**pictures**

Caramela,
Thank you for the info. Do you relax your hair yourself with the lye relaxer, if so what extra precautions should be taken when using such a strong relaxer? Do you feel your hair has been straighter since switching to a lye relaxer? My natural hair is an s-formation and is very course, which causes me to have to relax my hair every 4-to 5 weeks, do you think that is too soon for a lye relaxer. I bought, and have been using the Ultra Nourishair vitamins, that you suggested, what other vitamins are you taking and are you taking them in one vitamin or separately. Thanks for your help. You can also email me at AprilQT18@aol.com

Don`t think that a lye relaxer is any stronger than a no-lye relaxer. It`s not. They both probably have the same strength but both use 2 different straightening chemicals. Lye relaxers sodium hydroxide and no-lye relaxers use a calcium based straightener. The lye relaxer is actually less drying to the hair. My hair isn`t straighter than a no-lye, but it f e e l s different. It has more movement, more bounce, more life. You shouldn`t strive for bone straight hair anyway. But it does straighten hair a little faster than a no-lye. I also had to work less, less combing and smoothing, than with a no-lye. I got no scalp burns, and no more breakage or shedding than what is normal. Relax hair when needed, wether it`s with a lye or no-lye relaxer. And again, lye is no STRONGER than no-lye, they just use different straightening agents.
I love the ultranourishair. I hope you like it. When I first started taking vitamins I took that, msm and evening primrose oil. Those are good starters. Biotin, horsetail and flaxseed oil, and calcium are good too. And don`t forget a multivitamin, you need that for overall health, not just your hair.
Hope this info helps.

All the vitamins come separately. I buy different brands of vitamins. Not just one. I take 2000 mg of msm and there is another 500mg in my ultranourish. Biotin I take an addtl 1200mcg plus my ultranourish has 1200mcg. I know other people take more, but that`s good enough for me. You body will excrete what you don`t need.

Teresa wrote: Hey Carmela, I checked out your pictures, they look great. I was wondering, what are flexi-rods & how do you use them. I have naturally curly hair w/tight ringlets an inch below my chin. I've been trying to think of ways to get my curls a couple of perm-rod sizes larger (like a quarter wide). If you or anyone reading this has a suggestion let me know, thanks. Teresa tresa80@hotmail.com

Yes, I would like to know what flexi rods are too. I looked around at the beauty supply store and only found long perm rods (they are like a hard rubber material long and hollow and one end fastens into the other end forming a circle after you`re done rolling your hair) the attendant never heard of flexirods, are flexirods like perm rods or are they something entirely different? And how many do you use? Please let me know because that hair style is gorgeous, I love the curly look but the only way I can achieve this is to air dry my hair(which gives it a crinkle look and can get poofy sometimes--Yes I do have a perm) or to use a curling iron(which I stopped doing a while ago because it is too much heat). I`d appreciate a response. Thank you for even more inspiration to keep growing and taking good care of my hair!!!

1. I take 1000 mg flaxseed oil, 1300 mg evening primrose oil, and 1000 mg silica. I try to break the dosages in half and take it twice a day so my body has a steady supply of the vitamins.

2.Flexirods are long rods, varying in size that have a plastic foam covering over a thick wire which make them flexible, hence the term flexi rods.

3. When I did conditioner only washes, I did a twist out. Meaning I flat twisted my hair straight back in 4-6 rows and let it air dry. When I took it out, my hair was very wavy.

Conditioner only washes allow hair to retain moisture, constant moisture is great for the hair. And if you are wetting the hair every other day or every 3 days, your hair will thank you. I think it cleanses the hair just as effectively as shampoo, but is no where near as harsh. Your hair is going to be soft, moisturized and conditioned. It`s going to respond to the moisture with hearty growth. I did them for about a month and a half, after that, the growth was just too much to continue with it. Next month, though, I will do it again.

Yes, absolutely. Oil is your friend! Put a generous amount onto wet hair to help seal in the moisture.

I did the conditioner only washes every other day or every 2 days, I find this keeps the hair most moisturized w/o drying it out. I`ve had the best success with Suave`s coconut conditioner, and it`s so cheap. That`s what everyone else I know who does conditioner washes uses. (Suave conditioners) And yes, I still use a leavin, I like creamy ones vs the water based ones. Try Paul Mitchell`s "the cream" ( or you can get an off brand rendition at Sally`s like I did, works just as well and it`s cheaper) Normally I wash my hair 1x a week in the cooler months, 2x a week in the hotter months. I use Motions Cpr shampoo and conditioner, Aubrey Organics Island butter shampoo and conditioner or Jason Naturals Sea Kelp shampoo and conditioner. Hope this info helps.

You sure can, you can style as usual. I normally do a twist set and air dry. When I undo the twists in the morning, I have really nice, deep waves. If you want to spend the time to roller set, it will come out fine, but I just prefer to keep it simple.
You will probably want to do conditioner only washes more often than a regular shampoo, so you might get tired of roller setting every other day or every 3 days. It`s up to you though.

No, I don`t. It`s nice of you to say, thank you. It has been mentioned to me before, but that`s not where my heart is. I don`t think modeling is for me.