Relaxed Hair Tings

Pain is not normal. It should not be a characteristic of how you style your hair. This is the biggest lesson I learned. When I was still trying to find a good hairdresser this was one of the red flags I looked for. Some would say to just bear with it for a while, beauty is painful... No, it does not have to be. If a stylist took me seriously when I said my scalp is tingling already and made efforts to wrap up and get me rinsed out they got points from me. Usually stylists who insisted I wait longer were also the ones who did not listen to requests like not using  a rat tail comb to smooth the relaxer or detangle. My hair needs a lot of patience a lot of the time. While it is thick and very coily and can handle extra strength relaxer, my scalp is not made of steel.  I have already accepted the fact that my hair will never be relaxed bone straight. When people see my hair air dried they ask if I am going to relax my hair! I just smile. Now I am doing it all myself. I am happy to be able ...

Still going. Back to my bun and moisturising my hair. Planning on wash day this Saturday. We are half way through the week and I am looking up hair styles that I may or may not try. I really want to keep this stretch simple and boring. This is usually what works the best for me. All the excitement and breakage get old pretty quick.

I tried putting my hair up differently. Still keeping my ends tucked away. Hope you had a great start to the week!

After I do all my prep and relaxer is mixed, I set my timer for 15 minutes. It's time to start. I put on my gloves and press start. It's now a race against time to apply the relaxer and smooth my hair. I don't add anything to my relaxer besides the activator. I alternate the side I start applying relaxer on each time. I found It's easier for me to start from the back and work my way to the front. Having my hair already sectioned makes the whole process so much faster. I apply to my edges and nape after applying everywhere else and then I smooth in the relaxer using my hands. It is at this point as well that I remove the twists in my hair. Once my timer goes off, I head on to the sink and wash it out. I apply the neutralising shampoo that comes in the box and let it sit for 5minutes then I rinse it out. I repeat this step and rinse it out to make sure there is no more relaxer left in my hair. Next step is the conditioner. I also use the one that comes in the box. After a...

I went and bought more relaxer kits for next time. I hope one day there will be enough supply and demand to see a beauty supply store that stocks relaxers etc have a sale happen. I also had to return the flat iron I bought. The advertising said it had a retractable comb and after contacting the seller they confirmed this was not the case. There were no instructions and I had tried everything to no avail. They offered me a full refund so will see when that comes through. In the meantime I'll be sticking to a normal flat iron. On my non eventful weekends at home, I love being able to go at my own pace as I get things done around the house. Next weekend is wash day. Hope you are keeping safe and well. 

This is 6months apart. November 2020 vs May 2021. It's been quite interesting being intentional about my hair. I am by no means on top of it all. Small things like remembering to take pictures to track progress and having a hair diary have been worth it. There's still a lot I am learning and working on like taking better photos or flat ironing my hair.  Slowly understanding what works for my hair, my time and circumstances has meant that I have to stop myself from certain things at times or push myself to do other things. Staying focused on the kind of hair and life I want to have keeps me grounded.  Have a great weekend!

Once you find a routine that works stick with it. Let's  talk about how I prepare for relaxer. This really marks the start of the process for me. My wash day before relaxer is where it starts. I clarify my hair with a clarifying shampoo to make sure all the build up is removed. This is currently the main difference to my normal wash day. I usually style my hair in a low bun and try not to manipulate my hair or scratch my scalp. You don't want an irritated scalp before relaxer as that can lead to relaxer burns on your scalp. The day before relaxer I part my hair into four sections and loosley twist my hair in smaller sections within them. I do this by starting the twisting roughly at the line of demarcation between the new growth and the already relaxed hair. Then I base my scalp with coconut oil. These sections make the whole application process so much easier and quicker. No fighting with your hair to get to the new growth. After wash day when I am dealing with my hair I only ...

It's been 7 days. I am now 1 week post relaxer.  It feels so short and so long at the same time. My hair has been easy to manage and I am looking forward to another week.  I must say I am tempted to try all kinds of styles now that my hair is a little longer. However I want to try and stick it out this stretch doing just a low bun. This time it was easy to do since I straightened my hair for my trim. I wonder if it will be the same after wash day. Hoping it will be easier to keep it somewhat stretched. When it's stretched there is less tangles and less matting which is what we want. It's almost the weekend counting down!

