SUPER RELAXERS... can't be that bad?

[blackberry815]

So I have been underprocessed in some shape or form everytime I've been relaxed in the past year and a half. My hair dresser applies my relaxer combs it through and then makes me sit for about 10 minutes just for it to sit.. all in all I would say I spend about 25-30 minuts with the relaxer in my hair.. (I've tried two other hair dressers between the time I've been with her and I'm still underprocessed a little every time) I used to use super back in the day with no adverse reactions and I don't remember being ever underprocessed..So today I started thinkin right... I'm thinkin maybe I should relax with super that way I won't have to be sitting with the relaxer past the required 16 minutes on the box and my hair should never be underprocessed. I know some people like @sylver2 use super and still have healthy hair. The thing is my hair isn't necessarily coarse.. It's just tight tight tight in the crown and that is where I experience most breakage from being underprocessed. Super relaxer? what do you think?

 

[prospurr4]

I'm texlaxed (intentionally underprocessed) and use a "regular" strength relaxer, with nothing added to dilute it. If I ever decided to relax my hair completely straight, I would use "super" (without hesitation) because my hair is resistant.

 

[Nix08]

I use to always use super before LHCF and although my hair wasn't as it is now, it was NOT a hot mess either so I'd comfortable use super again
Are you clarifying your hair before the relaxer?
And I remember reading that dlewis would cowash the day before a relaxer and I've been doing that also with success (no burns and an even process).

 

[blackberry815]

thanks ladies.. I could swear when I got my virgin hair relaxed she used super... but for every touch up she uses regular and I stay underprocessed! is it possible to not have coarse strands but still need a super? like can your hair be medium or fine but still resistant to relaxers? also I feel like 15 extra minutes with a regular strength relaxer in your hair should be just as bad as less time with a faster working relaxer? right?

 

[Nix08]

blackberry815 I believe you can have hair that is resistant to relaxers - based on your hair's PH level it may be harder for the process to take.

 

[blackberry815]

Nix08 to answer your question.. I usually always use a clarifying poo because sometimes I go 2 weeks without washing the hair so by then it has alot of buildup. So my hair is always clarified the wash before a relaxer.

 

[Aireen]

Personally, I'm all for doing what works for you. Sometimes following the rules precisely doesn't give the results you want or gives you adverse reactions. My hair isn't super resistant but she uses the normal formula and combs it through twice with a fine-tooth comb to get it straight. I definitely think that 30 minutes is too long to leave a relaxer in though and still not get the results you're looking for. I'd say use the super and if you're really scared about what it might do to your hair, just do some protein treatments after your relaxer.

 

[lux10023]

thats how my 4a hair is--it is not coarse but it is just resistant--i think because ive textlaxed for so long which has affected the PH--so i bought a dark and lovely super and said a prayer lol and all was fine after---
i watched my hair like a hawk like omggg..this betta not all just fall out --but i washed it out after 35 mins and still thick long healthy straight hair ...my hair was in a healthy state prior so i know that has alot to do with it as well

good luck op

@blackberry815 I believe you can have hair that is resistant to relaxers - based on your hair's PH level it may be harder for the process to take.

 

[Toy]

I have used Super in the past 6 months and i have not had any adverse affects.and the next relaxer treatment i did i didn't lose anymore hair than normal.

 

[EagleEyes85]

Ive always thought about using super but I would get scared before I actually use it. I use ORS Olive Oil normal. I dont think super would be an issue though as long as you are careful and base your scalp and all that. Good luck on your hair journey.

 

[divachyk]

blackberry815 I have self-relaxed with super back in the day and all was fine. This was pre-LHCF but I would use super again if need be. The only reason I wouldn't is that I burn easily and stronger formulas cause me to burn faster, thereby limiting contact time. Maybe your hair requires a different relaxer brand/strength.

