| Original Publication Date: January 2009 |
January
1, 2009
Curly Hair & Chemical Hair Straightener?
Question
Dear Karen,
I am Japanese American and have long, thick, naturally curly
hair. On the traditional Andre Walker Natural Curl scale my
hair would be classified as either a 3B to a 4. My hair is
tightly curled but tends to be very dry, very frizzy and hard to
handle.
I want straight, sleek and shiny hair but nothing seems to
work permanently. Although I have had two different chemical
strengtheners applied by hairdressers over the past two years, they
look good until my hair starts to grow out at the roots.
Then I have to deal with dry, fuzzy, frizzy hair again.
The chemical strengtheners really do work but only on a temporary
basis. I want my hair to be permanently straight.
Someone told me I would like the results of a hair relaxer
better than a chemical straightener. I thought they were the
same thing which involved making hair straight. Does a
chemical relaxer leave hair permanently straight? Would I be
happier with a chemical relaxer than a chemical straightener?
Are chemical relaxers only used on African American hair?
Can it be used on Japanese American hair like mine? Should I
do the relaxer at home or have a hairdresser apply it? Will it
grow out like the chemical straighteners did or will it be
permanent?
I have heard really great things about the Rusk Relaxers but
am unsure whether I should apply it at home or have a hairdresser
apply it. I also need to know whether I should use Rusk #1,#2
or #3?
Are chemical relaxers safer for the hair in terms of damage
than a chemical straightener? I really don't want my hair to
be impacted by the relaxer in a way that will leave it dry, damaged
and with lots of breakage.
Any thoughts that you might have would be very much
appreciated.
Thank you.
Kiki
Answer
Dear Kiki,
Thank
you very much for your email and for visiting HairBoutique.com. I
appreciate it very much.
Chemical relaxers and chemical straighteners are both designed to
alter the texture of naturally curly and/or wavy hair.
The difference between a chemical straightener and a chemical
relaxer is basically in the results. Chemical straighteners
will straighten the hair and is considered permanent. This
means the chemical straightener will keep naturally curly hair
straight until the hair grows back at the root level.
Chemical relaxers will relax natural curls and waves but will not
necessarily straighten the hair. It will relax it which means
some of the curls and waves will remain. Relaxers are not
permanent which means that the impact of the relaxers will not last
more than several weeks of a few months.
Chemical straighteners and chemical relaxers, whether classified
as permanent or temporary will both lose their impact when the hair
starts to grow. There is nothing that can currently be applied
to naturally curly or wavy hair that will permanently straighten it,
even after the roots grow in.
Chemical straighteners should always be applied by a licensed
hair professional to guarantee the best results and the minimum
amount of damage. Chemical relaxers should also be applied by
a hair professional, at least the first time they are applied.
Home relaxers may under some circumstances be applied at home,
especially if you have someone who can help you with all the
necessary steps.
Chemical straighteners and relaxers are not specifically designed
for African American hair. They can be applied to every
ethnicity.
Anytime you apply a chemical to your hair which alters the color
or the texture, damage is a strong possibility. This is
especially true with hair that is naturally sensitive or dry such as
naturally curly or wavy hair.
Chemical straighteners often use ammonium thioglycolate to first
break the bonds in the hair that create the curls and waves. A
neutralizer is applied to reform the previous curls into straight
strands.
The best way to deal with chemical straighteners or relaxers when
they start to grow out at the roots is to do a chemical root
touchup.
After any type of chemical treatment it is important to restore
natural oils and moisture. This can be accomplished to some
extent by using deep conditioning treatments and oiling the hair in
between cleansing periods.
When hair has been chemically straightened or relaxed it is
recommended that hair be washed as infrequently as possible or as a
maximum, once or twice a week. It is also best to dilute any
moisture enriching shampoo with warm water. Another great
option is to wash hair with Conditioner Only (CO)
Other ways to pamper chemically treated hair includes:
1. Cleanse only with lukewarm water.
2. Apply a moisture enhancing rinse out conditioner.
3. Always do a cool or cold water rinse to close the cuticle.
4. Apply a leave-in conditioner mixed with a defrisant.
5. Allow hair to air dry as often as possible.
6. Towel blot hair, never rub to avoid breaking delicate hair.
7. Avoid using hot tools, especially flat or curling irons.
8. Use soft rollers instead of hot rollers.
9. If hair must be dried, use a hood dryer or a hair dryer set
on the coolest, slowest setting.
Please let me know if you have additional questions. Thank you
again for thinking of HairBoutique.com.
Good luck to you in whatever endeavor you undertake and Happy
Holidays.
Karen
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