Relaxer Didn’t Get Rid Of All Curls Kinks Or Coils? You May Not Be As Underprocessed As Yo
I relax my hair completely. Recently I posted a pictorial of my self-relaxing process and showed areas of my hair that don’t process as straight as others. Some commented that I appear to be texlaxed. For those who are unfamiliar, the term ‘texlax’ (texture/texturizer + relax) means to intentionally underprocess your hair to leave some kinks coils or curls.
This is achieved by either shortening the processing time of the relaxer which is often combined with not smoothing and/or mixing oils* into the relaxer to decrease its strength and slow the processing time further. Some women have texlaxed areas or17 entire heads not by design but by circumstance, and this is often called underprocessed hair. Despite some popular opinions, I am not texlaxed.
A lot of times, women are relaxed at a young age and are so used to their straight texture and were also led to think of new growth, no matter how tight or loose the curl pattern, as nappy and unmanageable. In my experience with friends and family, girls who are relaxed at a young age continue to believe this as they grow older, even if they stretch their relaxers, and automatically assume their natural texture is 4b.
I feel very lucky that although I had a lot of very thick, shoulder length hair as a little girl, my mom never even considered relaxing it to make it easier for her to care for. And because I didn’t receive my first relaxer until a few days before my first day high school, I have vivid memories of my natural texture. I also transitioned a few years later (unintentionally through the use of box braids) and became reacquainted, however briefly, with my natural hair which is truly kinky* 4b.
As a teenager, my mother took me to the salon every two weeks to have my hair done. Sometimes we’d have our appointments together, other times she would drop me off and then run errands during my visit. But when I was scheduled for a relaxer, Mommy made it a point to be in the salon. Whether she was getting her hair done or not she felt she NEEDED to be present during this important service. Before you go thinking my mom was extra careful regarding relaxers and giving her kudos (although my mom is pretty awesome) let me explain why she wanted to be there.
My mother believes relaxed hair, particularly when done professionally, should always be pin straight. After I received my relaxer touch ups and my style was finished, she always examined my hair with eyes and hands, particularly the crown area, to see just how well the relaxer “took” (remember that term?). If she felt any hint of waves or texture she’d say “Ít’s not straight. Your hair is so resistant, did she let the relaxer sit?!” then she would ask “What brand did she use? Oh, see that’s why…that doesn’t work for you!”
I remember sitting with relaxer on my head, sometimes burning and sometimes not, and the stylist would tell me to head to the shampoo bowl. My mother would speak up, softly and politely, and request that the relaxer sit on my head a few minutes longer. I didn’t get my first relaxer until I was 14 so initially I would defer to my mother’s requests because after all she was the experienced-relaxed head out of the two of us, and continue to sit with my scalp burning and just wiggle my toes to distract myself from the pain that would sometimes result.
As I became more familiar with my relaxed hair, however, I accepted these wavy areas as NORMAL and would refuse to sit especially if my scalp was burning. Mommy was partially right: some brands process my hair straighter than others and some stylists are better at applications then others but she was completely wrong in her desire and belief the MY hair would ever relax bone, pin straight.
The instructions on any relaxer includes processing times. Often they have suggested times for fine hair, medium (aka normal) hair and coarse/resistant hair. The coarse hair processing time is always the longest and is usually suggested to be about 20 minutes. However, there is almost always a warning that states to not exceed a specific amount of time, around 25-30 minutes. When a relaxer is applied correctly, these times are adhered to. It is not healthy for your hair to decide to leave the relaxer on longer – regardless of whether or not your scalp is tingling or burning. Your hair should achieve maximum straightness in the indicated time(s).
What is important to remember is that maximum straightness does not always equal pin straight hair. There are a lot of things to consider: brands, no lye vs. lye, relaxer preparation, pH, etc. that could alter your results but as a whole everyone’s maximum straightness differs. Not only that but even on your own head, straightness may differ. As my mom knows all too well, the crown of my hair does not generally process as straight as my edges. The front of my hair processes straighter than the back. Plus…my texture is 4b!
Based solely on my own hair, I would venture to say that the tighter your texture/curl pattern the less likely you are to achieve completely straight hair. Kinks, coils and curls doesn’t always equal texlaxed or underprocessed hair! Relaxers are meant to do just as their name implies – relax your curls. It does not guarantee your hair will be completely free of all texture.
Assuming the relaxer is applied correctly and you’ve found the brand and technique that works best for you, then hair that is left with a bit of texture does not mean that your hair is underprocessed. You aren’t automatically texlaxed by default because you have some texture left. Some textures do not and may not ever relax completely straight.
The solution isn’t to constantly search for a stronger relaxer – that super, duper, extra strength lye formula may STILL leave you with some waves or kinks! Leaving it on for 45 minutes to process will just cause damage, if not immediately then definitely in the long term. Doing a “corrective” after every touch up is sure to leave you with over processed, brittle hair eventually.
My suggestion? Do as I did – accept your hair as it is. The relaxer did its job and relaxed your curls. Accept any residual kinks and curls as a sign of healthy hair!