Would you relax a 12 years old type 2C hair?

Vitality

Vitality

Well-Known Member
My 12 year old niece is frustrated with her long and thick 2C (pass bra strap) hair and is asking for a relaxer on her upcoming 13th birthday. She told me she wants to have straight hair. I am not to keen about getting her hair relaxed, and her parents have asked me to take on this task to make sure it gets done appropriately. I feel she has beautiful long and healthy hair right now, and I don't want to see it get damaged. Ladies can you please offer any advice on how to manage a soon to be teenager's hair and the type of relaxer you would recommend for her 2C hair?
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Tell her the pros and cons of having a relaxer. Make sure that she understands the risks, but that she has a mommy that has access to great hair care advice for relaxed & natural
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Then if she still wants to do it (since she'll be a teen), choose someone who is trustworthy & professional to do it. Interview them boogers (stylists) if you have too. Good luck
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I would think that 2C would be pretty manageable though. Maybe she could blow it out to get it as manageable as she'd like.
 
Thanks Supergirl. Yes, I want to make sure my niece is well informed before any chemicals are place on her hair. I also feel that her type 2 C hair would be manageable, but her hair is extremely thick which makes it difficult for her to managed.
I am going to try and blow dry her hair next week, hopefully it will be straight enough and she'll change her mind about a relaxer.
 
If she has 2c hair then it's thick and wavy, right? I would try pressing or flat ironing before a perm. Her hair texture should respond well to either. Most young girls/pre-teens don't understand what goes into perming and upkeeping their hair, even if they say they do. My little sister is 14, and she has type 2c/3a hair. We permed when she was 13 as well, and even though she swore she would take care of it, sit under the dryer for roller sets, etc., she gets lazy and wants to curl her hair all the time. As a result, my mom has decided not to perm it anymore, and she's going to transition her back by pressing it. If you decide to let her perm it, make sure that her mom knows that if hair is permed it needs to have as little heat put on it as possible, i.e. staying away from blow drying and curling irons, and opting for roller sets, wrapping, ponytails, buns, etc. I just think it's a big commitment for someone so young, so you gotta know what you're doing!
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Personally, if i had 2c hair, my response would be......... NO, NO, NO,NO, NO!
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I would also think that her hair is more on the "naturally more manageable" side, but make sure she knows all of her options first.
 
[ QUOTE ]
godzooki said:
Nope. I wouldnt relax it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Me either. I think she should experiment with different products and techniques to help make her hair more manageable. And maybe you can help her with different styles too.
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I wouldn't relax it either. I didn't get my first relaxer until I was 14, and I wish it had been even longer so I could learn how to take care of my own natural hair.

Why not get a ceramic flat iron and flat iron her hair? Or take her to a dominican salon for a rollerset as a b-day present.
 
[ QUOTE ]
adrienne0914 said:
2C hair? i don't think so...

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. Your niece does not need a relaxer..she could probably get away with using that Straight to the Maxx, that would work on her hair.
 
I wouldn't get it relaxed. I have thick, bushy hair and I used to have it thinned out every few weeks. None of the length is removed, they're only removing the bulk underneath with a special type of scissor. It makes ultra thick hair a heck of a lot more manageble.
 
NO NO NO. If I had to do it all over again, i'd never relax my hair. Maybe she can get a texturizer where she can opt from wearing it curly to straight.
 
My hair is 2C. However, it is VERY thick. Having relaxed hair REALLY makes my hair WAY more manageable. I'm glad I was able to get a relaxer when I was a teen.
 
I wouldn't relax. I would just teach good healthy hair habits like frequent washing and conditioning. Maybe flat ironing on occassion. If not maybe a texturizer?
 
I would not perm her hair because it has too many effects. I should know since I am 15 years old and I kind of regret getting a perm. But, some people hair it works well, but with others it can damage the hair.
 
I agree I don't think she "needs" one, a flat iron would probably give her an idea of what straight hair is like and test her willingness to take care of her hair. If she really understands, is committed to proper haircare, and still wants a relaxer, then she could get one in her later teens or twenties 12 is just too young to understand.
 
I would say no because once you relax your hair its hard to go back. At least for me, I was 13 when I got my first relax. I loved the initial results but boy did it require a lot of maintenance and damage control that no one informed me about!
However, I remember what its like to be teen and how frustrating unmanageable hair is. Someone mentioned going to a Dominican salon for a roller set. This is a good suggestion! I've found my best results come from Dominican hairdressers. For whatever reason, they seem to know exactly how to handle my hair better than anyone else(also hairdressers from Venezuela but they are harder to find).
Of course it all depends on individual hair type.
 
I believe that 12 is too young. All the experts say that you should wait until after puberty to make any changes to any teen's body. And since people develop differently, her age may be later. I would say that by 18, she should have all her chemical balances in order. I got a perm when I was little, about 7, I believe. Simply because my mother switched beauticians and I refused to go the other one (the new one didn't do press&curl for children). My mother was tired of managing my very thick hair.

I would go with thinning it out with the special comb. I heard that does wonders with manageability.

The purpose of the perm in her case would be manageability. Why manage it with chemicals when you can manage it much safer and healthier without them? Special combs, roller setting, blow-drying with some of the relaxing serums that are out there.

My daughter doesn't come close to 2C hair and she will not be getting a relaxer until she is 18. The key is starting them out early enough so that they know what they're up against.

Teach her healthy washing, conditioning, etc. and tell her to try that for a few years, at least 16 or 17.
 
But 2c hair? Can't you run a flat iron through it and call it a day?
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[ QUOTE ]
Vitality said:
My 12 year old niece is frustrated with her long and thick 2C (pass bra strap) hair and is asking for a relaxer on her upcoming 13th birthday. She told me she wants to have straight hair. I am not to keen about getting her hair relaxed, and her parents have asked me to take on this task to make sure it gets done appropriately. I feel she has beautiful long and healthy hair right now, and I don't want to see it get damaged. Ladies can you please offer any advice on how to manage a soon to be teenager's hair and the type of relaxer you would recommend for her 2C hair?
ohwell.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't relax the girl's hair. Why would you want to do that to a child?!? Those chemicals are no joke to an adult, let alone a girl.

Whats more important -her manageability or her health?
 
Last year I was in a hair show for stylist Rob Willis, in his seminar, he said girls shouldn't have relaxers until after their first period.
 
isnt 2 c hair pretty much as kinky/thick as 3 c hair?? if so i dont see anything wrong with relaxing it, as long as shes prepared for the sacrifice that comes along with it
 
Please don't relax her hair. A 12 yrs old girl does not yet realize and apperciate her natural beauty.
 
It shouldn't even matter that her hair is 2c as opposed to a tighter texture - with enough research and investigation it's possible to care for any texture of hair naturally. I truly feel it all comes down to how much you're willing to put into learning what your hair needs. I'd definitely just help your niece look into styles and products that work best with her hair type as it is.
 
I agree with everyone else. It would be healthier for her hair if she took time and learned how to care for it naturally instead of slapping a non-reversible and sometimes unforgiving chemical into her hair. There are quite a few products on the market right now that assist with taming her hair type. I would suggest that she and her mother take a peek at naturallycurly.com for suggestions on taming products.
 
I wouldn't relax her hair either. She's really young and caring for relaxed hair could take up a lot of time. She could just flat iron it if she likes straight hair.
 
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