OT: I wnt through a period of feeling underprocessed. It was about a year after joining LHCF. It was right after I started air drying my hair. I kept saying I was underprocessed but several stylists assured me I wasn't. Actually, as it turns out, it was my misunderstanding of texture differences. My air dried hair appears underprocessed because it's very wavy but my rollerset hair appears correctly processed. Prior to LHCF, I never air dried. I always rollerset or flat ironed. So see, I wasn't familiar with air dried hair texture and when I started air drying, I thought I was underprocessed because I kept seeing wavy hair. My air dried hair is coarser and generates more breakage. Now that I know this, I know how to care for it. I struggled for the longest thinking I was underprocessed.

Also, my crown thickens up quicker than other areas. It is a coarser area of my head. Maybe your stylist can start in the middle first since this is your trouble area also.

Why symptoms, other than breakage, are you experiencing that makes you feel you're underprocessed? When do you notice this most (air drying / heat styling / 5 weeks post, etc)?

HTH

 

[blackberry815]

divachyk. I have a line of demarcation from where my hair was processed correctly and where it started being underprocessed. I always rollerset but I'm going to incorporate blow drying the roots so that I don't have too much of a texture difference. my crown has that velcro feel to it..lol it usually looks nice the day of the relaxer at the salon but thats because she blows it out. when I wash a week later I feel the underprocessedness. I am 4 weeks post but it feels and looks like atleast 6 in my crown.

 

[PikiNiki]

When I was in middle school, my mom had taken me to a new stylist because my regular one wasn't available. Honestly, I don't think that my mom paid attention to the type of relaxer the stylists would use anyway. We'd just go to the salon because "we needed a perm." However, this particular time I'd happen to notice that this relaxer read "Hawaiian Silky Super." Even at that age, I knew that my hair didn't require something referred to as "super." I just knew that it couldn't have been good for my hair. My hair was always bone straight. I don't remember any adverse affects, but I wouldn't have known what to look for anyway given my naivete' regarding healthy hair. I wish that I could offer you more from my experience. Personally, I wouldn't want to use anything harsher than a regular strength relaxer anyway, even if I did prefer bone straight hair. I feel that underproccesed hair that requires a flat iron is the lesser of the two evils. I can certainly understand your wanting consistency throughout your hair though.

 

[Kindheart]

I ve always used super when i was relaxed and my hair would still come out wavy ,the best one I ve used was Creme Of Nature lye.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

From what I understand, super relaxers process faster. They are not stronger than the regular. Most stylists choose super relaxers because they can get their customers done faster. I have seen this info on you tube, from so called stylists. I can't really say it's 100% fact. Super relaxers never affected me badly because my hair products make my hair relaxer resistant. Sulfur products have that effect on my hair. I am hoping that all works out for you.

 

[divachyk]

@divachyk. I have a line of demarcation from where my hair was processed correctly and where it started being underprocessed. I always rollerset but I'm going to incorporate blow drying the roots so that I don't have too much of a texture difference. my crown has that velcro feel to it..lol it usually looks nice the day of the relaxer at the salon but thats because she blows it out. when I wash a week later I feel the underprocessedness. I am 4 weeks post but it feels and looks like atleast 6 in my crown.

blackberry815 - oh ok, then you clearly see the underprocessing. I've read you can apply an box relaxer for X mins to even the textures. I never resorted to doing it and I'm unsure how long you'd have to leave it on. Maybe someone else can advise you on that. I'd first try having a professional even your textures for safekeeping.

 

[sunnieb]

blackberry815 - I've had every kind of relaxer slapped on my head over the years with no adverse reactions. I think my hair can just take it.

I don't like to use direct heat, so I want my hair bone straight when I relax. I let my Design Essentials Sensitive Scalp process for 20-22 minutes and that works for me.

I'm not nervous about using a Super Relaxer on my head, but you might want to go to a professional to get your hair evenly processed all over then you can DIY from there.

