Spinoff of A Catalyst: How much do u deviate?

[Lovelylocs]

Here is a list of a wonderful standard routine for black hair care taken from a thread started by Brooke007 back in '03. I was just reading it and I learned some new things and I realized there are somethings that I would add and some things I do differently. What doesn't work for you? What works better? How does your regimen differ from this one?

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=13431&highlight=scalp+massage
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This is a list of the original members of the Relaxed Sub Club: adrienne0914, alyce_19, cokoqt, comi1_2000, davine, debo1986, devcon0921, dianalynn79, essencegrl28, k_addy24, mariaat40, miss_korea_ladyswan, nik4God, niroral2, protege00_99, somebodysbabygirl, todamor, and tsangeldog.
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This is the November 8, 2000 edition of the Relaxed Sub Club’s regimen. It should be viewed as a guideline only. All members should note that EVERYthing does not work for EVERYbody. You have flexibility in your use of products as well as adhering to the guidelines.

PRE-SHAMPOO TREATMENT
A pre-shampoo treatment is any treatment done prior to the shampoo. The treatment can be used to address hair or scalp issues.
· When using oils as a pre-shampoo treatment, it is recommended that they be used on damp/wet hair versus dry. Your available time will dictate how long the oils should be left on the hair.
· Some suggestions for oil treatments include chia, flax, hemp, and kukui because they are EFA oils, which contain both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.
· When dealing with scalp issues members need to determine the severity of the problem and when to seek the assistance of a medical professional.

SCALP MASSAGES
· Massages offer a means to get/keep the circulation going in the scalp.
· They should be done twice daily. Not only are they good for circulation, but for stress as well.
· Massages can be done on wet or dry hair during the pre-shampoo, shampoo, or during the day. However, if done on wet hair, make sure that you are massaging your scalp and NOT manipulating your hair. It can also tangle if there is significant new growth.
· There are some scalp massage instructions on this site:
**Edited to remove non-working link** Click on archives at the top, and then click on the article, "Scalp Sense".

SHAMPOO
· The hair should be washed a minimum of twice per week, but no more than every other day. One of these washings could be a simple rinsing, without shampoo, followed by Nexxus Ensure Acidifying Conditioner.
Some recommended shampoos are:
- Aubrey's Blue Chamomile
- Aubrey's J.A.Y.
- Aubrey's White Camellia
- Crème of Nature Yellow
- Motions Moisturizing
- Dax's Vegetable Oil Jojoba by Mill Creek
- Dr. Bronner’s ORS Uplifting Shampoo
- Ion Moisturizing Pantene for Dry & Damaged
- Neutrogena Clarifying
- Paul Mitchell's The Shampoo
- Sebastian Laminates Cello Shampoo

ACIDIFYING CONDITIONER
· An Acidifying Conditioner should be used each time you wash your hair. Acidifiers close the hair cuticle, impart shine and add elasticity.
· This should be the last conditioner used. If you experience increased tangling after using your acidifying conditioner, follow up with a detangling conditioner.
Some recommended acidifiers are:
- Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with water (1:4 vinegar-to-water ratio)
- ARTec’s Kiwi Moisture Pac
- L'anza Chemical Balancer
- L'anza The Detangler
- Nexxus Ensure (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
- Paul Mitchell Detangler
- Paul Mitchell Finishing Rinse
- Paul Mitchell Seal and Shine (this is a spray)
Note: A generic brand can be substituted.
REGULAR CONDITIONER
· You should condition after every shampoo.
Some recommended conditioners are:
- Aphogee Protein Treatment
- Aphogee Reconstructor
- Aubrey GPB
- Aubrey's Island Naturals Crème Rinse
- Dudley's Protein Conditioner
- Joico K-Pak
- Loreal's Nature Therapy Mega Nurturing Crème
- LeKair Cholesterol
- Motions CPR
- Motions Moisture Plus
- Optimum Moisture Rich Conditioner
- ORS Mayo Jojoba Conditioner
- Pantene Deep Fortifying Treatment



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[Lovelylocs]

Continued:
[ QUOTE ]PROTEIN DEEP CONDITIONING
· You can use a protein deep conditioner once a week, but do not overdo these. They can make the hair shaft swell, and too much protein will make the hair look frizzy.
· A protein conditioner can be mixed with a moisturizing conditioner.
· Consistent protein conditioning is a must for relaxed hair.
· For the most effective deep conditioning treatment, you can coat damp hair with conditioner, and cover it with a plastic bag. Microwave a wet towel (with CAUTION) for 1 minute, and wrap the towel around the plastic bag. While a heating cap, or hooded dryer can be substituted for the microwaved towel, the emphasis should be placed on STEAM heat. Steam heat is more moisturizing to the hair during deep conditioning treatments and is more effective than dry heat.

LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
· The use of a leave-in conditioner is encouraged.
Some recommended leave-ins are:
- African Pride Leave-in
- African Royal Leave-in
- At one with Nature Leave-in
- Aussie Hair Insurance
- Avon Dry Ends Serum
- Crème of Nature Herbal Rich Leave-in
- Infusium 23
- Isoplus 24-hr Leave-in
- Salon Selectives Leave-in
- Sebastian Laminates Leave-in
- Sebastian Potion 9
- 911 Pantene Fortifying Leave-in
Note: Some members are using Monoi oil as a leave-in.

TOWEL DRYING HAIR
· After completing the shampooing and conditioning process, the hair should be patted dry. Due to the fragile state of wet relaxed hair, you should not wrap it in a towel, wring it out, nor brush it.

DETANGLING HAIR
· Do not rush through this process because you are more apt to damage your hair.
· Detangle as much as possible using your fingers first.
· Never tug or rake through the hair.
· Use a wide-tooth comb and a leave-in conditioner to ease the comb out.
· Comb the hair from the bottom up, meaning start by combing out the ends and then gradually work your way toward the roots.

DRYING
· Usually the weather, or your time constraints will determine which method you use to dry your hair.
Some recommended drying methods:
- Air drying
- Doobies (wet roller set followed with a wrap on the dried hair)
- Hooded or bonnet hair dryer
- Ponytail Method
- Wet roller sets
- Wraps
HEAT
· The use of heating appliances such as blow dryers, curling irons, or other sources of extreme heat should be eliminated or kept to a bare minimum.
· If this is a difficult habit to stop, then consider gradually reducing your usage.
· It is important to use a heat protectant prior to applying the heat. This will help to minimize the amount of damage associated with overuse.

HAIR MANIPULATION
· Comb/Brush/Manipulate your hair as little as possible, preferably no more than once a day.
· Finger combing should be considered as an alternative to combing.

PROTECTING ENDS
· Your ends should be protected on a daily basis.
Some suggestions include:
- Shea butter
- Oil of your choice (Jojoba or olive oil are highly recommended.)

PROTECTIVE STYLES
· Hair should be kept in a protective style the majority of the time.
Protective styles include:
- Bantus
- Braids (corn rows, french braids, or regular braids)
- Buns (put shea butter/oil on the ends)
- French Rolls (put shea butter/oil on the ends)
- Knots
- Ponytails (put shea butter/oil on the ends)
- Twists

RELAXER/TOUCH-UPS
· Investigate your relaxer. Try to purchase/use a relaxer in the 9-10 pH range.
· No-lye relaxers defat the scalp. Add an EFA oil to your relaxer. (Aphogee makes an EFA oil for this purpose.)
· Limit relaxer retouches to every three (3) months. If this causes breakage for you, you can retouch no less than 8 weeks after your last retouch.
· New growth maintenance will allow you to extend the time between touch-ups. A soft texture should be attainable through constant moisturizing. Carrot oil and jojoba oil are recommended
· The scalp should not be invigorated for at least 24 hours prior to a relaxer or touch-up. This means no combing, brushing, scratching, shampooing, track or braid removal. If the scalp is invigorated before a relaxer, it will allow the relaxer to penetrate into the follicle of the hair, and could result in the hair shedding or just falling out.
· Prior to a touch-up, the hair that has already been processed should be coated with a heavy oil or a conditioner like Queene Helene Cholesterol Treatment to prevent overlapping.
· Apply the relaxer according to product instructions making sure that you apply it quickly enough to remain within the time constraints.
· A relaxer should be applied to the most resistant or coarse hair first. The hairline should be relaxed last.
· Leave the relaxer on your hair for the length of time designated on the product instructions. Start timing your relaxer from the first moment you apply it to your hair.
The general rule of thumb is:
- For fine or previously damaged hair the relaxer should not be left on any longer than 13 minutes
- For medium-strength or slightly damaged hair the relaxer should not be left on any longer than
15 minutes
- For coarse, resistant or minimally damaged hair the relaxer should not be left on any longer than
20 minutes

NOTE: While these time constraints are guidelines and could vary depending on the texture and condition of your hair, they should not be EXCEEDED under any circumstances.
· Thoroughly rinse the relaxer from your hair.
· Apply a conditioner while the cuticle is still open and before using a neutralizing shampoo.

