Self-Relaxers: PROS and CONS of Self-Relaxing?

[Chichi]

I would like to start self-relaxing my hair and I am excited about it! I have learned so much on this board that I feel that I could do my next retouch myself.

Many of the self-relaxers on this board have beautiful hair!

My main reason: this way I could control exactly how straight or wavy I want my hair.

As for the Cons, don't see any yet...

To all the self-relaxers out there, what are your pros and cons?

Chichi

 

[lonei]

Cons: Overlapping, not applying the sections in the correct fashion to avoid being burnt, you need two mirrors or a steady hand, not working qickly enough.

Pros: No expenses, you wait for no one, you may trust yourself more than others, you can take more time with baseing/deep conditioning, you control the straightness

I suggest trying it first with conditioner as it is a strong chemical and you need to be very cautious and confident...

 

[Chichi]

Thanks for the tip. I will defintely try it first with a deep conditioner.

Any other self-relaxers out there?

Chichi

 

[ubavka123]

Curious as well, so bumping for more...

 

[melodee]

lonei, do you mean mixing it with a conditioner or conditioning afterward?

 

[CheerBear]

I think she means practicing with conditioner

 

[cutebajangirl]

I self relax now. I am only aiming to loosen up the curl so as long as I leave it in for the same amount of time, each time then I am fine. I do practice with conditioner. I spent allmost all of college and high school self relaxing and had no problems growing my hair. I only got it done at a salon when I was home.

 

[Autumn]

When I used to relax, I was primarily a self-relaxer. My biggest con was the strength of my water stream. I'd wash the relaxer out in the kitchen sink, but the force of the water didn't seem strong enough. I'm sure that I was overprocessing because the water pressure wasn't strong enough to quickly cut through the relaxer cream in the time alloted. The other con was having to shampoo 3+ times to get the residue out and to neutralize. Oh, and another con of self relaxing was that sometimes, I would attempt to stand in the shower (slightly stonger water force) to rinse out the creme and by holding my head back, under the spray, I wouldn't get all of the cream from the nape, thus resulting in breakage.........and vice versa for holding my head OVER the kitchen sink....breakage in the front of my hairline

sigh, but I still preferred home relaxing to waiting at a rude, overpriced salon.

 

[renee_n_3000]

[ QUOTE ]
Chichi said:
My main reason: this way I could control exactly how straight or wavy I want my hair.

As for the Cons, don't see any yet...


[/ QUOTE ]

That is basically my view.

A couple of more pros is that it is far less expensive ($18 a year!) and I don't have the anxiety of fearing that my scalp will get burned, like I did when I went to hairdressers.

One tip I can think of, and it might be terribly obvious, but...

Make sure to wash each section with the neutralizing shampoo according to the order in which you applied the relaxer. For instance, I part my hair in four sections and do the back, right side first, the back, left side second, etc. So, I wash with the neutralizing shampoo in that order. That way I come as close as possible to having the relaxer stay on each section of hair for the same amount of time.

I do the same with the two front sections, though I apply relaxer to those sections last and don't want the solution to stay on there as long as the back, because the front of my hair grows practically straight and flat already.

 

[starz]

You ladies have inspired me to do my own touch-up in September. I didn't appreciate my hairdresser ripping through my new growth the last time I had my hair done.

 

[henrilou]

Gosh this question brought back memories:
I used to take the bus downtown, buy revlon lye relaxer super in a jar. Just the jar, NO neutralizing shampoo, gloves, nothing--just the jar. I remember it had red-printing on it and cost 4.99
Well I wanted STRAIGHT hair so I would put it on and leave it for 35-40 minutes. Really. That long. And if I had scabs or burns, I would think "Good. it took" Guess what? I didn't have any bald patches, just short hair to my ears, that never seemed to get any longer. And the ends were so frizzy that I would have to hot curl it everyday, sometimes twice a day. I couldn't figure out why my hair was short. I wanted long hair SOOOO bad... (by the way I was in high school back then.)

