Natural Hair Curl Comparison the 3D version

I have had a lot of natural hair questions lately.  I hope that this video helps.  If you are not sure of your curl pattern, then stretch your relaxer touch-up out for three months.  Flat Twist styling or other curly looks will blend in the textures. I do discuss curl reformation in this video as well.

Texturized hair: Before and After

One of my clients decided on texturizing services for her hair in order to get a "wash and go" effect.  In the picture, the two different curl patterns came from the same client.  Which curl pattern do you like best?

The curl pattern on the left is her natural curl pattern with some demi-permanent haircoloring. The one on the right was texturized with Fiberguard Affirm Mild relaxer for about 10 to 12 minutes.  The real lesson is this:  If your natural curl pattern does not look like the curl pattern on the left hand side of the picture, then you are not going to get the texturized curl pattern on the right hand side of the picture.

So for all those "kiddie perms" that people buy hoping for the "perfect" curl pattern.  Just remember that your finished product really is determined by the type of curl pattern that you start with.

For some people the curl pattern on the left hand side may be the final texturized results based on a  kinkier, coily curl pattern from the start.  With this being the case,  paying for a texturizing service may be a waste of time if you are still wanting the curl pattern on the right.  These are the cases where I really would love for people to embrace locks.  Even consider microlocks without investing heavily into the proprietary Sisterlocks.

There is another blogger at junglebarbie.blogspot.com that I absolutely adore . . .  traditional locks can be so beautiful!

Protective Styling Options

Hair by Benita Blocker. Pictured is an invisi-part quick weave using "Gro-Protect Solutions" Serum. My client's hair is all underneath the quick weave. Please see separate article on "Glue-free quickweave." The scalp shown is her scalp! That's the beauty of the invisible part.

The Glue-free quickweave is one protective styling method that I DO approve for those who do NOT have scalp issues! The growth serum does allow the hair to grow and stay moisturized. However, you can NOT shampoo this style without full removal of the quickweave style.

How about wigs? Synthetic half wigs/full wigs are not good for long-term protective styling because synthetic hair is heavier than human hair and can cause trauma to the scalp. (i.e. thinning) Remember wherever the wig is anchored is where you will get traction and potential thinning. Just like wearing a baseball cap too often . . . it will thin where there is traction. Also head scarves, hair bonnets - when worn too often -- you can get traction and thinning in those areas.

Human hair half wigs/full wigs are good for long-term protective styling as long as they are not heavy. See my separate article on "wig weight" or "worry about weight."

Thin out all wigs that are heavy or thick. Some wigs are being made a lot thinner now; so there is less worry about thinning the wig out. Texturizing shears are great for thinning out wigs.

Lacefront wigs are good for protective styling only if you have the forehead for it. Please see separate article about "head shape for wigs." Lacefront wigs attached to the forehead in front of the hairline is perfect for less traction, but some women do NOT have the head shape to do this. That is why some lacefronts look natural on some women, and others - it screams "wig."

Sew-in weave is a good protective style for one up to 2 months at a time. After two months, the new growth will push the weave out and cause extra hair and scalp trauma from the dangling extension hair. Remember hair grows a half inch of new growth per month. Two months is an inch or more of new growth.

Box braids are a good protective style for up to 2 months. Same scenario as the sew-in weave. After two months, the braid extensions can get too heavy on the new growth. Also, if too much braid extension hair is put onto the hair then it will weigh the hair down and cause trauma as well. Sometimes braid extension hair is braided into the sew-in weave to support thinner hair, but long-term - the weight of all that extension hair is going to take its toil.

At this point, you wonder . . . is there such a thing as protective styling? Yes, but it is not cheap! The human hair half wig- thinned out seems to be the quickest protective styling that allows easy access to your scalp; however, married couples may not find this a romantic asset. So the human hair sew-in weave may be the next best option; so that you will not have to worry how you toss and turn . . .

Underprocessed relaxed hair causes breakage?

This picture is from www.longhaircareforum.com It is an example of new growth -> relaxed hair -> underprocessed relaxed hair -> relaxed hair. The underprocessed hair looks slightly looser than the new growth at the scalp. Do you see the underprocessed area in the picture?

It is like a tree's rings. The farther out that the underprocessed area is then count a half inch a month to figure out when the underprocessing took place. Based on this picture, about eight months ago, this person's relaxer did not take very well. I estimated the underprocessed area was four inches down from the scalp so 4 times a half inch/month equals about 8 months.

What can cause underprocessing? 1) Too much product (i.e. oil, grease, buildup, excessive base) is on the hair. 2) The room is too cold or client is too cold for the relaxer to process within a timely manner. 3) Client is on their menstrual cycle and their body's chemical balance is off. 4) Relaxer is not strong enough for the hair type and curl pattern. 5) Relaxer is rinsed out early due to burning or concerns about overprocessing in other sections of kinky hair. 6) Client drank excessive amounts of juice or other acidic drinks prior coming to hair appointment. 7) Client waited over 12 weeks between relaxer touchup services. (excessive new growth)

Relaxers typically have a pH between 11 and 13.5. Anything on the hair that "dilutes" the relaxer like excessive base or product buildup can interfere with the relaxer processing in a timely manner. Normal body heat is also needed for the relaxer to process. Please note: Do not put a client under a platform dryer with relaxer in their hair because the dryer heat is too excessive. Some alternative relaxers may instruct you to do otherwise; however, the pH in the alternative relaxers may be a pH of 10 which may be too low to get straight results without adding additional heat.