Suggestion: Use Hi-Pro Pac conditioner and leave in the hair for 3 minutes. Even though the relaxer is rinsed out before the Hi-Pro Pac conditioner is applied, the hair is not neutralized yet so there could still be some processing going on. Therefore, you should consider the 3 minutes associated with leaving in the Hi-Pro Pac conditioner as the overall time to leave in the relaxer.

In other words:
- If the relaxer should be left in for 13 minutes, that time would now be reduced to 10 minutes.
- If the relaxer should be left in for 15 minutes, that time would now be reduced to 12 minutes.
- If the relaxer should be left in for 20 minutes, that time would now be reduced to 17 minutes.

· Wash with neutralizing shampoo three times to ensure that all of the relaxer is out of the hair.
· Follow with the Nexxus Ensure Acidifying conditioner to close the cuticle.
· It is recommended that you apply a balsam conditioner last to seal the cuticle.
· Take care not to pull on the hair after it has been relaxed. It is still in a fragile state.
· Hair should not be shampooed again until at least two days after a relaxer.

HAIR COLORING
· Color a relaxer, never relax a color. Always do your relaxer touch ups BEFORE you do your color retouches.
· Wait at least 2-3 weeks after a relaxer retouch before applying color.
· When coloring new growth, be sure that the color is applied to the new growth only.
· Add EFA oil to your hair color, (safflower oil recommended).
· Follow the color with the Hi-pro Pac conditioner.

TRIMMING HAIR
· Invest in a pair of scissors specifically designed for cutting hair and only use them for
that purpose.
· Trim split ends as frequently as your hair dictates.
· Have your ends trimmed EVERY time your hair is relaxed or touched up.

SUPPLEMENTS
· Take at least a multi-vitamin and/or multi-mineral supplement.
· Consult with a medical professional when considering taking supplements beyond the basics,
particularly if you already have a medical condition or a particular medical condition runs in your family.
· Other supplements worth investigating
- B-Complex (Note: If you take any of the individual B's, it is important that you ALSO take a B-complex to keep everything balanced.)
- Hair/Skin/Nails supplements
- EFA’s (Black Currant Oil, Borage Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Flaxseed Oil)

HAIR CARE EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES
Invest in a:
· Seamless comb or a detangler
· Heating Cap

WATER
· Water consumption is critical to your overall health.
· The general rule of thumb when determining how much water is enough, is to drink ½ of your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 120 lbs. then your water consumption would be a minimum of 60 ozs. per day.
· It is important that you drink "clean" water. Your water can be purchased or you can consider the cheaper alternative of a filter for your faucet or a pitcher that has a filter in it.

Prepared by: Amor, Ari, and Niz
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[Dee-Licious]

Great info for relaxed hair.. it's the whole LHCF thread in one post.. I wish I would have had this info back in '03.. I would have been at bra strap by now!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[Lovelylocs]

I didn't know oils as a pretreatment works better on wet hair than dry, but I guess that makes sense. Two days ago, I wrapped a hot wet towel around my hair after I coated it with warm olive oil. Great Results!

I don't get the fatty acid thing.

I would add Head and Shoulder's 2 in 1 to the shampoo list.

I would add Aveda's Hair Reconstrutor to the list of acidifiers.

I didn't know that u use that before you deep condition though.

I would add Biolage to the list of leave-ins.

I don't wear anything to protect my ends.

I dont believe in trimming after every relaxer. In fact, I don't believe in trimming hardly at all.

 

[macherieamour]

Great info!!! Thanks for posting this!!!

 

[metalkitty]

This is a really good thread! All the basics are here for people starting a regimen.

 

[Kiki82]

wow very informative!!!

 

[simplyhair]

subscribing...good info.

 

[Vintageglam]

Great info for both relaxed and natural heads !