Latina Relaxer????

http://www.happi.com/current/April031.htm



I guess if Afro-hair relaxers are for type 4 hair, then the Hispanic relaxer is for type 3 and so on....???

Has anyone seen this product???

There is a white lady at my workplace who has naturally curly hair and she relaxes it so that she can have that "bone-straight Sharon Stone short haircut type look".

But I have never seen the Latina Relaxer or a home-kit for that matter...

Considering what happens to alot of black women who relax their hair with those at home kits (and dont know how) I wonder if we will start seeing Latinas walking around with dry hair, burnt scalps, dandruff and hairloss.

Plenty latinas relax their hair already... THAT'S WHY the complanies market a relaxer for them to try and increase profits. They wouldn't make a product without it being in demand.

It's probably marketed towards hispanics, but it can be used by anyone with any degree of curl... just like "our" relaxers.

I also would like to point out that there is no such thing as "Hispanic" hair just like there is no such thing as "black" hair. The hair comes in varying dregrees of wave/curl/kink and coarseness for both ethnicities.

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THESES STATEMENTS IN THE ARTICLE THAT UPSET ME:
“We have proven research that Hispanic hair is different; it is stronger and coarser and has not gone through as much chemical treatment as African-American hair,”

...and Regular and Super for African-American hair.

First of all black women come with all different types of hair jsut like Hispanic women. And alot of Hispanic women I know have like the SAME hair type as many black women I know. And wht do they mean has not gone through as much chemical treatment? This statement bugs me.

And why does regular and super have to be for African -American hair. I feel like they are just going with the stereotype what they believe ALL black hair is (very unruly and course). I have never and would never use super in my hair because of my hair texture. So why do these people feel the need to put all black women in one category?

Um, not to severely change the topic, but "HISPANIC" is NOT a race! It's a culture!

Latinas come in many "races" (Although I am of the mind that "race" is a purely social construct.) In my family alone, there are Afro-Latinas (my Mom: Dominican) Indio Latinos (my Dad: Puerto Rican) and white Latinas. (several of my cousins).

I am a Latina, but I consider myself a mixed racially. I have afro, indio, and white ancestors. They are ALL Hispanic (except for the odd German & Italian here and there.)

This is a marketing ploy, nothing else. You CAN'T market a relaxer "for Hispanics" because our hair comes in every variation you could imagine! Damn, I wish the cosmetics companies would stop treating women like fools.

The only thing that article had right was that there is less than a .01% difference genetically among human beings (Which brings me full circle to race as a social construct.)

I'm sorry to vent, but as much as I have happily thrown my money towards hair products in my lifetime, I resent companies trying to sucker me.

I agree that this is more marketing based on ignorance than anything else.
Just like a lot of black people assume that we can't use products marketed toward white people (Pantene, Garnier Fructis, Herbal Essences, etc.), people of other ethnic groups assume the same thing. But if you put someone on the box or cover that looks like them . . . you've just significantly increased your market share, without wasting a lot of money on a product that is actually new. It's all about the $$$.

Earlier this year, there was a Primetime special about hair relaxers. A white woman paid $300 in a salon for the same Optimum relaxer that costs $7 at any local BSS in the country.

This is a straight marketing ploy! They are going to take the same Revlon Realistic, throw a Hispanic "looking" woman on the box, change the order of ingredients listed, and market to Hispanic consumers "claiming" a difference in hair, and bam, more money for Revlon by promoting ignorance. I know I have been up in plenty of DR salons, and they have all used that same Fabulaxer on everybody's head, so I don't get this "need" for a new relaxer for "Hispanic" hair.

Yesterday I was on looking at some Japanese beauty products on an online store based there. They had a relaxer kit with an Asian woman on it. The ingredients and directions were just like the home kits marketed to Black women. It is all in the marketing.

ok ol girl on the box has been on AA products for a while i remember taking a second look at a product she was on in the AA section

--plain and simple marketing these people [of all ethnicities]have been using the products now they are being catered too but i just dont want to see the results of home use......................

Clearly, that's all about making more money, just as you all have said! People of various races already use straightening chemicals on their hair. What's next? Are they going to have race specific hair color products, too? That just made me think about this. Dark & Lovely, Creme of Nature, etc... have hair color products that are marketed to Black women. It's all about marketing, I guess.

myco said:

I agree that this is more marketing based on ignorance than anything else.
Just like a lot of black people assume that we can't use products marketed toward white people (Pantene, Garnier Fructis, Herbal Essences, etc.), people of other ethnic groups assume the same thing. But if you put someone on the box or cover that looks like them . . . you've just significantly increased your market share, without wasting a lot of money on a product that is actually new. It's all about the $$$.

Earlier this year, there was a Primetime special about hair relaxers. A white woman paid $300 in a salon for the same Optimum relaxer that costs $7 at any local BSS in the country.

