How to Relax One's Hair

Relaxing your hair straightens your curls. Hair relaxing uses a chemical process that does the opposite of perming. To limit the damage done to your hair, it is best to relax your entire head of hair the first time, then only relax new hair growth at the roots for the next couple of months. Relax the whole head of hair again every six to 10 weeks if you need to.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose a relaxer. There are two different kinds commercially marketed, sodium hydroxide and ammonium thioglycolat. Use sodium hydroxide if your hair is very kinky and ammonium thioglycolat if your hair is more curly.

2. Shampoo your hair before relaxing. A high alkaline shampoo is best. Alkaline shampoos remove oil from the hair so the relaxing agent is more easily absorbed by your hair.

3. Part your hair into four sections while it is wet. Part it first from front to back in the center and then again horizontally. Hold the sections with hair clips.

4. Apply the relaxing agent to your hair using a comb. Follow the package directions. Start applying the relaxer approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from your scalp. Complete one section and then move onto the next until all sections are done.

5. Go back and apply the relaxer to the roots, take care not to get the chemical on your scalp.

6. Wait the amount of time specified on the package. Usually, you leave relaxer on your hair for around 15 minutes. Then rinse the chemical out and wash your hair twice, if your relaxing agent is sodium hydroxide. If you are relaxing with ammonium thioglycolate do not rinse the agent out or shampoo your hair, simply condition with a leave in conditioner.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not color your hair the same week that you relax it. Allow your hair to recover from the effects of the relaxing chemical before dying it.

[cherryblossom72]

on 6/8/2009 Why are you putting some incorrect informations here?

[senymom]

on 4/11/2009 You are giving incorrect information. For African American hair, NEVER SHAMPOO BEFORE RELAXING, NEVER PUT THE RELAXER ON WET HAIR. Also ammonium thioglycolat is not a relaxer. It is a product used to chemically curl the hair, the exact opposite of relaxing. Hair processed with ammonium thioglycolat can be temporarily straightend by blow drying but it not a healthy thing to do for long periods of time. Please remove your incorrect information, you will have alot of people damaging their hair and scalp!

[ehugee]

on 3/14/2009 it should specify: that's not how to relax an African- Amerian hair. YOU DO NOT SHAMPOO African- American's hair before putting a relaxer in or it will burn the scalp!!!!