Three Years Natural and Still Longing for Length?

I just completed a Mizani natural hair class, and my final questions about natural hair behavior finally came clear.  Remember in my past articles, we have talked about the curliest hair being most fragile?  Well, I am going to take that discussion even deeper.

Imagine every twist and turn in a hair strand to be vulnerable for breakage.  So the most wiry, kinky, zig zag hair has the most possible break points.  Right?  So when you see people who have been "going natural" for three years and their hair is still not any longer than three years ago, you ask what is wrong?

Well, It is breaking.  It is tangling. It may be shedding more because it is tangling.  Then it is trimmed regularly to keep some shape to it and to keep it from tangling as much.  It is a vicious cycle.  For some women, only sections of the head may have a really kinky texture to it.  For other women, they are dealing with a full head of "hard to manage" hair.

So what do you do to stop the breakage and start gaining length?  Here are the choices that I have come up with:

1) Relax it -  Pros:  Relaxers, soft curls, and texturizers eliminate some of the break points by reducing the curliness of the hair.  Cons:  The scalp which is living may suffer damage.  Also, chemicals plus heat styling could still weaken the already vulnerable hair.  So you may gain length short term, but you may lose density long-term.

2) Lock it - Pros: The natural shedding of the hair drops down into the dreadlock and compacts so that you never lose length.  You may still get breakage if the locks dry out, but otherwise, you are never combing out any hair as when you comb out loose natural hair.  Cons: Dreadlocks are not always accepted by certain social classes, jobs, and work environments.

3) Hard Press it- Pros: Hard pressing will eventually permanently straighten the hair or train it to stay straight.  Cons:  Healthy hard pressing has become a lost skill set because of the relaxer/ creamy crack generation.

These are the only three choices for kinkier hair types who want to gain length.

If you have a loose natural curl pattern, then you should have no problems gaining length regardless of chemicals or NO chemicals.  This topic really would not concern you unless you have a child whose hair is kinkier than yours.

So in hindsight, I wished that I had started my dreadlock journey a long time ago.  My scalp was always sensitive to relaxers from my childhood days and continued into my adult life.  I was always tenderheaded.  My hair has always been very hard to manage.

I think that I and my mom have spent much of my forty something years trying to control my hair.  If I only knew then what I know now,  I would have chosen to lock my hair a lot sooner, but we are on God's time and ordered according to His plan for us.

I appreciate the journey and knowledge gained along the way.

Is it a Relaxer or a Press and Curl?

Hair by Benita Blocker. With this particular young client, I used my "press and curl" regimen as posted in my latest press and curl article. The only difference is that I used a marcel flat iron and stove in lieu of the actual pressing comb.

This hairstyle was about 3 hours to complete. I started with a conditioner as a pre-shampoo. She had just come out of braids, and she does not have any relaxer in her hair. My "Beat the Heat" press and curl should last about two weeks. It felt great!!! Not greasy. Not stiff. A nice middleweight feel to it! It is actually a healthy hard press.

Product Review: Summit Mend conditioner

I was excited to meet a retired beautician at my local nursing home (where I also work as a hairdresser). Why did she tell me that? I started asking all of these questions about "pressing and curling." She agreed with me that these pressing combs on the market right now are not as good of construction as the "old school" pressing combs. Thank God I still have my twenty year old ones. Please see my separate blog article on pressing combs.

She described how they use to deliver the most beautiful press and curls back in her day. I asked her so "which conditioner did you use?" (because I know that your final results are based on the results from the shampoo bowl.) All she remembered was the word "Men" and it looked like a relaxer jar. She remembered only one beauty supply that still carried it. I tell you I was googling "men conditioner" and could not get a hit on the right thing until I searched on "old school hair products." Then Voila! Within the pictures of products, the conditioner "MEND" came up. Oh my God, that is it! It has to be. She remembered the "Men" but not the "d" on the end of it. So once I knew what I was looking for, I narrowed my beauty supply store down to large, foreign owned stores who carried everything from Murrays Pomade to Ultra Sheen.

So yes, I found it! I was so excited that I decided to try it on my own hair. I have mostly relaxed hair, but I am about three months post relaxer. So my hair has two different needs. My relaxed ends did not absorb the Mend conditioner very well; however, my underprocessed hair and new growth seemed to like it well. I had to follow up with Bee Mine Beeloved moisture conditioner through my relaxed ends to balance them back out.

The Mend conditioner has a pleasant smell to have "animal protein" within its ingredient list. So for relaxed hair - this conditioner is probably a "no go." But for the naturally kinky head of hair, this conditioner will be a good start toward filling the hair with protein instantly without heat in preparation for the press and curl.

The product is very thick; it reminded me of a "Crisco based frosting." It needs to go on wet hair versus damp hair. Read the directions on the jar if all else fails. Smile.

