Transitioning: Reason #6

REASON #6: Relaxer burns

I haven't had a bad relaxer burn since I started my hair journey, but every now and then I still get the "tingling" feeling and some sensitivity or redness after a relaxer.  Even though there probably isn't too much damage done to my scalp from the tingling, I still hate it.  I'm uncomfortable, and I worry about getting sores/scabs.

Relaxers really should not burn your scalp, but sometimes they do.  For a whole week before getting a relaxer I can't scratch my scalp.  Or go swimming.  Or work out.  Or wear a tight hat. Or do anything that might open my pores .  That sucks.  I think I'm the most sensitive in one place- the back on my right side.  When I burn, I always burn in that spot.  I wonder why that is?? When I was a teenager just starting to get a relaxer, I didn't know you weren't supposed to go swimming before a relaxer.  My stylist knew I went swimming - she should have just sent me home and told me to come back in a few days, but she didn't.  I still remember how miserable that salon visit was.  It still amazes me how many stylists will not rinse out the relaxer if their client's head is on fire.  Oil sheen only works for about 10 seconds.

I don't even scratch my scalp anymore, but it's a psychological thing for me.  The week before I get a relaxer is usually when my scalp is at it's itchiest!  My dad and my cousins used to always tease and mock me for patting my head!

When I was in college, I went home with a friend and had her stylist relax my hair.  Before she even started, she told me that the relaxer would burn because she didn't use a base and wanted to get my hair as straight as possible.  You can guess that my head was like one big scab for a week after.  I didn't even have a nice hair style, because my hair was matted to the sores.

I started my healthy hair journey four years ago after getting a terrible burn.  I think it was actually an allergic reaction, because the relaxer didn't burn as the stylist put it in.  She applied a semi-permanent color right after (I don't know the name, but I now know that all semi-permanent colors and I do not get along).  I was fine when I left the shop, but the next day, I had oozing sores all over my scalp.  To top it off, when I called the stylist, she told me not to wash my hair, but to just grease my scalp!  What horrible advice.  I could have probably saved some of the hair breakage and scalp damage if I had just shampooed and conditioned my hair the next day...thank goodness I did some research online and found the great hair care blogs and forums I still refer to today.

Please don't think I am all of a sudden against relaxers.  I'm not.  I just want to try something different.  I'm sure in a few weeks, I will be literally fiending like an addict for a relaxer and want my straight hair back.  This is just one of the reasons I am trying to stop getting relaxers.  For me, it's a mental transition just as much as it is a physical one.

Pretty Good Twistout

I did a twistout last night. It's not great, but I felt good enough about it to wear it to work today.

The curls/twists have fallen some, so I'm liking it better as the day goes on.  I did it on dry hair.  I dampened my hair first with aloe vera juice, and added some Creme of Nature Argan Oil wrap lotion and coconut oil.  I did 5 flat twists (like cornrows) and curled the ends with flexirods.  I've never done flat twists before.  I'm excellent at cornrowing, but just using 2 pieces of hair feels awkward to me.  My ends seem a little frizzy- I'm not sure what I did wrong.  Maybe I need to smooth the ends better on the roller.   The curls are defined, but I wish the twists were bigger.  My relaxed hair is so thin that I don't know how I could get a more wavy look with the twists...if I do less than 5 twists, will more of my roots show?  I definitely need to work on getting better at these styles.  Maybe next time I'll sit under the dryer for a little while to try to get smoother results.  I have to admit it's been nice today going out and not worrying about the rain. Normally on rainy and windy days like today, I make sure I have a hat on.

I also need to do something about my platinum hair around my edges. The semi permanent color I've been using (Adore) isn't working anymore.  I may re-visit henna again.   


My roots are THICK.  I have about an inch and a half of new growth, but I still have no idea what my true texture is.  Although this style isn't a huge success, the fact that I've been able to keep my air dried hair moisturized for 2 days is a wonderful thing that I'm still shocked about.


I'm going to the gym tonight, so I'll probably co-wash and try again!

