Why should we wait??

Leshia

Leshia

New Member
Why does everyone try to stretch out their relaxers? To my understanding, if you waited more than 4-6 weeks you'd risk tons of breakage. Why do some people like to wait so long? Do you just want to see the growth or something?
 
Hi Leisha, Although I relax about every 5 or 6 weeks and I'm sure the ladies will correct me if I'm wrong. I think those who push it pass that time are trying to minimize over lapping.
 
if your hair grows the average 1/2" a month, it's very difficult to do a retouch after 5 weeks and not overlap. yes, i am trying to minimize overlapping, but i don't experience breakage from waiting. i think i've been doing a retouch every four months since i started relaxing my hair about 14 years ago. it isn't something i started doing when i joined the hair boards.

adrienne
 
this is a good question.

i think i wait just cause i want to put less chemicals in my hair.
also i have 3b hair so let's say i have 3 inches of new grow and i apply the relaxer i won't overlap or the chances are smaller that i will and if i don't get the whole growth it's not that bad either, i won't be able to tell later on.
i really really really want to cut the relaxer down to twice this year which would mean next time is june and then december.
the breakage has to do with your hairtype. the coarser your hair is the more likely your hair will break due to the new growth cause the two hairstructures are two different. the more wavy/curly your new growth is the longer you can wait.
i have a friend and she has 3c or maybe 4a. believe me she got tons of hair and she get it relaxed once a year.
nay
 
Unfortunately, I can't wait for more than 8 weeks because I start to get breakage. I'm trying to stretch my relaxers to 10 weeks or 12 weeks. We'll see. /images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
It's a personal choice for than anything. I think a lot of ladies (who don't have much hair knowledge) stick to the 6-8 week rule because that's what it says on the box or something. I personally don't want to thin out my hair over time by touching up less than 1 inch of hair.

Also we all realise that these are caustic dangerous chemicals. We also don't want to cause too much follcile damage to the scalp and IMO 4 weeks is too soon as the scalp probably has just started getting back to normal if you had scalp burns or minor sores.
 
At 6 to 8 weeks I really don't have enough of outgrowth to touch up. I'm doing 13 weeks. I wait to prevent overlapping. I want at least one inch or more prior to relaxing. I don't want that chemical in my head more then 3 or 4 times a year. I don't experience alot of breakage because I keep my hair moist.
 
Well I haven't realxed since october (and believe me i need it). I stopped the frequency of my relaxers because i wanted to give my hair and scalp a break from the chemicals. I have a section in the back of my hair (the whole left right backside) which was burned in march and at first i would lose a few strands here and there, but by spetember It had broken to mainly 1 inch!!! I KNOW this is all from that ONE experience.
I'm basically giving my hair time to recover. I will begin relaxing again in late february b/c my hair has made positive steps towards recovery. (No more sore scalp, tender scalp areas, i've controlled 80% of my breakage).
I think that key to "waiting" any relaxer out (4ab hair apecifically, like mine) is minimizing the actual styling. Wearing the hair in stress-free styles like braid-outs, adrienne's ponytial method, and so on minimize the amount of weekly manipulation and doesn't stress the two hair textures, which means its less likely to break.
I know when i start relaxing again I will be doing so every 8-10 weeks OR whenevr i get 1.5-2 inches of new growth. Of course i'll try to wait it out, but i experience breakage (which i count as a setback). If at any time i feel i'm being too harsh on my scalp, i'll put my hair in a resting period.
 
I wait because my roots grow in really soft and do not break that easily and also like Londondiva I am trying to minimize the amount of chemicals that I put on my hair. I used to relax every 8-9 weeks before I started going to my current hairdresser, but she told me that I could go for at least three months. Now since starting to use curl activators, I am going to try to stretch it even longer. I have yet to determine how long I can last.
 
I wait 3 months to relax my hair. The first time I experienced shedding, but this time (I am at 13 weeks now) I really didn't experience that much. I wait because my hair was overprocessed from overlapping of relaxers and my hair appears to be healthier by enlogating the relaxer time. Tricks I have learned to maintain the hair and reduce breakage is moisture and washing more often.
 
I like the others choose to wait. I just had a touch up after 12 weeks. I will try to go longer next time but the key is knowing what to put on the new growth and how you handle your hair when it's in this very fragile state. Products that I use when my hair is freshly touched up is different from when I have inches on new growth on top of my head. I dunno, my hair just behaves differently. You can prevent breakage by moisturizing the hell out of it but again you have to experiment a little to see what works for you.
 
