What products are you using with PHYTO?

[Princess Pie]

I had a bad experience with Phyto relaxer, but I’m thinking about jumping back on the Phyto bandwagon (after a not so great experience with ORS today).

So my question is this: What products are you using with Phyto? I’m not in love with what comes in the kit, so I’m looking to replace the neutralizing poo, reconstructor, or anything else. I especially want to get my neutralizing step together. Please tell me what products you are using when you relax with Phyto, and how you are using them.

TIA

 

[Mystic]

What happened with your ORS relaxer?

I use Phyto and when I self relaxed, my hair was extremely dry. The last time I went to the salon, my hairdresser used mizani moisturing shampoo after the neutralizer and that made a world of difference.

Sacrea mentioned that she use ACV before neutralizing and it made a difference. Sorry to hear about ORS because I was thinking of trying it out. I am curious to know what happened

 

[Princess Pie]

What happened with your ORS relaxer?

My hair is sooo underprocessed. Plus the relaxer burned, which it didn't do last time. I'm not sure what went wrong, but it has me rethinking my options. Phyto didn't burn me at all, but I don't think I neutralized enough. I'm not 100% sure I'll switch back, but I'm considering it. Either way, I won't be able to wait 10-12 weeks, because parts of my hair didn't relax at all.

 

[Lavendar]

Hey Princess,

Glad you posted this. I have been using Phyto for a while, but the posts lately about damaged hair have even scared me a little. I figured I better tighten my act up so I don't end up with a problem. While replying to another poster, I began to speculate about using the porosity control while neutralizing because of its acidity. So today just happened to be my relaxer day and this is what I did: one wash using Elucence Acidifying shampoo (I love this..it is a neutralizer....smells great...doesn't dry my hair), put a lot of PC all over my hair and "washed" it in..rubbed my scalp really well, then put more on top (then I danced around with my son to reggae music, so I say I left it on for about 10-15 minutes)..then washed 3 more times to be sure I was neutralized. I think twice more would have been good, but the extra wash made the unsure feeling go away. I have to say this has got to be the best relaxer I have done. Usually I have 5 or 6 clumps of hair slide out while rinsing and I never think anything of it because I bun and don't comb much, plus this has happened to me for years. I do lose a lot after relaxing, but it doesn't make my hair look any thinner or anything. Phyto always makes my hair look so much thicker and bouncier. BUT, this time I lost a grand total of 5 hairs. Of course, I was amazed. My hair is extremely fine and a little past shoulder length so I am used to having 5 or 6 big balls of hair to throw away. I thought I would have some hair to airdry to test my henna, but I have none! So all this time, even though I haven't had a terrible result after relaxing, or what I considered to be terrible, I was still not neutralizing effectively and was suffering the results and didn't realize it.

So right now I'm happy, happy, happy! After shampooing, I applied some Pure Gloss Neem conditioner mostly at the scalp and a little in the hair (cause it has henna in it), coconut oil on my ends, and Elasta DPR-11 all over my hair and concentrated on the ends. My hair feels like butter now. I usually am a tangly mess before putting a leave-in or detangler on, but not today. I now have a new relaxer regimen that I will never stray from. I really do appreciate everyone sharing their experiences, even though I feel so bad when things don't turn out right cause we all know how that is. But hopefully we can all turn bad experiences into good ones and good ones into excellent ones! Hope this helps!

 

[longmanediva]

Princess,

I tried Phyto for the first time my last touch-up and had NO problems because I've been listening to what the ladies say about it drying the hair afterwards so I prepared myself and don't think I'll ever use another relaxer. I have VERY kinky hair 4bcdefg hair and this is what I did. I used the neutralizing poo in the kit, then I shampooed my hair with the keracare detangling poo last, as I always do, it is a staple 4 me 4 ever. THen I condition under the dryer with LeKair Cholesterol plus for 15-20 minutes. It makes my hair VERY soft and manageable. My hair was like butter afterwards. And since less is more to rollerset, I use the keracare leave-in, a very good hair serum, and a water spray bottle to keep my hair wet while rollersetting. I hope this helps.

