Just for Me Texture Softener packaging change?

If you see this old packaging of Soft and Beautiful Just for Me Texture Softener, please check to make sure the product is not expired before using it. I had a new client to call. She explained that she usually buys this "texture softener" every three to four months from Walmart for her daughter's hair, and everything always went well. However, the last time, she decided to run out to a local "national" drugstore chain to purchase her box of "Texture Softener." She started using it and noticed something was going wrong. She rinsed and shampooed multiple times, but it took about two weeks to get the granules out of her daughter's hair. In addition, there was a lot of hair in the bowl, and her daughter's hair has been breaking ever since. She said she called the company and based on the product code, the "texture softener" was expired by a year or more. This means that the product was probably manufactured about five years ago. The company blamed the drugstore for still having it on the shelf.

In the meantime, it has been an emotional toil dealing with the damage from using the expired product. I asked the mom about smell. She said that the product did not have a bad smell. I asked her if it even straightened or texturized her daughter's hair because usually old relaxers do NOT relax very well. She said that I was correct in that the product did not texturize nor straighten; it just caused damage.

So my theory is that the "conditioners" that buffer the "hydroxide" must have broken down and were not able to protect the hair. Relaxer have a high pH (alkaline pH). The conditioners that help prevent the relaxer from being corrosive probably were ineffective and could not balance the alkaline pH of the hydroxide.

I explained to her that just like a vegetable, if the hair is "overcooked" then you have to start over or gradually, trim it away over time.

Pictured is the newest packaging of the Just for Me Children's relaxer. The words "Texture Softener" is no longer on the packaging. I went to two grocery stores and one national chain drugstore (different from the one that the client went to) on yesterday and all of them had the new packaging of the Just for Me Children's relaxer on the shelf.

If you look at the top of the box, you see a product code that starts with "12." I believe that this box was manufactured in 2012. This box was from the drugstore. The two grocery stores had boxes that started with "11." So I believe their relaxers were probably manufactured in 2011.

I have written blog articles before about buying discounted hair products and calling the companies to make sure the product is not expired before using "clearance" products. Most clearance products are about to expire unless the company is discontinuing the line or is changing the packaging.

Let me clarify that the client paid full price for the expired product. It was not a clearance item. She just bought the "texture softener" from the drugstore for convenience. Buying old product can happen anywhere. If a store is in a neighborhood that does not cater to a "relaxer buying" population, it is probably going to have slower product turnover. This could lead to expired product on the shelf.

Just be careful with chemicals and all hair products. A shampoo that goes bad can cause the hair to tangle. The same thing for a conditioner that goes bad. Expired product may cause more hair challenges.

If more people start calling the companies to make sure their product is not expired, then this may make companies put expiration dates on the product packaging. Some lines do have expiration dates. Some stores hate expiration dates on products because they can not sell the product past the date on it. When the expiration date is not on the product, it makes them feel less liable.

Even as a hairstylist, I have to protect my clients. I have to make sure that my products are fresh. I have to pay attention to old and new packaging. I have to call the manufacturer sometimes to learn how to read the product code to make sure that I always purchase fresh product.

Hair grows a half inch of month. If you are used to long hair, then that can be a long two years if you have to start over.