Ladies with relaxed hair...

[EtherealBlackPearl]

Hello Ladies, I should probably preface what I will ask by saying that I am extremely new to posting on LHCF, but have been observing for a while. What I have noticed, not that there is anything wrong with it, is that there are a lot more ladies with natural hair than I have seen with relaxed hair. I have tried natural hair, it was a phase I went though, and it wasn't for me. There is a wealth of knowledge here for going natural, but that makes it a little hard to try to find techniques regarding relaxed hair and to learn from other ladies who choose to relax their texture. That said:

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses? What length is your hair now, and what is your goal? What do you to in order to improve retention? I have seen a lot of people in the forum say that relaxing their hair caused them to experience breakage and ultimately went for the BC, but as for me, I am an extremely happy woman with my layered BSL relaxed hair, it is incredibly healthy for being relaxed and it is very strong and moisturized. How about you? Any tips you'd like to share?

I have seen very, very lovely hair pictures here but it's never quite clear if the straight hair is relaxed or natural and straightened.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

hey whats up!! im relaxed, and im WL on my way to HL,

how i maintain my relaxed hair : i DC twice a week on dry hair then apply my lovely juice lol (care free curl gold) this has helped me to retain all of my length!! so far i have had no real trouble this my hair, my goal is tail bone length and beyond,

 

[EtherealBlackPearl]

Oh my Goodness! Your hair is AMAZING! I'm totally going to have to take your techniques into consideration, especially the care free curl gold (immediately googling!)

I'm constantly trying new products trying to find what really works best for my hair. I use Dove surprisingly enough, and I use breakage defense even though my hair is no longer color treated, but I slather it on generously and it really makes my hair soft and shiny.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

Oh my Goodness! Your hair is AMAZING! I'm totally going to have to take your techniques into consideration, especially the care free curl gold (immediately googling!)

I'm constantly trying new products trying to find what really works best for my hair. I use Dove surprisingly enough, and I use breakage defense even though my hair is no longer color treated, but I slather it on generously and it really makes my hair soft and shiny.

your avatar pic is pretty! the cfc is great!!! check out my juice thread, if you havent already, but your hair looks very nice in you avater and you said your hair is healthy....... thank you soo much for the compliment!!!

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

There is a lot of info. on here for relaxed people. You just have to conduct searches to look for it. A whole lot more people on the board used to be relaxed several years ago. Trust though that there are many women on this board with crazy long and healthy relaxed hair. They just may not post that often. I myself am between APL and BSL. I started at a chewed up neck length back in 2007.

I use heat sparingly, DC and use light protein once a week, I moisturize regularly and I also just try to leave my hair alone. I do my own relaxer and trims. So I don't really need a stylist. My hair has never been this long in my adult life and I know that it is only the beginning for me ;-)

 

[LivingDol1]

hi

i'm relaxed and my hair is currently BSB. i've always been relaxed, since i was a kid. i took a "break" when I was in college. i had chopped my hair to chin length... and got sick of the haircut and the upkeep so I started wearing braids. so I guess I was "natural" for 5 or 6 years of the 7 years I wore braids consistently. i took out my braids and my hair was BSB.

i went back to being relaxed in october 2008, and then came across this website. i used to be the type to visit the salon on a weekly basis... got the trim when i was told to i learned a lot of good things here about protein/moisture balance, DCing, detangling, roller setting... all which has made a difference. i think my hair is pretty healthy compared to my teen years.

i try to use products without cones. i like the giovanni direct line. aphogee. dove. roux porosity control. i've gotten better at detangling and haven't seen a ton of shedding or breakage. i moisturize every day, and try to not use too much product on my hair.

i've been a constant roller setter since i became relaxed again but i am just now deciding that it's OK to use a blow dryer responsibly. a little heat won't hurt.

 

[LStreeter]

Quick question--what is "BSB"?

I thought I had mastered all the LHCF acronyms

 

[Solitude]

Hi EtherealBlackPearl,

Welcome!!! I am so glad that you brought up this topic. I've been on the board for about a year and a half and my hair is relaxed. I started thinking about transitioning after seeing all of the beautiful natural head here and on youtube, but I really am happy with my relaxed hair as well.

