4a relaxed--how long before you relax?
Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: African American Hair
Forum Name: African American Hair
Forum Description: Devoted to the special needs of African Americans.
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=29918
Printed Date: November 05 2025 at 10:52pm
Topic: 4a relaxed--how long before you relax?
Posted By: Honeydoo
Subject: 4a relaxed--how long before you relax?
Date Posted: April 17 2005 at 4:55pm
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I can usually hold off for about 10 weeks. Anything after that and my hair starts breaking off. It's hard to style than too. Also, do you relax yourself or go to the salon? ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Replies:
Posted By: cmesweet
Date Posted: April 17 2005 at 4:59pm
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When I relaxed, I did my own and waited did it every 4 to 6 months. I made sure it was moisturized...didn't use heat (well once in a while i did) and kept it in a bun or flat twists. ------------- Natural BC May 9, 2004 |
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 17 2005 at 5:38pm
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so, you kept it in a bun or flat twists throughout or when your new growth came? I only seem to get good results with heat. I've cut back to about twice a month now though. What did you do when you had alot of new growth?? ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: Layla
Date Posted: April 17 2005 at 6:04pm
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I usually relax every 10 weeks. Today I'm at 11 weeks. I was supposed to get my hair relaxed today but my mom came home late. So, I'll probably get it done next week at 12 weeks. Usually at like 9 weeks my hair is really hard to comb and all that stuff but this time I have a lot of new growth like usual but it's really soft and easy enough to comb. My mom relaxes my hair at home. ------------- Type: 3c/4a Natural Current Length: 6" Goal: Healthy, tip of nose /neck/shoulder length hair. BC: 02/08/06 |
Posted By: cmesweet
Date Posted: April 18 2005 at 10:27am
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When I had alot of new growth, I just washed it and then put like hair lotion and brushed it back and put it in a bun...usually when I had a bun I would do a pony tail ( have wrafts of hair and then pin it around the bun or sew in. I had the weaves so when I wanted to use heat, I wouldnt be using it on my own hair. ------------- Natural BC May 9, 2004 |
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 18 2005 at 11:29am
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I'm not big on weave. I think I'm going to try to stretch until the first week of May, but I don't think I can go longer than that. It is softer, but It isn't soft enough in comparison the relaxed portion. My sister whose hair is alittle past bra strap can go for 4 months without a relaxer but she has as much new growth as I have in about 2 months so I have to relax more than her. I'll try the bun thing one more time. ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: Supersugar
Date Posted: April 18 2005 at 4:06pm
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I'm at about 16 weeks. My flatiron is my friend. On Friday, I got a bottle of Phytorhum and a sample of Phytosesame from Hairboutique. Even though Phytosesame is a rinse out conditioner, I applied it in very sparing amounts throughout sections of my hair, let it air dry, wrapped it in a satin scarf and went to bed. The next morning my roots were completely flat. i couldn't believe it. Of course, they popped up again later, but you catch my drift. My hair is in remarkably good condition considering how long it's been. My biggest concern now is finding and snipping split ends, some of which are horrifyingly ragged. But that's the price of using heat. So be it. ------------- Make every day you have count, before the time comes for you to count every day you have. |
Posted By: niki27
Date Posted: April 18 2005 at 7:39pm
Im 4a/b I waited three months between my perm i just permed it yesterday. I had alot of new growth and to my surprise it was pretty easy to manage. I kept it moisturized with carrot oil, kemi oyl and razac perfect for perms, and flatironed those roots. I didnt have much breakage. TCB has a pretty good conditioner called R&R (revive & restore) deep conditioner. I put on a plastic cap for 30 minutes and my hair always comes out really nice. Im happy with the way it came out  . ( i do my own perms, i stopped going to the salon years ago and my hair is longer, stronger and healthier than ever)------------- niki |
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 19 2005 at 9:45am
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Niki, I'm with you on the salons. I use to go every 2 weeks with my mom, but I didn't have healthy hair. I was under the hood dryer, blow-dried to a crisp and then hot curled in on visit. Heat overload. My last visit was a good on two years ago, but I think after learning so much about my hair I would rather take care of it. ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: cmesweet
Date Posted: April 19 2005 at 9:56am
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Yeah, I wasn't big on weave until I relaxed that the style i want would be damaging to my hair cause of the heat. Other than that, I have never really like to wear my hair down. But those were the steps I took and i'm not a big product user (just a few, shampoo, conditioner, hair lotion/gel)...but I'm sure you will find a routine that works for you. ------------- Natural BC May 9, 2004 |
Posted By: mysweetevie
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 9:07pm
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The longest i've gone without a touch up was 16 weeks and my hair began to break. Now i retouch about 10 weeks. I manage the new growth with a product called just like a perm by liz and daughters. ------------- sweet like honey! |