So I have Kayvel Creme Press and Kayvel Curl Wave as well as the Mend conditioner plus the old beautician's instructions about how much product to use. I will be experimenting on my kinky head mannequin next, but by George, I think I got it!

Mr. John's Hair Clinic of Detroit, Michigan

A client originally from Detroit, Michigan told me about this business. She says that they have an assembly line. During the hair pressing service, three pressing combs are being rotated in and out with a wet sponge to test the pressing combs prior to silkening the hair. My client says they are listening for a certain sound to determine if the pressing comb has cooled down enough.

According my own separate Internet research, the "salon" does not offer any relaxers nor haircolor. They also make some of their own products that they use in the salon.

They focus on straightening natural hair with old school pressing methods.

I did not find an official website for this business, and the main phone number listed is no longer in service.

The "salon" had high recommendations from the hair forums on the web from 2008. They were charging between $45 and $65 per person. The economy changes may have shut them down. The hair industry in North Carolina was already dipping for years.

Anyone considering hair styling as a new career should re-think their decision unless they are willing to operate on pure passion.

But back to Mr. John's Hair Clinic . . . closed or not; it seems to be noteworthy enough for an article on my blog.

Straight Talk about Straightening Hair

Is this hair Relaxed or Hard Pressed? Let us review some Questions and Answers about straightening hair:

Should you apply relaxer to hair that has been hard pressed or heat trained? In order to answer that question, it is important to understand that sometimes hair that is "hard pressed" or "heat trained" has become permanently straightened like a relaxer. The hair literally may be so straight that even when the hair is wet, it will not curl or wave up. Relaxers are designed for "new growth" or unprocessed hair. If the hair has been permanently processed by heat or a previous relaxer service, then one would risk potential breakage in the overprocessed areas. So relaxing hard pressed/heat trained hair is not a good idea.

Can you go back and forth between wearing your natural curls and straightening your hair? If you are satisfied with a soft press and some reversion, then you can go back and forth. However, if you desire to achieve extremely straight hair, you may risk permanently straightening your hair from excessive heat temperatures thus preventing you from wearing your natural curls without some straight, stringy ends surfacing.

So how to maintain little girls' hair? In my opinion, if the little girl does not have a "job" that requires a straight hairdo nor a social event that require a specified look, then twists and puffballs are essential up until puberty age. I would recommend learning to deal with peer pressure ahead of time. Embracing one's curl pattern is a great opportunity to become a leader versus a follower. Also, online blogs and "youtube" video offer some great children styling ideas.

So when it is time to go from "afro" to "relaxer," what should you expect? Type 3 curl patterns usually will straighten within one relaxer service. Type 4 curl patterns may take two or three relaxer services. Similar to permanent color, going from black to blonde in one setting is not healthy for anyone's hair. Typically, one can safely lift the haircolor up about three levels at a time. So that means that going from black to blonde should take about three separate color services within a three month period. You may be asking how did we start talking about hair color when we had been talking about straightening. Well, please understand that if you can weaken your hair by drastically changing your haircolor in one setting, then you can weaken your hair by drastically altering your curl pattern in one setting. For kinky curly hair, consider about two relaxer services within one month about two weeks apart. If the hair is still easy to revert in high humidity, then go for a third relaxer service to get the hair a little closer to 80% in curl reduction. Each "starter" relaxer service should be treated like a virgin application concentrating on midshaft to ends first and then applying relaxer to the roots near the scalp last. If there's only two weeks between relaxer services, then skipping the roots and just focussing on the ends may be all that is necessary. It is a personal judgement call based on your visual evaluation of your hair needs. Remember the heat from the scalp is going to process quicker. As the ends expand away from the scalp, they process slower because there is less "scalp heat." Similar to color touch-ups, about an inch or farther from the scalp processes much slower because the hair is so far away from the scalp . . . and NO do NOT sit under a hairdryer trying to speed the process up! Patience is key. Remember changing your curl pattern may not be a one shot deal. So if you have a big event, you need about a month or two to get your "curl reduction" under control especially if you are a resistant, type 4 curl pattern.

This is real talk about straightening curly hair.

Hard Press versus Soft press

A hard pressing service is an old school art that is dying. The beautician has to know how much heat to silken the hair without burning it up. If done correctly, the hair becomes very humidity resistant. However, a downside, if done enough, the hair will lose its natural curl pattern when it is wet. The hair protein loses its natural behavior. (Please see my separate article on the "effects of heat" which describes the nature of protein.)

So if you ever want to have "wash and wear" hair, then you should not seek hard pressing on a regular basis. You should embrace your natural curl pattern.

A soft press service is a healthier option, but it can be unpredictable until your hair gets trained. Getting your hair trained can take several months; otherwise, your straight look may last for about 5 minutes in high humidity weather. Can you say "instant afro?" and a feeling of "wasted time and money?"

My conclusion on naturally curly hair is to wear it curly. If you want the occassional straight look, buy a great looking wig and get it cut and styled.