Click to expand...

I wish that they would re-air their programs. That sounds interesting!

Now you know good and darn well that a white woman would never want to be caught using something that black people use. She couldn't possibly have nappy hair, could she?

Mestiza said:

I wish that they would re-air their programs. That sounds interesting!

Click to expand...

The program was about what women go through to have straight hair. They did a comparison between the thermal reconditioning that costs almost $1000, a regular relaxer, and a flat iron. All of the women had typical type 1 or 2, hair with hardly any wave to it at all. But it still required blow drying to get it runway straight. The relaxer performed just as well as the thermal reconditioning, and both have to be retouched whenever you have a significant amount of new growth.

As a marketer, the decision made by the companies doesn't surprise me at all. The more individualized the marketing effort, the easier the sale.

And relaxers are a great upsell, because they're like buying a printer--all the costs are in the purchase of the printer cartridges, rather than the hardware. The cost of the relaxer itself is low, but it's a reoccuring expense to maintain the hair.

Actually, I most wondered what was causing the decline in relaxer sales among black women.

aileendq said:

Um, not to severely change the topic, but "HISPANIC" is NOT a race! It's a culture!

Latinas come in many "races" (Although I am of the mind that "race" is a purely social construct.) In my family alone, there are Afro-Latinas (my Mom: Dominican) Indio Latinos (my Dad: Puerto Rican) and white Latinas. (several of my cousins).

I am a Latina, but I consider myself a mixed racially. I have afro, indio, and white ancestors. They are ALL Hispanic (except for the odd German & Italian here and there.)

This is a marketing ploy, nothing else. You CAN'T market a relaxer "for Hispanics" because our hair comes in every variation you could imagine! Damn, I wish the cosmetics companies would stop treating women like fools.

The only thing that article had right was that there is less than a .01% difference genetically among human beings (Which brings me full circle to race as a social construct.)

I'm sorry to vent, but as much as I have happily thrown my money towards hair products in my lifetime, I resent companies trying to sucker me.

Click to expand...

what she said, Que buena mi blacktina compadre

I agre about hispanics not really being a race.

I do belive that there is no such thing as a true "race" of people... the human race is the only race.

BUT

I use race as a way to catorgerize people by physical traits.

This is not a concrete way of categorizing (people who are gentically black can look non-black, people who are gentically white can look non-white, etc...) people, but in most cases it is efficient.

Now... the thing about categorizing people is that it's not the same as racism. Just noting that some people have physical characteristics and grouping them together as a whole is not racsist.

Say... God forbid that a child was lost, and there was a search for him. Wouldn't we need to know if the child was white, black, asian or hispanic? It's not as if these physical traits aren't part of life...

About hispanics in general... yes, they come in all "races"

However, I find that most hispanics don't fit into white, black, or asian (yeah, some Hispanics fool the hell out of me because they look Asian)

Hispanics ARE NOT native Americans... just like blacks, they may have some native Amerian Heriatage, but not enough imo to say that they are "Indian"... they are a unique mixture of mostly black and white, and a smaller amount of native American. However, Mexicans seem to have more native American ancestors than other Hispanics.

That's why I use the term "Hispanic" the majority of Hispanics don't fit into any other racial category. You're [Majority of Hispanics] not white, black, native American, or Asian... it's like a hybrid race.

I'm NOT TRYING to start no ish... I love my Hispanic sisters

Originally Posted by Mestiza
I wish that they would re-air their programs. That sounds interesting!

myco said:

The program was about what women go through to have straight hair. They did a comparison between the thermal reconditioning that costs almost $1000, a regular relaxer, and a flat iron. All of the women had typical type 1 or 2, hair with hardly any wave to it at all. But it still required blow drying to get it runway straight. The relaxer performed just as well as the thermal reconditioning, and both have to be retouched whenever you have a significant amount of new growth.

Click to expand...

I know that I may sound like a hair nerd, but, I'm hoping that ABC will show it again b/c I would really like to see it. I can't imagine ever considering thermal reconditioning for my hair b/c it is very expensive. :dollar: :dollar: :dollar:

aileendq said:

Um, not to severely change the topic, but "HISPANIC" is NOT a race! It's a culture!

Latinas come in many "races" (Although I am of the mind that "race" is a purely social construct.) In my family alone, there are Afro-Latinas (my Mom: Dominican) Indio Latinos (my Dad: Puerto Rican) and white Latinas. (several of my cousins).

I am a Latina, but I consider myself a mixed racially. I have afro, indio, and white ancestors. They are ALL Hispanic (except for the odd German & Italian here and there.)

This is a marketing ploy, nothing else. You CAN'T market a relaxer "for Hispanics" because our hair comes in every variation you could imagine! Damn, I wish the cosmetics companies would stop treating women like fools.

