so I went to the salon yesterday and a mom

[nychaelasymone]

was forcing her 8 year old to get a relaxer. The little girl just screamed and hollered that she didn't want a relaxer. I felt so bad for her...then her mother threatened to punish her if she didn't get it. To top it all off, her scalp must've been burning cause when she got to the shampoo bowl, the little girl just screamed....I mean...ear piercing...screamed. Poor kid. And all this because her mom said she didn't know what to do w/ her hair...it was too thick

 

[BellaLunie]

smh and no one said anything to her? My ex salon had an age minimun of 12 for any service. I feel bad for the little girl

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

That's awful. These stylists need to stop trying to make a dollar at any expense. All I can do is make sure my own daughter doesn't have to go through that.

 

[ms.blue]

That is awful! The woman who was doing the child's hair should have refuse to do it if the child is hollering like that.

 

[nychaelasymone]

That is awful! The woman who was doing the child's hair should have refuse to do it if the child is hollering like that.

nope they kept trying to appease her by turning on the princess and the frog and giving her snacks.

 

[brownelovely]

Sorry to say, but even if the stylist refused (personally I would have if I were her) her mother would have taken her somewhere else anyway. Sounds like she was determined to find a "solution" although I can't see how her having a perm is going to make it any easier.

 

[beans4reezy]

Oh my goodness! That is terrible! At minimum if the little girl was pleading for her mom NOT to get a relaxer in a salon- you'd think that at minimum, as a mom, she'd feel embarrassed and self conscious that others were viewing her as a bad parent and would not allow her daughter to go through with it?

She doesn't know what to do with the daughters hair is a load. I guess braiding it up for the week or passing a hot comb through it is rocket science, huh? Sorry about the rant- but I simply HATE seeing little girls with relaxers.

 

[jazzypha85]

Honestly when I was around 6 I started visiting my fathers mom and she began putting adult perms in my hair my mom was PISSED. She never asked for permission she just did it and my hair was long she even cut my hair above my shoulders.

 

[BellaLunie]

Honestly when I was around 6 I started visiting my fathers mom and she began putting adult perms in my hair my mom was PISSED. She never asked for permission she just did it and my hair was long she even cut my hair above my shoulders.

I would have been .38 hot if I was your mom :210:

 

[Janet']

...I'm probably going to get stoned but...

Check out the pic below...I was around that age in that pic and I had a relaxer-now, my mom did it and back when I was getting a relaxer, there was no such thing as a "Just for me", but my mom took care when dealing with my hair...I'm just saying, being on the "other" side of the spectrum, I can understand the frustration that the mom might be going through...I'm not saying that she was right for how she handled it, but I can definitely empathize

ETA: My hair began to be unhealthy when I started fooling around with it...I thought my mom was too old fashioned (I was about 16/17 at the time) when it came to hair...The relaxer wasn't the devil for me- bad management was!

 

[BostonMaria]

Janet, your hair was so long and thick! What an adorable picture!!!

OP, I've seen little girls at the salon get their hair done. I think that going to the salon can be unpleasant for any child. Imagine trying to get an 8 yr old to sit still for four to five hours? That's just torture. I personally would never relax a child's hair at 8, but you know that for some of us this is just the way it is. My sister had her DD's hair relaxed at age 6 for the same reasons. Now my niece is almost 10 and fully natural again. Some women just don't know how to style hair and would rather just go with the "easiest" solution.

 

[Aviah]

Man oh man... that's a trip.
You would think that even if the child didn't want a relaxer, that a professional would know how to do it without burning the life outta her... That's actually trauma.

Really sad.

 

[Ms.Christ3n]

That's horrible... The child is probably traumatized for life.I vow to not put a relaxer in my daughter's hair before she is 32 years old ( a grown lady). Hopefully by then she wouldn't even want one

 

[Adaoba2012]

Dang, thats really sad. I'm not against parents relaxing their childs hair because at the end of the day it is the decision of the parent..but if the child is in that much pain where they are crying loudly in the salon I wouldn't go through with it. When I have kids I'm going to wait until they are old enough to decide for themselves whether or not they want a relaxer. I don't feel that it should be forced on a child.

 

[Lynnerie]

Dang, thats really sad. I'm not against parents relaxing their childs hair..but if the child is in that much pain where they are crying loudly in the salon I wouldn't go through with it. When I have kids I'm gonna wait until they are old enough to decide for themselves whether or not they want a relaxer. I don't feel that it should be forced on a child.

I totally agree with your post. Relaxers are not the end all for healthy hair. Its just when people dont use them properly and/or neglect the hair or when you apply them and the child is too young things go badly. I dont remember what age I got my first relaxer but I do know the experience wasn't traumatic. I do feel that the mother made a poor choice in this situation.

 

[blue_flower]

Having thick hair is a bad thing?

 

[Blackbird77]

nope they kept trying to appease her by turning on the princess and the frog and giving her snacks.

The Princess and the Frog is the LAST movie to show a child in that state. That movie is downright creepy at some scenes. It seemed scarier to me than all other fairytales. My 5-year old niece winched while watching it (between the funny parts).

 

[Taina]

Sorry to say, but even if the stylist refused (personally I would have if I were her) her mother would have taken her somewhere else anyway. Sounds like she was determined to find a "solution" although I can't see how her having a perm is going to make it any easier.

And at least a profesional did her hair, if the mom was that determined she could even try to do it herself and that would be worst.

 

[ms.blue]

nope they kept trying to appease her by turning on the princess and the frog and giving her snacks.

That is greediness b/c it is not worth that much if the child is severely uncomfortable. When this woman gave birth isn't it her responsibility to take care of the child and make sure that nobody will harm her child including herself? Also she should have learned to take care her daughter's hair by having patience. I don't believe that her hair was so thick that it was unmanagable.

 

[Kurlee]

psychological damage

 

[chebaby]

when i finally hair children if i have a daughter she will not be allowed to have a relaxer until she is out of my house. i am not against it for others but i wouldnt dare force it on my child..and by the time shes through listening to me tell her how beautiful she and her hair are i doubt shed even consider it anyway lol.

if i was that mom i would feel terrible knowing that people are looking at my child feeling sorry for her and then looking at me like im the bad guy. i would have walked out without a relaxer in my childs hair if she didnt want it. i know kids dont want a lot of things they need but the child didnt NEED the relaxer so we would have left.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Poor child for having to go through with that. Poor mother as well though, she is obviously ignorant about what's best for her daughter's hair. See, this is why I'm glad I found LHCF; I have decided for sure that no relaxer will touch my children's hair until they are old enough to decide for themselves, which is most likely teen years. They really don't need it at a younger age.