Self Relaxing Natural Hair

[letitgrow0702]

I am ending my natural hair journey. One of the hopes I had once I went natural was thicker hair. However, my hair appears much thinner and doesn't have the body my relaxed hair had.

I plan on self relaxing tomorrow with Kids Organix relaxer which is what I use to use. Can you ladies provide me with some tips? I have self relaxed before but never on natural hair.

 

[letitgrow0702]

Bump Bump Bump

 

[newflowers]

There are tons of self-relaxing threads, and you should most definitely check the stickies for even more information. SistaSlick has an excellent article about relaxing - it is a must read. I've been self-relaxing for many, meany years - decades actually, yet I have learned so much about relaxing which has made a significant positive difference for my hair. Some of the tips I've learned:

make sure your hair is in the proper condition for relaxing - if you have breakage, sensitive scalp, do not relax. correct the condition first.

when you relax, have all of your supplies readily available - right at your fingertips - you don't want to have to search for something while the clock is ticking.

if you tend to burn, carefully and completely base the scalp and hairline.

if your have problems with your nape and/or hairlinee, relax those areas last.

pay attention to the time, and do not exceed it. use a timer if you must.

rinse liked you've never rinsed before, and then rinse some more.

after rinsing, apply the reconstructor, but remember this time is part of the relaxer time. EVERYTHING from the minute you begin to relax until you neutralize is part of the relaxing time.

neutralize - don't be stingy with the shampoo, the number of shampoos, and the rinsing time.

after the first shampoo, an acv rinse gets you to white suds asap.

use a chelating shampoo if you use a no-lye relaxer.

rinse

use the rest of the reconstructor ( i blend in a bowl and then half and half)

rinse

deep condition with the best moisturizing conditioner you can afford. deep conditioning is your hair's best friend at least 30 minutes with heat if you can. a product with ceramides is an excellent choice and greatly beneficial to your hair.

rinse

correct the porosity - porosity control or another pc type conditioner will make sure your cuticles are closed.

rinse

 

[letitgrow0702]

Thank you. Should I start from the ends or the root?

 

[Pandora1975]

Only slightly related, but why have I seen so many people using kid's relaxers. Fron what I can tell, there isn't much difference. Its just in how long you leave it on, as with any relaxer. However, its been years since a kid's relaxer has been needed around here- no kids with relaxed heads.

The only advice I can give. is to neutralize shampoo at least 3 times. I was tired once and the bottle was nearly empty, so I did 2 washes neutralizing, one normal, and visited breakage city. Otherwise Newflowers explained it beautifully.

 

[Pandora1975]

I started in the center of my head at the root. The most resistant spot for me.