First Relaxer Touch-up Of The Year Results

2016 is well underway and I found myself due for a relaxer touch-up. Since I've stopped counting the number of weeks between my relaxer touch-ups I didn't remember when the last touch-up was. So I had to look back at my last relaxer touch-up post to see when my last touch-up was.

Even doing that I couldn't figure out the exact date, but I determined it was in October. This put me between 15 and 17 weeks post. This was a little longer than I planned to go, but I didn't have any issues with the two hair textures which is why I wasn't in a hurry to schedule an appointment.

First Relaxer Touch-up Of The Year Results | A Relaxed Gal
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Relaxer touch-up prep

To prep for my relaxer touch-ups, I like to make sure I do a deep condition and cleanse my hair a few days before. This time around I did the following
  • Detangled using almond oil
  • Pre-poo'd for 30 minutes with Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Deep Conditioner using my Hot Head Conditioning Cap
  • Cleansed with Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea CoWash instead of clarifying or using a shampoo
  • A black tea/apple cider vinegar rinse
  • Conditioned with Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor with Suave Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner only applied to my ends
  • I finished up by applying Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner on my wet relaxed hair to seal in the moisture, sat under my hooded dryer on cool, and then sealed it all in with almond oil

My hair felt great, really moisturized and smooth. But after 24 hours my scalp itched like crazy. I wasn't sure why, though I suspected the black tea. I couldn't live with the itching so I washed my hair again. This time around I decided to co-wash.
  • To start off I detangled with almond oil
  • Did an apple cider vinegar/water/tea tree oil mix applied to my scalp
  • Cleansed only my ends with Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea CoWash
  • Conditioned with Aphogee 2 Minute Reconstructor with Suave Almond and Shea Butter Conditioner only applied to my ends
  • Finished up by applying Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioner on my wet hair to seal in the moisture, used my blow dryer on cool, and then sealed it all in with almond oil

My hair didn't feel as moisturized like it did after my first wash, but my scalp felt so much better! The itchiness was gone.


The touch-up

For my touch up I went back to the stylist I used for my last one. Things started off fine but didn't go as well as last time. Here's what she did:
  • Based my scalp with oil and did a light detangling
  • Applied the relaxer - Mizani Butter Blend

This is where the issue started. I told her before she started applying the relaxer that I didn't want my hair to be bone straight and she said she understood. Well, she left the relaxer on several minutes more than I would have liked. Not only that she kept smoothing it and applied the relaxer to more than two inches of hair. It looked like it was probably closer to 4 inches, so I'm pretty sure I got some overlapping.

The stylist did trim my hair like I asked. I only wanted to even up my ends and that's what she did so I didn't lose a lot of length.

The results

Because she got my hair really straight my hair looked flat. Much flatter than I like it to look. I tried to combat the flatness by washing my hair three days later and adding some curls. But my hair still had a flat look. That flat look persisted over the next few weeks.

Something else I've been experiencing that I think could be a result of my relaxer touch-up. My hair isn't holding moisture between my washes. I typically wash my hair about once a week and between washes, I'll apply moisturizer if my hair starts feeling dry. That has been working well for me, until after my touch-up. The only other reason I can think about my hair being dry is there's a lot of build-up, so I'm going to try using a sulfate or clarifying shampoo to see if that helps.


I went back to this stylist because she doesn't complain about the amount of new growth I have, unlike others I've gone to. Now with this negative experience, I'll have to decide if I want to try her again or start over on my search for a stylist.

Results of my first relaxer touch up in 2016 | arelaxedgal.com

Since the touch-up

To try and minimize the damage I believe happened during my relaxer touch up I've been focusing on layering moisture and protein. For my wash days, I'm continuing with my deep conditioning, using a moisturizing shampoo and using Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor. So far I haven't seen a lot a breakage like anticipated. I'll continue doing the moisture and protein layering for a while.

How did your last salon visit go?


2 Comments

  1. YOur ends looks amazing. I don't like when stylist do their own thing. Try clarifying or even a medium protein treatment.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Tomes! I am surprised at how good my ends look even though I've been wearing my hair down more. I've used the Aphogee Reconstructor a couple of times and am now using a shampoo with sulfates which seems to cleansing my hair a little more than my sulfate-free shampoos. I'm also thinking about getting a chelating shampoo.

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