HELP!!!!PHYTO RELAXER RUINED MY HAIR!!!!!

sweethair

Well-Known Member
I tried the phyto I relaxer because I thought it would be healtier for my hair. But it was way underprocessed and it dried my hair so badly. So I waited 6 weeks to do a corrective relaxer with my pervious relaxer design essential low lye with shea butter. But that didn't take either. Now it been 10 weeks since I used phyto and my hair (phyto relaxer hair) is still dry. I have tried deep conish, leave-in, oils below is the list of products I have tried to get the moisture back. I don't know what to do my hair has broken off so much. The rest of my hair is so soft. Its like the effects of the phyto relaxer are irreversible. Please someone HELP. I can't comb though my hair especially the back. I about to cry I feel like cutting all my hair off.

Aveda DR
black castor oil
shea moisture
WGO
giovanni leave-in
curl ecstasy
Curl girl deep consih
 
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WomanlyCharm

New Member
I'm so sorry this happened. :( I stopped using Phyto relaxer because it left a weird coating on my hair, which seemd to make it very dry. But not to the point you're experiencing right now.

The list of things you're using sounds good...deep condition as much as possible...and have you stopped using heat on your hair? That will also help.
And baggie your whole head at night, even if it's just a couple of nights a week, that will help keep moisture in as well.


I know the other ladies here will have even more advice for you.
 

~*~ShopAholic~*~

Well-Known Member
How about trying a chealating/clarifying poo that cleans inside and out, I know Nexxus has one it's a two step process which you shampoo w/Aloe Rid poo first leaving on for 3 min. rinse and then apply the Aloe Rid Treatment leave on for 3 min. rinse and then I follow up w/my regular moisturizing poo (Therappee), DC and whatever else. Maybe clarifying will remove the build-up or whatever that maybe there. HTH's
 

deborah11

Well-Known Member
I am so sorry that this happened to you. I had a similar problem with Phyto years age which caused severely dry and breaking hair. My hair was a mess and it was also underprocessed. I basically deep conditioned and kept my hair moisturized. I however, ended up getting my hair cut in a short bob and growing it out again. The hair stylist used design essign regular relaxer after cutting about 6-7 inches of hair off. I then grew my hair out for 20 months without any chemicals/relaxer because I felt I needed a new start as I just didn't like the remainder of the Phyto hair that was left on my head. Staying away from the chemicals was the best move for me because it allowed my hair to heal and for me to groe new, healthy hair.

Don't do anything drastic right now. Deep conditioned and moisturize your hair, and see if u can nurse it back to help as you gradually trim the bad, dead ends. Also neutralize and clarify your hair before shampooing to see if this helps. Best of luck and let us know how everything turns out.
 

LAYDEE

New Member
BeautifulWideEyes said:
How about trying a chealating/clarifying poo that cleans inside and out, I know Nexxus has one it's a two step process which you shampoo w/Aloe Rid poo first leaving on for 3 min. rinse and then apply the Aloe Rid Treatment leave on for 3 min. rinse and then I follow up w/my regular moisturizing poo (Therappee), DC and whatever else. Maybe clarifying will remove the build-up or whatever that maybe there. HTH's


So sorry to hear about your experience. I agree with BeautifulWideEyes. And make sure you sit under a hooded dryer or heating cap while Deep Conditioning-this will allow the DC to penetrate your pores. Then put some EVOO on your hair and baggy overnight-hopefully the EVOO will moisturize your dry hair. HTH and good luck
 

Princess Pie

New Member
deborah11 said:
Don't do anything drastic right now. Deep conditioned and moisturize your hair, and see if u can nurse it back to help as you gradually trim the bad, dead ends. Also neutralize and clarify your hair before shampooing to see if this helps. Best of luck and let us know how everything turns out.

I agree with this. Phyto is very hard to neutralize, so that may be causing your problem. Try neutralizing again, and then DC and moisturize like crazy.

Phyto didn't work for me either. It left my hair very tangled and dry. I had to OD on moisture to get my hair back to normal. It took about two weeks of consistently using products with a low pH, and no combing. The breakage was a setback, but fortunately I didn't have to trim/cut.

You may just need to be patient and give your hair time to recover.
 
I'm sorry this has happened to you. I've never tried phyto but for my last relaxer I used TCB and it really overprocessed my hair. I've had so much breakage over the last 6 weeks. I think the things that have helped me are hot oil treatments, doing aphogee treatments, and using profectiv daily strengthener. For my last three relaxers, I've relaxed, neutralized, lightly conditioned for about 2-3 mins, then did a hot oil treatment with hollywood beauty's carrot oil for about 30-45 mins with heat, then DC conditioned with ORS mayo for about 15-20 mins. This always gets rid of any hardness or dryness that relaxers usually leave my hair with. I really believe the hot oil treatments made all the difference. In the past, I had always conditioned my hair to death after a relaxer and it still always felt a little dry and hard. But since I added the hot oil trmt step, not anymore. HTH
 

isobell

Well-Known Member
For some reason the drying effect of phyto relaxer was exacerbated by my hard water. I had to use a clarifying/chelating shampoo - kenra clarifying -with distilled water to get whatever residue the relaxer left off my hair. In fact I find that when I do my hair care routine with distilled water my hair is much softer. try clarifying and using a deep moisturising conditioner, that should help.
 

madamdot

Well-Known Member
Phyto left my hair dry as well. I tried everything including clarifying. The only thing that worked was roux porosity control treatment. I felt an immediate difference after the first treatment.
I think the phyto just threw my ph-balance out of wack and the Roux brought it back. No dryness since.
 
First off I am so sorry this is happening, I have been there to with Phyto. I would call the company and ask for detailed help. They are good at answering questions. I used Phyto after my pregnancy and I had shedding and bad drying so I waited 4 months and relaxed again. During that time I deep conditioned 2x a week and used olive oil. Olive oil really kept it moistureized. Also wrap your hair up at night with a scarf or use a satin cap. My hair broke off in the back do to the harsh dryness and not using a head cover at night. Also get a trim. If all else fails go to a professional salon that does phyto.:(
 

Mocha Princess

New Member
Girl, I feel your pain and I really hope that your hair will quickly rebound from this messed up mishapse!! Just makes sure to focus on deep conditioning like, every 3 days if you can, using only high-quality conditioners. I have the same exact type of hair as you, 4b fine, and thin. I use Nexxus Humectress, which is very good for moisture, as well as the ORS replenishing pak, which also works for me. Clarify first to shase out all of the bad stuff, follow with a moisturizing shampoo, moisturizing conditioner, then a good leave-in, followed by a moisturizing hair while it's wet. After that, don't use any more shampoo for a while so as to not dry out your hair, and keep conditioning every 3 days to revive your hair with moisture. Use protective styles for a while and leave the hair alone for as long as you can. Aside from conditioning, make sure that you moisturize your hair with a good moisturizer like ORS olive oil in the jar, like 3 times/day. Keep that cycle going and see if you notice improvement. Don't give up on that hair, and pray as well. Have a blessed day.
 

KeraKrazy

Thickness before length
All relaxers dry out my hair but I found phyto particularly harsh and difficult to moisturise I used the entire bottle of neutralising shampoo which came with the relaxer and then DC my hair with roux porosity control for about 20 minutes before my hair felt back to normal.
 

sweethair

Well-Known Member
I want to thank everyone for all your help and encouragement. Yall have really brought my hopes back up. I have been doing clarifying shampoos, co-washings, deep conditionings and I do have roux porosity control also but it like a temporary fix. It makes my end soft but not the phyto relaxed hair. But I really want to try a hot oil treatment. I have been moisturing my hair once a day and sealing it with oil but I will bump it up to twice a day. I am also going to try sap moss from aveda my cousin said it makes her hair really soft. I will also check out the other product that all of you have recommended. I want to try to stay alway from to much cone. But I'm not going give up thanks to yall. I will keep you updated.
 
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Lavendar

Well-Known Member
Oh! I'm so sorry this happened to you. I actually love my Phyto, but I must admit it does take some effort to neutralize. I stopped using the shampoo that comes with the kit because I found it just doesn't neutralize my hair properly. I now use the Elucence acidifying shampoo. The reason why you would have success with porosity control is because you brought your hair back to normal pH, which is what a neutralizing shampoo should do. I actually think it would be a good idea to apply PC for five minutes, rinse, and then neutralize with poo after doing a Phyto. I think everyone should be made aware that Phyto can be difficult to neutralize for some people, but if done correctly, it is an awesome relaxer for the hair. You probably should continue to wash with a clarifier, then deep condition, then PC for your next few washes. Blessings with getting your hair back in shape!
 

sareca

Well-Known Member
:( Sorry 'bout chu hares. The last time I used Phyto it didn't take either. I think it was because my hair wasn't as porous as before and because I didn't clarify first. I have extremely hard water. Anyway, it didn't make my hair dry, it just didn't do much straightening. I'm going to try it again, but this time I'm going to clarify before and after.

Make sure you clarify.
 
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ClassicChic

Well-Known Member
I think you should add a really good moisturizing conditioner:

Keracare Humecto
Nexus Humectress
Mizani Moisturefuse
Elucence (sp)
Kenra MB

There are more but I can't think of any.
 
