Newbie questions about retexturizers/relaxers

zalim · 06-13-2012, 09:02 AM

Hi everyone,

I have a few questions about retexturizers and relaxers that I'm hoping you can answer.

1. I've been reading the threads in this category and many people complain about damaged hair after using relaxers for some time. What I don't understand is, if you are only treating your curly roots (regrowth) at each appointment, why is your hair getting so damaged? Are you saying that relaxed hair becomes damaged simply by the usual wear and tear of everyday life, OR are you saying that you re-apply the relaxer all over your hair at each appointment so the compounding effect is damaging? Please clarify.

2. The reported problems with relaxers have me wondering what the point is of relaxing hair in the first place. At the end of the day, we are all after beautiful, manageable hair. So if relaxers don't give us BETTER hair than mother nature did, why do women use relaxers at all? Is it a bad cycle that we're sucked into and have difficulty climbing out of? Is that why?

fyi: I have multi-textured hair due to a botched keratin job 6 months ago. With much of the keratin now washed out, most of my hair is 3c curly, but the hairs that frame my face were over-processed and remain spaghetti straight and won't revert. What's worse is the spaghetti straight pieces now have 3 inches of curly regrowth. I've been managing by wearing my hair in a ponytail every day.

I am looking for an interim solution to mitigate the sharp contrast between the straight hair and the curly hair until all the straight hair is grown out. My theory was that a light retexturizer applied only to my roots would help loosen my root curls and blend better with the curly middle sections. BUT I do not want new problems to contend with, and reading up on relaxers here, I fear I may end up with them. Please advise ?

Thanks!
Zalim

PearlsForCurls · 06-13-2012, 12:26 PM

Hello lovely! Well to answer your question about relaxers, even when you get a touch up on the roots only, the relaxer still ends up touching all of your hair once it is washed out. Depending on how often you get touch ups you are reprocessing your hair each time you get a touch up. There are potential risks anytime ANY chemical is placed in your hair. I mean think about it, our hair is already dead. Some women who are victims of relaxer breakage (the way I was) may not know how to care for relaxed hair efficiently, or maybe the over-processing has just began to cause damage. However if you stretch your relaxer (have a longer period in between touch ups) you are more likely to have less relaxer damage.

As far as to why women do it? Why do women do anything that adds to or enhanced their appearance? It's their choice. Sometimes beauty costs. But personally in my opinion, the health of my hair will no longer come after beauty. Like you said all textures are beautiful INCLUDING straight hair, it just becomes a problem when it becomes damaged.

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Kennie92 · 06-13-2012, 06:54 PM

Relaxers appear to make your hair greater than it already was in its natural state before. I got a relaxer when I was ten and my hair was growing rapidly for a while, but then it started to break off and become really thin, and thin is not a word to describe my hair.

Put a relaxer on a soda can and see what it does to it. It breaks down the hair bonds and makes it hard for your hair to retain any moisture so most women with relaxers have a dry scalp. Relaxers are tricky though because while they don't work for many people, there are many people that relaxers work for, but I like not having to be dependent on a relaxer touch up every 6 weeks because my roots appear to be too hard to deal with in comparison to the straight hair. My mom began giving me weaves when I was 15 to grow out the ralxers, and for 4 years I have been natural. It's still tempting to try things like the keratin treatments, but there are chemicals in anything that will make your hair even a little bit straighter, and I want my hair to be healthy and thick.