Relaxer Suggestions for THE Most Resistant Hair

[Prose Princess]

OK ladies. I'm at my wit's end. Four weeks ago I relaxed with Silk Elements Lye Regular trying to go easy on my hair. I left it on for 25 minutes and it came out heavily underprocessed and eventually it was like I never relaxed at all. Fast forward 4 weeks to today, I did a corrective with Mizani Lye Super (the original, not butter blends), left it on for THIRTY MINUTES, and my hair is STILL underprocessed. And I don't mean that nice, texlaxed, curly kind of underprocessed, I mean that what the **** is that? kind of underprocessed . So I know it has to be corrected or else the rest of my hair is gonna break off.

So can anyone offer any suggestions for a relaxer that processes resistant 4b/z hair like mine with ease without damaging it?

At this point I think I'm going to try one more time on my own, and if it doesn't work then, I'll either have to go hunting for a stylist or go natural. My frustration is unbearable at this point. PLEASE help!!!

 

[Mertzy]

I'm sorry to hear this. Hopefully someone can answer this for you.

 

[soulie]

What are you doing to prep your hair before you relax? Are you adding oil/SAA/anything to your relaxer?

 

[Prose Princess]

The first time I just based my scalp and covered my relaxed ends with Blue Magic grease. This time I didn't even do that because I was afraid of underprocessing again. I didn't add anything to the relaxer either time for the same reason. The Mizani didn't burn at all the entire time. I thought about leaving it on longer but got scared. Thirty minutes should be enough time right??

 

[sqzbly1908]

Hi friend I am wondering about your application. When relaxing you don't want to be shy - slather that stuff on. You want to put alot on to relax the hair as smoothing just determines how straight it is and whether you need to leave it on longer or rinse

 

[pisceschica]

The only thing I can possibly think of is a couple of days before you relax your hair use a clarifying treatment or shampoo. I think another problem maybe when it comes to smoothing the hair. That is an important step if you want to make sure that your hair processes the way that you want.

 

[Prose Princess]

I clarified on Monday, and I made sure to smooth during the process. I slathered the relaxer on in the front, but not as much in the back, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

 

[pisceschica]

how much newgrowth did you have? Alot of people don't realize that if you have more than 3/4" of new growth the application should be treated as a virgin relaxer. If you apply it like a new growth the hair closest to your roots will be straight or more processed (b/c of your body heat) than the hair 1".

 

[mrsjohnson75]

I use ORS relaxer. Don't do another corrective for a long while though..since you have already done 2 applications.

 

[SelfStyled]

At this point I am hoping that your hair is not overprocessed....

I feel your pain, cause I have resistant hair too. I have learned to embrace that my hair will never be bone straight, and I am okay with that.

My hair hasn't always been this way.....I suspect that after I became hypothyroid that my hair became resistant. With that being said, Thyroid medications aren't the only meds that can interfere with relaxer processing?

My question for you?

Are you on any daily meds?
Is your whole head resistant- or is it a few spots?
Has your hair always been resistant?
Have you noticed a difference between lye and no lye?
Can they get it straight at the salon?

What has made a difference for me is using a clarifying/chelating shampoo on the wash before I relax, and really slathering on the creme, also I do not base my scalp only my hair line. I have one area that revert after every relaxer and I make sure that I clarify this one trouble spot weekly.

I am hoping that you can get this figured out.

 

[Kellum]

I tried to relaxed my virgin hair with SE Lye regular and it left me severely under processed too. I had to get a corrective and the stylist used Affirm Fiber Guard Sensitive Scalp No Lye. I'm not sure what strength. It may have been mild or regular. My hair still didn't come out straight. It is only about 85% relaxed but I can deal with that better than the way it was. At least now I can roller set to get it straight where before I couldn't. I would rather it be not bone straight with some elasticity than to be risk being over processed.

I would also be careful with trying to do a 3rd corrective. Even though the hair is under processed it still has been chemically relaxed and is weak. Be sure and do protein treatments before hand.

