Naturals considering TexLaxing??

kupenda

Well-Known Member
I'm curious. For those with multiple textures, can you still texlax? My hair is a bit of everything. I would be afraid that texlaxing would make it even more obvious how mismatched my hair is.
 

DaiseeDay

New Member
kupenda said:
I'm curious. For those with multiple textures, can you still texlax? My hair is a bit of everything. I would be afraid that texlaxing would make it even more obvious how mismatched my hair is.

I've never used a texturizer, but I think you would identify which parts need it on longer and do those first so it comes out even. People do the same when relaxing :)
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
I've been considering this lately. Can anyone share their prep process during the weeks leading up to their first texlax?

Hi jazzerz!

My first texlax will be a week from now on Sat, Feb 2nd. In preparing for my texlax, I did a light protein treatment last week, and will be doing another one today. I also have been bunning a lot, and not manipulating my hair as much. The day before I texlax, I plan to base my scalp and section it the way I want it. I'm very excited! Hope that helps!:yep:
 

CocoGlow

Well-Known Member
I finally did it!!! And I LOVE how it finally came out! :grin:

I don't recommend what I did for others but...I texlaxed 3x over the course of a week to get it right!! Reasons, well, I'm impatient ......and I didn't know what I was doing, my hair is a bit resistant & the relaxer I used was very mild.....

My natural texture is predominately 4B, densly packed fine strands that do not clump - My texlaxed texture appears like 3C clumped curls when wet & 4B when combed out & air-dried with a little less shrinkage :spinning: -

I'm not going for a change in the appearance of my hair - it still looks kinky natural - but I'm going for ease in detangling and so far it's working! I'm curious to see how detangling will be once my new growth comes in and whether or not I will have to texlax looser as my hair grows to avoid single strands knots & all that jazz....but I'm happy with this decision & so looking forward to this new journey!!

Check out my fotki Album for a few pics:
http://public.fotki.com/NappyRina1/my-natural-hair-journey/

Check out my fotki Journal for step by step details (it's too long to post here :look:)
http://journals.fotki.com/NappyRina1/my-1st-texlax-experience/
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
NappyRina Girrrrrrrllllllll!!!!!!!

Your hair is so pretty! Your wet hair looks divine, those curls clumping and looking all lovely:lol:

I read your journal, 3x in one week! You have some tough hair! But it came out lovely, I'm so happy you are pleased! I was coming on here to let everyone know I tested on some shed hair and I am ready for next Saturday, but my news is boring compared to your lol.

How's detangling? No more haircuts! You are officially on your Waist length hair journey me!:yep:
 

CocoGlow

Well-Known Member
SweetSunshine

Awwww!! Thanks! You're too kind - got me cheesin' :grin: :blush3:

Detangling is easy girl!! It wasn't really bad with my 1 inch natural fro but from experience I know it gets worse as my hair grows longer ... I really hope that it remains this easy when my new growth comes in or at least easier than when fully natural :look:

I can't wait to see your results girl!
 

yaya24

♥Naija°Texan • Realtor • SPX Options #RichAunty●♡•
I TEXLAXED THIS PAST FRIDAY AFTER BEING NATURAL FOR 3.5 years. :sekret:


The stylist (who is also my friend of several years) used Design Essentials regular strength relaxer and left it in for about 12-14 minutes. No relaxer was used on my edges or my extremely fine nape area.

My hair is still big and full of texture.. I was going for more detangling ease and manageability.

From what I remember post relaxer rinse out, I'm more of a 4a now.. def not a type 3 anything, (which is not what I was going for anyway).

After the texlax I got a round brush blowout, a nice shaped up cut and then flat twisted.

I left the flat twists in until I went out Friday night. Then before bed I moisturized/ sealed then did 8 braids and used perm rods on the ends of each braid.

I'm back at SL.. :look: but I like it. With the flat twistout, it looks like I am NL.. but you know its an illusion.

I plan on going back in 14-16 weeks.

2013 the year of the new newwwww !!!!!!!!! I am looking forward on still reaching my December 2013 goals. My terms. My

way.
:cool2:
 

Attachments

  • aa1.JPG
    aa1.JPG
    23.3 KB · Views: 231
  • aa22.JPG
    aa22.JPG
    21.6 KB · Views: 219
  • aa3.JPG
    aa3.JPG
    51.1 KB · Views: 237
Last edited:

yaya24

♥Naija°Texan • Realtor • SPX Options #RichAunty●♡•
@Napp-
Thanks Girl!

TBH- I was TIRED.

