My hair was pretty much signalling that it was about that time.Shedding a lot and just being downright---rebellious. I was 14 weeks and 2 days post--a pretty decent stretch. I try not to stretch too long because, as a self relaxer, I want to have an easy relaxer day. I've self relaxed at 20 weeks post and it was just....a mess. So, I now try to stretch long enough for it to be of benefit to my hair but not so long that becomes a source of frustration come relaxer day.
Anyway, I put my hair in sections and relaxed using Mizani Butter Blends. I neutralized with my Silk Elements Neutralizing Shampoo (I finally finished the bottle--YAY!!) and DCed with ORS Replenishing Condtioner (also finished off 2 almost empty bottles!) for an hour. After rinsing the condish out, I sprayed Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea Restructurizer on my hair and used Qhemet Biologics AOHC as a leave in. To finish off, I used One N Only Argan Oil as a heat protectant and straightened my hair.
Today, I went to SuperCuts for a much needed trim. I'm pretty pleased with the trim. The stylist wound up cutting my lead hairs so that they are on par with the rest of my hair (YAY!)
*PSA: When you go in for a trim, make sure you emphasize you want a trim. Some stylists think that a trim= you want your hair cut in layers. Do yourself a favor and make sure you emphasize that you want a trim NOT layers.*
See how evened up everything is!? Now I can really really begin to predict when I hit BSL. In the meantime though, now that I'm trimmed up...I'm back to protective styling.
On my next wash day, I will lather 1 time with a neutralizing shampoo to ensure that there is no relaxer in my hair and follow up w/ Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo. I will then DC with a protein condish (Aubrey Organics GPB- I'm big on getting my hair's protein/moisture balance in check immediately following a relaxer) and do a final rinse with Roux Porosity Control. I'll probably wind up air drying my hair and bunning.
Glad you had a pleasant experience with your stylist. your ends look fab. and yay for finishing products :)
ReplyDeleteYour hair looks great
ReplyDeleteLooks great!!! You are soooo close to BSL!!!
ReplyDeleteVery very nice! You are just a sneeze away! My experience is that they want to get rid of my V/U shape and give me a blunt cut whenever I go to a "retail" salon for a trim. I have to emphasize TRIM AS IT IS...JUST FOLLOW THE SHAPE! I literally tell them "you should take off so little that I won't even notice the length change" and then it comes out perfect! lol.
ReplyDelete@ My Healthy Hair Journey Thanks!! I felt an odd sense of accomplishment finishing those products lol I still have a long way to go though. I'm trying to narrow things down to just my staples.
ReplyDelete@Texlaxed & Things and Shika Thanks ladies! :)
@EbonyCPrincess Thanks! I realized that w/ some stylists you have to be very explicit with the fact that you want a trim and a trim only. For some reason there are some who think that "trim" means "layer" or "even it out." Once you tell them "just trim it! don't cut it!" it all works out lol
Awesome relaxer results with amazing ends..you know you have been on your HHJ for a long time when you comment on how good someone's ends look!
ReplyDelete@ Age in ATL Thanks! You are so right! I automatically look at people's ends now! I don't know why I do it, I just do lol
ReplyDeleteHow long does it take you to apply the relaxer in your hair and how long do you let it sit? Just wondering because I plan on self-relaxing at 16 weeks post.
ReplyDeleteBTW- Your hair is gorgeous...but I said that plenty of times before..lol
Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteOf the 17 minutes (more or less) I allot myself, it takes between 13 and 14 minutes to get the relaxer in. Once in, I let it sit for about 3 minutes. I try not to let it sit for too long. I have this fear of leaving the relaxer in too long and my hair sliding off of my head lol.
If you're going to self relax, make sure to section your hair prior to application. Trust me, it makes the process a lot easier! HTH!