The Key to Healthy Relaxed Hair?

Chichi

Chichi

New Member
In anticipation of my retouch, I've been doing some thinking
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...

I think that the key to getting and retaining healthy relaxed hair is to relax but to not get it bone straight. Some of the ladies on this board mentioned great results with getting their hair 85% relaxed. I've noticed too that most of the women on this board with healthy, relaxed, and long hair do not get a bone straight relaxer.

This is not a texturizer, mind you, because the hair is straighthened but the elasticity, body, and strength is still left in the hair. It seems that getting the hair relaxed bone straight causes damage and breakage, which makes it difficult to retain length. Yeah, bone straight looks good out coming out of the salon but it may cause breakage down the road.

This time when I get my retouch, I will ask my stylist to straighten my hair but not bone straight.

For those who do not get this bone straight relaxer, is there still some wave to your hair when you leave the salon or does your hair look straight? Also, when you style your hair at home do you have to rely on a flat iron or rollerset to get a straight look, or can you basically get this look by just air drying?

If there is anyone out there with bone straight healthy, long relaxed hair, please chime in also
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.

Chichi
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Well how will anyone be able to tell if their hair is 85% relaxed versus 100% relaxed?
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How would anyone know whether the relaxer will make their hair bone straight?
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I had the exact relaxed technique you described. I had a lot of wave pattern to my hair. But it never airdried bone str8. My hair got bone str8 if i did a rollerset:) But usually my friends did it for me because I was clueless. And if the hair was still wavy I would go over it with a flat iron on low heat
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I have a pic in my album of my relaxed hair in 2001 and it was almost brastrap..take a look if you'd like in the 2004 album
 
I get the straight look by airdrying my hair. When I come from the salon, even though my hair isn't relaxed bone straight it looks as if it was.

I've had my hair accidentally relaxed bone straight (I used a relaxer different from the one I regularly use) and I can tell the difference between that hair and the hair that wasn't relaxed bone straight.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Poohbear said:
Well how will anyone be able to tell if their hair is 85% relaxed versus 100% relaxed?
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How would anyone know whether the relaxer will make their hair bone straight?
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[/ QUOTE ]


I think that when it is relaxed 100% bone str8 is has no wave pattern to it whats so ever... I guess the longer you leave it on the more str8 it gets. My relaxer was only left on for 5-8 minutes and no longer. I just wanted it relaxed enuff to where if i wanted my hair st8 i didnt have to use a ton of heating appliances to do so
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I guess that you could have the stylist look at your hair as the relaxer is breaking down the waves. I have relaxed someone's hair before and you can see when this is taking place. This happens during the smoothing process. If you self relax, you may want to get someone to help you during the smoothing process.

I used 85% sort of as an example. In my case, after I get a bone straight relaxer, my hair looks like Asian/Indian hair. Not getting it bone straight would mean that I will not be going for this look. HTH.

Chichi
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See what I am saying, case in point, ayeshia and Boadicea, two ladies who have/had lovely relaxed hair.
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Any others out there?

ayeshia, I know that you are natural now and if I could have hair like you do, maybe I would be natural too but Chichi's hair does not
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have that curl definition
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.

Chichi
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Hmmm... well, I'm not sure whether my hair is bone straight or not, but now to hear you guys talk I guess it is. I leave my relaxer on for more than 5 mins (I don't time it)and there are no crinkles unless I didn't smooth well.

Wow. I never thought of my hair as bone straight, though.
 
I have always had my hair relaxed about 90% or so, never bone straight in order to retain some elasticity and tensile strength (learned this from a beauty school drop out cousin years ago!) My hair always looks straight after touchups and I always acheive a straight look by rollersetting (I was afraid lately that if I didn't use heat, won't be straight but for last 6 to 8 weeks or so since I joined this board, I have been drying my rollersets on cool under hard bonnet dryer and my hair actually seems even softer and straighter than when I use warm or medium setting!) I do not flat iron, blow dry nor air dry.
 
I can never tell the difference between whether my hair is bone straight or not after getting a relaxer.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Neroli said:
I have always had my hair relaxed about 90% or so, never bone straight in order to retain some elasticity and tensile strength (learned this from a beauty school drop out cousin years ago!)

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I am hoping to get it 90% straight too during my next touchup.