 

[Chichi]

[ QUOTE ]
renee_n_3000 said:
[ QUOTE ]
Chichi said:
My main reason: this way I could control exactly how straight or wavy I want my hair.

As for the Cons, don't see any yet...


[/ QUOTE ]

One tip I can think of, and it might be terribly obvious, but...

Make sure to wash each section with the neutralizing shampoo according to the order in which you applied the relaxer. For instance, I part my hair in four sections and do the back, right side first, the back, left side second, etc. So, I wash with the neutralizing shampoo in that order. That way I come as close as possible to having the relaxer stay on each section of hair for the same amount of time.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is a great tip!

I will probably start with the hair in the back so will rinse that first.

I know that I will have to work on working the relaxer through quickly since I would like to only leave the relaxer on for 12 minutes max. (This is where the practicing with the deep conditioner comes in handy.)

Chichi

 

[Chichi]

[ QUOTE ]
henrilou said:
Gosh this question brought back memories:
I used to take the bus downtown, buy revlon lye relaxer super in a jar. Just the jar, NO neutralizing shampoo, gloves, nothing--just the jar. I remember it had red-printing on it and cost 4.99
Well I wanted STRAIGHT hair so I would put it on and leave it for 35-40 minutes. Really. That long. And if I had scabs or burns, I would think "Good. it took" Guess what? I didn't have any bald patches, just short hair to my ears, that never seemed to get any longer. And the ends were so frizzy that I would have to hot curl it everyday, sometimes twice a day. I couldn't figure out why my hair was short. I wanted long hair SOOOO bad... (by the way I was in high school back then.)

[/ QUOTE ]

35-40 minutes

. Relaxers are strong chemicals, no doubt about it and should always be handled with care.

For self-relaxing, I plan on using the Affirm Fiberguard Lye Mild (complete system) plus I do not want my hair to come out straight; I'd like to keep some of my texture after the process.

Chichi

 

[cutebajangirl]

[ QUOTE ]
henrilou said:
Gosh this question brought back memories:
I used to take the bus downtown, buy revlon lye relaxer super in a jar. Just the jar, NO neutralizing shampoo, gloves, nothing--just the jar. I remember it had red-printing on it and cost 4.99
Well I wanted STRAIGHT hair so I would put it on and leave it for 35-40 minutes. Really. That long. And if I had scabs or burns, I would think "Good. it took" Guess what? I didn't have any bald patches, just short hair to my ears, that never seemed to get any longer. And the ends were so frizzy that I would have to hot curl it everyday, sometimes twice a day. I couldn't figure out why my hair was short. I wanted long hair SOOOO bad... (by the way I was in high school back then.)

[/ QUOTE ]

But I think I can up you one. My mom would get the super and after application place a plastic cap on my head so it can work better. Then rinse it out and no neutralizing shampoo. I swear one the best thing I ever did for my self was to start taking care of my own hair.

 

[dannie]

Someone posted a thread about using a squirt bottle to apply the relaxer. That way you have more control over where the relaxer goes(preventing overlapping and appyling it directly to the scalp). It also cuts down on time. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to in July when I start doing my own touch-ups again. I think I might be able to actually do a good one if I use the squirt bottle method. thought it might help. If you do a search I'm sure you can find the thread.

 

[Leshia]

PRO: Not shelling out big bucks to get it done; not having to schedule an appt to get it done; not having to wonder if they'll get every spot; not having to worry if it will all be properly rinsed out; I can pamper myself with protein conditioners, moisturizing conditioners, oils, masks and serums once finished and not have to worry about spending hours in a salon. (I'm sure there are more pros for me..)

CON: Sometimes, I've missed a spot or two; I can't wrap my own hair after it's been relaxed. =0(

 

[Dolce_Dawn]

Hmmm... I have mostly PROS and they basically repeat just about everything others have said. I really enjoy doing my own hair. It's very relaxing for me (pardon the pun

).