So for whatever reason(s) you find that you have under-processed/underprocessed hair, you may suffer hair breakage at your "snap points" or where the straight hair meets the underprocessed hair.


This picture came from www.mylonghairjournal.blogspot.com It is highlighting how combing naturally kinky hair too roughly can cause breakage. It also gives you a good mental picture of how underprocessed hair takes more resistance than straighter hair. Your blow-dry stage could cause breakage at the line of demarcation connecting the underprocessed and the straight hair.

How to solve the underprocessing? 1) Run the relaxer through the underprocessed areas. (i.e. Corrective relaxing) 2) Roller set the hair so that it will not be so noticable. 3) Eventually trim it away.

If your hair is fine, overcurly, and underprocessed - then corrective relaxing may be overkill, but to do nothing could cause breakage. It is a tough call. Medium to coarse hair can survive a corrective relaxer. If you have a loose curl pattern, then you are probably used to some underprocessing, and the relaxer is just used for some styling control versus straightness. I have found that some wavy hair will not relax straight, but the relaxer application helps control frizz. It is a judgemental call. Every person has to make a decision based on their hair type.

This "underprocessing" is also considered texturizing. Consistent relaxing is important to keep your hair strands uniform. Ideal touch-ups should fall between 5 and 10 weeks for curly to kinky-curly hair. Wavy hair can touchup around every 3 to 5 months.

Effects of Chemicals on Hair

I wrote an article about the "effects of heat" on hair last month . . . giving an example of how egg/protein goes from liquid to solid when direct heat is applied.

Now, I want to visit the idea of Lightener, Relaxers, and Permanent Color (i.e. chemicals) and how they effect the hair by softening/loosening the hair permanently.

Lighteners (i.e. hair bleach) removes your natural pigment from your hair. The pigment that you were born with. The remaining hair is lighter in weight and is a permanent change in the hair. The strength of the lightener determines how much pigment is removed.

Permanent color removes your natural pigment from your hair and redeposits artificial pigment. Similar to the lightener, the strength of the permanent color determines how much pigment is removed and how much artificial color is redeposited.

Relaxers are designed to soften hair, smooth out texture, and neutralize into the straighter shape. Underprocessed hair will still wave up slightly which means that it is texturized. Overprocessed hair will be hard to hold a curl.

If you think of crisp vegetables like green beans or carrots or asparagus; and if you soften them by boiling them. The longer the boil; the less crisp the vegetables become. Their level of softness is permanent. If your vegetables become mushy, then you do not expect to see them crisp ever again. One would have to start with fresh raw vegetables and not overcook them. (i.e. called "new growth" in reference to our hair -- do not overprocess!) You do not want to keep starting over!

Documenting Hair Thickening Naturally

"The After:" Fresh haircut and style. Hair and scalp can recover from thinning caused by chemicals and not enough oxygen. You must make sure that wigs and hairpieces have enough holes to see through and allow oxygen/air to get to the scalp. Be careful of drawstring ponytails. Ponytail attachments have added weight concentrated in one area of the head and they do not allow scalp to breathe. Hairpieces look cute as far as styling but save them for special events versus everyday use.
"The Before:" Yes. This is the same head of hair as above except it is a picture about 1.5 years prior. What you see is the results of several years of professional sensitive scalp relaxer services by licensed professionals in state licensed salons. This is proof that Sensitive Scalp relaxers are like using "Super Stength" all the time! Sensitive scalp relaxers should not be a preferred choice. Please copy and paste the following link into your browser window to see an article supporting that sensitive scalp relaxers can be more dangerous than traditional lye relaxers: http://www.dralisyed.com/2009/10/new-information-regarding-sens.html#more

Within three weeks of using the Gluefree QuickWeave method created by Morning Glory Products. It is a messy service, but the protective serum allows the hair to grow! Under supervision of licensed hair professional Benita Blocker.

Proof that your hair and scalp can recover without hair transplants under the supervision of licensed professional Benita Blocker. Kinky curly (Type 4c) hair is texturized using Paul Mitchell relaxers/retexturizing for more control. The scalp remains healthy without chemical burns!

This is proof (Blown out proof) that Licensed Professional Benita Blocker can grow your hair with proper chemical texturizing! (using Paul Mitchell relaxer System -- gentle enough for the most sensitive scalps!)

After growing out enough length (at least three inches all over), you can get a professional haircut and style when you are ready.

Texture and Texturizing

Hey! I have a lot on my mind for my first day of blogging!

Texture is your wave pattern or lack thereof. I am in search of the best texturizer to take a zigzag pattern to a s-shape without compromising the integrity of the hair nor overprocessing.

I am have some leads . . . . I just have to finish my product testing.

First trial: Soft & Beautiful Botanicals Texturizer - Regular; I loved the new wave pattern, but product seemed extremely drying to the hair. A lot of hair dressing (Mizani Rose H2O) was needed to maintain the moisture balance in the hair for the styling phase. It's a lithium hydroxide base texturizer, and the more porous ends went straighter than the rest. The product makes the hair more humidity resistant which is a second benefit. However, one trial with this texturizer was enough. I have another texturizer on my list to try.

It is being shipped to me. It will be a few weeks before I will have time to try it and give you feedback. So stay tuned!