Chichi
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Well, my stylist uses Affirm Mild No Lye on my hair, and leaves it on for only about 5 minutes (after application) or maybe less (I guess he has it down to an exact science, cuz he always knows how much time to put on the timer)
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... my hair comes out straight, but I don't know about it being bone straight...
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It's straight to where it still has body and volume, and it's not plastered down to my scalp...(I guess THAT would be considered bone straight).
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[ QUOTE ]
Lindy said:
Well, my stylist uses Affirm Mild No Lye on my hair, and leaves it on for only about 5 minutes (after application) or maybe less (I guess he has it down to an exact science, cuz he always knows how much time to put on the timer)
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... my hair comes out straight, but I don't know about it being bone straight...
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It's straight to where it still has body and volume, and it's not plastered down to my scalp...(I guess THAT would be considered bone straight).
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[/ QUOTE ]

that sounds like me! except it looked like i didnt have a relaxer when it was airdried
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[ QUOTE ]
Lindy said:
my hair comes out straight, but I don't know about it being bone straight...
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It's straight to where it still has body and volume, and it's not plastered down to my scalp...(I guess THAT would be considered bone straight).
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[/ QUOTE ]

My hair comes out like yours, then. It's definitely not plastered to my head so I guess I'm not bone straight. WHEW!
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[ QUOTE ]
Dolce_Dawn said:
Chichi-

I'm sure whether it's 90% or not, your hair will look beautiful and will be fine!

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Thanks! It's been a while...
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Chichi
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[ QUOTE ]
Chichi said:
[ QUOTE ]
Dolce_Dawn said:
Chichi-

I'm sure whether it's 90% or not, your hair will look beautiful and will be fine!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! It's been a while...
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Chichi
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[/ QUOTE ]

Good luck Chichi!! I'm sure everything will turn out fine!!
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Thanks Lindy. I sure hope so. Previously, when I relaxed, my hair used to be plastered against my scalp. I will never be going for that look again. Glad I discovered this before my retouch.
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Chichi
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Oh darn, Chichi - are you telling me you're not transitioning along with me anymore?
I definitely support your choice but I am just bummed that the transitioners are getting few and far between! I'm out here on my own!
Good luck with your decision on how to relax.
 
Thanks. That's right hairlove. I am out of the Transitioner's Club. I hear you though that there aren't too many transitioners out there. A lot of us just dropped off like flies
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. I am hoping that I will achieve and retain length with this relaxing method. But I really cannot wait for my touchup! It's been six months of growth girl. Good luck with your transition.

Chichi
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My hair is not bone straight. I cannot get it bone straight with a rollerset either. My hair would need to be either blowdried or flat iron (by someone else) to be bone straight. No matter what method I use at home, my roots will ALWAYS be curly.
 
I'm still with you Hairlove. I'm still transitioning. Although you are right. Everybody is dropping off like flies.
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I'm almost ready to be right behind them but I'm going to wait about 8 more weeks before making a "final" decision. I'm trying something new. I'm not telling unless it's a success. I'm going to take before, during and after photos. And I'm going to FINALLY post some pictures.
 
[ QUOTE ]
hairlove said:
Chichi - what was the turning point?

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hairlove, I was going to natural because I said well, I put my hair up most of the time, so why relax, well... at this stage, it is very hard to even put my hair up. I had a quick errand to run the other day, and fixing my hair to make it look decent took longer than the errand, so I said forget it, it's not worth it to me. I also favor long, straight styles, so the decision wasn't hard to make.

I have some more info in this thread:

BACK to the Relaxer

Chichi
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Well, my hair isn't relaxed bone straight. I would need to use flat iron to make it completely straight or have it blowdried. I don't mind though. I feel I have a lot of body this way and versatility. My hair seems to have a lot of elasticity too.
 
I did not relax bone staight my last couple of touch up because my hair had thinned out and it has made a difference.
I would have to flat iron or blowdry to get my hair straight but I dont because I mainly wear drawstring ponytail and wigs.
My has thicken up (Surge) and stretching relaxers out my hair is more fuller now.
 
I noticed that with this past relaxer my hair looked so much thicker and I believe that it was because I did not get it bone straight. I have never been happy with my hair right after a relaxer simply because it brings out the thinness. But this past relaxer my hair has much more volume.
 
My hair has had a lot more volume and thickness at the roots right after my touchups lately too, but I'm attributing that to the B5 that I've been taking, cuz I'm using the same relaxer I always have used, and my stylist leaves it on for the same amt. of time as he always has...

While in the past my hair always came out TOO straight at the roots, to where I couldn't even wear it out for a week or two.. I used to have to wear it up until after my first or second wash...
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I'm sooo happy to say that those days are OVAAA!!!
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