I do my whole head : I part my hair in three sections (two ponytails in front and one in back) and then start. I don't time mine. I do the edges very last b/c they are usually the first to burn. I rinse and wash using regular poo (that's just me being a renegade

).

I guess the only CON would be the time invested in self-relaxing, but that really doesn't bother me at all.

 

[lonei]

[ QUOTE ]
melodee said:
lonei, do you mean mixing it with a conditioner or conditioning afterward?

[/ QUOTE ]

I just mean practicing with a deep conditioner maybe a week/few days before you actually want to apply the relaxer. For instance using the applicator brush and timing yourself. (Not mixing it with a conditioner....)

 

[ubavka123]

But I think I can up you one. My mom would get the super and after application place a plastic cap on my head so it can work better. Then rinse it out and no neutralizing shampoo. I swear one the best thing I ever did for my self was to start taking care of my own hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, Henrilou, I think Cutebajangirl has you on this one. Ouch!

These stories are unbelievable. The most my mom ever did to me in the way of hair was burn my scalp in the kitchen area (or my ears

) with the hot comb every Saturday afternoon for my weekly wash and press for church! Anything for the Sunday best! Now that brings back memories...

 

[ubavka123]

Sorry about the messed up quote...I have to get the hang of that...

 

[Neroli]

I have 4b relaxed and tried to do my self after lots of reading and researching and THANK GOD I didn't do any permanent damage -- just under-processed hair because I too didn't want bone straight, but I just couldn't tell when hair was straight with all the relaxer creme on there -- I mean it was an ordeal for me what with the timing, the smoothing, the trying to see in the back, the trying to avoid over-lapping, all that was just too much for me to keep track and while my hair came very very adequate (no damage -- I say under-process because hair only straightened about 60% when I want to straighten 85-90%). My hair is still nice, healthy and strong even though I did not achieve professional results . I have gone thru several stylist since then, and THANK GOD have found a domincian lady right near work and home that actually LISTENS to me and works with what I want. Self-relaxing must be a skill, but I'm too scared to try again because it was just too trumatic for me doing myself. THAT is one service I will pay good money for the right results! I WISH I could master self-relaxing, but I am no longer motivated to try 'cause so happy with my stylist -- I only see her every 10 weeks or so for my retouch . . .

 

[atlien]

[ QUOTE ]
Neroli said:
I have 4b relaxed and tried to do my self after lots of reading and researching and THANK GOD I didn't do any permanent damage -- just under-processed hair because I too didn't want bone straight, but I just couldn't tell when hair was straight with all the relaxer creme on there -- I mean it was an ordeal for me what with the timing, the smoothing, the trying to see in the back, the trying to avoid over-lapping, all that was just too much for me to keep track and while my hair came very very adequate (no damage -- I say under-process because hair only straightened about 60% when I want to straighten 85-90%). My hair is still nice, healthy and strong even though I did not achieve professional results . I have gone thru several stylist since then, and THANK GOD have found a domincian lady right near work and home that actually LISTENS to me and works with what I want. Self-relaxing must be a skill, but I'm too scared to try again because it was just too trumatic for me doing myself. THAT is one service I will pay good money for the right results! I WISH I could master self-relaxing, but I am no longer motivated to try 'cause so happy with my stylist -- I only see her every 10 weeks or so for my retouch . . .

[/ QUOTE ]

Where in GA did you find this stylist?

 

[Neroli]

Dominician Internationl Hair Salon
677 Franklin Road
Marietta, Cobb County
(770) 421-8380

Ask for Delia -- She's DA BOMB and actually listens to what a sistah wants. All the ladies I've seen in there have seriously good looking hair, including me!

She uses affirm lye mild on my 4b hair.

