Tips on Straightening African American Hair at Home

You will need to use two towels when you relax your hair

African Americans often use over-the-counter relaxers to straighten their hair at home to save money. Salon prices for a relaxer are more than double the cost of one at a drug store. So by doing it yourself, you can usually get the same hairstyle for far less.

Things You'll Need

• Rat-tail comb
• 2 towels
• Petroleum jelly
• Egg timer

Instructions

1. Gather up two ratty towels. Use old towels because a relaxer can ruin them. You need one to wrap around your shoulders as you apply the relaxer. You need the other one to wrap your head in after you wash out the relaxer.

2. Enlist the help of a friend. Unlike you, another person can see every inch of your head. This will allow her to concentrate on pieces of hair that aren’t straightening easily and others that are overprocessing. It will help you get better results with your relaxer.

3. Test a section of hair. All over-the-counter relaxers aren’t equal. Also, there are different types: mild, regular and super. For most African Americans, regular works well. But, before you apply it to your hair, test a section of your hair to see if you have a negative reaction. Negative reactions are blistering, burning and hair loss.

4. Line your scalp with petroleum jelly. Do it around the edges of your scalp and in the middle of it. Pay special attention to sensitive areas that you tend to scratch a lot. The petroleum jelly will prevent the relaxer from burning your scalp.

5. Pick up a rat-tail comb. You can use these wide ends of these combs to apply the relaxer to your hair and also smooth it out. How do you do it? Just dip the comb into the relaxer and wipe it over a piece of hair. Then, rub the edge of the comb over the piece of hair in order to straighten it.

6. Turn on an egg timer. Relaxers can damage your hair if left on too long. If you want to maintain a healthy head of hair, watch your time during the application of a relaxer. Your application and smoothing time should not exceed 15 minutes. Make sure it doesn’t by setting an egg timer. When the buzzer rings, stop where you are at and rinse out the relaxer.

7. Apply the relaxer from the root up. Burns can occur if a relaxer touches your scalp. This will damage your skin and also lead to other problems like blisters and hair loss. Remember, apply the relaxer from the very root of the hair and smooth it upward.

Tips & Warnings

• Section your hair into fours and apply the relaxer to each section one at a time.

• Don't apply a relaxer to your hair if you have scratches on your scalp.