What type of relaxer do you recommend???

dontspeakdefeat

dontspeakdefeat

Hair Coach
For my daughter's hair. I have been relaxing her hair bone straight for the past 2 years. I want to start leaving some of the natural wave in. What type of relaxer do you think I should use. I was using beautiful beginnings mild and leaving it on for 12 minutes. That was a no-lye but I want to switch her to lye relaxers.

She is somewhere around a 2a/b mix. Any suggestions. Look at the pics so you can get an idea. She has about 3 inches of new growth. I think I can wait it out at least two more months but I want to start my research now.


1054223638714_tiara_010.jpg

This is her hair relaxed bone straight.


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Side image of new growth


1060663563914_tiara_s_2ab.JPG

Front image of new growth

What do you all think?
 
My hair is in the 2 category. My hair stylist uses Design Essentials Lye for my relaxer touch ups. My hair is not relaxed bone straight, and it's still very wavy after shampooing it.
 
Your daughter's hair is beautiful. What kind of moisturizers do you use to make it that shiny? I wish that mine could have looked like that when I was a kid. Heck, I wish that it could look like that now.
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Heck, I wish that it could look like that now.
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I know that's right!
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Her hair looks great!
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Please don't get mad, but here's my $0.02...

Her hair is beautiful. Don't switch relaxers! Obviously no-lye is working for her. If it ain't broke... Can you just shorten the processing time so her hair doesn't get too straight?
 
I agree with Sassygirl- her hair is beautiful.
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And if the no-lye works.... I don't know if this will make me the target of angry posts, but I think your daughter's hair, IMO, looks more like Type 4 than Type 2.
 
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Your daughter's hair is beautiful. What kind of moisturizers do you use to make it that shiny? I wish that mine could have looked like that when I was a kid. Heck, I wish that it could look like that now.
rofl.gif


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Thanks. I just use s-curl and aloe vera gel and brush it back. I also do daily conditioner washes. Her hair is so soft now.
 
[ QUOTE ]
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Heck, I wish that it could look like that now.
rofl.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

I know that's right!
laugh.gif
Her hair looks great!
up.gif
Please don't get mad, but here's my $0.02...

Her hair is beautiful. Don't switch relaxers! Obviously no-lye is working for her. If it ain't broke... Can you just shorten the processing time so her hair doesn't get too straight?

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Thanks! I never though about doing that. I usually leave it on about 12 minutes and it gets straight within that time.
 
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I agree with Sassygirl- her hair is beautiful.
smile.gif
And if the no-lye works.... I don't know if this will make me the target of angry posts, but I think your daughter's hair, IMO, looks more like Type 4 than Type 2.

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Thanks so much! I think the no lye is a bit drying but will see 'cause I have been con washing daily that might change the dryness some.

I am not angry I just want to know why do you consider her a 4. I am a 4a and her hair is very wavy and fine. Her hair is nothing like mine. No kinks no loops or anything like that. The comb just glides through.

Does anyone else think she is a type 4?
 
I have type 4 hair and when my hair is pulled back my new growth looks just like hers. She may not be a type 4 but maybe a type 3b/c. I also use a no-lye relaxer and i'm getting a retouch today with the Soft and Beautiful No-Lye Botanicals Relaxer. It's going to be my first time with the relaxer and I've heard some pretty good reviews on it. I don't want my hair to be bone straight and it's only supposed to straighten 85% so that there's no overprocessing. I'll post my results after my relaxer is finished.
 
OK just my .01-
if your hair looks like that will 1-3 months newgrowth YOU ARE NOT A 4! 4 hairtypes can be fine yes and maybe if you brush or comb really vigorously when wet and tie it down you can get waves - but still not the very flat ones that her daughter has. I don't even know why you would relax that kind of hair but anywhoo...4a hairtype has coils and goes corkscrew curly easily and 4b has z patterns that fros and goes straight easily i.e. no curls. I think she is definitely a 2 or 3.
 
She has a little over 4 months of new growth and when her hair is wet it is really wavy.

I initially relaxed her hair because at the time I just didn't know what to do with it. Had I had this board back then, she would still be all natural! She does like having her hair relaxed although.

I am going to wait to relax for another 2 or three months to see how her hair is respoding to the daily con washes. Maybe I will wait until Dec! I'll have to take it day by day.
 
Hmmmmmm....Looks like MAYBE a 3C/4A mix to me, DSD. Welcome to the world of Andre's totally confusing hair typing system! It's all nice and clear up to the type 2's, starts getting kinda fuzzy into the 3's, then descends into total guess work by the time you hit 4A's. Now you know why I hesitate to guess at my hair type, even though I've hazarded a couple guesses in the past.
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To answer your initial question, though: if your current relaxer is working, I'd stick with it.

