Which is better: Brazilian keratin treatment or relaxer?

@Italiano

Thanks for the pic!
Did they tell you your curl pattern would return, or will it remain straight? My DD#2 wants a BKT, but she doesn't want straight hair. She just wants her wash and go to hang a little longer. I'm on the fence about doing it because of my experience with permanently straight hair after BKTs in 2009.


Well, the lady told me that with every wash the Keratin washes out and your hair reverts back to your normal hair.

sipp100 so wait, what was your experience??? Your hair became permanently straight??? WHat kind did you get?
 
Italiano

It reverted after the first two treatments, but after the third, the curl never came back. The treatments were spaced 3 or 4 months apart, too. See my post upthread about having to cut it out...

ETA: The brand was Keratina Maximo - formaldehyde free. I ordered it from keratin4u
 
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Napp

What brand of BKT did you use? DD#2 is also 4a, but her hair is medium/coarse. It can withstand high heat with no problems. Do you have fine hair? Looks like it from your siggy, but pics can be deceiving. She wants the results you have achieved - still curly, but more defined and only slightly elongated.

sipp100
Yes i have fine hair. I used qod organiq max. 2 passes at 370 gave me really nice results. I left it in for a week before washing if that makes a difference. I have used it 3 times within the last 6 months and my hair is very curly. I will post pics later on what my hair looks like immediatley after treatment.

My hair has been really easy to manage when in a non straightened state with the bkt. When trying new formulas i always do test sections several times to see if the curl comes back. I am really wary of having a permanent straight effect over time.
 
@Italiano

It reverted after the first two treatments, but after the third, the curl never came back. The treatments were spaced 3 or 4 months apart, too. See my post upthread about having to cut it out...

ETA: The brand was Keratina Maximo - formaldehyde free. I ordered it from keratin4u


sipp100 Hmmm ok. That is something to think about. To be honest, I don't care if my hair stays straight as long as it is healthy and still full. Was yours still healthy?
 
sipp100
Yes i have fine hair. I used qod organiq max. 2 passes at 370 gave me really nice results. I left it in for a week before washing if that makes a difference. I have used it 3 times within the last 6 months and my hair is very curly. I will post pics later on what my hair looks like immediatley after treatment.

My hair has been really easy to manage when in a non straightened state with the bkt. When trying new formulas i always do test sections several times to see if the curl comes back. I am really wary of having a permanent straight effect over time.

Napp

Thanks for the info. I may order a sample of this to try on her.
 
@Italiano

Yes, it was very healthy! I only had to cut it out when I got rid of the relaxed ends because the straightish BKT'd ends looked dumb :ohwell:
 
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I BKTd my natural hair with Softliss Marine Algae in March dyed it with nice n easy and dyed it before using the bkt to seal the color into my high porosity hair. I did not bleach my hair first and the color deposited nicely. My hair did not revert when straight at all. But it did loosen my 3C to a 3B which is to wavy for my liking i like ringlets. I've let the BKT wear off but the color is still in my hair and I retained all growth with a BKT my hair was very strong and smooth and I have minimized breakage in my hair which I thought I could never do having thick hair.

When I was relaxed I colored and bleached my hair often and the longest my hair would get is a little past shoulder length everytime I went to the salon which wasn't often to begin with because I only went to the salon for relaxers they would have to cut the damaged fried colored hair off and I would have to start over again only to reach the same length before MORE breakage ensued. Relaxing made my hair 2C which I feel is an extremely exponential jump I mean my hair literally dried this way. (1st pic on the right) and it is permanent. This was not to my liking and my mother relaxed me as a child because my hair was "too much to deal with" everytime I tried to stop relaxing my hair would break so I would relax again.

Overall, I prefer BKT but I also have Hipo hair with dense strands so I experience 0 breakage during BKT and post BKT I retain everything no abnormal shedding (yess finally!) and my hair color lasts longer and I can work out and my hair dries 3b and cute. When I put the Softliss in I did not rinse it out within the hour and I did not use the sealer I think it may have made my hair even straighter if I used the sealer and I wanted to see how long the results would last w/o it. YOU have to decide what's right for yourself but these are my experiences. My hair was definitely lighter with BKT more swing shine stayed moisturized for days on end however, it was a lot "flatter" when straight than my relaxed hair.

I think I may try Henna for my hair though instead and see how that works as far as similar effects of strength, manageability and color.

I will be 8 months post BKT in November.

*First pic left is my hair freshly dyed and bktd Not even washed out yet.
*First pic right is my hair bleached dyed and relaxed
*Second pic is my flatironed bleached dyed relaxed hair
*Third pic is the current look of the initial color that i said is still in my hair taken this month sometime.
 

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I just got my BKT done today. I had about 3 inches of new growth.

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Beautiful results! @Italiano

Will you please post pics after you wash? TIA

Thanks girl! sipp100 After I washed my hair it was bone straight. I rolled my hair last night & went under the dryer. I just put it up in a ponytail last night NO flat iron. It is really nice and soft. My new growth looks relaxed too!!! I love it :yep: I think I'm going to do this 3x a year and just grow my relaxer out.

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Italiano

I had no clue you were relaxed! I couldn't understand how your hair came out bone straight after washing, lol

I BKT'd a few times when I began my transition, but had to cut all of the BKT'd hair off when I ended my transition. The curl never came back fully. So I ended up cutting 5 extra inches - basically a year of progress :sad:
 
@Italiano

I had no clue you were relaxed! I couldn't understand how your hair came out bone straight after washing, lol

I BKT'd a few times when I began my transition, but had to cut all of the BKT'd hair off when I ended my transition. The curl never came back fully. So I ended up cutting 5 extra inches - basically a year of progress :sad:

sipp100 Yeah, I'm relaxed. Honestly, I don't mind if the curl doesn't fully comb back as long a the condition of my hair is better. How was the condition of your hair??
 
Thanks for the pics, Italiano

I was texlaxed for years until this time last year. I've used the BKTS on my own, two or three times with great results...but, it's true some of that hair never regained the wave back.

Now I have a year of new growth, plus the rest texlaxed. I can't decide whether to relax again which pretty much gives the desired results, but breakage; or BKT. The last treatment I did, I think a,so gave me breakage. Or is it just bc I'm not used to the thick new growth..? IDK. I just go back and forth

I am trying to keep up a morning workout routine, and I won't let HAIR keep me from my goals. Nor will I cut it all off (mid back length).

Sigh.

I hate to give up all this progress toward a natural head of hair. But I am leaning toward relaxing again. If I had a product that was BKT that would let me air dry after a workout with decent results, that would work. QOD Organiq, wasn't quite the answer.

So. Still undecided. Lol
 
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