Relaxing your hair is a choice you make. Personally having relaxed hair is more manageable and fits with my lifestyle.  I mentioned previously that as your hair grows out you  would have to retouch the new growth if you want to maintain the relaxed look. This step is also your choice. Some only get a retouch twice a year and that works for them.  I am still learning my hair and trying to find that sweet spot. You don't want to do it too often that your hair gets over processed. You also don't want to leave it too long that your hair is too hard to manage. Both lead to breakage.  While it is your choice when to retouch,  knowing your hair enough to tell that you've waited too long is important.  Knowing that you have enough new growth for the relaxer to be applied too is important.  There's no need to keep up with what other people are doing because everyone's hair is different. You can watch and learn from what they are doing and there's no need to jump on every...

A few thoughts on what a relaxer treatment is. I  am no professional just my experience.  A relaxer is a chemical treatment where relaxers reduce the curl by breaking down the hair strand and chemically altering the texture of your hair leaving a permanent effect on the hair.   Typically, the treatment does not straighten the hair completely. Rather, it softens very tight or kinky curls. Many find they still need to straighten their hair after having it relaxed if they want it to be completely straight. As your hair grows out you would need  a retouch to apply relaxer to the new growth. When to retouch varies for each person. Some over the counter straighteners can not be used on color treated hair. Personally it really makes my hair more manageable. Less tears and tangles. There are other kinds of hair treatments out there but this is more accessible to me. Have you tried other kinds of straightening treatments before?

Yesterday after a long day I moisturised my hair before putting it up for the night. I know some people like to wear their hair out especially after flat ironing it. I have decided to keep it up with my ends tucked away and so adding in some product doesn't bother me. Also it feels like winter is already here and when it's cold and windy my hair easily dries out. Today is my day to recover from the previous week and set myself up for the new one. I will mainly be around the house getting this and that organised at a leisurely pace. Once the work week starts it will be go go go. I am going to dig out some hair bands and see if I can use them to keep my hair out of the way.  I hope you are having a restful weekend. 

Day 2 hair is still feeling and looking great. I have been mostly at home and kept it under my scarf. It's still cold. I thought to share why I choose to relax my hair. All it comes down to is it's a lifestyle choice. My schedule is very hectic and having a whole day dedicated to washing my hair on a regular basis just doesn't work. Having my hair relaxed means that I can wash, style it and be out the door in an hour or less. My relaxer routine is roughly an hour and a half.  If need be I can breakdown the process into smaller chunks over 2days for example and not worry about my hair being a matted mess. Cowashing can also be a lifesaver for those times I need  to freshen up my hair without the full wash process.  I don't use heat a lot because of the amount of time needed on top of my wash or relaxer routine. Also I am no silk press queen. I am sure with more practice I will get better at it. Since deciding to go full diy I have decided to flat iron every 4 months when...

This is how I had my hair today. It's cold, windy, wet and can be quite gloomy as we get into winter. Rain is forecast for tomorrow too. Not sure yet how I will be wearing my hair tomorrow.  I am thinking of keeping my ends tucked and out of the way as much as possible. At the current length cornrows, a bun and headscarf are what I can play with. As it grows out I am hoping to mix it up with different updo styles. At night I am applying a small amount of my dark and lovely oil moisturiser to my hair.  Then I put it up for the night and call it a day, nice and simple. What are some of your favourite updos? Any tips for my current length?

Today was relaxer day. This week was 10 weeks post relaxer for me and it was time. The process went smoothly and there was no burning.  As my hair gets longer it's started having looser curl pattern after relaxer. I also think getting used to the process helped. I had applied and smoothed my hair a couple of times before my timer went off at 15 minutes. I also attempted to flat iron it and dusted my ends. Picture was taken after the dusting in the smoke that is the aftermath of my flat ironing session. I am really happy with my progress.  My hair is soft and shiny, feels strong and has movement both when wet and dry.  The plan is to continue on a very minimal routine where I leave my hair as much as possible.  I am planning to post a log everyday for the next 30days with little  updates on what I am doing with my hair each day and some other hair thoughts and learnings. Let me know if there is a particular topic you want me to discuss. Most days will be the same...