The first 2 years of my natural journey was peachy. I had great retention and a really easy time with my natural hair. Why?- Because I stayed weaved/cornrowed/wigged up.

After 2 years of "hiding" I was tired of weaves and wigs (& so was my SO). So then I decided to opt for more natural styles (still protected) but w/o heat. Beautiful styles... but a DISASTER to the health of my hair.

My ends where a hot raggedy mess from all of the breakage/tangles/splits & ssk from not using heat.

So I decided to use heat.

Heat is my friend.:yep:

But my scalp NEEDS to be washed every 3-4 days, or it gets itchy flaky & honestly smelly :nono:

I cannot blowdry every 3-4 days. Thats a recipe for disaster.

I tried skipping the blowdry every other style session and just doing a stretched bun, but my roots would matt and tangle. Its like my hair naturally wants to lock up.

Plus I was tired of the 3 hour shampoo or cowash + detangle then style sessions.

So I decided to texlax.
 

Napp

Ms. Nobody
@Napp-
Thanks Girl!

TBH- I was TIRED.

The first 2 years of my natural journey was peachy. I had great retention and a really easy time with my natural hair. Why?- Because I stayed weaved/cornrowed/wigged up.

After 2 years of "hiding" I was tired of weaves and wigs (& so was my SO). So then I decided to opt for more natural styles (still protected) but w/o heat. Beautiful styles... but a DISASTER to the health of my hair.

My ends where a hot raggedy mess from all of the breakage/tangles/splits & ssk from not using heat.

So I decided to use heat.

Heat is my friend.:yep:

But my scalp NEEDS to be washed every 3-4 days, or it gets itchy flaky & honestly smelly :nono:

I cannot blowdry every 3-4 days. Thats a recipe for disaster.

I tried skipping the blowdry every other style session and just doing a stretched bun, but my roots would matt and tangle. Its like my hair naturally wants to lock up.

Plus I was tired of the 3 hour shampoo or cowash + detangle then style sessions.

So I decided to texlax.

i totally understand:yep:
 

luckiestdestiny

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum!

I don't want to texlax but sometimes I think about doing a Brazilian Keratin Treatment for the summer. People always warn me not to do it so I've been hesitant.

Did you go into the alternative bkt thread. There is one design essentials strengthening treatment which is just amino acids to smooth the hair with heat only at 360 needed. If I ever apply a treatment it will be this one and Ibelieve Iwill this summer. I like that its not bkt...no formaldehyde or hydes at all...the aminos smooth.out the hair and last over a month. You have to go to the bkt alternative thread to find all the info.

Ignore typos I am on my phone.
 

femmedusiecle

New Member
Yea I'm really thinking about it. THis is my third time natural...third BC as of last April. This time I made a promise to myself to stay natural for my 4 yr old daughter but I have her and a 10 month old with no help (pretty much single mom) bc my husband works out of town! So taking care of the kids, the house, the dog..,oh and myself, is so stressful. Throw in some type 4 hair and boom! Massive explosion lol
I'm trying to stick it out but....
I might throw in some extensions plus relaxed texture and see how things go.
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
Yea I'm really thinking about it. THis is my third time natural...third BC as of last April. This time I made a promise to myself to stay natural for my 4 yr old daughter but I have her and a 10 month old with no help (pretty much single mom) bc my husband works out of town! So taking care of the kids, the house, the dog..,oh and myself, is so stressful. Throw in some type 4 hair and boom! Massive explosion lol
I'm trying to stick it out but....
I might throw in some extensions plus relaxed texture and see how things go.

Wow, that is a lot! Good luck with whatever decision you make:yep:
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
Ladies,

I am counting down until my Texlax (silly, I know)! In 5 more days, I'll begin my new journey. I did my final hair wash as a natural yesterday, and I sat detangling my hair for 1-2 hours, then woke up this morning to it still wet, all I can say is good riddance!

Looking forward to joining some of the ladies on the OTHER side!!! LOL
:grin:
 

coolsista-paris

Well-Known Member
Ladies,

I am counting down until my Texlax (silly, I know)! In 5 more days, I'll begin my new journey. I did my final hair wash as a natural yesterday, and I sat detangling my hair for 1-2 hours, then woke up this morning to it still wet, all I can say is good riddance!

Looking forward to joining some of the ladies on the OTHER side!!! LOL
:grin:

getting ready i see. dont forget the pictures !! :)
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
Hi ladies!

I decided to do a strand test this evening to see how long I needed to leave my Texlax on to get the results I desired. The results are as follows: (lol)

I placed the ORS Lye relaxer mixed with a bit of EVOO on my strands for 9 minutes initially. When the timer went off, it seemed too curly, so I let it process an additional 2 minutes. This is what 11 min looked like....

