Thinking about lightly relaxing... Any tips?

[sweetcocoa]

I gave my hair a rest from relaxers(1yr 6 mos.) and now I'm ready to lightly relax(cause I still want to wear curls when I air dry). I've picked up alot of info on the forums ..I know all the things I was doing wrong and feel like I can do it safely. I'm definitely gonna use a lye relaxer. I'll be doing this myself since I don't have to worry about any overlapping. I will have my cousin do my touchups(cause she's the only one I trust) unless someone can recommend a stylist in the Md/Pa area I can trust. I want to do this safely, so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[LondonDiva]

Hey there sweetcocoa.

Tips I would give for a light relaxer

<ul>
<li>Because you want a light relaxer and still be able to wear curls, DON'T smooth the relaxer when applying.
<li>Base your scalp VERY well.
<li>Deep condition after you relax
<li>Add some oil (I use Olive oil) to your relaxer to slow it down a little as well as moisturising your hair more whilst you relax.
</ul>

There are the many other relaxing tips, which I'm sure you're aware of already, but in your instance I think these ones are very useful for you and what you want to achieve. I did a 2 month touch up yesterday and I'm very pleased with the results and how my hair is growing. Although I think I left it too long at 2 months, cause I had a lot of breakage. Relax when you either experience too much breakage or have an 8 week timeframe. I'm personally going to relax when breakage becomes too much of a factor. I had more growth than I thought and the relaxing took me longer to do yesterday because of it.

 

[Integrity]

londondiva, funny u should say DONT smooth to get a lighly relaxed effect. the instructions that came with my dark and lovely kit said that the tooth side of the comb should not be used but the back side only for smoothing, dont comb out the relaxer. determined to follow to the T i did just that and parts of my hair came out underprocessed.i am fuming! isnt it the combing that straigtenes the hair as well?? /images/graemlins/mad.gif /images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[LondonDiva]

Pandora

You should never comb through no matter how tempting it is. This causes the hair to stretch and become thin. I have like 2 combs on standby when relaxing. I apply my relaxer with a tint brush. I use a wide tooth comb to comb through each of the 4 sections before I apply my relaxer and I smooth each layer on each section as I go and hold my hair taught so that the hair is straightened well. I find that when the hair isn't prepped properly i.e. not combed through that it leads to the hair being underprocessed.

 

[Integrity]

so i guess i must comb thru from roots to ends, yes. u know i was finger-combing my hair right from 4 weeks to retouche and i thought combing thru before would cause burning so i did not. therefore my roots were really nappy from the word GO. thanx for the advice. i admire u for applying lye relaxer by yourself!!i am really determined to do my own relaxers from now coz everybody seems to overlap as if its no problem!! /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Crysdon]

Sweetcocoa,

My mother put a texturizer in my hair in October. I absolutely love it. I had been natural for almost three years and I loved my natural curls and wanted straight hair without always using the blowdryer/curling iron combo.

She put in a Motions Oil Moisturiser (lye) and left it on my entire head for 10-15 minutes. This procedure will make your curls looser and your hair won't be "bone-straight." I'm a 3b/3c and with the texturizer, my hair looks like a 3a.

I can now wear my hair straight or curly. Since the weather has changed, I've been roller setting my hair and it looks like a regular relaxer. When Summer hits, I'll just spray my hair with a leave in conditioner and some no-drip curl activator.

You'll love it...keep us updated on your decision. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[sweetcocoa]

Thanks ladies for the replies. Crysdon, that's just the look I'm after. I want to be able to keep my curls(but I also want less shrinkage and frizz that I have in some areas) and then get the nice relaxed look when I set my hair. Thanks, I'm definitley gonna relax over the holiday. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[AmilLion]

My stylist, he'll take his fingers and smooth the relaxer while parting only with his fingers.

