Reverend William E. Flippin, Jr.: Celebrate the Feast of…
BlackVoices History Quest: Detroit
Do you really love your smooth relaxed silky hair? I know I did -- while my hair was relaxed in my pre-teen to young adult life.
The real question is--are you willing to go the extra mile to create a healthy, beautiful hairstyle? One that promotes versatility, while sustaining fullness and volume for a soft, smooth, silky relaxed finish?
One thing you should know about relaxed hair is that over processing and over-lapping your coif is one of the major causes of breakage, shedding and hair loss. The proper technique for relaxing any textured hair is to only relax the curl pattern 80 to 85 % straight -- that means your hair will still have a slight wavy consistency. This is known as elasticity - the ability to stretch.
What are the Top Five Ways to achieve healthy relaxed hair?
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Never allow your stylist to over process or overlap your existing straightened hair. If you happen to have different textures -- in the straightness or curliness of your relaxed mane, it's time for a corrective relaxer process. Every texture is different, so you may not have to relax exactly every 4 - 6 weeks religiously. The softer the texture, the longer you can wait in between touch up services, say 6 to 8 weeks, especially if you follow the 80 to 85 percent rule. Remember, that doesn't hold true for the short straight Mohawk or pixie styles.
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Always, deep condition on a regular basis with a protein and moisturizing combo to strengthen and soften your tresses. After receiving a re-constructor mask or intense conditioning treatment, follow up with a hydrating or moisturizing conditioner. Re-constructors straighten the hair but can also leave your coif a bit hard to the touch.
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Apply a touch of leave-in-conditioner before you blow dry, wrap or roller set. Spray a light thermal mist to protect against heat. Try letting your tresses air dry and then ceramic iron, if you are not receiving a wrap or roller set. And never blow dry completely wet hair with a hot blow dryer and brush or attachment comb. This method puts to much stress on the hair, especially if your hair is bone straight.
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Wear a silk or satin scarf to protect your hair against breakage. And if you prefer to wear your hair free, try a satin pillow case. Water or vapor mist will undo any heat applied ceramic straightening so make sure to wear a plastic cap in the shower or bath.
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Protect your split ends with a light moisturizing pomade, a botanical or silicone gloss or Shea butter /essential oil based creme. This technique will ensure your ends do not split in between a long overdue trim or cut.
Stay tuned for part two: The Top Five Ways to Achieve Healthy Natural Hair! Coming soon...
Comments: (97)
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By: Kelly on 2/07/2008 9:19PM
I started regrowing my hair about a year ago. My hair in natural right now and it medium length (at my shoulders, when combed straight) I want to straighten it but my hair is really coarse. So I was wondering if anyone knows a good straightener or a good relaxer other the "creme of nature" types. I want to do my research before I relax it
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By: Danielle on 8/17/2010 4:08PM
Cantu!!!! i love it. it used to be called Bantu but it's Cantu now. you can find it at Walmart. Also use Marula Oil on your hair. its a light moisturizer but it's amazing. OH AND!!! (lol) use Palmer's Olive Oil grease.
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By: Jasmine on 2/06/2011 1:09AM
-I honestly Suggest the Dominican Blowout {its the best thing thats ever happened to me}
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By: Rita on 2/29/2008 3:40AM
There's nothing wrong with being light skinned. God makes us all to look the way we look. If we're going to be black and proud, we also need to be secure enough in our blackness and African ancestry without feeling the need to tear down light skinnned people -especailly if we're going to be united as a people. We definitely have to stop looking down on each other for being darker with kinkier hair. You're never to black to be a black person. I have heard waaaaay more darker skinned people putting down someone darker because that person is darker. We also have to stop marrying and mating with light skinned blacks, whites and non-blacks just so we can have kids with "good" hair and lighter skin. You should marry for love not what you perceive to be biological traits of status or affluence. If you're happy with you, why contemplate someone else? If you have a problem with light skinned people, its just your problem. Its not like they wre born light skinned just to make your life difficult. God didn't make them light skinned just to make your life difficult.
If you really want to know how light skinned people came into being, you need to study the true origins of African slavery. You need to know that Africans were enslaving and selling other Africans (such as prisoners of tribal wars) to the peoples to the north and east of them. The Europeans came in on the slave trade last and they certainly didn't swoop into Africa and kidnap anybody. Up until towards the end of the European slave trade, most of the people sold into slavery were prisoners of war, criminals and other people considered to be misfits. Europe and the Americas to them is what Australia was to the English. In the old kingdoms of Benin and Dahomey, the Africans themselves raided their own people to sell to Englishmen breaking the law and other nations once England banned the slave trade in efforts to industrialize.
The people of our Ancesters did everything to facilitate slavery and the creation of light skinned blacks. Slavery was a business practice exploited by Africans, Middle Easterners and LASTLY - the Europeans. It took the Europeans the make serious efforts towards ending as far as their participation was concerned. There it is. If you don't believe me read a credible and historically accurate African History book, in particular, West African History.
Hair is hair. Just be happy that you have and take good care of it.
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By: brianna on 5/20/2008 11:58AM
TRACEY ELLIS ROSS'S HAIR ISNT THAT LONG ITS BARELY BRATSTRAP LONG IS LIKE PAST BSTRAP OR WAIST PLZ...AND WHY WOULD U SAY THAT BROWNSKINNED SISTERS CAN'T PULL A MILLIONAIRE .YALL DUMB IM WEST AFRICAN AND WE THINK ALLL SKIN TONES ARE PRETTY ACATA....