Air Drying Success (Finally)

One of my biggest challenges has been air drying. I always end up with hard, dry, crinkly hair.  However, I as progress in my transition, I'm going to have to master air drying.  Last night when I came home from the gym, I knew I had to do something, but I didn't want to roller set it- I was tired, and it was just too much manipulation, since I set it just 2 days before.

My friend (in my head), On Some Hair Sh*t, reminded me to "Kimmaytube" my leave-in conditioner for shinier hair.  I tried this about a year ago, and loved it.  I'm not quite sure why I didn't keep doing it, because I really do get good results.

I co-washed with Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner.  I used this conditioner to co-wash when I first started my hair journey 4 years ago, but stopped using it when I started to use V05 more.  I always keep some in the house because my stepdaughter uses it to co-wash when she stays with us.  Anyway, I'm in love with this conditioner.  First of all, I love the smell of coconut.  Secondly, I couldn't believe how easy it was to de-tangle my hair.  When I rinsed it out, my hair felt silky and smooth.  I dried my hair with a t-shirt to prevent frizz, and then added my leave-in.  I mixed about a quarter size amount of Salerm 21 leave-in conditioner with 1 tablespoon of aloe vera juice and one teaspoon of jojoba oil.  I tied my edges down with a silk scarf and let my hair air dry.  Every 20 minutes or so, I would check my hair in the mirror and looked shiny and smooth.  When I felt my hair, it felt moist from the roots to the tips.  It was like a miracle.  My ends never stay smooth when I air dry. My plan was to attempt a braidout or twistout, but I was just too tired, so I put my hair in a bun and went to bed.  I'll try later this week.

This experience really boosted my confidence in air drying.  Now, I just need to work on my edges...

Transitioning: Reason #11

When I was in the car waiting for my man, I scribbled a list of 15 reasons why I am transitioning to natural hair.  Over the next few weeks, I will discuss all 15, and maybe even add a few more.  These are in no particular order, I just feel like starting with 11 today!

REASON #11: Skimpy Ponytail

I hate my little skimpy ponytail.  I love to see thick, luscious ponytails.  Unfortunately, this is not the case for my hair. Not only is it because my hair is fine, but also relaxed.  Sometimes I feel like I've grown my hair in vain because when I wear a ponytail, it looks so sad.  I'd much rather have a short, full, happy puff!

Wash Day

I'm under the dryer now with my deep conditioner in. I'm a little nervous about this wash, since it's the longest I've ever gone without a relaxer. I'm worried I won't be able to handle my new growth. I put some Vatika oil in my hair last night, and this morning I added an egg and some oils to my hair and left them in for about 20 minutes. I'm deep conditing with ORS Replenishing. I have decided to go back to what used to work when I first started my hair journey, and ORS Replenishing was a staple for me. This wash does incorporate a lot of protein, but I'm thinking my hair needs all the strength it can get! Fortunately, my hair hasn't been shedding or breaking, until yesterday. I felt like I had to wash my hair though. Along with the shedding, it felt dirty and hard. It's amazing that I used to go 2-3 weeksvwithout washing my hair. I could not imagine that now! It's hard for me to go past 6 days now.

April 2012 Update

I'm almost 13 weeks post relaxer- the longest I think I've ever gone.  Yay me!  I am definitely planning on transitioning to natural, but I'm open to texlaxing in a month or so if things get too hard for me.

I've been going to the salon every other week.  I get a rollerset and then they blow out my roots.  The salon I've been going to does a really good blowing out my roots on a low setting and still getting them straight. Straight hair definitely keeps my hair from shedding and breaking off as much.  Between the salon visits, I wash and deep condition my own hair.  I usually will rollerset and flat iron my roots.  I have tried airdrying.  FAIL.  I have tried braidouts.  FAIL. I end up with hard and extremely dry hair.  I welcome any tips or suggestions!

In the past few weeks, I've also been trying some new products and techniques, and have discovered a few things:

1. S-Curl is not my friend. I've tried using it different ways and in different quantities and I still don't like it. When I use a little, my hair feels dry and coated. When I use more, my hair feels wet and mushy. I hate how the product feels on my hands. I hate how it smells.  I will not be using S-Curl, Hawaiian Silky, Wave Nouveau, Carefree Curl, or any other similar products in the future. I just can't.