The only thing that article had right was that there is less than a .01% difference genetically among human beings (Which brings me full circle to race as a social construct.)

I'm sorry to vent, but as much as I have happily thrown my money towards hair products in my lifetime, I resent companies trying to sucker me.

Click to expand...

i agree with aileen! coming from a black and latina background, i know for a fact that 100% of latinas dont have that silky smooth hair that goes all the way to their butt kinda look. it really depends on genetics and family history... example- dominicans, cubans, and puerto ricans (and this goes back ages) are a mix racially of white, indian (taino etc.,), and black as well as other different races- all of these races in combination with one another allow for different types of hair textures (as well as skin colors) to come out of the mix..

along with what aileen says, you can be dark dark dark and be dominican desent but because you dont look like the "typical" latina (notice the quotes) the product isnt marketed to you its marketed to "latinas" and by skin color you dont fit their typified demographic- basic corporate ignorance!!

i simply think its ridiculous! being that im a bit darker than the "steryotyped" latina, most people think im black- but then they see my hair and automatically assume i have to be mixed with white or just have that "good" hair...which is all so funny to me because when i was little and for most of my life i couldnt get past a twa- my texture was horribly coarse and rough..because of a few good (and bad) relaxers, my hair that used to be a 4a is now a 3 (how the hell did that happen?! lol)

id have to say that whenever they market a product, most companies know they are bias..they place their whole marketing ploys on being bias and i know for a fact that, just by looking at the box, they dont have all the f*ckin bases covered...dumb dumb dumb dumb dumbbbb

caligirl-ive seen some white girls with nappy hair then me!! hahahaha good lorddddd!!! lol

Porsche19-
"I use race as a way to catorgerize people by physical traits."
girlllll then if you saw me you wouldnt know what to say.. i got slanted eyes, big ole lips that are bigger in size and proportion than my face, big wavy hair, a button nose- my ish looks alllll over the place by means of categorization--- thats why people always ask me "what are you" (which is a horrible question to me..lol)

ive gone for many years as being black and i never questioned my heritage..everyone considered my mom black but she isnt and its just become something that ive never considered..after a while it felt like i was ignoring who i really was.. i always used to ask myself:
-why are my lips so damn big
-why are my eyes so slanted? a majority of black girls i see dont have that
and other horrible questions that i finally found the answer myself..

being of latina decent, it is a hybrid race...and as if come to find myself, categorizing sometimes leads to misguided impressions and stepping on a lot of toes-look at celia cruz- tell me she dont look straight up black---like its a good way of i guess getting the concept of a race but 9 times out of 10 it might make you look ignorant if you categorize the person wrong, and they take offense, and are ready to throw a few fists..

WEIRD UNRELATED COMMENT BELOW:

lol like i know for a fact that if you call an indian women or man a pakistani, they ready to kick your ass..I KNOW FOR A FACT!! lol but they look a lot alike to the untrained eye--- its a bad way to go in case the other person isnt so understanding..

lol i hope that all made sense!

Meia... it works a lot of the time. Not all the time. Even I get mistaken for being hispanic or mixed, and I'm black... but many, many times you can tell who is white or black. You can tell way more that you can't...

Porsche19 said:

I use race as a way to catorgerize people by physical traits.

This is not a concrete way of categorizing (people who are gentically black can look non-black, people who are gentically white can look non-white, etc...) people, but in most cases it is efficient.

Click to expand...

Porsche19 said:

Meia... it works a lot of the time. Not all the time. Even I get mistaken for being hispanic or mixed, and I'm black... but many, many times you can tell who is white or black. You can tell way more that you can't...

Click to expand...

i agree..it definitely does work! lol im not really tryin to say it doesnt and certainly im not trying to pick a fight!

..but for those times where it dont work *shudders* lol id really not wanna be on the receiving end of that ass whoopin..hahahaha.. i came close tooo manyyy times because of that..it happened to me once at work, i made an assumption (or rather i curiously questioned) and almost had a customer walk out! lol..its dangerous!

caligirl said:

Now you know good and darn well that a white woman would never want to be caught using something that black people use. She couldn't possibly have nappy hair, could she?

Click to expand...

Cali: I had a knew a girl growing up who was 100 % Caucasian who had an afro. She called it her "Jew 'fro" (She WAS Jewish.) Her hair was a 3b/4a. She was completely at a loss, at which point I suggested a relaxer for her....

UPDATE

I've decided to use my momma has a relaxed hair experiment tool.

She need a relaxer so I told her I would buy her one and bought the Hispanic relaxer (one in the yellow box). She was pissed!
"WTH do Mexicans need with a perm!"

Don't..............ask.

Anyway......she used the relaxer and uh............................her hair came out. She still has some hair, it wasn't that bad.......but that damn relaxer didn't take at all.

She says that I "hated" on her.