Hair relaxants?

Hey guys!

I have extremely curly, tight, kinky, curls. I was thinking about getting my hair relaxed. I love my curls so i do not want to get rid of them, i just want to tame them a bit so i can style my hair differently, maybe get a different hair cut etc.

HOWEVER, 1/2 of my hair is extremely damaged- i used to be a competitive swimmer and also would give swim lessons in the summer. I have also had highlights over the years. Needless to say, my hair is fried. I have heard horror stories about ppl's hair falling out after getting relaxants done.

Has anyone had personal experience with hair relaxants or had friend who has gotten this done? Any and all advice is welcomed!!

side note...my hair is relatively thin and about shoulder length.

My hair is very curly, it isn't kinky though. My hair is very fine. I had my hair chemically straightened and it ruined it. It didn't fall out, but it took out all the shine, made it very brittle. It wasn't straight and it wasn't curly. It looked like a perm gone bad. My hair had no other processes in it at the time.

Now this was many years ago and the relaxers are not as harsh as they used to be, but about 5 years ago I asked about different straightening methods and they basically told me not to do it unless I wanted damaged hair. Coarser hair, such as asian or african types of hair, stand up much better to the relaxation chemicals than caucaisian hair.

Since your hair is already damaged my advice is DON'T DO IT. DON'T EVEN THINK VERY HARD ABOUT DOING IT.  Instead, grow your hair out. Get regular trims to get rid of the damage. Use good hair products. Don't apply too much heat. Go to a good salon and ask for ways to improve your hair so it's more manageable.

ooof! this is very interesting. I don't like the "not curly, not straight" inbetween u speak of. It sounds like a bad straightening job. I have been trying to grow my damaged hair out FOREVER, but my hair is so curly that it is barely even 1/2way grown out after A YEAR! This means i have AT LEAST another year of growing out to do. I do not know if i can wait that long. I really want to try new styles and new ways to wear my hair. I NEVER wear it down b.c it is just so unmanagable. Anyone else have any more styling/product/relaxant suggestions?

My foster daughter was african-american and when she wanted her hair straightened we went to a professional sylist.  Every couple of months we would go back to get it re-done.  It cost about $50, but it didn't damage her hair.

I have heard that doing it at home, (if you don't know what you're doing) it can be just as damaging as perms (since that is basically what it is...) but her hair stayed very healthy and was not damaged. 

don't relax your hair! if you like having curly hair, you won't like the relaxer. it will give you stick straight hair 24/7, 365. the only way to get curls back in will be to use a curling iron or wait for the relaxer to grow out.

there might be something less harsh you can use to get your curls under control. find a good salon and ask about your options.

Google Ouidad. They specialize in curly hair. Their products are amazing. They also have a special way to cut curly hair and certify stylists on their methods.

hm i thought relaxants were only meant to "relax" the curl? I know some are stronger than others, which can sometimes leave your hair straight.

moonikins, i just checked out ur profile and iam also 5'9 and looking to get to 145lbs, currently at 160lbs. I have heard of ouidad, but have never tried their products. My hair dresser told me about the special type of hair cut they offer, but it is not for me. My hair is fine so getting that cut done would only make my hair look thinner.

Send away for their sample kit of products. It has a little bit of everything. It doesn't cost much, that way you can see if the products help your hair without investing much money. I love their products. Best I've ever used for my curls.

i'm so sick of always using products. I heard of a new Keratin treatment but it takes out 90% of your curl! I know a girl who got it done and her hair looks awful- that inbetween curly and straight, not really a texture look. It just looks ratty. I def do not want this.

I have super tight, poodle dog curls, and have relaxed my hair since middle school. I've tried the "at home" products (which i wouldn't recommend since they smell horrible, and don't really work) but I prefer to go to my hairstylist for a normal relaxer. I never expirienced any major damage or dislike for the relaxers they used on my hair, other than it was never straight enough! They really just made my hair more managable and less frizzy.

The last relaxer I used was the japanese relaxer which makes your hair stick straight until it grows out, so if you're wanting to keep your curls stay far away from it! :)

Hi,

Well I have crazy hair (part of it is curly, part wavy, part stick straight, and most def frizzy). I bleach it at home so I know all about the "fried" look. lol.

I honestly wouldn't reccomend relaxers... it ruined my hair when I was a teen; I'll never do it again! lol!

What I do is use StraightSexyHair (I buy it on eBay in bulk so it's super cheap.) It's really great stuff, leaves it really silky. I also blow dry it for 20 minutes until it's somewhat straight, and then run a flat iron through it. I don't have thin hair, I have too much hair, but it definitely thins it out and gets it silky smooth and straight.

Hope that helps...