I get one every 6 weeks, but no longer than 8 weeks. Uh-uh! No mam! /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif
 
I waited 12 weeks the last time I had a touch-up. With the use of the curl activators, I saw no breakage at all. I don't want any overlapping.
 
For you ladies that have been using the curl activators for moisture, do you wear your hair out? I know that Adrienne wears hers up for the most part and I'm worried that the activator would make mine oily looking (I wear it down in warm weather and mostly up in the winter except for the weekends). Do you apply only to the new growth or spray all over ...I'm interested in trying this /images/graemlins/wink.gif

...Also Adrienne I remember you saying that you like your hair to 'move' when down (so do I /images/graemlins/cheers.gif), so do you use the curl activator when wearing it down?
 
I do both. However I now that it is winter, I am trying to wear more protective hair styles so I pin it up, or wear a french roll with some of the curly wisps haning down. I spray the activator on every night section my hair into four parts and twist each section, cover my head and then go to be. I actually started doing this before I discovered the board. I always used the spray but never thought of using the gel. I am now looking forward to trying Adrienne's updo with the draw string pony tail and the gel-like activator.
 
Nope. Wear my hair up for the most part. Spray a mixture of water/glycerine on my scalp daily, usually morning and evening. Wash every three days. The S-Curl spray makes my scalp itch, the gel is nice - no itchies. Works really well for managing the new growth.
 
Once again I am truly inspired. Although, I have not too much of an idea when I last relaxed, I think I'll try to guesstimate and then wait approximately 10-12 weeks or longer. I'm not sure that *I* actually start to see breakage but I do know that when that new growth starts to get too thick and itchy I gotta break down! Do you all put in on your calendars when you relax or something?? /images/graemlins/user.gif
 
I stretch out my relaxers to avoid overlapping and because I don't feel like getting it more than a few times a year. Plus it is cheaper this way.
 
no, cleo, i never use the activator when i wear my hair down. i wish i could find a way, but i haven't actually tried. i think i could find a way to wear it with the braid out, but i haven't tried that style in a while. i think because of the friction breaking that i normally get, it's best to just leave well enough alone.

adrienne
 
my last three touch ups with motions reg, did not go well and i confess that last night (thats 3 weeks after my last touch up) i re did my edges only with my parneavu no lye.I had to do this but i DO NOT want to do this again /images/graemlins/spank.gif

I started with the 32 day Motions CPR treatment, (the first one has already made a difference on the hair that was underprocessed when i used the motions) After 5-6 weeks i will get a touch up with parneavu no lye.

Since i will be washing every four days and I believe the CPR makes the hair soft, this will make my hair manageable. On the day i wash, after drying, i use ORS carrot oil(i mixed mine with EVOO)on the roots and ends only. Daily , i part my hair in section and use the dark n lovely kiddies detangling spray then do a bun. The spray gives my hair moisture and therefore i have no breakage.
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Julia said:
I used to relax every 8-9 weeks before I started going to my current hairdresser, but she told me that I could go for at least three months. Now since starting to use curl activators, I am going to try to stretch it even longer. I have yet to determine how long I can last.

[/ QUOTE ]

a friend of mine had a hairdresser tell her that no one should go more than 5 weeks without having a relaxer. it's so amazing how they all tell you different things. Forget the Bermuda Triangle, black hair is the mystery!
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
aikaa71 said:


I started with the 32 day Motions CPR treatment, (the first one has already made a difference on the hair that was underprocessed when i used the motions) After 5-6 weeks i will get a touch up with parneavu no lye.



[/ QUOTE ]

Aikaa do you mind explainging to me exactly what the 32 day Motions CPR treatment is please?
 
why should we wait? relaxers are really really harsh chemicals. you dont want to put something like that in your hair (and scalp) unless it is absolutely NECESSARY.
 
I have done a dry set with the S-Curl moisturizer/activator lotion. It did weight my hair some, but it felt really soft afterwards and set well.
 
Leshia, I waited 5 months last time. Not intentionally though. I just didn't have the money to get it done. Ever since I started using relaxers, I always waited 3 months. except for my first year in college when my roomate got one every 4 weeks.....So,I did a relaxer on myself after bout 5-6 weeks and applied it all the way down to the ends cuz that's what her stylist does. Needless to say, I had to wear a weave for the rest of the year and finally got the guts to cut it into a short bob that summer. Boy did I learn my lesson /images/graemlins/frown.gif Anyway, I am going to space them out 5-6 months at a time now that I know how to manage my newgrowth and found protective styles that are so, so cute on me! I discovered that you can create virtually any style you want with ponytails.
 
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