Posted By: cebnn
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 10:31pm
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This is the first time I have streched consciously. I never really payed attention, sometimes I would wait untill my hair was just constantly poofy, and would count and be at 8 weeks. So far I'm at 6 weeks post, and I'm trying to go to 10 if not 12. I've been co washing daily, or sometimes just leaving conditioner in all day and all night,( i get lazy some days) But my hair has showed alot of improvment. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
Fotki updated on 10/28 address in profile |
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 21 2005 at 10:27pm
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Cebnn, when you get to 8 weeks and it gets poofy, how do you style it?? That's what I'm having trouble with now. I'm at 9 weeks post. ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: Sistaslick
Date Posted: April 21 2005 at 10:58pm
I usually stretch to 12 weeks, but right now I am at 16. I am a self relaxer--salons just can't pamper and condition the way I like to do ------------- 
http://blackhairscience.com - The Science of Black Hair |
Posted By: Supersugar
Date Posted: April 21 2005 at 11:15pm
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Seriously? I couldn't begin to take care of my scalp the way my current hairdresser does. Of course, she has the luxury of seeing me only four times a year. ------------- Make every day you have count, before the time comes for you to count every day you have. |
Posted By: cebnn
Date Posted: April 22 2005 at 12:10am
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Honeydoo, do you like wearing your hair down? maybe at night put a good moisturiser in your hair, and tie it down with a scarf keracare w/jojoa oil works good for this. its a little heavy though Thats what i do sometimes. last two weeks tho i have just been co washing daily and letting my hair do whatever bf hates it but my hair hasnt been softer, and i am feelin so much newgrowth ------------- http://lilypie.com">
Fotki updated on 10/28 address in profile |
Posted By: Layla
Date Posted: April 22 2005 at 10:11am
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Sistaslick, are you from the blackhairmedia forums? Your s/n looks familiar. ------------- Type: 3c/4a Natural Current Length: 6" Goal: Healthy, tip of nose /neck/shoulder length hair. BC: 02/08/06 |
Posted By: Jewell
Date Posted: April 22 2005 at 3:43pm
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I go 12-16 weeks. I would love to go 26 weeks, but that is hard to do for me without heat and braids. The braids would make my new growth super unmanageable, especially since my hair is now used to me daily CO washing and sometimes shampooing and conditioning daily. My mom does my touch-ups. My hair is too much to manage for me to touch it up myself. I don't go to salons, ever (as of Jan 05) ------------- Type: 3c, Relaxed Current Length: Lower Back (Close to Waist) Goal: Classic Length http://public.fotki.com/Jewell21 PW: trulyblessed -No Stylists. -Self-Relaxer. -Simple Hair Care. |
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 22 2005 at 9:22pm
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Cebnn, I usually do wear my hair down, as long as I'm wearing a hair friendly shirt. What I did this week is saturate my hair in shea butter and put it into a ponytail. It stayed moisturized through the day, but my weakness is I love long sleek hair all the time. I'm getting out of that stage though. ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: Sistaslick
Date Posted: April 23 2005 at 12:12am
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Yep! Well used to . . . Nowadays, I spend most of my time at this place: -------------
http://blackhairscience.com - The Science of Black Hair |
Layla wrote:
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 24 2005 at 12:44am
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I think it's easier to stretch when your hair is longer because your hair can fit so much easier in protective styles like buns. My hair is about an 1.5 inch past my shoulders and for some reason I cannot bun my hair!! ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: Sistaslick
Date Posted: April 24 2005 at 1:31am
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Honeydoo have you tried a donut bun? If your hair is at least shoulderlength, you should be able to pull it off. =) -------------
http://blackhairscience.com - The Science of Black Hair |
Posted By: cmesweet
Date Posted: April 25 2005 at 8:56am
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Honeydoo, when I first started growing mine out, it was above shoulder length, you have to remember I started with a angled bob. When means, it was longer in the front than back, and even in the front, it was not that long. When I could not a do a real bun, I pulled my hair together towards the back, or on the top of my head (at one point thats the only place I could get it) and used a bandanna to wrap the bun. It made my bun look alot bigger and I made sure to moisturize it everyday before I wrapped the bandana around it. The hair that couldn't get in, I had hair clips to hold them to make them. Also, I tried using hair multiple hair scruntches, like 2 or 3 and that held my hair as bun. *Edited to add...you may be trying to do a low bun, at the length you have, try to experiment with different positions and heights on your bun. It does not have to be the best bun. I know, you said there are alot of things you do not like to do to your hair also, but sometimes we have to make the sacrifices. Also, the thing you want the most, is no contact with your collar...I had to pull my twists up cause they were getting stuck on my coat zipper, not fun at all. So even if you can't do a bun, which I am sure u can It's rough Honeydoo, but you can do it! ------------- Natural BC May 9, 2004 |
just pin up the hair, as in a french roll or with a hairclamp.
