[b]Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..[/b]

[Chichi]

Hi All,

I am new to this board and I am learning a whole lot... I understand that to promote hair growth that I should wash my hair frequently (2x a week with one being a conditioner rinse).

Okay, but for me this would not stretch out my relaxer (I stretch it out to every 10 weeks -- I have coarse type 4a/4b hair that is in a wave pattern not really in a coil)...

How can I wash frequently and relaxer less? Hmmm...
I prefer to wear my hair straight and right now it is thin and a little past shoulder length. I always had thick hair. The fact that it now looks thin is why I am here

...

Oh, I used to use Revo, rotating brush because I thought that it would be like the hairdressers brush spin. Stopped using it. I just started the GNC HN two days ago and will probably add PP Biotin and Primrose.

I plan to do my next relaxer at home. What will be the best one? I would like Affirm fiberguard (wher can I get it if not a beautician?).

Okay, I have thrown out alot. I would appreciate any help at all. Thank you.

Chichi

 

[Titansgirl]

Hi Chichi, Welcome to the board. I'm sure the ladies here will help you.... In reference to the vitamins you're thinking about taking, you should also add B5(Pantothenic Acid) to your regimen. This will help to thicken your new growth...... Can you also list your current regimen for everyone? Ex. how often do you currently wash your hair, do you perform hotoil treatment, deep condition, etc....

I hope this helps...

 

[Integrity]

chichi, i am now at week 18 of my relaxer. washing it every other day (with a conditioner) has enabled me to keep the hair on my head and keep the new growth soft, the old growth moisturised and fresh and the breakage and shedding to a minimum. washing the hair has def helped me to stretch out my relaxer!

 

[sweetcocoa]

[ QUOTE ]
chichi, i am now at week 18 of my relaxer. washing it every other day (with a conditioner) has enabled me to keep the hair on my head and keep the new growth soft, the old growth moisturised and fresh and the breakage and shedding to a minimum. washing the hair has def helped me to stretch out my relaxer!

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't relax anymore...but this makes perfect sense to me. I wish I had done this when I did relax. If I ever relax again I will be doing this. They (frequent shampooing or rinsing) have become forever a part of my regime. That's how strongly I feel about this.
Oh, by the way...welcome!

 

[Integrity]

chichi, BUT since we now know washing frequently leads to more growth i am not surprised you have to touch up more often!!

i am stuck withoout a relaxer till i can get to london for my stylist to do it for me. but it is nice to know i dont have to have my hair breaking and shedding and looking dry as i wait for the day to come! i can go for 8 more weeks am sure!

 

[Lindy]

I used to think that washing my hair more frequently would mean I'd have to relax it sooner (not due to more new growth, I thought the water would cause the hair to somehow revert; YES, I DO know better now!!

)

Anyway I've been washing my hair more frequently and to my surprise, for the first time ever, I managed to go 16 weeks.

 

[brownrelaxedhair]

Chichi,

I've found that combating thinning relaxed hair has meant doing a combo of things, cutting down on nightly hair wrapping (you didn't say if you do this), taking B5 and biotin and decreasing the amount of rollarsets I do and instead wearing the hair airdried. Airdrying and wearing the hair in a bun or braid out has given my hair a 'break' from the necessary combing and wrapping to wear it straight and its helped make it thicker.

 

[keeshesfromindy]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

BRH: I have to wrap my hair nightly or I have matted ends. I tried for a couple of weeks to just kinda put my hair up and wrap my silk scarf around it. My hair would be tangled when I got up in the morning. Wrapping seems to be working for me, since I am moisturizing twice a day.
Keeshes

 

[brownrelaxedhair]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

That's good then if wrapping works for you. Wrapping works for me too and is the only way I know to maintain straight hair when wearing it straight and I still do. Just much less now. I noticed that constant week in week out wrapping was thinning my hair. Not much but little by little over the weeks and months. This doesn't happen for everyone though, just some girls, me included.

Hopefully the supplements suggested will help as they have done for many here.

 

[sweetcocoa]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

[ QUOTE ]
That's good then if wrapping works for you. Wrapping works for me too and is the only way I know to maintain straight hair when wearing it straight and I still do. Just much less now. I noticed that constant week in week out wrapping was thinning my hair. Not much but little by little over the weeks and months. This doesn't happen for everyone though, just some girls, me included.