 

[Prose Princess]

At this point I am hoping that your hair is not overprocessed....

I feel your pain, cause I have resistant hair too. I have learned to embrace that my hair will never be bone straight, and I am okay with that.

My hair hasn't always been this way.....I suspect that after I became hypothyroid that my hair became resistant. With that being said, Thyroid medications aren't the only meds that can interfere with relaxer processing?

My question for you?

Are you on any daily meds? I just recently started on the pill, but other than that, no
Is your whole head resistant- or is it a few spots? I think it's my whole head, but it's especially bad in my crown and on the sides
Has your hair always been resistant? I couldn't really tell you, I've had a stylist do it for most of my life. But the few times that my mom did it, it didn't take that well, so I guess it has always been resistant.
Have you noticed a difference between lye and no lye? I've never tried no-lye as far as I know, unless one of my stylists used it in the past
Can they get it straight at the salon? Yes

What has made a difference for me is using a clarifying/chelating shampoo on the wash before I relax, and really slathering on the creme, also I do not base my scalp only my hair line. I have one area that revert after every relaxer and I make sure that I clarify this one trouble spot weekly.

I am hoping that you can get this figured out.

Looking at my answers to these questions it seems like I need to just give up on relaxers. Maybe my hair is just too rebellious for them Cuz I know my hair was healthy in the first few years of me getting relaxers, then my ends started to thin out, and it was just one problem after another ever since.

 

[imaccami]

Wow, this is a tough one. I really can't think of any good advice, maybe texlaxed is in the cards for you. In my experience bone straight doesn't exist because I've always had to use the dryer and flat iron to get my hair straight, but you said that they can get it straight at the salon...only thing I can think of is to try to use the same brand that they use at the salon. Good luck!

 

[Prose Princess]

This experience actually pushed me over the edge. I decided to transition! I just don't want to to keep trying to force my hair to do something it doesn't wanna do, it's just not healthy and it hasn't worked for me thus far. So it's time to try something new! I appreciate all of your suggestions and support though!

 

[Freespirit02]

Umm..i'm still going through newbie bootcamp but I would like to give a some advice as well . I think you should wait about two months to relax your hair again and if it doesn't come out straight..roller set it. I would say flatiron it, but I don't know if you hair will like all that heat..

 

[SelfStyled]

This experience actually pushed me over the edge. I decided to transition! I just don't want to to keep trying to force my hair to do something it doesn't wanna do, it's just not healthy and it hasn't worked for me thus far. So it's time to try something new! I appreciate all of your suggestions and support though!

Best of luck with your transistion. Your are smart to listen to your hair- cause it always wins in the end.

 

[Xerxes]

Looking at my answers to these questions it seems like I need to just give up on relaxers. Maybe my hair is just too rebellious for them Cuz I know my hair was healthy in the first few years of me getting relaxers, then my ends started to thin out, and it was just one problem after another ever since.

Hmm, from your response to others' questions it appears that you only get underprocessed hair when you or your mom attempt to relax your hair. However, when you let your stylist do it, your hair relaxes appropriately. I don't think your hair is resistant, it just needs the right professional doing the treatment.

You need to stop doing the self relaxers and let professionals you trusted in the past do it.

This thread helps me feel so much better about my personal decision not to self relax. Six weeks ago, I wanted to save money and try this myself, but it truly takes skill, time, dedication (also a couple of mirrors) and practice to self relax properly, especially if you are stretching and have lots of newgrowth.

We trash stylists here so much, but the good ones are worth their weight in gold.

If you fail to self relax properly, please give your hair 2 months to recover and leave it to professionals. It truly is worth the money to pay a stylist to give you a good relaxer if you can't do it yourself. Your hair deserves the best treatment and a relaxer is too strong a chemical for amateurs to play with (without the aforementioned, patience, dedication, skill, etc). Get some braids, do some deep conditioning protein treatments, hide your hair and decide if you can't control your underprocessed hair, how are you going to deal with it and all of your new natural hair you are going to grow out as you transition. <getting off my creamy-crack, pro-stylist soapbox>