Posted By: mysweetevie
Date Posted: April 25 2005 at 9:10am
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I also use braid hair to make my bun larger. ------------- sweet like honey! |
Posted By: Layla
Date Posted: April 25 2005 at 11:08am
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My hair is long enough to put in a bun but I'm just not good at doing it. ------------- Type: 3c/4a Natural Current Length: 6" Goal: Healthy, tip of nose /neck/shoulder length hair. BC: 02/08/06 |
Posted By: Honeydoo
Date Posted: April 25 2005 at 11:15am
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I know my hair is long enough, but I'm a horrible bun maker. It's weird because just yesterday I was thinking I need to go to the fabric store and get some silk and satin remnents(i think that is how you spell it.) to make 'bun' covers out of and I can do the baggie style at the same time underneath. Thanks for the tips and the encouragement. I love you guys! *sniff* ------------- http://public.fotki.com/Honeydoo pw: bombay |
Posted By: sugaplum
Date Posted: May 13 2005 at 3:38pm
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I relax every 10 weeks. I can't go any longer becuase the -regrowth is THICK!! The longest I've gone without a relaxer is 6 months!! I just wigged it and allowed my hair to stay mouisturized. I got A LOT of regrowth under that hot thing!! ------------- 100% Natural BC - 4/21/07 Love All Gods' Creatures |
Posted By: Renee
Date Posted: May 13 2005 at 7:45pm
| the longest ive gone without retouching was 16 weeks but i wont go longer than 12 weeks now. Im 8 weeks post and my hair continually poofy. I usually do a bantu knot set after 8 weeks but now, im just too lazy to do it even if it takes like 10 minutes. Im thinking of using a flat iron but im too scared. That thing destroyed my hair. I dont have any special product that helps my hair behave...well except stasoffro which keeps my newgrowth moisturised. because a lot of you have been raving about shea butter, i ordered some and will be getting it next week. maybe that'll work...... |
Posted By: Donda
Date Posted: May 14 2005 at 4:14pm
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The longest I've gone is 12 weeks. In the summer I can't go any more then 8-9 weeks I gain almost 3/4 of an inch in those months. In the winter I can go about 10wks because I slow down to almost 1/4 inch. Part of the problem for me not being able to stretch longer is that I like to wear my hair down somewhat. I would say 4 days up and 3 days down or vice verse. Anyway vanity is my downfall ------------- Thick 4A Hair, Relaxed every 8 weeks. Contributing writer at xicamagazine.4t.com |
Posted By: cebnn
Date Posted: May 29 2005 at 9:19pm
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Well I made it 11 weeks and I just could not take it any more. On tuesday I washed my hair and let it air dry, and even though I put sheabutter on my newgrowth while wet..and tied it down with a scarf to dry. I was walking around with a little afro for a few days. I realized it was time to relax, when a package came for me, and the UPS guy pulled back a little bit when I answered the door. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
Fotki updated on 10/28 address in profile |
Posted By: curtainbluff
Date Posted: May 30 2005 at 5:51pm
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my longest is 12 weeks with the help of s-curl. It really keeps the hair soft
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Posted By: QueenLinda83
Date Posted: May 31 2005 at 10:18am
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I'm currently at 12 weeks and I plan on relaxing this weekend! ------------- |