Edited to add: Oooops! I was thinking "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," like someone else mentioned, but that was because I didn't realise that you said the no-lye is a bit drying. Now I'm less sure what to tell you about the no-lye/lye switch!
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Thanks. The hair type thing is not that important. Just as long as her hair is healthy. Nobody really knows how to classify according to the chart. I can be very confusing can't it?
 
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Just as long as her hair is healthy. Nobody really knows how to classify according to the chart.

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D I T T O
 
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Just as long as her hair is healthy. Nobody really knows how to classify according to the chart.

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D I T T O

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Double ditto!
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Hey dontspeakdefeat
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Your daughter has beautiful hair, but I'll have to agreed with sassygirl...your daughter could be 3c or 4a fine texture. My 4 year old is 3c medium natural texture with soft curly ringlets around the edges of her head...when wet it becomes full of spirals similar to S curls....when dry and brush up in a ponytail it looks similar to your daughter except with more ringlets around the edges. Now on the other hand, my neice is 2ab with medium fine texture with even softer big ringlets...she can go without a relaxer for 6 months or more...and her edges dont even require relaxing. Please dont get me wrong, your daughter can very well be a 2 but the last 2 photos just make her hair appear 3c or 4a.

Anywhere her hair is absolutely gorgeous, how old is she and at what age did you started relaxing her hair?
smile.gif
 
DSD, ur baby's hair is beautiful
smile.gif
.

Whatever u use, definitely make sure it's mild... sorry luv, I don't have a clue of mild relaxers.... i've always used the bone straight (regular) ones
ohwell.gif
 
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Hey dontspeakdefeat
wave.gif


Your daughter has beautiful hair, but I'll have to agreed with sassygirl...your daughter could be 3c or 4a fine texture. My 4 year old is 3c medium natural texture with soft curly ringlets around the edges of her head...when wet it becomes full of spirals similar to S curls....when dry and brush up in a ponytail it looks similar to your daughter except with more ringlets around the edges. Now on the other hand, my neice is 2ab with medium fine texture with even softer big ringlets...she can go without a relaxer for 6 months or more...and her edges dont even require relaxing. Please dont get me wrong, your daughter can very well be a 2 but the last 2 photos just make her hair appear 3c or 4a.

Anywhere her hair is absolutely gorgeous, how old is she and at what age did you started relaxing her hair?
smile.gif


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Thanks Love2beme! I wouldn't classify her as a 4 because she doesn't have any ringlets it is more wavy than curly. It is very fine and the thickest part of her hair is in the middle. If I am a 4 than my daughter is in now way no how a 4. My hair is kinky hers is wavy and brushes straight when not wet. If anything I would say she is a 2/3 mix if I wanted to reclassify. Thanks for your input!
smile.gif
 
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DSD, ur baby's hair is beautiful
smile.gif
.

Whatever u use, definitely make sure it's mild... sorry luv, I don't have a clue of mild relaxers.... i've always used the bone straight (regular) ones
ohwell.gif


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Thanks Peachtree! I will stick with the mild for her!
 
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Thanks Love2beme! I wouldn't classify her as a 4 because she doesn't have any ringlets it is more wavy than curly. It is very fine and the thickest part of her hair is in the middle. If I am a 4 than my daughter is in now way no how a 4. My hair is kinky hers is wavy and brushes straight when not wet. If anything I would say she is a 2/3 mix if I wanted to reclassify. Thanks for your input!
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Andre classifies type 2 to be like Chili from TLC or Ananda Lewis. Your daughters hair seems to be more like 3c/4a.... I would lean more towards 4a. Perhaps you're a 4b which is why you and your daughters hair differ. There seems to be a large gap between 4a and 4b that's really not there between 2a/b and 3a/b/c.

I remember seeing pics of Queen Latifah with her hair wet and brushed in a ponytail like your daughters and their type reminds me of each other.. I believe QL is a natural though and she has a beautiful mane. QL is 3c, I believe. Your daughters hair looks more like QL than Chili or Ananda IMO.
 
Thanks Crystal! That makes some sense. Not trying to say her hair is like those 2 ladies you named just saying her hair has an s pattern to it! Maybe she is more in the 2c/3 catergory because her hair does frizz alot. If I add styling products it dries nice and wavy!
 
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I don't know how anyone is classifying her hair based on those pictures alone.

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Thanks. I guess you have to see in person!
 
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I don't know how anyone is classifying her hair based on those pictures alone.

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Thanks. I guess you have to see in person!

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...and you have, so I am going to go with what YOU said initially. Keep doing what you're doing since it's working. I really don't see any reason why you can't switch to lye if that's what you want to do. If her hair is dry and you think it's from using no lye, by all means, give lye a try, leaving it on for less time and/or using a milder formula. Do a strand test to see how her hair reacts.
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Thanks CurlyCrly! I am really leaning toward a mild lye. I just wish someone would suggest a particular one. Not to strong. I have almost always used affirm mild and that would burn her hair off!
 
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