 

[VALLEYGIRL]

Awww Sweetcocoa
I know you asked for tips but you probably already know what I'm going to say...don't do it...
Your hair is beautiful. It's so thick and shiny too.
I remember you considered this before and I know how frustrating natural hair can be when you want a straight look. I am going through that now w/ the weather getting cooler. But Have you tried products that deal with shrinkage that will weigh your hair down? Or blowdrying and using a flat iron?

Part of having natural hair I learned is dealing with the different textures that come on one head of hair. When I looked at pictures of me back in the day when my hair was relaxed I realized that my hair was just as frizzy as it is now. Don't really know why but a relaxer never gave me a silky smooth look...esp. when it would rain or be humid. My hair is straighter now when I blow dry than it was then. I guess I have learned to deal with my natural hair and I know what it needs. Also as your hair grows the curls stretch out and the weight of your hair will cause it to hang downward as opposed to going in the east -west direction (hope I am making sense)

I am sorry I am trying to change your mind but you are one of the few naturals left on this board. And I usually I look to for advice and tips esp. b/c our hair is so similar. Have you checked out naturallycurly.com (I think I 'saw' you over there) or www.nappturality.com?
There is some great advice over there

But after all it's your hair and you know how much time you have to dedicate to it. But I had to type this so you could think about what you were going to do before you make such a permanent lasting decision.
Valleygirl
One more thing I wanted to add; have you thought about going to a salon for a professional blow out/flat iron style for a change of pace? I do this when I get bored and want a temporary change in my look. It may curb the 'urge' to relax your hair.

 

[LondonDiva]

Whatever you decide to do SC keep us posted and good luck.

 

[sweetcocoa]

Hey, Valleygirl...I thought long and hard about it...and it's not just the straightness I'm looking for. I like my hair wavy ....but I have a problem with the 4a sections(which just happen to be the crown and my bangs) that frizz. I figured if I don't like it I can always cut it off and start again...or transition again. My hair grows really fast. I know why I had the problems when I relaxed before. Blowdrying of ANY kind is out for me...my hair can't seem to handle it. I also thought about getting it pressed, but I work out 3-4 times a week..I sweat alot and it would'nt last very long. Thanks for the support. I intend on using the same routine I use now(my pomade worked really well on my relaxed hair when I was transitoning...), shampooing or rinsing after I workout and letting it dry in curls. So the only new thing I'll be doing is the relaxing(no more no-lye relaxers for me). I also want to just loosen the curl and even up the 2 textures... You'll be the first one I come crying to if it doesn't work out...but I'm hopeful it will.

 

[VALLEYGIRL]

No I don't want you to come crying to me....I do hope it works out for you. Like you said you have so much more knowledge now b/c of these boards. A light relaxer/texturizer shouldn't be too bad interms of damage. And I totally understand about the blowdryer.
Good luck and please keep us posted
Valleygirl

 

[Jenai]

I am glad you spoke up Valleygirl. While I am relaxed I also think your hair looks absolutely beautiful as it is. If you wanted a more uniform curl pattern, you could just have the relaxer applied to the 4a portions of your hair to get a even curl pattern all over (to match the type 3 hair). That way, if you do not want to keep the relaxed hair you could more easily grow out the 4a portions instead of trying to grow out a whole head of relaxed hair. That is just my two cents.

Please don't take it the wrong way because I am not a natural -- I guess I don't know what care natural hair takes, but I will say that I just love your hair and the curl and shine that it has already. I really admire you and the other natural ladies on this board for going against what is considered "normal hair care", perms, relaxers, excessive heat everyday, etc. Whatever you decide to do I will be there for you.

 

[nita4]

Sweetcocoa, you hair is beautiful and I'm sure whatever you decide to do, it will be fine. Especially with what you know now!! Best to you. I'm still waiting to see those pic in February.

 

[sweetcocoa]

Gigi...I was thinking about just lightly relaxing(texturizing) the 4a section so it matches the 3. It just may work because there is a very distinct and noticable difference between those 2 sections of my hair. Thanks for pointing this out...it would solve this problem. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif