My technique: I make a part ear to ear, then separate that front big section into 3 smaller sections & bantu knot them. I make another part ear to ear, but going around the back of my head. That gets pulled up on top and put into a bantu knot. The last section gets parted down the middle into 2 sections, and bantu knotted. When I relax, I start with the front. Apply relaxer along hairline & edges of the 3 sections, then take down each section one at a time. I work my way through the front sections, making small horizontal parts, applying relaxer along the part to the top of the below section, and the bottom of the top section, smoothing with a stick as I go. When I've finished all three, I use the stick to smooth along my hairline, then rinse & neutralize twice. I don't rinse out the neutralizer the second time, just squeeze out the shampoo and put it up in one bantu knot. For the rest of my hair, I use my fingers, no parting/stick smoothing (except for the nape of my neck). I just use my fingers to distribute relaxer in the big sections. Then I jump in the shower and neutralize everything twice & style as normal. Works for me every time, no burns or over processing. I don't use the stick on the back parts because I don't want to process those areas too much - keeping them under-processed gives me great body!
