Relaxers and Hair Loss/Damage

[theLovelyStyle]

Relaxers claim on the box that it may potentially cause hair loss or damage. However, there are so many women on here (including me) who are relaxed with thriving hair due to health hair care/practices.

My sister decided to go natural and wear wigs because she believes that relaxers cause damage to her hair, but her hair was damaged because she wasn't properly taking care of it. She used super-strength relaxers, relaxed every 3 weeks, washed once in a blue-moon, hardly used conditioners, and overused heat products.

I understand everyone hair is different, but what do you guys think about damage due to a relaxer? Dont you believe it only occurs when we dont properly care for relaxed hair, or do some hair just respond too negatively to the chemicals?

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Improper (Poor) Application can mess you up BIG TIME. Overprocessing, Poor Neutralization. And basic lack of knowledge. Wrong Strength of Relaxers, Too Frequent/Too Infrequent. Double-Processing w/Color. IMHO: These can all cause damage w/relaxing. Scalp Irritation/Allergic Reactions etc.....

Knowing how to care for your Hair properly. Keeping Protein/Moisture Balances in check. Knowing about Porosity and other issues. Clarifying and/or Chelating when necessary. Just equipping yourself with knowledge of your hair's likes/dislikes. Not relying on everything a "Stylist" says and/or recommends........can all help you in the long run.

 

[ms.blue]

As a natural head, I don't believe relaxers cause damage but improper use will cause damage. There is no reason for overlapping or relaxing every month. I personally have witnessed hair that has been damaged by improper use of relaxers and I also personally seen hair thrive from proper relaxer use. It's all about proper use of chemicals.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

As a natural head, I don't believe relaxers cause damage but improper use will cause damage. There is no reason for overlapping or relaxing every month. I personally have witnessed hair that has been damaged by improper use of relaxers and I also personally seen hair thrive from proper relaxer use. It's all about proper use of chemicals.

I Agree. And some Folx will use Relaxers to "Fix A Problem" And it oftentimes worsens it.

Improper Usage and Lack of Knowledge IMO are the 2 biggest Culprits.

 

[candita]

I relax every 6-8 weeks, which some consider frequent (I deem necessary), but I don't get damage from it. I think hair, relaxed or not, will be damaged, if you don't care properly overall for it and know what it needs.

 

[~Sparklingflame~]

Relaxers claim on the box that it may potentially cause hair loss or damage. However, there are so many women on here (including me) who are relaxed with thriving hair due to health hair care/practices.

My sister decided to go natural and wear wigs because she believes that relaxers cause damage to her hair, but her hair was damaged because she wasn't properly taking care of it. She used super-strength relaxers, relaxed every 3 weeks, washed once in a blue-moon, hardly used conditioners, and overused heat products.

I understand everyone hair is different, but what do you guys think about damage due to a relaxer? Dont you believe it only occurs when we dont properly care for relaxed hair, or do some hair just respond too negatively to the chemicals?

I dot know for a 100% fact, but I have had a 3rd degree burn on my scalp near my edges in middle school that my aunt did in her shop and my hair didnt fall out. However some people can supposedly do the relaxer right and their hair will fall out.

Theres a LT of factors to consider but th main culprit is simply most people outiside of hair boards just dont know how to care for their hair relaxed or not.

 

[ntm103]

Thanks for starting this thread. I am currently 17 weeks post relaxer and I have been struggling to decide whether to transition or relax. I was natural for a year and relaxed my hair after discovering hair boards and seeing that they were plenty of women with long health relaxed hair and thought I could do it too. However despite doing lots of research and improving my regimen massively, I just haven't had the desired results. My hair was shoulder length when I relaxed and I had been retaining length very well as a natural. 18 months later and I'm still shoulder length and my hair is lacking the volume I used to have. I feel that with my relaxed hair I have to choose between length and health. I have opted to trim often to keep my hair looking healthy and thus sacrificed length. I guess its just different for everyone.

 

[mzteaze]

I will state my personal belief: That relaxers are a calculated risk. For some people it will be problem free. For others, it will be problematic which leaves a group of people in the middle with a few problems that they may or may not attribute to a relaxer.

For me, a relaxer systematically thinned my hair out over time. It was gradual enough that it wasn't immediately noticeable. The problems could be traced back to a bunch of reasons, improper application, too strong a product for my hair, careless application, etc. However, since I have taken responsibility for hair I can truly see the difference it makes. Its enough of a difference that IF (and thats a big if) I choose to relax my hair again, I hope to apply all the things I have learned and still see results.

 

[Aviah]

It wasn't the relaxer alone that was doing me wrong. My hair was relaxed for about 7 years and I was always at least SL. My hair was never thick, but when I began dying, flat ironing every two weeks, with no DC or heat protectants, its a miracle I still had hair. My ends would always get hard and crispy after two months because of my practices. But before I dyed it with improper heat use, my hair was doing alright.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

For me, a relaxer systematically thinned my hair out over time. It was gradual enough that it wasn't immediately noticeable. The problems could be traced back to a bunch of reasons, improper application, too strong a product for my hair, careless application, etc.

ITA. Same here. My grass was growing but it was fine and getting thinner and thinner. I was relaxing bone straight. For me it wasn't just the gradual thinning, but the itching due to allergies/catching a stylist on a good day/her blaming nonexistent medication or hormones for damage (when it was left on too long)/burning of my hair and scalp/juggling to get it just right because my grass is very fickle/etc. that made me walk away from relaxing. It started out great for years, but after a while, it took it's toll.

Because of what I've learned here and via the net I knew what I needed to do in order to have a healthy head of relaxed hair, I just decided that going natural was the best option for me due to chemical sensitivities. Relaxing was risky and I could never get consistent results with a stylist or at home. Since I BC'ed, my grass has done nothing but thrive and the thickness SHOCKED me big time.

But IMHO it's totally possible to have lush, happy, healthy relaxed hair. But it's not meant for everyone.