Any 3b/c ladies have issues w/ their relaxer lasting?

hellorebecca

New Member
oh ok. . .i did not realize there were type 4s who got bone straight hair with a relaxer, I always thought that was a myth! I am new here so just learning.
I just have not seen any type 4 in real life whose hair actually dried bone straight without a relaxer, live and learn I guess.

i am a type 4 and even when my relaxers were processed so long in the past that I got bad scalp burns (ew, I know), my hair would still dry wavy if I didn't put heat to it. I guess I thought that was the norm.
 

werenumber2

Well-Known Member
Wow, I didn't even realize this was a thing. I've had my hair "relaxed" once in my life and honestly, I don't even count it. As soon as I washed my hair, my curls bounced right back to normal. It was no different than straightening my hair with a blowdryer or flat iron. I never understood how women with kinky hair seemed to have no problem keeping their relaxed hair straight when it's assumed to be "more resistant" to straightening than curly and wavy hair.
 

ms.blue

Well-Known Member
Could it be that ladies in 3 category have more sulfur bonds causing the relaxers not to "take"?
 

candy626

New Member
Do you thunk you're low porosity?

I actually think that I have high porosity beacuse my hair is fine, it seems to be easily weighed down by product, and sensitive to too much protein and moisture. It's weird, I think it just wants to behave however it wants.
 

BBritdenise

New Member
I've had a perm once and my curls were still well defined, just less frizzy. I don't think I'd want a perm again though. I love my curls and see no need to have permanently straight hair
 

BBritdenise

New Member
My hair also gets very straight with a flat iron. I've never tried a rollerset, but I have no use for a perm. I onlygot it bc my sister had one and I was jealous because I wasnt allowed because of my hair type
 

Dove56

Well-Known Member
Some years ago I tried to relax my hair after being natural for 9 years and it took 4, yes FOUR back-to-back relaxers to loosen the curl but it *still* wasn't straight. My hair was texlaxed at best and it curled right back up. Anyhoo, I grew it out.

Now when I did the keratin treatments back in 2009, the old school keratin treatments with formeldahyde (I used Global Keratin) my hair got bone straight for the first time in my life. I loved it for about a year then I missed my curls and starting using "new generation" keratin that smooths frizz but doesn't elminate the curls so I can wear it straight without it poofing or wear it curly.
 
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candy626

New Member
I retexlaxed my whole head about two months ago and I do feel like it helped with curl elongation and volume reduction, its gradually started curling and shrinking up to it's original length when curly.

I think relaxers were not really designed for Type 3 honestly. Facing the music. I think at this point I want to grow my relaxed hair and get thermal reconditioning done instead. It seems like that gives much better results on curly hair then sodium hydroxide relaxers.
 

MrsJaiDiva

Embracing the Light
So, what the heck is up with my hair then?? I Know I lost a lot of hair, because I was relaxing it like I was a 4. After I started growing my hair back I found out that I can get bone straight hair with a Texturizer! I had to water the texturizer down with conditioner and oil in order for it to not make my hair too straight last time....and some of the ends Still went straight!

On the other hand, I can't get my hair bone straight by blowdrying. I can get it bone straight by flat ironing, but only at high heat...because it just goes poofy. Hot combing won't get it straight either...maybe if I put it on the Stove.... Ultimately it just becomes Big Hair.
 

candy626

New Member
So, what the heck is up with my hair then?? I Know I lost a lot of hair, because I was relaxing it like I was a 4. After I started growing my hair back I found out that I can get bone straight hair with a Texturizer! I had to water the texturizer down with conditioner and oil in order for it to not make my hair too straight last time....and some of the ends Still went straight!

On the other hand, I can't get my hair bone straight by blowdrying. I can get it bone straight by flat ironing, but only at high heat...because it just goes poofy. Hot combing won't get it straight either...maybe if I put it on the Stove.... Ultimately it just becomes Big Hair.

Not all Type 3's have this problem. It seems like half of the Type 3's I know get bone straight results and half just get a looser curl pattern.

