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Choosing Your Stylist
How do you find reputable stylist to relax your hair? I have found that the easiest thing to do is to ask the sister with the head of hair you have been admiring. If her hair looks healthy and feels good (ask before touching) then she probably has a good stylist. Word of mouth is golden. However, if you see relaxed head that looks "jacked up", meaning, thinning or nonexistent hairline, broken, short (not from a hair cut) with relaxer burns on the scalp ask who she goes to so that you know who to avoid. A reputable salon will allow you to sit in on a session with one of their clients or give you a consultation BEFORE beginning work on your hair.
To prepare yourself before your salon visit, keep these things in mind about your stylist:
- Before beginning any chemical process, they should check scalp for any abrasions. The lye and other chemicals used in relaxers could be dangerous to your body if leeched through open skin.
- The stylist should check the condition of your hair and refuse to do the relaxer if the hair is damaged or weak.
- Your stylist should ALWAYS do a STRAND TEST and an allergic reaction test. Many things can alter your hair texture, such as certain medications as well as the age which can alter your relaxer results. These tests should be done before each relaxing treatment even if you have used the same relaxer brand and stylist before.
- Not all relaxers are the same. Some are stronger and some are milder. The right type of relaxer should be chosen for your hair type (prior relaxed, virgin, colored, fine, etc.)
- You should be draped with a towel, or cape to protect the skin and clothing
- Your scalp (and previously relaxed hair) should be protected with a petroleum jelly or thick conditioner.
- Your hair should be parted in sections and the stylist should work quickly to avoid burning and over processing.
- Your stylist should use a back of a comb or a wooden spatula for application and smoothing of the relaxer.
- On virgin hair, the relaxer should be applied to the ends last as they are the oldest part of the hair.
- Retouches should be done only on the hair's new growth.
- Your stylist should use a timer (preferably with a bell) and only leave the relaxer on for the time as set by your strand test but never longer than the recommended time on the relaxer instructions. It is always better to slightly under process than over. Hair should be checked continuously.
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