The Transition Mission

 Believe it or not, I am not one of those cosmetologists who promotes salon visits. Yeah, I know! As a matter of fact, the main reason I opened a salon was to teach every person who walks in about the hair on their head, how to care for and how to style it. Really, you say? Really!

Afro

Some time ago "relaxer," "creamy-crack," "chemically altered hair" and all that jive started to become the fearing buzz words in the salon world of hair care like the Ebola virus scare came to CDC in the world of viruses. As a cosmetologist with a degree in social science, this craze really caught my attention. Soon, I found myself becoming to hair care what Michael Moore became to the government, the food industry, globalization, assault weapons and the American health care systems; a whistle blower.

Regrowth

While I do not possess the talent to write and produce documentaries; I do have the talent to write. Just as the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, the killings of innocent teens while at school in Columbine and the ignorance to the over consumption of fast foods irritated Mr. Moore to the point of investing his time, energy and money into exposing those wrong doers for what they were worth; the same for me in hair care. 

Flat ironed tresses to the left....

Nothing irritates me more in hair care than licensed hair stylists and hair care companies claiming they can make hair healthy. When they know it is the blood supply fueled by genetics, diet, exercise and bowel movements that does. Another irritant for me is now how all of a sudden relaxers are bad for your health and your hair. I still remain perplexed how the chemists, marketing execs and the companies themselves have allowed the same licensed professionals who educated for them, sold for them, used for them, promoted for them, applied their chemical relaxers to millions of women world wide and encouraged them to charge those millions of consumers worldwide for having their hair chemically altered. I am surprised how they have not backed up their claim that has always been stamped on every tub, printed on every direction in almost every language and taught by almost every instructor; DISCONTINUE USE if allergic reactions occur. To the credit of most companies; they have never claimed that their chemical relaxers were for everyone. The ownest has been and will always be on the person applying the chemical to be trained and follow the manufacturers instructions. 

So here I am today writing a blog about another thing that irks me, the transition scare! Good lawd, some of these hair stylists and hair care companies have lost their minds encouraging those who do not like or have had a reaction to the chemical to cut it all off. I am all for the option to cut it off for whatever reason, if that is your choice. But, when one enters the salon with over processed tresses; to be honest, cutting it off is the best option for the severely damaged hair. Anything less is hype.

Victoria's secret ain't so secret no more.

"TBH," as my colleague Malika Jones always says, when you break down the most common ingredient found in chemical relaxers: sodium hydroxide. The sodium hydroxide is nothing but salt, water and oxygen fluffed up with petroleum, conditioners, synthetic proteins and all that jive which all DRIES out hair to RELAX the texture (curly, kinky, wavy and Afro). It is the HEAT from the hot water, blow dryer, hooded dryer, curling iron or flat iron that STRAIGHTENS the hair. The relaxer never claimed to straighten the texture. The relaxer claimed to RELAX the texture. The side affects those drying chemicals are often excessive drying or irritation to the scalp, neck or/and forehead. Allergic reactions such as swelling, redness, bumps or burning (to those with sensitive skin) has always been explained either on the bottle, in the instructions or in training to licensed hair stylists. Just medicine or any other thing that is ingested or apply topically to your skin can irritate it; so can the relaxer. And for the record anything that is applied topically to your skin, NOT JUST THE RELAXER enters into your blood stream, going directly to your liver and kidneys which will filter out most toxins from the stuff we put on our skin. So if you think creamy crack is just gawd awful, then toss out all that Victoria's Secret,  Bath and Body Works, Flower Bomb perfume, MAC make up and more. I mean most people put that stuff on twice a day every day and more. Some even wash up in it. Do you do that with a relaxer?

The world's best protein

Voila!

So versus being scared to grow out your relaxer, be open to the options of what it takes to do so. If it is your personal desire to cut it off; then do so because that is what you want to do; not because someone told you to do so because relaxers are toxic. 

The easiest and most affordable way to grow out your relaxer is to incorporate a protein treatment into your hair care regiment that protects the outer layer (cuticle) and second layer (cortex) of your hair. If the protein you are using reads that it is only for the outer (cuticle) layer; you may not be impressed with the results and unwanted breakage may continue to happen. If you use a protein that reads that it can penetrate to the second layer (cortex), BINGO you are in luck! The cortex is where the actual strength of the hair is. So using a protein of that nature will increase the likelihood of strengthening the entire strand of hair (regrowth, mid-shaft and ends) which will decrease the likelihood of your hair breaking off at the demarcation line (where the regrowth and relaxed hair meets).

In conclusion, if you add that simple product to your hair care regimen...the transition will be successful. As for what is toxic and can kill you? That is another blog!