"Smoothing the relaxer"....what is your technique?

[Dposh167]

I only self relaxed once, months ago. And my hair looks like i haven't even touched it with a relaxer. I'm still not sure if its my relaxer (silk elements)...or if it was my smoothing. Or my lack of smoothing.

I don't think i did it right. I still have coils and curls in my hair that should NOT be there. I smoothed with the back of my comb only. Something tells me that wasn't enough. I didn't stretch my hair out or anything. I just parted and smoothed a little with the back of my comb and moved on to another section.

have any of you self-relaxers gotten the smoothing technique down packed?

 

[Minty]

Smoothing is always an issue when self-relaxing. You run the risk of getting the comb tangled in the hair, the parting and re-smooth runs the risk of over stretching the hair thus creating an environment for breakage down the line from lack of elasticity, and of course underprocessing.

I relax and flat iron. It was a technique I learned from an older stylist and it works for me. I have fine/med. strands but my hair in the back is resistant.

I use a sprush (the green one with the short spautula for part, and the back of my comb for other parts of my hair.

This is key for me - I do not heavily base my scalp. It is very light **very**. One or two weeks before I clarify, deep cleanse my hair and use product sparingly until relaxer day. I don't want any buffers in the process - but I am also fast with my application.

Then again to solve your current problem you could go to a stylist for a corrective and try again next time.

HTH

 

[Spring]

I have just recently changed (the last 2 touch ups) how I apply my relaxer. For years, I used to use only my fingers to generously apply the relaxer to already thinly parted sections, coating both sides and pressing (smoothing) the relaxer into the hair between my fingers, not into the scalp, as I went...vs.. smoothing later. I had really consistent results using this method and was rarely underprocessed. However, I was always rushed and thought overlapping could be reduced if I used a comb, color applicator brush (I want to buy the sprush in the future). Because of applying the relaxer this way, I've been very underprocessed while I'm still learning how to improve my technique. I might go back to applying with my hands if I continue to be texlaxed.

 

[Dposh167]

^^ so are u just taking the parted hair, and putting pressure on the ng. Are u separating the hair at all? or just pressing?

see i didn't press. And that's the reason i believe why i still have coils left

 

[WaistLengthDreams]

I generously apply my relaxer with a sprush-like applicator onto thinly parted sections (coating both sides and starting at the crown). As I do each section I smooth it slightly using the applicator. Once I've gone through my entire head, I go back through each of the four sections and part my hair (in larger sections than the first time around) and smooth the NG with my fingers. (This takes a little longer than the recommended time but it gets my hair to the desired straightness).

HTH

 

[Spring]

^^ so are u just taking the parted hair, and putting pressure on the ng. Are u separating the hair at all? or just pressing?

see i didn't press. And that's the reason i believe why i still have coils left

With my old method, I would pre-section my hair, by parting my hair in ~1/4 inch sections... loosely braiding the ends so the sections would stay separated. During the relaxing process, I would take a single section....apply relaxer to either the top side of that section and then to the bottom side... then I would "press" the relaxer between my fingers (thumb on the bottom of the section, 2 fingers on the top of section depending on the amount of newgrowth), making sure all the ng was covered with an ample amount. The pre-parting my hair saved a lot of time, but you have to be extra careful with overlapping when doing it that way. When I use the applicator brush, I have to relax in sections because the application time takes longer.

eta: I hope, my explanation wasn't confusing, but just incase the section of hair is being pressed between thumb and fingers.....

 

[shunemite]

I don't think it's your smoothing technique. I'm willing to bet that you either didn't put enough relaxer on the hair, you didn't leave it in long enough, or you had missing patches.

I self relax. (I haven't in a year due to the braid challenge I joined). I don't smooth at all. The relaxer is strong enough to do that for me I apply with my fingers, then "smooth" but what I'm really doing is checking to make sure there are no missing patches. My hair gets straight. And it's 4b.

When I first started, years ago, I made a lot of mistakes. The greatest mistake I made was not putting enough relaxer on my hair. You have to put a lot on there. Your hair will soak it up TRUST me. What I mean by a lot is that when I make a part, I put the relaxer on both sides of the part. The first time I put relaxer on my hair it looks like frosting on a cake but when I go through it the second time all you can see is my black hair with some sheen on it. The "whiteness" of the relaxer is practically gone.

Also, I used to not leave it on long enough because I would run out of time. I solved this problem by relaxing in sections. I do the front, rinse it out, then do the back. What a life saver. Lastly, I used to make parts that were way to large. You have to imagine you're dong micro-cornrows and make the parts that small, otherwise you'll have patches of undone hair.