I maintain my hair by rollersetting one to two times a week. If I don't feel like rollersetting, I'll wear my hair in a bun for work or school during the week, but I'm pretty dedicated to rollersetting. I have experimented with braidouts, but I find them to be a lot of manipulation and they don't last that long for me.

My hair is currently grazing APL. I started out at neck/nape length with a short layered bob haircut.

My short-term goal is Bra Strap Length. My ultimate goal is waist length. When I joined, all I was aiming for was full shoulder length!

To improve retention, I keep my hair well-moisturized, focusing on my ends. I don't always deep condition, but I recently bought a steamer, so I will be using it to DC at least twice a month. I have also stopped depending on direct heat.

 

[**SaSSy**]

Quick question--what is "BSB"?

I thought I had mastered all the LHCF acronyms

BSB=Below Shoulder Blade

Hello Ladies, I should probably preface what I will ask by saying that I am extremely new to posting on LHCF, but have been observing for a while. What I have noticed, not that there is anything wrong with it, is that there are a lot more ladies with natural hair than I have seen with relaxed hair. I have tried natural hair, it was a phase I went though, and it wasn't for me. There is a wealth of knowledge here for going natural, but that makes it a little hard to try to find techniques regarding relaxed hair and to learn from other ladies who choose to relax their texture. That said:

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses? What length is your hair now, and what is your goal? What do you to in order to improve retention? I have seen a lot of people in the forum say that relaxing their hair caused them to experience breakage and ultimately went for the BC, but as for me, I am an extremely happy woman with my layered BSL relaxed hair, it is incredibly healthy for being relaxed and it is very strong and moisturized. How about you? Any tips you'd like to share?

I have seen very, very lovely hair pictures here but it's never quite clear if the straight hair is relaxed or natural and straightened.

I have been texlaxed for over 2 yrs and started on this broad at NL-SL to now APL in the front and BSL in the back. All I do mainly is moisturize with my butter mix on mostly wet hair, seal with sometimes EVCC, or EVOO, co-wash once a week, shampoo once a week (DC 2x a week), and no direct heat more than every 6 to 8 weeks when I want to wear my hair straight. I stretch my relaxers a min of 12 weeks and protect the relaxed parts with heavy grease. I use to use scurl to moisturized my hair in the beginning, but now I only use that once in a while now. What has really help me is not using hair brushes, daily moisturizing, co-washing, and PS. HTH

 

[jaiku]

I think lately it seems like there are more naturals than relaxed heads. There are a ton of good techniques in the archives. I would just search the specific topic that I looking for. Alot of people had great routines when they were relaxed and when they were natural. Don't be discouraged.

 

[Americka]

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses? I shampoo, condition, and dc. Sometimes, I will pre-poo with grapeseed oil or an intensive conditioner.

What length is your hair now, and what is your goal? My hair is shoulder length. My short term goal is APL and my long term goal is BSB/BSL.

What do you to in order to improve retention? I moisturize at least every other day, dc at least once a week , seal my ends with grapeseed oil, only use heat on wash days (greatest lesson I've learned here), use products that contain the ingredients that work for me, and stretching relaxers around 10 to 12 weeks.

Any tips you'd like to share? Do what works for you! Also, if you find a product that works well for you, research the ingredients and try to find other products that contain those ingredients as well. That tip has served me well from the early part of my journey.
​

 

[danysedai]

I also recommend doing searches. Most of the people who post now are naturals it's true but you can also learn from them and also do searches which is most of what I do now.

what do you do to take care of your tresses? I rollerset a lot (LOVE IT). I used to flat iron my hair from root to tips after rollersetting but I find that I like the volume that rollersetting gives and it compliments my face better, so although I'm almost APL it looks a bit past SL because of the volume. I wash once a week,deep condition,rollerset and then flat iron the roots only,leaving the curls alone. After 3 days I do a bun or use a banana clip. I do not cowash or do LOTS of protective styling as I want to enjoy my hair now, I'll get to my goal eventually, so I wear it down a lot and use indirect heat once a week (rollersets) and direct (flat iron the roots).

What length is your hair now and what is your goal?I started at neck length and I am now grazing APL(I think I'm at it already but I'm stretching til mid April). My goal is a blunt MB.