Hopefully the supplements suggested will help as they have done for many here.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wrapping thinned my ends on the sides. Since I don't wrap unless I'm wearing my hair straight...which isn't that often...my sides are growing and thick....(yes!) My cousin warned me that wrapping could do that....but I thought I was the exception....It thinned it out slowly..not real noticible at first...but then after looking a pics I could see they were getting thinner.

 

[Robin41]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

Now see, it never even occurred to me that wrapping might have been causing the weakness and breakage I've been getting lately. Aha! That's what I love about this board!

When I was doing protective styles all winter, my hair was in fantastic shape and then I got cute when spring came and I started flatironing my hair. It was so long and healthy that I just kept wrapping it and wearing it out all the time. I'm going back to twice weekly shampoo/condition rinses and protective styles.

Thanks BRH and Sweetcocoa.

 

[brownrelaxedhair]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

your welcome Robin. I wouldn't have guessed the wrapping thing either until it was mentioned ages ago on this board and I made the connection.

 

[keeshesfromindy]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

I think it may have been the dryness of my hair, and the fact that I used my brush during that. My hair is thick, so I think I was thinning it out with the brush. Since I stop brushing in my hair feels thicker on the sides.
Keeshes

 

[shelli4018]

Re: Frequent Washings = More Relaxers for Me..

Why does wrapping thin your hair on the sides? I've noticed it as well. I'm trying to repair hair on my left side now.

 

[Chichi]

[ QUOTE ]
Chichi,

I've found that combating thinning relaxed hair has meant doing a combo of things, cutting down on nightly hair wrapping (you didn't say if you do this), taking B5 and biotin and decreasing the amount of rollarsets I do and instead wearing the hair airdried. Airdrying and wearing the hair in a bun or braid out has given my hair a 'break' from the necessary combing and wrapping to wear it straight and its helped make it thicker.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far. It is helping. Interesting that healthy hair will not equal to more relaxers. Maybe that is my problem BRH. I wrap every single night because I wear my hair straight and use one of those paddle brushes to wrap. Now I see that it is a bad idea.

Also, I never really had a hair care regimen but this is what I did:
wash every two to three weeks (with a roller set/hooded dryer)
wrap every night with oil (taking oil to ends)
relaxer every 10 weeks
just a Centrum multivitamin once a day

I would like to experiment with just airdrying but I am afraid to just do this because I don't have too much wiggle room (meaning I have to go to work the next day).

Does anyone have a sure fire way to airdry with good effects (don't want to come out like a fuzzball). John Frieda makes a Ripplemaker spray for scrunch curls (sorry to throw out another product out there PJs). Has anyone tried this? BTW, I haven't heard about any of John Frieda RELAX products. I use the shampoo and conditioner along with the Keracare line. Thanks in advance for the tips.

Chichi

 

[marabou1]

Hi Chichi:

welcome!

Yes, I agree with the ladies on hair wrapping. I suspected that even if I oiled my ends, if I wrapped my hair too often it would cause some serious split ends! Especially if my hair was in need of a wash. I only wrap my hair for a few days after a touch-up and a few days after washing (if roller-set). My wrapped hair looks beautiful when it's clean.

 

[Brownie]

I've only had my whole head flat ironed once, and to keep my hair straight and shiny, I just sprayed a little virgin olive oil on my hair and loosely braided it in one braid or two, and my hair stayed straight (no, I didn't have any wave crimps the next day

). As for wrapping, I've never tried, but the braid(s) are easy.

 

[brownrelaxedhair]

Chichi,

I also have little wiggle room in the mornings when going to work. What I do is do 2 pigtails the night before,let it airdry and in the morning I undo them and go to work with wavy hair. Either that or I'll go in with the hair in a bun, depends which looks nicer that morning

.

I've found just using s-curl activator on wet hair before braiding, helps the hair remain soft and wavy so you don't need to use something like Ripple Effect which actually I used to use last summer alot. The s-curl makes the hair dry moisturized and stops it frizzing or drying out

. Other girls here follow with a serum over that as well. L'oreal Smooth Intense is a big fave at the moment. There is a past thread not too far back about this. This of course is all optional and you may need to experiment a couple of times to see what gives you the best finish.

When you've done the airdrying thing for a while and get used to wavy airdried hair and then go back to doing a rollarset, let me know if you notice a difference in the thinning. I'm convinced now the break helps me. Maybe it will help you too.