and I contribute that to this routine:
-Wash my hair in the shower - this makes such a big difference
-Wash/condition my hair everyday (you don't have to do this but I noticed that when I washed it everyday, it didn't give my new growth enough time to start drawing up so my new growth always layed down nicely)
-Washing in sections or with hair in big braids - excellent time saver when combing hair out (actually, now I keep the braids in my hair throughout the day. I have 3 braids on each side and the crown area stays unbraided. Then I put my hair in two low buns (one on each side of my head). And you can't even tell that the hair underneath is braided). I just started doing this and I really love it. I got the concept from the hair lady but I braid the sections right back up after combing them.
-Combing with a regular-toothed or semi fine-toothed comb. I found that wide tooth combs were also contributing to the tangles. I also used to use a denman brush because it really helped me with the tangles but since doing this routine I don't even need it!
As far a products are concerned - because of my daily routine I am not afraid to try different products and can now start using up all of the things that "didn't work" when I was doing a different routine. However, I must say that Pantene Light Spray Conditioner is one of the best products (for combing out) that I have used thus far.

This may not be for you because not everyone wants to wash their hair everyday but hey you never know ... you may get hooked like I have

 

[mytia]

Thanks for all of the advice you guys I'm going to try these things and see if I have better luck with this new growth. It's very soft because I keep my hair moisturized it's just tangled so I'll just keep working with it and try not to give in before my goal.

 

[shoelover1972]

Hi Mytialpn

My last touch-up was after 13weeks (I hope to increase this step by step) and when it gets to say the last 10-13 weeks I do the following:

-Conditioner wash approx 3x week & then spray a leave-in conditioner
-Normal wash & condtioner treatment at the hairdressers either 1 x week or every 2 weeks
-Section my hair & spray Surge with S-curl normally everyday
-Wear my hair in a bun everyday
-The only time the roots get combed through is when it is wet

HTH

 

[mytia]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Armyqt]

bumping for tishee