What do you to in order to improve retention? As I said above, I'm a believer in rollersetting and deep conditioning. I use coconut oil when bunning or using the banana clip and a bit on the edges and nape when my hair is down. I wear a silk scarf to bed and while commuting to work under my wool hat (I live in Canada). I alternate between protein and moisturizing conditioners and after lots of trial and error (and money!!) I've found my staples and do not deviate from them. Boring but effective in my case.

 

[bellebebe]

Keep it simple! DC regularly and keep it moisturized.

 

[30something]

Don't discriminate! Check out Black hair blogs and youtube too, you learn tremendous amount of information there.

http://www.youtube.com/user/KISSseventyseven
Her blog http://keepitsimplesista.blogspot.com/
http://www.hairliciousinc.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/chinablk

I only started to take hair care seriously until recently, but I found that deep conditioning on dry hair keeping away from direct heat as much as possible has help a lot, oh and moisturizing every day.

 

[nymane]

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses?

Weekly:

Pre-poo w/ Suave Naturals (mainly for detangling purposes), Shampoo, DC, apply leave-ins, and put in 6-8 braids. When I'm ready to go out I rock a cute up-do braid out.

1-2x a week:

Co-wash

Every 6-8 weeks:

Aphogee Two Step Treatment

What length is your hair now, and what is your goal?

I started at SL in Mar. 09 now I'm between APL and BSL...my short term goal is BSL/MBL and my longterm goal is WL

Any tips you'd like to share?

Moisturize Daily (focus on the ends), Don't be afraid of protein, dust in between trims, and keep your hair off your shoulders.

 

[onejamifan]

I agree with all the previous posters. There is a wealth of information on this site on taking care of relaxed hair. I've had healthy relaxed hair for the past 22 years and my length has varied from SL-HL during that time. I am currently transitioning (curious about what my natural hair looks like), but don't rule out going back to relaxed hair in the future. I think that rollersetting regularly and keeping a good protein/moisture balance is key. Too much direct heat or too much of one product can lead to dryness and breaking. Also stretching relaxers. I always went at least 3 months between touch-ups and DC'd at least every other wash. I don't think having healthy relaxed hair is that tricky, I just think women and their stylists don't know much about caring for hair, and that is why so many have problems with it.

My decision to transition has more to do with curiosity than the state of my hair. I want my oldest daughter to see where she got her curls.I think a lot of women on this board realize that it is possible to have healthy, natural hair and decide to try something new, even if they already have healthy relaxed hair. That is the beauty of this site, there is a wealth of information for all who need it.

The picture on my avatar is of my last relaxer almost a year ago.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

Hello!

My hair is currently BSB and my goal's MBL. I dc 1-2x a week. I co-wash at least 2x a week and shampoo 1x a week. I moisturize and seal my hair with a leave-in and either avocado/coconut oil. I air dry my hair and use little to no heat (I only use heat during relaxer visits or special occasions). I stretch my relaxers 15 week at a time (3x a year) and I trim as needed.

 

[SmilingElephant]

Hello!! I'm texlaxed....relaxed but not bone straight...im slowly losing my bone strait ends...my regi is in my blog

 

[*CherryPie*]

I'm relaxed and between APL and BSL/BSB.

I don't have a regimen. I just wash and DC as needed, around once a week, and I moisturize and seal daily.

I don't try to protective style, but I guess I do because I wear 1 braid down the back almost everyday during cold months.

I don't use much heat because I'm in a braid most of the time.

I use heat in the warm months because I wear my hair out. But my hair LOVES heat, so i'm fine. LOL

 

[Salsarisma]

I'm relaxed and plan to stay that way right now. I started my HHJ in 10/2009, and I have learned so much since then. My signature is my starting point. I can't wait to see the difference at my next relaxer in May.

