To relax or not relax

16th February 2010

Hi, i have very kinky hair.. I have gone without a perm for about 8-9 mnths.. I ONLY like to wear my hair straight.. Do you think I should get a relaxer or just stay natural and get blow outs? i say that because i only like to wear my straight and i am cnstatntly having to make it straight when iwash my hair…

Hola Kelly,

I totally relate to this very question. I have not had a relaxer in a LONG time and I’m currently debating putting one in.

Here are the questions that I ask myself:

1. What is my current lifestyle like? Me personally, I workout a lot, do a lot of aerobics and end up with frizzes everyday.
2. Am I putting stress on my hair by not relaxing it, since I like to do my rolos and blowout? I very well could be.
3. Is my hair manageable without a relaxer? Um…not so much LOL.

If you KNOW that you like to wear your hair straight, over wearing it natural, then perhaps relaxing is the best choice. However, if you workout a lot and sweat heavily, as I do, then relaxing may be counter productive.

The deciding factor for me, at the moment is my current state of manageability. Currently, my hair is a difficult nest of tangles. Yes, I still condition and still pamper my hair, but it’s very difficult to work a comb through my hair. That alone may force me to relax.

Also, when I do my rolos, it takes more time for me to dry and a lot more heat to get my hair as straight. Do I really want to apply extra heat every time I blow?

Now, ask yourself the same questions and then weigh your options. Remember that getting a relaxer is a huge decision. It’s the same as deciding to chop off all of your tresses; there’s no turning back. BUT if you prefer wearing your hair straight, keep it conditioned and really have a good routine down, then it may be better, in the long run, to relax.

With that said…stay tuned, because LaNegra is still in the decision phase

Besos,
LaNegra

Posted in Q and A

9 Responses to “To relax or not relax”

Canela
February 16th, 2010 at 10:04 pm

I read that a product called Salerm Brushing is really helpful when trying to blow out your hair when you have a lot of newgrowth. LaNegra, do you have experience with this product? Could you tell us more about it?
LaNegra
February 16th, 2010 at 10:48 pm

Canela!!

Mamita, I am so sorry that I didn’t reply t your question. I was looking into the product, didn’t want to answer until I had some information.
I never heard of it, but I want to ask around. (Ya know, every time someone mentions a new product I get a twinge of excitement).

So, to answer your question…No, I do not have any experience, but if someone does, I would love to hear from them. Canela, if you try it out, let me know what you think, k?

Besos,

LaNegra
Anitra/Morena
February 17th, 2010 at 11:45 pm

I’ll weigh in here on SaLerm. My husbands aunt swears by all of their products. Her hair is naturally curly, however she does have highlights. She started the highlights about two years ago and stopped relaxing. She has always sworn that the SaLerm would stretch out her relaxer time and leave her hair soft and manageable. Since she has been doing the highlights, her hair still looks great, is manageable and growing. She deep conditions weekly and gets Dominican blow outs about twice a month. Usually she just wears a wash and go style.
Now, on to me. She got me so excited about SaLerm that a few years ago I tried the shampoo (can’t remember which one) and the deep conditioner. For me, both products did nothing. My hair wasn’t dried out, but it wasn’t super soft like I like. The shampoo didn’t have enough ‘slip’ for my taste. My hair is natural, very thick and very curly, so like La Negra says, what doesn’t work for me, might work for you.
That’s my two cents. I’m interested to hear anyone else’s experience/opinion.
Canela
February 18th, 2010 at 4:00 am

Its all good LaNegra! I know how busy you must be!! I used the Salerm Brushing yesterday when blowing out my roots. I have alot of new growth because its been almost 4 months since I had a relaxer. It got my roots very straight and smooth. The only problem I had with my blowout was that when I blew out the roots, the rest of my hair didn’t feel as soft and was very tangly. I don’t know what I did wrong but I ended up having to comb out the rest of my hair to get the tangles out which made my hair look puffy and frizzy. I don’t know if you know what I mean, but I don’t know how to keep this from happening.
LaNegra
February 18th, 2010 at 7:33 am

Canela – Well, now you’ve got me way curious about the Salerm Brushing, because I’m really considering relaxing some time in spring. I may have to try Brushing before jumping in.

As for the tangles and frizz, whenever I have frizzed after rolos it’s usually one of two things:
1. I didn’t dry my hair completely or
2. My leave-in added too much of a coating to my hair, which made it seem that the volume doubled and it just didn’t lay the way I wanted. A good example of what I’m talking about is my blowout technique video. Not only did it make it look as if I had dandruff, but it also made my hair look like I had tons of hairspray in it, like I stepped out of an 80′s music video.

The other thing I have noticed is that some products are absolutely wonderful on my relaxed ends, but make my natural hair impossible, while making my relaxed hair happy (vice-versa too). Do you think this might be the case?

Anitra – Shampoos are a HUGE issue for me, regardless to where they are made. That’s why I was so desperate to find a back up for my favorite. BTW, meant to tell you that the shampoo link you sent is not our beloved original formula, it’s the “new and improved” version. So far, the closest I’ve come to the results of Creme of Nature is half-n-half. I use equal amounts of shampoo, mixed with a creme rinse and I get close to the results of Creme of Nature.
Anitra/Morena
February 20th, 2010 at 2:55 am

Oh no! I thought I found you a solution. Well I’ll stay on the hunt because I really love Creme of Nature as well. Sometimes, discontinued items like that will pop up in Conway or Big Lots. I’ll keep my eye out, I can always mail to you.
Good luck with the Salerm, ladies!
LaNegra
February 20th, 2010 at 3:20 pm

Hey Anitra, no worries. We’re all on the look out for the good stuff. However, we also know that it’s going to run out sooner or later, which is why I’ve been playing around with my own concoctions.
maria
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:57 pm

I know you already relaxed but I just wanted to chime in.

First of all transitioning to natural is not for the faint of heart. I transitioned for 10 months and almost lost my damn mind LOL I found it easier to transition by continuing to wear my hair straight because it hid my two crazy textures. That was 3 years ago and my hair is now completely natural. I do straighten it and it comes out very nice. In the summer its counterproductive because my hair reverts in 3 seconds LOL Parezco una bruja once I walk out the door.
Anyway some people do Brazilian Keratin Treatments (BKT) to get rid of the kinks while their hair is transitioning or to be able to have straight hair in the summer. Its an option, but damn it costs like $300+ to get it done. Supposedly your hair reverts back to curly after a few months. I’m too chicken to even find out if that’s true. The thought of transitioning again keeps me in check.
LaNegra
March 3rd, 2010 at 1:35 pm

Maria, you know I’m so afraid of the Brazilian Keratin Treatments. The look great on many, but my research turned up way too many red flags.
So, it only took you 10 months to transition? I haven’t had a relaxer in about 13 months, but it’s no easy task. I have a LOT of relaxed hair and a LOT of natural hair.
The two are at odds with one another LOL.

Claro que si, I’m going to have to make a decision before spring, otherwise, like you, I’ll look like una bruja LOL.

To relax or not relax

9 Responses to “To relax or not relax”

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