I'm one of those just gets a looser curl pattern. The curl loosening just doesn't last permanently for me. My hair seems to eventually revert, like how hair reverts after a keratin treatment. It use to frustrate me but I think I've accepted it.
 

wavezncurlz

LHCF addict
This thread is funny. I did the root to tip relaxing too. I always thought it was just my wonky hair. Relaxing never got my hair straight either. I ended up using it more for bulk that straight hair. No one knew I transitioned either. When I started getting excited about being natural again people were shocked I even relaxed.
 
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bhndbrwneyes

Well-Known Member
After reading this thread I realize I'm a lot like you ladies. My relaxer would take and be bone straight but after a few washes or hard workouts it was ruined. People say relaxers are permanent and non-reversible...well the damage is, yes but my hair would actually revert. Therefore I would only wash my hair 1-3 times per month and I was very athletic which is kind of gross. I've been transitioning for about 7 months now and it's painful but the 3b parts of my NG is soooooooooo nice when it's well moisturized. I wish my entire texture was 3b and no c. I'm afraid if I don't like how my hair is once it's 100% natural that I will relapse/relax and possibly end of regretting it or with setbacks.
 

leiah

New Member
My hair never got straight with relaxers. I remember getting my first one at the salon and my mother watching them wash it out of my hair and getting mad that it was still curly. After that I did them on my own, let it sit 30+ minutes over my already relaxed hair every few weeks thinking if I just did it hard enough eventually it would take. It never did.
 

glamazon386

Well-Known Member
So. . . since I am not a type 3, I don't mind being told to mind my own business. . .but as a type 4 with a type 3 mom, i just wanted to chime in.
i wonder if part of the problem might be the (relatively higher) expectations of your hair?

A relaxer does not get a type 4's hair bone straight either! It does not get anyone's hair bone straight. That is what heat does. It is a huge myth that the relaxer alone gets it bone straight. When wet, sure. But if you dry type 4 hair without heat it also tends to just be frizzy.
Someone on this thread said that even with a relaxer, they had to spend 45 minutes under the dryer just to get it straight. . . yep, that is what type 4s do too, even with a relaxer.

I absolutely would not relax if I were type 3 and my mom has stopped doing so. Really I think the whole point of a relaxer is designed for type 4 ladies to cut down on the breakage and tangling that our natural hair can have. To 'relax' (not take away!) our natural curl pattern so that it is more manageable and does not knot up.
If you are a type 3, you should not have these problems anyway (your hair should not 'knot' as easily and should be able to be combed, etc) and so a relaxer is just pointless.
It does not make anyone's hair dry straight!

Yes it can. My overprocessed relaxed hair was bone straight when wet. I used to airdry my relaxed hair and it dried pretty straight. I would just run a large barrel curling iron over it and bump it. I didn't even have to blowdry it. If I sat under the dryer with a wet wrap it would come out silky straight in about 20-30 mins.

If the relaxer was left on the proper amount of time I had a wave pattern. But all the curls were gone. I didn't even know I had curls until I went natural.

My mom is a 4b who also has bone straight relaxed hair. Even when wet. There used to be threads on the board back in the day devoted to relaxing bone straight. They called it bonelaxed.
 
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MilkChocolateOne

Well-Known Member
glamazon386 said:
Yes it can. My overprocessed relaxed hair was bone straight when wet. I used to airdry my relaxed hair and it dried pretty straight. I would just run a large barrel curling iron over it and bump it. I didn't even have to blowdry it. If I sat under the dryer with a wet wrap it would come out silky straight in about 20-30 mins.

If the relaxer was left on the proper amount of time I had a wave pattern. But all the curls were gone. I didn't even know I had curls until I went natural.

My mom is a 4b who also has bone straight relaxed hair. Even when wet. There used to be threads on the board back in the day devoted to relaxing bone straight. They called it bonelaxed.

I am type 4a and a relaxer can make my hair bone straight too.
 

Curlywurly10

Active Member
I know this is an old thread but really wanted to comment :yep: My mum is a type 4 and always used to have a relaxer. I'm 3b and had my first relaxer at age 12 and remember being completely confused as to why my hair was still curly when they washed the chemicals off. My mums hair always used to look straight (although she would have to use a flat iron to get it bone straight without frizz). I remember my hairstylist telling me that type 3 hair would always remain curly when wet even with a relaxer. This still confuses me to this day!! From all the comments it seems to definitely be true but no idea why! I am now natural and wonder why I was ever relaxed in the first place, it made no difference!
 
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