2. Argan Oil is my friend. Although I haven't used straight argan oil yet, my hair seems to really like products with argan oil in them. I've been using Hair One with argan oil, and Creme of Nature Shampoo with Argan Oil, and my hair comes out really moist and shiny. I've also been using serums with argan oil, and although I'm not convinced that products with silicones are good for my hair, I do get great first, second and third day hair with them.

I'm working on changing my mental state by appreciating women I see with natural hair. I am looking forward to having big hair that I can wear curly or straight.

This is not the best picture, just one of me and my son being silly, but I did my hair myself (rollerset + pincurls):

Product Review: Hair One Cleanser and Conditioner with Argan Oil for Curly Hair

I bought this a while ago, when my jojoba one (for color treated hair) was running low, since I wasn't that impressed with it.  I've seen so many great reviews on Hair One, that I wanted to try a different formula.  I had also tried the olive oil formula pack a while ago and didn't really like it.  I settled on the Argan Oil one made for curly hair.  So far I've used this four times.

Product Description
Hair One with argan oil for curly hair cleanses while infusing hair with argan oil, keratin, fatty acids, proteins and other nutrients. The formula is sulfate free and is safe to use with color treated hair. Hair One leaves damaged hair soft, shiny, and full of body, and improves the overall health of your hair.
* Safe for color-treated hair * For curly hair * Sulfate free

Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, CID 157846, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernal Oil, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum).

Directions
1. Rinse hair thoroughly for at least 1 minute. Apply 5-7 pumps to the crown of head and 8-10 pumps to nape/back of head. Massage vigorously into scalp for 2-3 minutes. Then add an extra splash of water to help evenly distribute through the ends.

2. Now add 5-10 pumps (depending on hair length) through the mid-shafts and ends to thoroughly cleanse and hydrate the hair. The more product you use the better the results. For hair above your shoulders, use a minimum of 5 pumps.  For hair down to your shoulders, use a minimum of 7 pumps.  For hair past your shoulders use a minimum of 10 pumps. Comb through with a wide-tooth comb. Leave on for at least 3-5 minutes. For maximum results, the longer you leave it on the better.

3. Rinse thoroughly and completely for 1-2 minutes by massaging your scalp and running your fingers through to the ends. If desired, apply 1-3 pumps of Hair One as a leave-in conditioner to wet hair. Start at the back of the head and work through to the ends.

My Experience
I pre-poo'd my hair with an oil mix and then followed the directions that were on the bottle.  Contrary to many reviews I've read, I really liked the smell.  I loved how it made my scalp tingle.  The jojoba one didn't make my head tingle like that.  I de-tangled in the shower with the product.  I felt like my hair really got clean (I didn't feel this with the jojoba formula).  When I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, I couldn't believe how moist and shiny my hair looked, even after I airdried it a bit without anymore product.  I don't think I've ever experienced that with any shampoo or conditioner wash. I used a small amount as a leave in and styled my hair as usual.

I. Love. This. Product.  It's my new staple.  My hair felt moist and clean, which is a hard combination for me to achieve.  One thing I didn't like is that I lost a lot of hair de-tangling, so I don't de-tangle with it in anymore.  I didn't see a difference when I didn't deep condition, but I don't want to risk not conditioning my hair, so I'll continue to deep condition once a week.

Last week, I used it to clean my 2 year-old's hair. He has curly hair, about a 3c type.  His hair is really dry and it's a challenge for me to keep it looking and feeling moist.  I instantly saw how well it cleansed his hair better than any conditioner I had used before.  I didn't use it as a leave-in, but I will try next time. The next day his hair was so shiny.  Actually, his hair looked shiny all week.  It felt a little crunchy, but not dry.  This week I'll also use it as a leave in and see if that cures the crunchiness.

My Elasta QP Creme Conditioning shampoo is almost out, and I probably will not purchase another shampoo.  I don't need to.  The Hair One does everything I need.