 

[MariposaSexyGirl]

Oh I've never used super perms. I used for fine/medium normal(what my hair is). And I don't wan't the super straight look. When wearing relaxers I purposely underprocessed. I still like having curls/waves. So maybe I'm useless in this thread? lol

 

[blackberry815]

you know...ladies, I think I've discovered the source of my problem! I think that when I do my rollersets at home I never detangle all the way down to the root with the fine tooth comb WELL enough... (For fear of breakage) I tried rollersetting UP this weekend and detangled down to the root with the fine tooth comb fully and would u beleive it didn't look underprocessed at all !?!... so there you have it.. I'm just an idiot lol.. I don't think I need super relaxer now. That would also explain why it would look smooth straight from the salon but when I washed and set at home it looked like my relaxer didn't take....

 

[nickpoopie]

I don't know if this helps but here goes. I did a 20 week stretch and had 3 inches of new growth so I decided that I'd relax my hair myself. Not realizing exactly how much hair I was relaxing and ended up with a 3/4 of an inch underprocessed. Whenever I washed my hair my strand would be straight at the roots and ends but wavy in the middle. I had to endure this until my next stretch was complete but I ended up with a lot of breakage. When I went to get my relaxer my hair was straight because it had been blow dried and flat ironed the week before so you really couldn't tell where the underprocessed hair was. After she relaxed my new growth, she applied relaxer to all my hair and let it sit for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Afterwards she gave me a protein conditioner and put me under the steamer then a moisturizing conditioner and back under the steamer and then a leave in just to ensure that I didn't have any damage from processing my entire head. I was so scared but needless to say it worked. I will never relax my hair again with that much new growth. I only go to the salon for touch-ups and I take care of it myself in between.

 

[blackberry815]

I am avoiding salon visits now even for relaxers because they usuallu come with salon trims... I want to move towards a trim every 6 months or so.. I planned to avoid that by self relaxing from now on

 

[sylver2]

i grab super or regular..whatever's not sold out lol, the smoothing is key to the bone straight look. smoothing, re parting a different way, smoothing again etc. super does process a lil faster.

 

[blackberry815]

HEY! sylver2 have you ever used a super lye relaxer? Also do you use super because you have course/thick strands or more so because you usually stretch for such a long time? How long do you keep the super in your hair when relaxing?

 

[sylver2]

HEY! sylver2 have you ever used a super lye relaxer? Also do you use super because you have course/thick strands or more so because you usually stretch for such a long time? How long do you keep the super in your hair when relaxing?

yeh, i use to use revlon lye super. I haven't used lye in 7 years though. yes i used super because my hair is thick/course. i keep the super in about 5mins less time then i keep regular. around 25 mins -reg, 20 mins super

 

[camilla]

I have used super with no prob in the past i used reg but now i use super bc i add a teaspoon of oil ITA with sylver2 its all about the smoothing process i am toying with relaxing half and half as my hair is getting longer. I relax two to three X a year now i will also do a two step protein week before and do a corrective in may or june its weaved up til then i will do the new growth and smooth over the rest for the last 2 to 5 min and do my reg light protien after i rinse but B 4 i neutralize just pay attention to your hair if it needs more protein and watch the direct heat

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

shooooot, I need to go back to super relaxers because my hair stays under processed with anything less. I feel ya girl.

 

[NYDee]

I think the application technique is the issue most of the time. I was getting the feeling my hair is resistant lately but whenever I get someone who knows what she is doing to apply it, it straightens in no time. Instead of combing, fingers should be used to smooth it in. Applying relaxer to my hair, combing it a little and have me seat and wait never works for my hair. My hair needs smoothing throughout the process.

 

[bklynbornNbred]

Sorry I'm just seeing this. I'm glad it worked out for you.

For anyone else that is reading I think many companies have changed the strength of relaxers. I was underprocessed and stretching and the only thing that got me back on track was a corrective with ORS Super. I don't agree with those that posted that Super is not stronger but only processes faster. For my hair there is a big difference when using regular and super. I think if one is self relaxing before switching to super they should check that they have done everything correctly - washing hair with clarifying shampoo week before the actual perm (and minimizing products used the week of), detangling properly, using correct smoothing technique when applying perm and when rollersetting etc. I've been stretching to at least 16 weeks to avoid overlapping. I'm just sick and tired of companies constantly changing formulas.