Stretching out the relaxer vs. Breakage

[Falon]

I have never managed to stretch out a relaxer. I always get to week 6 or 7 and I'm done. I want to stretch to my b-day next month but my hair is starting to really break a bit when I comb it. I have over an inch of new growth and in the middle of my head where my hair is thickest it is getting impossible to comb.

I put extra moisturizer and am extra gentle. Yet, I am seeing more hair in the comb than I normally do. I got about 2 pea sized balls of hair this morning(I comb out my hair in sections)

I want to try to stretch until at least the first week of July but I'm afraid that my hair will be messed up because of excess breakage from combing.

Question: Is it better to relax more often to avoid breakage or is the breakage not that bad and the benefits of strecthing outweigh it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[aqualung]

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Falon said:
Question: Is it better to relax more often to avoid breakage or is the breakage not that bad and the benefits of strecthing outweigh it?


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Neither have I solved the riddle of stretching out relaxers.

I stretched to 12 weeks last time, and the breakage was more than I'm comfortable with. I wash my hair in 6-8 braided sections, so the relaxed length of the hair is fine. The 4b new growth at the base of the braids coils up tightly each wash. The 4a parts aren't so bad.

My stylist took much longer than usual to relax all that new growth because I'd gooped it up with Wild Growth Hair Oil the previous week. (I got in the shower and washed my hair twice, and that sticky oil was STILL IN THERE.) Now my scalp is irritated.

Next 12 weeks, I plan to use coconut oil on the new growth to stretch and straighten it.

 

[Neroli]

How often do you wash? I have 4b relaxed hair and I was able to break the 6 week touchup cycle by simply washing a couple of times a week. After each wash & rollerset, my hair is nice and moisturized with very little breakage the first couple of days, by day 4 or 5, I start seeing more "fallout" and then I wash. Now, I don't even wait for the fall out, I just wash every 3 or 4 days. I don't use anything in between, no oils or sprays or anything at all for the new growth, just tiny drops of aloe on my ends, that's it. I also recently started doing condition only washes instead of using 'poo and, Girl, my hair is just loving that, plus it's less time (I put the condition on my hair and leave on 10-30 minutes -- if I'm in a rush just put it on, rinse well, do an ACV and I'm ready to rollerset). My standard stretching time is now 10 weeks. I working on 12, now that I do the condition washes and see how that goes.

My solution, then, is to wash whenever I see too much shedding/breakage -- stops it cold.

 

[Tracy]

The key to stretching relaxers for me is not trying to style the hair at all. I wash it, aridry it and bun it. No combing. Minimal brushing. Minimal maniulation period. And I only detangle in the shower using the water stream.

But if going past 7 weeks causes too much breakage for you after trying everything suggested (or what you think will work for you) then I say give up the ghost.

 

[MissMarie23]

I managed to stretch to 19 weeks by simply doing daily conditioner washes and not combing it unless I was in the shower. I didn't do anything else to it, I just put a light oil on it, and tied my bun down with a scarf.

I only relaxed when I did because I wanted to wear my hair down, and I had nearly 4 inches of new growth.

So, I would recommend combing in the shower, and NEVER while it's dry, and trying a protective style that you don't have to fuss with.

 

[Isis]

I agree with the other ladies. I only comb in the shower when detangling after conditioning and NEVER while it's dry. I wash, airdry and wear a braidout or now my new braided style until next wash while stretching our my relaxer. No or very little manipulation works.

 

[BlackButterflyz]

I used to have the same problem with stretching my relaxers... What got me over my usual 8 week hump was coconut oil, detangling in the shower, and avoiding styling too much... I put coconut oil on my new growth and brush it in two ponies (I know some people cringe at the thought of a brush, but a good boar bristle works wonders for my new growth) If I wasn't so vain I could probably go for months without a relaxer b/c of coconut oil, and I am definitely a coarse 4a with thick hair

. Also try investing in a good high end moisturizing cond. if you don't aleady have one (I like Keracare Humecto). I find that if I constantly use conditioners/leave-in with too much protein when I'm really close to touch-up time, I lose the fight against stretching it out.
HTH

 

[melodee]

I am having breakage issues with my hair as I try to stretch out my relaxer. I had been rinsing a few times a week, but my relaxed hair is extremely porous and the strands keep snapping when I use my detangler comb after conditioning. I have been losing a lot of hair and I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't wash mine so much until I get it relaxed-too much manipulation for my fine strands

 

[Falon]

O.k thanks guys. I am going to look for some coconut oil today. I conditioned my hair with a protein conditioner and it came out all feeling poufy. I think I am going to go find some non-protein conditioner and do a few condition washes. With the coconut oil I may be able to do it. My b-day is 4 weeks from now so that would only be stretching to 10 weeks. I searched out some threads on stretching and I realize that 4s are stretching to week 12 and beyond so I will start with 10.

 

[Donda]

[ QUOTE ]
My solution, then, is to wash whenever I see too much shedding/breakage -- stops it cold.

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Ditto, I wash twice a week also...

However I found that I was over conditioning my hair and that would cause it to break. After using an after shampoo conditioner my new growth would be soft but my relaxed hair even softer. Because the relaxed hair was so soft it couldn't stand up to my new growth and snap.

Now I simply wash every 4-5 days, giving myself two washes. The first I use a shampoo with Sodium Laurel Sulfate (Motions, Pantene etc.) then CON Shampoo, it itself is a conditioning wash

. After that I saturate my hair with ORS Olive Oil and blow dry, I might flat iron depending on the style I want.

Also your relaxer itself can play a factor. If your hair is under processed it can make it seem as thou you need to relax it sooner then normal.

Washing every 4-5 days I've lasted 8 weeks so far with NO desire to relax, which is the longest I've gone out side of transitioning.