Need Advice on Potential Damage

[Barefoot5555]

Ok, I need to say a few things first...like - some of us aren't meant to stay natural forever:eyebrows:.

My previously silky and wavy hair has gone wire-ey and coarse over the last few years and is just no longer appropriate for my line of work and I simply refuse to cut my hair above shoulder length.

That said, I have decided to try a home-straightening process. I can hear you all gasping in horror now.:D

It's supposedly tamer than the salon versions and less toxic.

Brand name - Global Keratin Juvenix.

I don't want to end up with stick-straight hair. I just want to tame the bushy undergrowth in the underlayers.

Any tips for managing damage would be helpful.

Do any of you you think I can manage to avoid ending up with completely straight hair?

My goal with my hair is not the same - I don't strive to see how long I can grow my hair. I just want to maintain hair that is at least shoulder length, but not wirey or out of control frizzy and unattractive for the workplace.

Thank you in advance for comments!! BF

[Barefoot5555]

oh and my reason for posting here is that you all know much more about maintaining beautiful hair than anyplace else on the Web!

[spidermom]

My hair isn't coarse, but it's bushy and out of control around shoulder length. More length pulls some of that bushiness into submission. Perhaps you'd do better with armpit to shoulderblade length; I do.

Damage generally adds more frizz, so I can't really get behind the plan of doing a chemical straightening.

[mustpannkook]

Just put it on the underlayers? You can also keep it on for a bit shorter time...

[celebriangel]

Does the thing you're trying have an ingredients list?

If not, run away. It may contain high levels of methylene glycol (formaldehyde dissolved in water - ie the stuff they use to pickle dead frogs).

If so, well...it's gonna damage your hair, no lie. Probably lots. Baby your hair like crazy; wash gently, perhaps trying a CO routine, oil with coconut oil or whatever your hair likes best, do cassia treatments and SMTs regularly to add much-needed moisture and protein back into your hair.

Also. Why is your hair going wiry and coarse? Hair doesn't just change texture all by itself. Have you tried clarifying? See this article for the (fixable!) things that might be wrong:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194

You can also try hair wrapping, which should temporarily relax your curls into loose waves. You'll have to do a search to find out how to do that. Aloe vera gel/flaxseed gel will prevent it from getting curly again unless you're caught in a rainstorm.

[jojo]

I agree with spidermom, my hair isn't coarse quite the opposite but at your length my hair is bushy and tends to grow sideways rather than length ways. Once it gets past my shoulders the bush tames as it is stretching. I understand your frustration but by adding chemicals it will make the problem worse.

If your after maintaining at shoulder but with more healthier looking hair then you need to put back into your hair, what is missing; chemicals will rob your hair more. It seems to me your hair is crying out for moisture. SMT's are really good which are basically conditioner without cones mixed with aloe vera gel and honey. Also you say your hair is wavy, id question if its actually more curly than you think and would also suggest CO washing, which is washing your hair with conditioner only; yes it will get your hair clean!

Lastly stay off heat altogether, your hair will be a little unruly at first but persevere. No chemicals whatsoever, plenty of deep conditionings with either conditioners or oils. Coarse hair like yours normally does well with extra virgin olive oil also refereed to on the boards as EVOO or try some coconut oil, just leave in overnight and then apply conditioner no water at first and massage in and rinse.

Hope I have been of some help, welcome to LHC and I hope you soon find peace with your hair.

[racrane]

I agree - heat may give you a temporary fix but it's not good for you hair health. Have you tried clarifying, CWC or some other ideas on this forum? Try those...heat is a last, last resort for me.

[pepperminttea]

Hair doesn't just change texture all by itself.

It can over time, as a person ages; silvers in particular can be a completely different hairtype to the younger, coloured hairs. Pregnancy can also play a part.

[spidermom]

It can over time, as a person ages; silvers in particular can be a completely different hairtype to the younger, coloured hairs. Pregnancy can also play a part.

That is for sure! My white hairs are wirey as ....uh ... thin wire. My silver hairs are like my gold hairs, though.

[spidermom]

I wanted to point out that a former member used an over-the-counter straightening product against advice a couple of years ago. Within 3 months, she was back saying "I should have listened!" There truly are much better solutions for your problem.

[Anje]

Like some of the other folks, I'd suggest that you try clarifying your hair and do some serious moisture treatments on it before relaxing. Silky-turned-wirey hair tends to be a sign of dryness and/or buildup, and it would be nice to see if you still want to relax your hair if you can get it back to a nice texture. If you've been using products with a lot of protein on natural hair, that might be contributing to the problem -- most hair that hasn't been permed/relaxed or bleached doesn't need much protein, and tends to get rough and dry and unruly in response.

In all honesty, there aren't a lot of people here with kinky-curly hair and experience with relaxers. (Some, certainly. But by-and-large, the membership here is type 1-through-3 hair, not type 4.) You may get more knowledgeable answers at the forums at Naturally Curly (http://www.naturallycurly.com/) and at Long Hair Care Forum (http://www.longhaircareforum.com). Tightly Curly (http://www.tightlycurly.com/welcome) is another good resource for how to handle textured hair, because it has different needs from relaxed hair as well as from naturally straighter hair.

I think the process you want to do is known as "texlax." From my brief search, it looks like it's typically done by mixing home relaxers with a substantial amount of conditioner or oil to dilute them. Afterward, you probably will find you need to use products containing protein, to keep your hair from getting stretchy, mushy, and breaking off.

[bumblebums]

My hair started changing texture a couple of years ago--it got dry, dull and frizzy. I thought it was something that just happened and could not be helped, but as I learned more about conventional hair products and heat styling, I decided to go back to the hair care routine I used when I was a child. Now I wash my hair no more than twice a week, never blow-dry it, and wear it in a bun or in a braid 90% of the time. The dulness and frizziness has gone away.