Texlax-11.JPG

On my 2nd piece of hair, I decided to keep the relaxer on for 14 minutes, because I wanted to release a little more curl.

Texlax-14.JPG

This is a comparison of my natural hair wet and the texlaxed hair. As you can see, I have a lot of shrinkage. I love the Texlaxed look, I have been jumping around swinging my hair for the past 40 minutes. :lol:

texlax compare.JPG

Also, I added a small bit of relaxer to the 11 minute section later on... I put castor oil on first, then a bit of the ORS on just the shaft to loosen it up to match the other side. I am pleased and can't wait to do my entire head on Saturday! Thanks to everyone for the assistance and answering my questions. I had so much fun playing "hairdresser" in my bathroom lol.
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
@SweetSunshine


Thanks for sharing! I did a protein treatment last weekend. Still deciding if I'll take the plunge. Maybe a strand test will help.


A strand test will definitely help decide if texlaxing is something you want to pursue. I initially used some shed hairs to test the relaxer on, but I still wanted to see what it would look like on hair coming out of my head. A small section behind/near the ear where its very easy to hide.

If you do a strand test, let us know/see the results! Thanks jazzerz
 

ManeStreet

Well-Known Member
SweetSunshine

Thanks for sharing & for the pics. Very nice.

U may want to go with the 11min processing. If you keep in mind the difference between your natural curl pattern & the texturized hair, in the long run I think you may enjoy not having so much of difference in curl patterns between your new growth & the texturized hair. Im assuming you plan on stretching between touch ups, so I think maintaining it will be easier with the 11 min curl pattern.
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
ManeStreet

Thanks so much for the input! When the 11 minute side dried completely it was almost identical to my current hair texture. I'm assuming bc my hair is virgin, it is slightly resistant. Plus I put oil in the relaxer.

I want to loosen my tight hair texture at least by 60-70% so I will probably leave it on for 14-15 min with a bit of smoothing. I do plan on stretching 3-4 months b/t every texlax, I dont anticipate an issue with the two textures. I guess I'll see when the time comes.

Still excited about Saturday! Texlax day and my 9 month anniversary lol.
:yep:
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
im also hesitating cause i have fine strands.
ive been deeply thinking of it for thé last 2 weeks....still scared to plunge lol

Just wait until you feel 120% comfortable and ease. You don't want to do anything you'll later regret. Maybe get some braids/kinky twists or a fun protective style just to change it up a bit....
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
Good morning everyone! I did my texlax on Saturday and I am loving it!!! My expectations were exceeded, and I'm so happy! My texlax experience is below w/pics included:

I started on Friday night by basing my scalp with vaseline. I also did this on Saturday morning. I mixed my ORS Lye relaxer with about 2 TSP of EVOO. I also coated my ends with jojoba oil just for extra protection. I also divided my hair into four sections in which I would relax separately.

I knew I would relax between 13-15 minutes. Since my hair was virgin, I knew there would be some resistance. The crown of my head has hair that is tightly coiled 4a and kinkier than the bottom half of my hair (silkier 4a), so I was trying to time each section to get a look that would blend well together.

I started on the top right section of my hair and relaxed for 15 min. No burning and it was very simple. However, when I washed it, my hair felt straight:shocked: I started to scream and pray! I did NOT want straight hair... I did a mid-step protein treatment (Aphogee 2 min) and followed with a neutralizing shampoo (that I had to use 5 to 6 times!). I then put on a DC and left it on to relax the remaining sections.

Well..... The front of my hair did not stay straight, it curled up in beautiful, elongated curls and I did a happy dance! :yay:
The next sections went by quickly, and I also did the back two sections together. I am pleased to say I loved my look.
Wet hair:
wethair.jpg
hair3.jpg
hair 6.jpg
hair5.jpg


It was date night for me and the Boo-Boo (9 month anni) and I was so excited to play in my newly texlaxed hair that I let the time get away from me. So I had to rush and do about 6 flat twists and sit under the dryer. Unfortunately I only sat under for 35 min, and my hair was still about 50% wet. So I said to myself "semi-wash and go it is".
It dried at the dinner table and I loved the minimal shrinkage I got in the front area!
hair1.jpg
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
My Personal Pros and Cons of Texlaxing...

Cons:
#1- Watch how you base your scalp and what you base with. Your roots may not come out as straight as you would like.

