Can you reverse relaxers?
I feel like this is a long shot. But, I’ve been asking around and even googling questions trying to figure out what I can do to get my daughters tight kinky curly afro back. My daughter mixed (African-American and white), I of course learned as much as I could about her hair and may have even received false advice for her hair from peers. Last summer I chose to relax her hair with a product (Just for me), I thought it would make it easier for me to manage her hair. And well, at the time, it did. But now I want those beautiful curls back. I keep her hair moisturized and I never brush, only comb. She now has wavy to loose curls. What can I do to get those natural bouncy curls back? Did I ruin her hair? I’m willing to spend a pretty penny on any good, working, product to bring back those curls. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi there, I’m sorry you were led down the wrong path. The Just for Me product is a chemical relaxer which permanently straightens the hair. The only way to allow her hair to go back to its regular curls is to have them grow out and cut off the straight ends gradually. This is called “Transitioning”. Or you could just cut off all her hair and let it grow out. This is called “Big Chop”. There is no easier or faster way to get back her curls. Unfortunately, you cannot reverse relaxers or have them washed out, wear out, or sweated out, despite what people say.
For the future, you may consider using newer products on the market that straighten the hair without permanently keeping the hair straight. One such product is African Pride Dream Kids Texture Manageability Maintenance. I have tried products marketed to adults. They do work. They help to keep the hair straight for up to 6 weeks and wear out each time you wash the hair. I just wanted to keep my hair straight for a few days, instead of it reverting within hours. Do not depend on these to keep the hair straight permanently because they require application of high heat on a regular basis. Otherwise, a regular flatiron will have to do and those will revert within a few days when you next wash her hair.
