What relaxer is good for fragile hair?

[Leslie_C]

Not fragile as in damaged, but fragile as in it doesnt respond well to harsh chemicals and gets damaged as a result. Im starting to think lye is too strong for my hair.

My hair is hard to explain. Its course but its kind of soft too. Very porous, its like a sponge in this FL humidity. It doesnt even like harsh proteins either. Just a deep conditioner or light protein does the trick. It seems to prefer just lots of moisture! It grew best when I left it alone for nearly a year. Then when I tried caring for it on my own it slowly thinned out and broke off. I did all the right things but it still happened. But Im pretty sure the culprit of that was the relaxer I was using (Affirm Lye Regular). I think it was too strong and my hair couldnt stand up to it or recover from it.

So basically I need a relaxer that my hair CAN handle. Please give me some suggestions. thanks ladies Im tryin to get back in the game!

 

[Lucia]

Right now I would say to hold off on getting any relaxer and just concentrate on moisturizing your hair, do the deep conditioning treatments, use a hair steamer or warm wet towel, or plastic capair dry in twists/braids, use mango, shea butters, oils etc... a good hair dresser will tell you that if your hair is dry or damaged the relaxer will not fix it it will just magnify the problem plus your have straighter hair that needs even more care. Fix the problems first, get your hair healthy then since you say your hair doesn't do chems well a light texturizer instead of a relaxer or you may want to stay natural and just use a glass flat iron or a maxiglide for straight looks. I have superthick curly hair that loves moisture and humidity and no matter what I did in my relaxed days my hair broke off and fast it just doesn't work for some. But the choice is up to you of course.
check out Iris album, alot of pics and info there hth
http://public.fotki.com/IRRISISTABLBTCH/2005/

 

[Miss_Jetsetter]

I think that maybe you should give Elucence a try. This relaxer is very gentle in my opinion. I use the super strength only because the milder ones are WAY too mild (like a conditioner almost).

 

[GinnyP]

They LC your hair sounds just like my hair it looks thick when you need a relaxer and it's the soft fly awaytype. I just found a girl to do my hair 7 weeks ago she put in Elasta sensitive scalp relaxer she did not leave it in long which turned out great.

I went today to get another relaxer tody it was a new girl the other one was terminated for messing up people's hair WHY ME! I thought she was good oh well this little girl puts a relaxer in it's for sensitive scalp she said it was Elasta I know relaxers it did not feel like the same one she left it on too long too straight I hate that feeling on my scalp. You may want to try this one but not leave it on too long--I will rewash my hair in 3ays and put another neuturlizer to make sure I get all the residue out. and use a good moisturing condition.

Good Luck

 

[Leslie_C]

lol jan,
yep that describes my hair to a T! Well I will keep laying off the relaxers for a while and heck I may even transition u never know! It seems the only time my hair thrives is when I dont have one or go very long periods without one and in the meantime everyone is telling me I need a perm and my hair looks rough! lol

The best my hair ever did was about 3 years ago I had a fiasco and ruined my hair (Im good at that!) with coloring it over and over bc I thought semipermanent couldnt hurt your hair. WRONG. I think it has ammonia or peroxide either one!

Anyway I had to cut it off so short that I looked like a boy. I didnt even have enough to attach a ponytail. Finally in a couple of months I had enough for little paintbrush ponytail so I started wearing a drawstring for about the next year. My hair filled in and grew out like a weed! All I did was take it down every 1-2 weeks, wash and deep condition, oil it,and put it back up. I only permed it about 2 or 3 times for the couse of a little over a year and I only left it in a few minutes. After a year it was thick and well past my shoulders. Well that lasted a few months and then it was downhill again! I tried everything to take good care of it (no heat, etc) but it slowly broke off anyway and now I know it was the perms. The 1st hairdresser I went too said it was underprocessed so it needed a corrective relaxer. then it was all downhill slowly but surely!

This time I want to prevent it from happening again. If I can get my hair back to where it was (Ill dream of bra strap later, thats too far away right now!) then I want to be able to not have this happen again. Id probably be at bra strap or damn close right now had this not happened over the course of the last year.

If I didnt live in central FL I wouldnt hesitate just to go natural but my hair would look like a fro even with a relaxer in the summer, I cant imagine keeping it straight without one! It only would look nice and sleek if I had it done at the salon every couple of weeks.

I may try to do the kiddie perms, do u think that would work?

 

[Candy_C]

kiddie perms are just as harsh Leslie_c...i use Elasta QP Sensitive it comes in no-lye and lye too i dont own one elasta product though. i use no lye. my hair is fragile, but that relaxer has always kept my hair the same strength as it was when natural. maybe even better! its ultra shiney and an all round good cheap relaxer! i will use this for the whole of my relaxinglife.

 

[creolebeauty]

I think you should only use mild relaxers. My hair is delicate and I only use a mild relaxer. 10 minutes max application time. I am using Vitale Ideal (mild formula) and it is very gentle. It is a lye relaxer.

 

[PretteePlease]

leslie we are in the same boat i used affirm and while i havent had massive shedding. my hair never grew much past a chin length bob when i was relaxed. the last thing i remember using was mizani mild and my hair was growing with that but i ruined it with color. have you tried mizani?

 

[kizzylonghair]

I know you properly want to say away from Affirm.

But have you tried Affirm fibreguard . Its designed for finer headed ladies like yourself.

I have used it for the past year and I have nothing but good things to say, I am fined headed lady to, my hair hates strong protein and too much moisture.

My hairdresser doesnt leave it on for that long, its feels like she is just condidioning it, I dont feel any strong tingles or burning like other relaxers I have used.

Kizzy

 

[Mystic]

Phyto baby Phyto. Apart from the cost, you won't go wrong!!!