I love Phyto SO much I put index 1 in my 9 year old daughter's hair who has VERY thick and course but wavy hair, and it texlaxed it....it's so beautiful, her hair is still thick but 500 times more manageable and it reminds me of ISIS's hair. I'll never stop using Phyto. You just must remember that because it's PH level is less than other products it's better 4 your hair and make sure before you relax next time, not to have a lot of product build up on your scalp which could affect the effectiveness of Phyto since it's already mild enough to not damage your hair or cause it to burn. Before I put mine in, I washed it 3 or 4 days b4. Maybe you should go through the relaxer after you apply it to make sure that it's all the way through your head. GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[Princess Pie]

ivanay I'm working on getting the whole ACV rinse thing down, so this is definitely an option.

Lavendar I've been wanting to try the Elucence Acidifying shampoo, and I hadn't even thought about PC.

longmanediva How many times did you shampoo with the poo in the kit? Before, I was shampooing twice, and the poo changed color, but my hair still felt rough.

Thanks ladies!

 

[Arcadian]

Porosity Control - I use this to cover any previously relaxed hair. You do have to be careful not to cover any virgin hair with this stuff(learned that the hard way) I have also used it before I wash with the neutralizing shampoo. (I now use Fiberguard Sustenance for this step)

One I rinse the relaxer from my hair I let the conditoner sit on my hair for 5/7 minutes prior to using the neutralizing shampoo.


I neutralize (shampoo) about 6-10 times. I let it sit 5 minutes in between each wash. I know, its excessive but, it does take a while to wash out. (always better to be safe than sorry)


I use a Wella demi color after I relax. I mix 1/2 clear and 1/2 whatever color I have on hand at the time, with the activator. 20 minutes with a plastic cap WITHOUT heat works very well for me. There are times that I've used heat in the form of a really hot towel for the last 10 minutes of processing and it seemed to work better.

Then I rinse with lukewarm water until the water runs clear.


I then use my conditioning concoction. This consists of:

1 ORS Pak
1 tablespoon coconut oil*
1 tablespoon amla oil*
2 tablespoons keraphix**
1 tablespoon Porosity control OR Nexxus Ensure

*this is the only time I can get away with using so much oil...sadly!*


**If I don't have the keraphix close by then I use the milky reconstructor from the box


I warm this up for 1 minute to melt the coconut oil. Once its on my head I wrap a hot towel around my head, then put a plastic bag over the whole thing

(whole foods plastic bags RAWK! )


Once this cools down (10-15 minutes) I rinse with COOL water.

Then I use my normal moisterizers and put my hair up.

After that its usually time for me to go to bed But this really makes my hair soft, silky and really touchable. I suffer with hand-in-hair disease for quite a while afterwards

Though its a long process which I devote pretty much my whole evening to, it is the process that has worked great for me because I seem to really lock in that moisture which is necessary after any chemical process.

I did find that adding a bit of heat (especially in the form of a wet towel) has really brought it up a notch)


HTH


-A

 

[mahogany66]

I relaxed my hair friday with PHYTO and I loved the results. I poo'd my hair with the neutralizing poo about 5-6 times,( I know this is alot but I wanted to be SAFE). I DC"D with my humecto and BC oil and sat under a low dryer for about 20 mins. I did my usual rollerset with a/g and black earth mist and when my hair dried I added some Phyto 9 moisturizer, My results were soft, bouncy hair..

I never heard of Eulence Acidifying until Lavendar recommeded it, I will definitely get this for my Next relaxer to cut down the amout of poo's.

 

[longmanediva]

Princess, I must've washed my hair with the neutralizing poo 4 times. Oh and by the way I DID put the reconstructer in my hair before I conditioned it with Lekair cholesterol with heat for 15 minutes. YOu are supposed to wash your hair at least 4 times after you relax it, and that's what beauticians learn to do straight from beauty school. Again I had no problems with stiffness after I used the Neu-poo 4X, keracare detangling poo 1X, Phyto-reconstructor for 10 or so minutes (no heat), then Lekair Cholesterol for 15-20 minutes with heat. Like I said, I will never use another relaxer line again. I've had NO breakage or shedding and I'm like 5 weeks post relaxer now. Oh and Profectiv Break-Free is the TRUTH!! It's creamy, not heavy, very moisturizing, smells good and has a lot of shine.....love it. I'm going to buy the biggest container I can from the BSS. Between the Break-Free, jojoba oil, WGO my hair has been thriving.