As I am getting ready for relaxer and things are back to being more hectic. I decided to simplify my regimen for this next stretch as much as possible. So far I have noticed my scalp needs to be left alone and stretching longer than 8 weeks has resulted in a lot of shedding and some breakage. I am dialing things down quite a bit this stretch to try and find the sweet spot.  Without further rambling here it is: Daily  Moisturise every night before putting it up Wear hair in a bun/up do Fortnightly  Shampoo and condition  Airdry Moisturise  Wear in a bun/french twist/cornrows etc Monthly  Clarify  8weeks  Relax 16weeks Flat iron Trim/dust ends  How are things going for you? Is your regimen working well?

 I am currently 4week post relaxer and am planning to stretch to 10weeks this time around. What is relaxer stretching? Also commonly referred to just as stretching, relaxer stretching is when you wait to apply relaxer to your hair after the last application. How long to stretch is an individual decision, however there are a few things to consider. Generally people stretch from 8 to 12 weeks to 6 months or even a year. The main reason for stretching is to ensure there is enough new growth to apply relaxer without overlapping previously relaxed hair. Overlapping can lead to over processed, damaged thin hair. What to consider when stretching One of the things to consider is how quickly your hair grows. If your hair grows out pretty quickly you may have sufficient new growth to relax at 8 weeks for example compared to someone who might need to get to 14 weeks for the same amount of growth. This also links into another consideration of how manageable it is. If your new growth is super t...

 It's been a while since my last update. Hope you have all been well, learning and making progress towards your goals. I try to use each relaxer stretch as way to find my ideal routine, products etc. Last stretch I had noticed some itching and flaking on my scalp and wanted to get to the bottom of it. It wasn't a major irritation but it made me feel like I needed to wash my hair more often. One ain't nobody got time for that and two the dollars I have are finite, also there was no guarantee washing more often would resolve it. I am looking to make a nice routine that I can manage in spite of what life may throw at me. Having said that I completely stripped back what I was doing. I stopped oiling my scalp. Initially I had stopped using my oil mix and went down to just olive oil but my scalp was itching before the week was out. I tried just my coconut oil and had the same result so I completely stopped. The itching and flaking completely reduced. When I deep conditioned I had...

  The below is what my regimen is currently looking like. I am still working on it as I learn what my hair likes and also trying to find products that I will stick to all the time. Daily - Put hair up in a scarf/bonnet when I go to sleep   Weekly - Shampoo and condition x1 - Moisturize and seal x2 - Oil scalp x2   Monthly - Clarify x 1 - Deep condition x2   Others: - Dust/trim as needed  - Wear protective/low manipulation styles 99% - Prepoo as needed   What is your current regimen and has been working for you?

With starting my hair journey I quickly realized I needed to make note of how things were going. This  included making note of what products I liked or disliked and why. That's how my hair diary started. Before I started my hair journey I would buy whatever products I could find at the shops and use them. Once they run out I would go back see what is available and buy that. I have realized that most products especially for relaxed hair are imported from overseas. If the store thinks a product is not popular or going slowly they may choose not to restock when it runs out. This is the kind of challenge I have on top of some products being discontinued. With starting my hair journey and trying to find products I like, I now have to make a conscious effort to find them. My current plan is to find a main staple product and a back up for each use. Hopefully they will be from different companies too. Recently trying to see what some highly recommended products cost left me a little down a...

  First ever roller set!   We welcomed the new year and I started preparing for my relaxer. For the first time in a while I could now part my hair into 4 sections! This really showed the progress as last time I struggled to section it. A new thing that I added to my relaxer routine was to twist my hair in those sections. I did this a few days prior. It wasn't a precise job by any means but it really helped on the day. I was able to go through applying the relaxer in a good amount of time and managed to smooth my hair out a few times before rinsing the relaxer out. I have seen this method from a few ladies on YouTube and it certainly makes the process much smoother. I was going to do a comparison with pictures of my last relaxer and this one but I didn't feel like flat ironing my hair so that will have to be for some other time. After relaxer my hair is soft and easier to comb and run my fingers through. However my hair is still curly and still has texture. I would like to get ...