My regimen is simple too: On my "wash days", I prepoo my hair for one hour with a mix of EVOO, EVCO, Avocado Oil, Tresseme Moisture Rich conditioner, Burt's Bees Avocado Butter, and AO HSR. Pre poking has made a big difference in my hair. At first, I thought it was an unnecessary step, but now I can't shampoo without pre pooing first. My hair comes out soft and much easier to detangle when I do. After shampooing, I apply a moisture/protein balanced deep conditioner. I cover with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for 30 minutes. After my hair cools, I rinse out the dc and apply a cheapie condish for slip. I may use Tresseme, VS So Sexy, or VO5 Moisture Milk. I only leave this on for a few minutes then rinse. If I'm having porosity issues, I use Roux Porosity control instead of a cheapie condish. Then I rollerset my hair using the Mohawk method. Roller setting is the truth! I couldn't go without my weekly rollersets. I wear my hair down two days a week, and bun the rest of the time. Mid week or so, I co wash and wet bun. I moisturize and seal daily. I wear a silk scarf/bonnet every night. No direct heat except for length checks!

I stretch relaxers at least 12 weeks, and I'm currently 15 weeks into a 26 week stretch.

My current length is between SL and APL. My goal length is BSL...or longer. Who knows?

Tips: Stay away from bandwagons!!! I have and it's working for me. I stick with the same tried and true products and rarely experiment. My hair will not be a guinea pig for new products/techniques!

 

[MahoganyJazz]

I also DC at least once a week. I try to make sure my ends are moisturized as much as possible as well. And although I'm relaxed, I use a lot of natural hair products. Since purchasing a new flat iron I've been using more heat in the past 2 months than I normally do, but only on wash days. My staples are, Seyani Butter, JBCO, BT, a good detangling leave in, and my silk scarf. I mix and match an array of conditioners only use light proteins. Due to a recent setback, I'm currently full APL.

 

[LatterGlory]

:welcome3:

Relaxed head checking in.

I don't relax bone straight, hardly every use direct heat, use seamless combs, rollesrset my hair, use a light protein conditioner.

 

[Junebug D]

Regimen: I wash and DC weekly, moisturize daily, and I usually wear it in a bun except on wash day when I rollerset. No heat except my hood dryer on wash day. I am also laying off protein after my latest setback. Keeping it as simple as possible is definitely the way to go.

Goal: I am somewhere between SL and APL, will post updated pics in my Fotki later today. Short-term goal is APL, long-term I hope to get to WL, but I will take BSL.

Tip: My stylist doesn't even remember me between visits, but she can always just look at my hair and tell that I don't flat iron or blow-dry. She remarks that my hair is healthier than most of her clients and attributes it to that. Each time I give her permission to trim what's needed, and she only dusts centimeters off my ends.

I too was natural for several years, I just relaxed it last September because I wasn't making any progress as a natural.

 

[MonPetite]

I'm currently a straight-style wearing natural, but my blog is for all textures as well as texlaxed and relaxed heads as I spent much of my life as both a bone-laxed and texlaxed head. It may be helpful to you.

 

[Adaoba2012]

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses?

Weekly:

Pre-poo w/coconut oil and EVOO for about 20-30 minutes, then shampoo with either TJ Nourish spa shampoo or ORS Creamy aloe. Then DC with whatever I'm feeling like..yesterday I used Aussie Moist 3min and NTM DDC. Sometimes I may mix with oils and/or honey. I've been wearing weaves regularly and I stretch my relaxers for atleast 18-20 weeks. [I'm trying to go for 32 this time..and who knows I may transition]

What length is your hair now, and what is your goal?
Right now my hair is past SL..probably grazing APL but I haven't done a length check since the end of January...I don't want to check it again until August. My goal is MBL by the time I graduate from Pharmacy school which is 5/2012.

Any tips you'd like to share?

Stretching my relaxers has been the best thing for me..my hair is become alot thicker and fuller. Also moisturizing is key. Its important to take care of your ends the most since they are the oldest part of your hair and have gone through the most. Another thing is porosity..which I neglected for the first 6-7 months of my HHJ and my hair paid the price.

 

[TresLeches]

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses? What length is your hair now, and what is your goal? What do you to in order to improve retention? I have seen a lot of people in the forum say that relaxing their hair caused them to experience breakage and ultimately went for the BC, but as for me, I am an extremely happy woman with my layered BSL relaxed hair, it is incredibly healthy for being relaxed and it is very strong and moisturized. How about you? Any tips you'd like to share?

I have seen very, very lovely hair pictures here but it's never quite clear if the straight hair is relaxed or natural and straightened.

I am relaxed and have been so since seventh grade I think. I love being relaxed and I love it bone straight.