 

[Chichi]

[ QUOTE ]
Neroli said:
I have 4b relaxed and tried to do my self after lots of reading and researching and THANK GOD I didn't do any permanent damage -- just under-processed hair because I too didn't want bone straight, but I just couldn't tell when hair was straight with all the relaxer creme on there -- I mean it was an ordeal for me what with the timing, the smoothing, the trying to see in the back, the trying to avoid over-lapping, all that was just too much for me to keep track and while my hair came very very adequate (no damage -- I say under-process because hair only straightened about 60% when I want to straighten 85-90%). My hair is still nice, healthy and strong even though I did not achieve professional results . I have gone thru several stylist since then, and THANK GOD have found a domincian lady right near work and home that actually LISTENS to me and works with what I want. Self-relaxing must be a skill, but I'm too scared to try again because it was just too trumatic for me doing myself. THAT is one service I will pay good money for the right results! I WISH I could master self-relaxing, but I am no longer motivated to try 'cause so happy with my stylist -- I only see her every 10 weeks or so for my retouch . . .

[/ QUOTE ]

This is interesting because one of the main reasons why I want to self-relax is so that I could get my hair just 60%-70% straight.

My stylist did a good job of getting my hair 85% straight during my last retouch. But I would like to monitor this process myself.

Chichi

 

[Neroli]

[ QUOTE ]
Chichi said:
[ QUOTE ]
Neroli said:
I have 4b relaxed and tried to do my self after lots of reading and researching and THANK GOD I didn't do any permanent damage -- just under-processed hair because I too didn't want bone straight, but I just couldn't tell when hair was straight with all the relaxer creme on there -- I mean it was an ordeal for me what with the timing, the smoothing, the trying to see in the back, the trying to avoid over-lapping, all that was just too much for me to keep track and while my hair came very very adequate (no damage -- I say under-process because hair only straightened about 60% when I want to straighten 85-90%). My hair is still nice, healthy and strong even though I did not achieve professional results . I have gone thru several stylist since then, and THANK GOD have found a domincian lady right near work and home that actually LISTENS to me and works with what I want. Self-relaxing must be a skill, but I'm too scared to try again because it was just too trumatic for me doing myself. THAT is one service I will pay good money for the right results! I WISH I could master self-relaxing, but I am no longer motivated to try 'cause so happy with my stylist -- I only see her every 10 weeks or so for my retouch . . .

[/ QUOTE ]

This is interesting because one of the main reasons why I want to self-relax is so that I could get my hair just 60%-70% straight.

My stylist did a good job of getting my hair 85% straight during my last retouch. But I would like to monitor this process myself.

Chichi

[/ QUOTE ]

That's why self-relaxed too -- to ensure the right amount of straightness. However, my problem was really unable to effectively monitor that because I just could not determine how straight the hair was with all the relaxer creme in there and I don't have the experience/expertise to judge, so I erred on the side of caution by rinsing out too soon. Plus, all the other stuff to worry about (overlapping, smoothing fast enough to get ALL the hair by end of alotted time, etc. etc.) in theory it sounded okay, but actually doing it was a real challenge for me . . .

 

[LABETT]

I already gave you my tips when I self relaxed my hair for the first time so far so good.
Keep me posted on how your hair turns out.

 

[Isis]

Pros:

* I am in control of my hair and I make sure I pamper it and my scalp with a good base, protein treatment a couple of days earlier, deep condtioning and lots of love, something many don't get from a stylist.

* It's economical


Cons:
None that I know of.

Dannie19 - thanks for the squirt bottle tip, I may try that one.

 

[Chichi]

Yes, Dannie19, thanks for the squirt bottle tip. I am thinking that I would have to cut the nozzle a little bit for the relaxer to flow better but it sounds like it would really move things along.

So, it seems that we have a few options for applying the relaxer:

-squirt bottle
-applicator brush
-back of a rattail comb
-hands

I wonder which one would be the fastest

... I would guess the squirt bottle...

Chichi

 

[ChoclatePrincess]

I use to self relax years ago but I stopped.
Pros: Save money and no long hours in a shop!!!
Con: Making sure you've washed all the relaxer out of your hair, I'm speaking from experience!

 

[Falon]

Squirt bottle sounds like an excellent idea! I'm like

now why didn't I think about that one? I am going to practice with a conditioner and if it's comes out good I will definitely use this technique when I relax again.