How To Relax Your Hair
- February 5, 2008
- 7,348 Views
Contributor
Howcast Studios
Need a break from the kink? Try these easy steps to soften your strands and give them that soft, loose look.
You Will Need
- A relaxing agent
- A high-alkaline shampoo
- Conditioner
- Hair clips
- A color brush
- A wide-tooth comb
- Cool water
Don’t relax your hair if it’s been bleached, unless the bleach has grown out or been cut off.
Step 1: Choose an agent
Choose your relaxing agent. For people with serious kink in their hair, sodium hydroxide is the way to go. It’s stronger that ammonium thioglycolate, which should be used for hair that is fine and not super kinky.
Do not mix the two types of relaxing agents—sodium hydroxide-based and ammonium thioglycolate-based.
Step 2: Shampoo
Shampoo the hair with a high-alkaline shampoo. This will strip the hair of all natural oils and enable it to absorb the chemicals in your relaxing agent more easily.
Step 3: Section your hair
Section your hair off into four parts with hair clips: the two sides, the crown to the back, and the front.
Step 4: Apply relaxer
Apply the relaxer with a color brush or comb while the hair is still wet. If you’re using sodium hydroxide, start a half-inch from the scalp. If you’re using ammoninum thioglycolate, start a quarter-inch inch from the scalp.
Apply the relaxer from the roots to the tips, working in one-eighth-inch sections for each stroke.
Step 5: Do the roots
Once you finish the entire head, go back and apply the relaxer to the roots.
Make sure you do not apply relaxer where the roots meet the scalp — leaving relaxer on the scalp for too long can burn and cause temporary hair loss.
Step 6: Let it sit
Leave the relaxer on for 15 minutes, occasionally checking the progress by running a wide-tooth comb through the hair and seeing how much of the curl comes back.
Step 7: Rinse as needed
If you are using sodium hydroxide, rinse it out with cool water for five minutes. If you are using ammonium thioglycolate, do not rinse the chemical out.
Step 8: Repeat
Shampoo twice only if you are using sodium hydroxide. It is important to make sure all chemical relaxer has been rinsed out.
Step 9: Condition
Condition the hair, and do not rinse the conditioner out. This will soften your hair and nurture it from the serious alteration it just endured.
Step 10: Enjoy
Enjoy your new de-stressed do.
The main bonds found in our hair are hydrogen and polypeptides; hair relaxers break down the polypeptide bonds.
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Comments (0)
That's all well and good, but does all that 'chemical stretching' allow your hair to grow? If so, how, what's a girl to do to get her hair to grow?
over 3 years ago by loharmon
Try using a shampoo called Tail-n-Mane. Its a horse shampoo, but it really does grow out your hair faster.
over 3 years ago by Elisa
I'll give it a shot, thanx
over 3 years ago by loharmon
PLEASE READ ENTIRE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH AT HOME RELAXER KITS. Cause you are not supposed to wash hair or wet hair before a relaxer always wait three days if you have to then relax on dry hair. And if you are already relaxed do not put relaxer on the ends or previously relaxed hair. AND If you are Natural then don't follow what this user has posted because you'll be bald in a week!!! Always follow a relaxer or texturizer with a neutralizing shampoo no matter what!!!! That helps the relaxer stop breaking down the hair shaft. Plain water wont do that it will only bring the PH level down slightly so a neutralizing shampoo is needed to normalize the hairs PH balance.
TO find tips to get your hair to grow log on to longhaircareforum.com
over 3 years ago by RRR2008
As RRR2008 says, you are NOT supposed to wash your hair prior to relaxing. PERIOD. And, only relax from root to tip if this is a VIRGIN relaxer, meaning you have never had one done before. If you are getting a retouch, only get the new growth, DO NOT relax previously relaxed hair. Rinse your hair thoroughly, no matter how long it takes and shampoo more than twice to ENSURE that the relaxer is out. Be sure to use a neutralizing shampoo. As RRR2008 suggested, go to a haircare blog to learn the PROPER way to relax the hair. PLEASE!
over 2 years ago by adrienne7740
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