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By: liesbeth on 6/05/2008 9:15PM
is there a way you should go about when you want stop relaxing your hair?
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By: brianna on 7/07/2008 8:35PM
forget 6-8 weeks if you wanna seee sum length...actual length stretch for 9 ,10 to 14 weeks...even 6 motns...when i stopped going to tha salon...(scissor happy) and started started getting perms at 9,10 weeks, with the help of braids,did i truly see growth...dont forget weekly dcing... and montly/bi monthly protein treatments(ors mayo,nexxus emergence)...forget 8 weeks...try stretching
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By: Nikki on 7/31/2008 10:57AM
If you haven't been to the Long Hair Care Forum, check it out. Check out some of those women's Fotki pages.
ANYONE can grow long hair. Yes, some of our textures differ. Some Black women have a more relaxed coil -when generally results in less dry hair-and so are less prone to breakage. Some of us have a tighter coil (which generally results in a dryer texture-so are more prone to breakage.
Improve your diet, make sure you are getting the proper nutrients, take a supplement if necessary. Just as you read food labels to ensure you aren't getting Trans Fat, Hydrogenated Oils, etc...Read your hair product labels. If Petroleum (petrolatum), Mineral Oil, Sodium Laurel Sulfate is listed as one of the first few ingredients, PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF!!!! Most makers of "black" hair products are NOT Black and put that crap in products cause it's cheap and gives the illusion of shiny hair.
Heat is the ENEMY! Cut your heat appliances down to once a week at most. Roller set your hair, wet set. Or if you must, use heat the 1st day you wash ONLY(hair has the most moisture at this time).
True you may never have "silky" hair. some of us have natural shine and some don't. But you can have healthy hair. And if you are so inclined, you can have long hair.
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By: Rhamonna Michelle L. Simmons on 9/07/2008 11:09PM
I think she looks fantastic... and its not fake at all! I have known so called "pure" African American people that have had hair that could grow that length or longer... yes, it was relaxed a bit, but it was their hair, not fake! Like all races there are differences in characteristics... why hate our own people because of hair differences? I always thought this was ridiculous! I don't see anglo's freaking out on their friends because of hair texture...
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By: paula on 9/29/2008 1:23AM
Hello to all my sistas out there living and loving the beautiful skin they are in. Greetings to all my Macadamia majesties, French vanilla rulers, butterscotch duchesses, caramel royal highnesses, mocha pharaohs, cocoa princesses, almond joy queens, coffee Supremes, milk chocolate empresses, and my favorite of all my rich dark chocolate goddesses. All brown beauties are royalty in their own right. I suggest that you wear the silhouette that your heavenly father has dressed you in (in his own image) and stand fierce in it. I am a dark chocolate goddess and I am not afraid to say that I have the most course of any type of hair out there. This is my hair. Regimen and what I have found to work for my hair type. I took me a long time to get to the point that I am now, but it takes a lot of work and patience. I’m not going to tell you that my hair is down my back, because its not. I just cut my above the shoulder length hair off a couple of months ago, because of a bad self dye job. I started blogging and reading forums about how to grow my hair back and ended up with this regimen that I find that works great for me. I wash my hair every Saturday with Aphogee products; I deep condition my hair with a mixture of my favorite deep conditioners that I think work best for me. I know it sounds crazy, but it works for me. So it is important that you find what products work best for you. When I first started I just wanted to grow my hair so bad that I just tried everything. Hell, I had 1 inch of hair and it was so thick, I figured what could hurt anyway. I mixed Dr. Miracle damage hair medicated treatment, motions critical repair, and lustasilk green tea cholesterol together to make a deep conditioner. I bought a golden hot heating conditioning cap from on for about 15 to 30 minutes. I washed it out and use my keratin 2 minute reconstruct and finish it with my Aphogee moisturizer balancer. I towel dried and added leave- in conditioner. I wrap my hair with a big tooth comb, Green Tea wrapping foam and tapper my edges with Lets Jam. I put a stocking cap on my head. I know it sounds like a lot but that’s why I do it on Saturdays so I would have time to do it all. During the week it pays off. I use Summit Liv cream or Spanish sur-grow (not the white cream but the pink kind it smells good) use just a little; you don’t need a lot you want it to shine not weigh the hair down. I use leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle to spray to keep my hair moist. When I press or curl my hair during the week I use Spanish sur-gro the satin press (the white cream) to protect my hair from the heat. I relax my hair with Dr. Miracle- regular (just because your hair is thick it doesn’t mean you need a super). Every 8 weeks I relax my hair, I do touch ups with a weaker kid’s relaxer every 4 weeks (if necessary). Every 3rd week of the 8 week process I put alphogee intensive protein treatment on my hair. I always do it a week or so before a relaxer or any chemical treatment to strengthen the hair. Don’t do it every week treat it as if you a relaxer. If you use it to much it will break your hair off because it is so potent and rich in protein. Yeap I have been doing all this for 3 months and I am happy with my hair. I get compliments on my shiny thick hair and it’s not spritzed and it does not feel like a helmet. It may be short but it can move in the wind. My hair is under my ear lobe now, so the growing pretty good.
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