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avyance

Active Member
I had the same problem. Unfortunately like someone else said, there was so much breakage that I had to do a corrective relaxer and then I cut quite a few inches off.:mad:
 

kitkat3ny

New Member
I'm glad you started this thread. I'm stuffering from the exact same problem. I will buy some Roux Porosity Control today.

My hair isn't breaking off yet and the only reason I can think of is because I do CW daily. But it's not enough. My hair is awfuly dry even when it's wet.

I have no idea what deep conditioner to get though. I've never tried Elucence, Mizani or Kendra but at this moment I'd try just about anything.

Does anyone know how often can I use the Roux Porosity Control?

Has anyone tried this Lamaur Bone Marrow Deep Penetrating Treatment?
 

jasmin

Well-Known Member
I loved phyto when I first relaxed but I could not pay my head to stay moisturized. Nothing would moisturize my hair. My hair eventually broke and I had to start over. It’s been a year and my hair has come around (not there yet) but I’m moving in the right direction.
 

ClassicChic

Well-Known Member
kitkat3ny said:
I'm glad you started this thread. I'm stuffering from the exact same problem. I will buy some Roux Porosity Control today.

My hair isn't breaking off yet and the only reason I can think of is because I do CW daily. But it's not enough. My hair is awfuly dry even when it's wet.

I have no idea what deep conditioner to get though. I've never tried Elucence, Mizani or Kendra but at this moment I'd try just about anything.

Does anyone know how often can I use the Roux Porosity Control?

Has anyone tried this Lamaur Bone Marrow Deep Penetrating Treatment?

Never tried it but do a search. I remember reading good things about this product.
 

lisacoop

New Member
I also had a bad experience with Phytospecifics relaxer, My niece gave me a touch up with Phyto and my hair was so hard and very, very dry. My hairdresser had to give me a major haircut due to breakage. I can't believe I spent $60 for that awful relaxer!!:( My hairdresser carries Phytospecifics perms, but she charges $195, that is just plain crazy. I am begining to wonder if these products are worth the money. My relaxer only lasted 4 weeks. I am going to let another hair salon give me a Vitale relaxer.
 

Arcadian

New Member
wow:eek: I'm sad to hear that you've had to deal with that! Unfortunately every relaxer out there won't work for all of us, but in my case phyto did in fact do a fantastic job. Most relaxers cause so much damage to my scalp and hair its unreal (especially true with lye-based ones)

I have used Porosity control daily without problems, though I would never use too much of it.

I think aslo that you will need to get a good moisterizer as well, and, you'll need to keep up with the deep conditioners.


I think that if a person switches from lye to no lye there can be problems, but even with different types of no lye relaxers there can also be problems. My non phyto relaxed hair is the stuff that always tangles and looks much drier than the other parts of my hair....and once my hair gets longer it will also be eventually cut off.

Sadly it did not work out that well for you. I say sadly because I'm a phyto cheerleader. BUT, I'm quite suspect of the neutralizing process (you really do have ot wash ALOT with it as many others have found) Even though I use a neutralizing conditioner in between rinsing relaxer and the shampoo, I still wash like there's no tomorrow (like 6-10 times..no kidding). If you have hard water, that won't help matters either.

At best, only thing I can say is baby your hair for now, and make sure you give it lots of love. PC will work ok for you, but be sure to follow up with a good moisterizer too. 30 seconds really is all you need to help detangle your hair. If you want to leave it on longer, then sure you can, but again, if you just need to detangle, you don't need to leave it in that long.

if you have lots of breakage, you may want to try something like Emergencee. I think lots of ladies here have had good success with it using heat.

-A
 

sweethair

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone I wanted to give yall an update. My hair is much softer thanks to Aveda DR. Instead of keeping in for an hour I leave it in over night. I also moisturize twice a day, and I just tried henna. I did it today and it does feel softer and I have a little color to it. But my hair won't get straight even after another touch up. I guess I have to wait for the phyto hair to grow out. But at least it's soft. I am also thinking about getting a weave to give my hair a break. But I want to thank everyone that responded you were all great support.
 

loved

Well-Known Member
Are any other 4bs having problems with Phyto? I am an extreme 4z and I'm reviewing my relaxer options before my next relaxer.
 

KinkyGenius

Well-Known Member
This relaxer scares me so much because the reviews fall on both extreme sides of the spectrum: it's either a terrific relaxer for some or the ultimate setback for others. There doesn't seem to be a happy middle ground for this relaxer.

I'm in the market for a new relaxer after using Mizani BB and this was going to be the relaxer I tried. I might try Vitale or ORS Lye after reading this thread.
 

MonaLisa

Well-Known Member

I was about to have a palpitation and have Soulie come pick me up

...then realized this was a thread from '06...
 
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