I dont have much of a regi I wash every 2 wks, DC as needed and moisturize my ends and scalp every single day. I get my touch ups every 8 weeks but since being on LHCF I want to try to stretch. I also get trims every time I get a touch up. I try to stay away from heat and combs!!!! I am still trying to figure out the whole moisture/protein balance

Like some of the other girls said, I want to keep it simple. I feel like I always need to run out and buy whatever product everyone else is talking about but what I use now has been working just fine...I mean I was BSL before! but I cut it all off.

I am currently APL and my goal right now is for healthier thicker BSL hair

 

[LushLox]

Welcome to the forum - you will hopefully love it here!

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses?
I am a very vocal advocate of the power of steam. I shampoo twice weekly and follow up with a steam DC. I use a light protein every week and I also try to use products which include ceramides (you'll need to do a search on it) which is extremely beneficial for relaxed hair.

I love rollersetting and I don't wash and condition my hair without following up with a rollerset. Yes it may be time consuming and laborious but I have been doing it consistently for just over a year and I can get the process over and done quite quickly. Rollersetting allows my hair to stay smooth and soft and to retain moisture for a longer period - I love it!!

What length is your hair now, and what is your goal?
I'm not very far from APL, about 1/1.5 inches to go. Hopefully I should be there by my next relaxer.

What do you to in order to improve retention
I moisturise daily. I use a creamy moisturiser and seal using castor oil or kukui oil. I'm trying to incorporate lengthy stretches (I'm aiming for 6 months this year) as I find the longer I stretch the thicker my hair gets. As long as I manage my new growth and ensure it's well moisturised, the stretching doesn't generally give me too many problems.

I also ensure I wear a scarf before I go to bed. This way my hair lies flat and smooth rather than wild and unkempt when I don't wear one. This too gives my ends added protection in the night.


Any tips you'd like to share
Be patient and be consistent.

This is a great forum, but because there is so much information and so many different techniques and products that people proclaim it can get confusing. Don't try to do too much too soon otherwise it can be difficult to keep track.

When trying out new products keep a note of how well/bad the product worked for you. If you've used a few products in tandem that have yielded great results - record it. It might be the only way that you're able to remember at a later date.

Document your progress with pictures. You don't need to share them with anyone else if you don't want to. Sometimes when I find I'm not getting anywhere I look back on where I've come from which helps quite a lot.

 

[Ms. A.Sunshine]

This is a great thread looking forward to more responses............Thanks OP.

 

[Minty]

Welcome! Relaxed head checking in. I'm stretching/transitioning - away from bone straight. Cut my length back from 1inch away from APL to just past shoulder length. I want to grow out my layers, gain some thickness.

I echo what Cream Tee says. I would also advise you to start a hair journal. It will take alot of time to figure out what combination of products work well for your hair and all you will do for it, not to mention different needs surrounding climate, etc.

Take your time and keep a look out for broken hairs (my arch nemeses), dryness, roughness, etc every time you work with your hair, this too should go in your journal. Hopefully you will begin to see a pattern.

...ex. my hair really loved ceramides. I didn't know what they were, I just remembered the time my hair didn't break midstrand was when I used Redkin Anti-snap. I haven't used it in some years, but now I'm going back to it to help stop breakage.

 

[blessedandlucky]

Ladies with relaxed hair, what do you do to take care of your tresses?I keep it simple. wash every 7,10 or 14 days. i wash with abba pure moisture shampoo, deep condition and use joico kpak reconstructor every few weeks. i also use sulfate free products, add almond oil to my conditioner (ao honeysuckle rose) and relax every 8-10 weeks. i use heat with each wash only. i tried airdrying in various ways and it's not for me. i just recently gave that up. i trim as needed.

What length is your hair now, and what is your goal? My hair is what would be bsl on most people, my bra is mid-back. (see my siggie for recent photo)

What do you to in order to improve retention?i've reduced my use of heat, increased deep conditioning, added protein treatments and moisturize my ends every few days. i'm also very gentle when combing and detangling.

Any tips you'd like to share? Do what works for you! pay attn to the ingredients in products you use and how your hair responds. be patient. don't compare your progress to anyone else's. take pictures every few months.