What The Heck Is A Texlaxing And Is It Natural?

I hear this question quite often in hair forums, groups and on blogs. It’s a funny word that has been around forever (or so it seems) and if I try and think back to the first time I ever heard it was when A Different World was on TV. Jada Pinkett was one of the new cast members and she was rocking a short cut, what we would now today call a TWA and her hair was curly or wavy.

Everyone loved it and said she just has a texturizer in her hair to make it look that way. Sorry, but back in the day, if you had wavy hair or curly hair and you were brown you must have put some chemicals in it to look that way, pardon our ignorance but that’s what we all thought. Anyway, fast forward to today and the word is popping up again and with less restrictions.

Back then, it was understood that if you had a texturizer you could only wear your hair ultra short and honestly, I have no idea why. Maybe it was because longer hair needed higher maintenance and most women were already using full blown relaxers on their longer hair.

I’m not sure, but the word has resurfaced with a new branding because it’s a way for some naturals to “calm down” their coils without going completely straight. First and foremost let us get the “is it natural?” question out of the way quickly, Texlaxing or using a texturizer changes the texture of the hair and is not considered natural. On laymans terms you can refer to it as a mild relaxer. If you need a text book definition we have that too:

A texturizer, tex-lax or any other spelling variations is “a mild form of a relaxer which is applied for a brief amount of time in an effort to only slightly relax the curl instead of straightening it. This is a chemical-based straightener. A relaxer can be used as a texturizer; simply leave it on the hair for less time than designated for straightening.” About.com

Why would someone choose to texlax

As mentioned before many women prefer to have their curls looser than how it grows naturally and a texturizer or texlaxing does just that. If you have fine strands  and relaxers give you no volume than a texturizer may be an option for you to get the fullness you desire without total commitment of natural hair.

Another reason would be because women prefer a relaxer but do not need a full blown relaxer to get that straight permanent look they desire. Texlaxing is less harmful than relaxers because the relaxers are not left on the hair as long during the application and you don’t need to do a ‘touch-up’ as often.

What are some of the things to watch for

Texlaxing is absolutely a personal choice but what makes it dangerous is that you may not get the same results every time and even during the same application. One side of your hair might process better and be less curly than the other side and the more you do it does not mean it will get any better.

Another issue is that some naturals who truly want to be natural use texlaxing as a crutch in an effort to help them ‘manage’ their tresses. The problem is, the only way to learn is to jump right in and try, this is however a choice that every natural will have to make for herself.

On the psychological side of things if you do not like your hair texture or find it difficult to work with but you are also shamed to admit that you have a texturizer, then you have an issue that needs addressing. You should never be ashamed to admit what you willingly choose to do with your own hair despite what the naysayers might say.

In all honesty, to get a better chance of greater results if you go to a salon that does texturizers regularly. Although, there is no guarantee they too will get your tresses to your desired coil they do a much better job than someone trying it one themselves.

If you do not have access to a salon, ask someone to help you with it so that you can make sure the perm is not on your hair long, and everything moves faster and more efficiently than if you were alone.

If you absolutely must do it yourself, watch a few tutorials if this is new for you so that you can at least have some knowledge going in. There are success stories with texturizers and there are failure stories too.

The bottom line is texturizers and texlaxing are not natural, they can be unpredictable, but they are less damaging to your tresses than using relaxers that are on your strands longer. It’s up to you to determine if it’s the route you want to take but just make sure you are doing it for the right reason.