 

[Dposh167]

thx everyone.
all this advice really really is helpful

 

[imaccami]

I have just recently changed (the last 2 touch ups) how I apply my relaxer. For years, I used to use only my fingers to generously apply the relaxer to already thinly parted sections, coating both sides and pressing (smoothing) the relaxer into the hair between my fingers, not into the scalp, as I went...vs.. smoothing later. I had really consistent results using this method and was rarely underprocessed. However, I was always rushed and thought overlapping could be reduced if I used a comb, color applicator brush (I want to buy the sprush in the future). Because of applying the relaxer this way, I've been very underprocessed while I'm still learning how to improve my technique. I might go back to applying with my hands if I continue to be texlaxed.

This is exactly how I do it and I'm never underprocessed. OP, the key is to use a lot of relaxer, you should really pile it on, I think that if you do you'll find that you don't need to smooth.

 

[~Sparklingflame~]

I REALLY REALLY wish I could still self-relax. When I used to be able to do it I had to smooth like a mug with a fine toothed, yes a FINE TOOTHED comb or else nothing would be done. I would still have XYZ inches worth of new growth sitting on my head untouched looking.

 

[amwcah]

This is exactly how I do it and I'm never underprocessed. OP, the key is to use a lot of relaxer, you should really pile it on, I think that if you do you'll find that you don't need to smooth.

Really? Anyone else do it this way?

 

[Minty]

no. I certainly do not pile it on.

Smoothing with my fingers, oh no. Despite having fine/medium strands and med density, my natural hair texture is very coiled back on itself with no curl pattern. Smoothing with my fingers only will not do much more than give me a loose afro. I used to do that when I textlaxed but had to leave the relaxer (creme of nature/dark n lovely - at the time) 25 or so minutes to give me that look. AND I had to overlap. So that is out of the question.

That is why the strand test is very important, especially if you have multi-textures.

 

[Myjourney2009]

I donot pile it on, that is a waste of relaxer. I do however, apply enough that I cant see my NG on eithier side, to both sides of the parted section of hair.

I had to do a corrective after my last TU and in the interest of time decided to apply the relaxer vertically instead of horizontally in the back. I shaved 3 min off my application time and I felt more relaxed doing it this way as well.

I smoothed vertically as well but I wound up missing a small spot.

For my future TU I will still apply vertically however I will smooth vertically AND horizontally to ensure all the NG is reached.

I have a pink sprush that I cut the very tip off because it was very flimsy and did not hold relaxer well, it is now the size of the green one. I am going to be purchasing a gold sprush soon because I feel it be better for smoothing to assist in overlap prevention.

I purchased mine on Folica by the way, its about $1 less than the sprush website.

Like Hijabi my hair is very resistant in the back, smoothing with my fingers is a joke. I tried that once and was left like her with a little afro. It has a million little coils and is verrrrrrrrry dense. I have to use a Mizani BB super/course and I have to smooth the back 3x's ( I smooth 2x and run the comb through the ng NOT on my scalp 1x) and I am still not relaxed bone straight I have little waves in the back. Now the front I use a reg MIzani BB and I keep it on for 15-18 min smoothing each secton 2x and still not bone straight, its wavy. I prefer my hair this way though because it leaves my hair with life.

 

[halee_J]

Subcribing...right now I use a sprush and my fingers, but I think my technique can be improved.

 

[MissMusic]

I do find that you have to put enough on, you do not have to pile it on, but using a little bit will leave you with texlaxed hair if your hair is COARSE! I didn't realize until I went to a stylist and noted that she used more relaxer than me, that was the problem. She used a normal relaxer on my hair (she said using anything stronger is asking for damage), and she applied a good amount of relaxer to my hair. Its coarse so, instead of processing past the allotted time, she applies more relaxer to compensate. After trying it her way, I stopped coming out with texlaxed hair.

Oh and I've used my fingers, a brush and a sprush and I get the best results with a brush.

 

[blackberry815]

Bumping.........

 

[clulessonhair]

bump, bump, bump

 

[hothair]

I section in four, start application using a brush from the middle (most resistant) of my head towards the edges. I then use the back of the comb and my fingers to start smoothing. I lift the hair away from my head and smooth/comb for about two minutes on each section. When they are all done I concentrate on the edges. Takes about 10ish minutes. I apply in 7-8minutes.

ETA: ITA with using a lot of relaxer.

 

[blackberry815]

I section in four, start application using a brush from the middle (most resistant) of my head towards the edges. I then use the back of the comb and my fingers to start smoothing. I lift the hair away from my head and smooth/comb for about two minutes on each section. When they are all done I concentrate on the edges. Takes about 10ish minutes. I apply in 7-8minutes.

ETA: ITA with using a lot of relaxer.

hothair does ur hair come out bone straight like this?

Sent from my ADR6400L using ADR6400L

 

[hothair]

I was surprised too. I used Phyto 1 hair was "virgin" 4a/b and it came out bone straight, I was very careful to keep to the time on the guide which was about 18mins as I hadn't relaxed in over 3 years. The middle of my head is the most resistant and where I would usually be under-processed which is why I started there.