 

[Princess Pie]

OMG! Shampooing 4-10 times! I never knew I should poo that much, so that must be my problem.

I'm definitely gonna shampoo more, use porosity control twice, and possibly throw in an ACV rinse to bring the pH down.

I also like the idea of replacing the milky reconstructor with Keraphix, because it always makes my hair soft.

Thanks!

 

[sareca]

I honestly believe most relaxer problems are caused by not clarifying before relaxing (i.e., relaxer doesn't take), not neutralizing completely after (i.e., causing dryness and breakage), or not clarifying afterwards (i.e., buildup causes more dryness).

I did use ACV after my last relaxer. I washed and washed and washed and the color indicator was still very pink. I mixed some ACV and water and poured it over my hair, waited a bit, rinsed, then neutralized again. Dada! Completely white. After 2-3 days I clarified. Relaxer residue can cause some nasty buildup and keep products from working properly. I think it is just as important as clarifying before relaxing.

 

[MonaLisa]

I honestly believe most relaxer problems are caused by not clarifying before relaxing (i.e., relaxer doesn't take), not neutralizing completely after (i.e., causing dryness and breakage), or not clarifying afterwards (i.e., buildup causes more dryness).

I did use ACV after my last relaxer. I washed and washed and washed and the color indicator was still very pink. I mixed some ACV and water and poured it over my hair, waited a bit, rinsed, then neutralized again. Dada! Completely white. After 2-3 days I clarified. Relaxer residue can cause some nasty buildup and keep products from working properly. I think it is just as important as clarifying before relaxing.

**Great advice....some results might turn out differently for some by applying this step. Also making sure hair is thoroughly combed/detangled before relaxer application.

 

[Honi]

I use their neutralizing shampoo. It takes about 4-5 applications to completely neutralize. I also notice that my hair is somewhat detangled during this time so I use the opportunity to detangle under the shower stream while rinsing the shampoo out. I then follow up with a detangling moisturizing shampoo.

I skipped their reconstructor every time I relaxed because I read that it was tangling the hair up. This last time I relaxed I tried it and sure enough my hair was stiff. I was surprised when some said that their hair was soft but anyway to correct the stiffness I used keracare humecto.

I won't be using their reconstructor again. What I used the other times was AO GPB and I will continue to use this instead of what comes in the box.

 

[mahogany66]

This is PROOF that every product is not for everyone because after I rinsed 5-6 times and applied the reconstructor my hair was hanging and VERY soft.NO TANGLES at all and when I DC'd with humecto and Black Castor oil my hair was even more fabulous.

 

[Princess Pie]

I honestly believe most relaxer problems are caused by not clarifying before relaxing (i.e., relaxer doesn't take), not neutralizing completely after (i.e., causing dryness and breakage), or not clarifying afterwards (i.e., buildup causes more dryness).

I did use ACV after my last relaxer. I washed and washed and washed and the color indicator was still very pink. I mixed some ACV and water and poured it over my hair, waited a bit, rinsed, then neutralized again. Dada! Completely white. After 2-3 days I clarified. Relaxer residue can cause some nasty buildup and keep products from working properly. I think it is just as important as clarifying before relaxing.

This is very good advice. I never thought about clarifying before relaxing my hair, or soon after. Maybe this was the problem with my last ORS relaxer. I'm using a lot of new products, so it's possible I had buildup and didn't know it. erplexed

 

[Princess Pie]

I skipped their reconstructor every time I relaxed because I read that it was tangling the hair up. This last time I relaxed I tried it and sure enough my hair was stiff. I was surprised when some said that their hair was soft but anyway to correct the stiffness I used keracare humecto.

I don't think the reconstructor in the kit works for me either. During my one good experience with Phyto, it seemed to make my hair feel hard and tangled. I also had to use humecto to correct the problem.