Basing with Vaseline (probably too heavy handed) caused my roots to not loosen as much as I want them too. I won't do a corrective, bc I am loving my hair. But when I texlax again (May-ish), I'll get it right then. However, I will probably either keep the relaxer on the roots longer, or find something lighter to base with.

Pros:
#1- I love my texture. It is the same as it was before, just looser and elongated.
#2- I washed my hair in the shower and was shocked to see my hair laying flat against my back and shoulder blades. This hasn't happened once since I was natural.
#3- I was able to comb my hair while wet without starting at the bottom and slowly working my way to the top.
#4- Wash-n-Go's will be easier and much cuter since my hair wont shrink to my ears!
#5- I used much less product that I normally do.
#6- I fell in love with my hair all over again:yep:

My boyfriend, parents, sister, church members and others all commented on how happy and glowing I looked with my "new hair". (It's not that I didn't like my natural hair, bc I did. It was the maintenance of it that was challenging for the past 6 years.) A woman's hair is her crown. If her hair is looking great, then she's feeling great. And folks, I'm feeling absolutely wonderful:grin:

I'll have a few more pics in my album. Thanks for listening to me ramble!
 

CocoGlow

Well-Known Member
My Personal Pros and Cons of Texlaxing...

Cons:
#1- Watch how you base your scalp and what you base with. Your roots may not come out as straight as you would like.

Basing with Vaseline (probably too heavy handed) caused my roots to not loosen as much as I want them too. I won't do a corrective, bc I am loving my hair. But when I texlax again (May-ish), I'll get it right then. However, I will probably either keep the relaxer on the roots longer, or find something lighter to base with.

Pros:
#1- I love my texture. It is the same as it was before, just looser and elongated.
#2- I washed my hair in the shower and was shocked to see my hair laying flat against my back and shoulder blades. This hasn't happened once since I was natural.
#3- I was able to comb my hair while wet without starting at the bottom and slowly working my way to the top.
#4- Wash-n-Go's will be easier and much cuter since my hair wont shrink to my ears!
#5- I used much less product that I normally do.
#6- I fell in love with my hair all over again:yep:

My boyfriend, parents, sister, church members and others all commented on how happy and glowing I looked with my "new hair". (It's not that I didn't like my natural hair, bc I did. It was the maintenance of it that was challenging for the past 6 years.) A woman's hair is her crown. If her hair is looking great, then she's feeling great. And folks, I'm feeling absolutely wonderful:grin:

I'll have a few more pics in my album. Thanks for listening to me ramble!

SweetSunshine

YAY!! I'm so happy for you ... this texlaxing thing is a learning process to get it just right.... but your hair looks great!! And i'm so happy it's making your life easier! :yep:

I totally agree with you about the vaseline thing...I won't ever use that to base again! It really prevents processing and is a pain to wash off the scalp for me :nono: ...

I had sucess using a petroleum-free pomade to base my scalp. I wrote abut it in my fotki album: It's kind of expensive (4oz $12/8oz $18) but a little goes a looong way for me. And I can't forget to mention how delicious it smells (kind of like Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar & Vanilla)!!

Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade
Castor Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Mango Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Unrefined Hempseed Oil, Candelilla Wax, Cocoa Butter, Broccoli Seed Oil, Fragrance... And Love!

I'm sure there are other less expensive petro-free pomades you can use. I plan to experiment with Shea Butter (someone on the forum here mentioned using this for basing with success) or plain ole' Castor Oil to compare.

But vaseline for basing is a no-go for me anymore, though it seems like it would be great for protecting the processed ends (but again I'm scared it will take 4Ever to wash out! LOL)
 

SweetSunshine

Active Member
@NappyRina,

Thanks lady! I'm enjoying it, been wearing a flat twist out... this is the best my hair has ever looked. It takes 3 min. to do my hair, I'm just a happy girl:grin:

Thank you for those suggestions about the pomades for basing the scalp. That Vaseline was so hard to wash out (I was so heavy-handed) that I will never use it again. I'm going to try the Oyin pomade since I've heard great things about it. I always keep bottles of castor oil around so that may be an option as well.

How has your hair been holding up, are you still loving your texlaxed do?:drunk:
 
Last edited:

CocoGlow

Well-Known Member
SweetSunshine

My hair is holding up great-I'm shocked at how easy it is to moisturize now & how soft it feels! My natural hair only really felt soft when wet or consistently soft during humid Summer days ... but now it's soft ALL the time :grin: ... I have a patch at the nape that is naturally loosely curled & very soft ...so now all my hair matches LOL

Now I've just gotta get some length :spinning:
 
Top