Relaxers kits...

What is a good relaxer kit that I can buy, preferably from a store such as Sally's Beauty Supply?

My hair is coarse and a little short, about 1.5 inches, is my hair too short to be relaxed or should I wait for it to grow a little longer?

Also, if I'm going to relax my hair should I get it done by a professional or would it be ok if I did it myself?

[QUOTE=Iron_Monkey] What is a good relaxer kit that I can buy, preferably from a store such as Sally's Beauty Supply? [/QUOTE]

- If you are not a professional (read: unable to buy professional quality relaxers), I would recommend African Pride or Gentle Treatment. Both are, IMO, mild. Less chance of burning your scalp. Get some more advice on this, though.


[QUOTE]y hair is coarse and a little short, about 1.5 inches, is my hair too short to be relaxed or should I wait for it to grow a little longer? [/QUOTE]

- Hmm, good question. Will you be okay with having what will essentially be brush bristles on your head for some time (hair doesn't grow much longer than 1 1/4 inches between touchups on average)? Also think about whether or not you intend to use styling tools to maintain a sleek look. If you want tiny curls, go for it - otherwise I vote 'wait'.

[QUOTE]lso, if I'm going to relax my hair should I get it done by a professional or would it be ok if I did it myself?[/QUOTE]

- If you are going to relax it yourself, be aware that there's a good chance you will overlap, thereby overprocessing - and make your strands brittle. Also, be very wary of chemicals on your skin. If you're anything like me, you'll burn. But if you're skilled, by all means go for it.

I personally think that you would be better off in the long run going to a stylist that you know and trust, or one whom a coworker recommends, if only because they are less likely to burn your hair/skin while processing. Just my $.02.

Good luck to you! :)

[QUOTE]- If you are not a professional (read: unable to buy professional quality relaxers), I would recommend African Pride or Gentle Treatment. Both are, IMO, mild. Less chance of burning your scalp. Get some more advice on this, though.[/QUOTE]

Where could I find more advice on African Pride? When you mention mild, you mean if the relaxer were to come into contact with my scalp it wouldn't burn or do as much damage?

And the topic you suggested I could no longer find...

Oh, dear. :) I wasn't suggesting you read a topic - I was saying if you're not a professional yourself, you can't get the best quality relaxers. My bad.

As for African Pride, I would try talking to any worker in Sally. At least, the people who work at the one in my town have tried nearly every product in the store, and can give pertinent advice.

well if you are like me who like to have there hair relaxed DIY. prepare for burns. i had a couple of burns just 1st degrees. but after like 5 times of doing it i am a pro now. on my head

So if the relaxer solution makes even the slightest contact with my scalp, it's gonna burn?

You need a base on your scalp to protect yourself, because those chemicals are meant for hair, not skin. The problem is that in the time it takes for you to notice that chemicals are on your skin, they've burned you - so use a base!

I relax my hair my self. I used to use either dark and lovely or soft and beautiful kits for kids but i used the soft and beautiful kit for adults the last time and i think ill change back to the one for kids. My hair is fine and soft so it takes me like 10 mins and half of each product in the kit so i can use it twice. lots of trials and errors though

I dont know about the straight iron stuff but yes, you can use petroleum jelly as a base

Teresa, I'm assuming you mean that your hair is natural and you press it flat currently, right? If that's the case, I know of several women who did that for some time before breaking down and getting a relaxer. Their hair looks great. Make sure that you have it assessed for any damaged areas, especially if your flat iron is one of those metal ones and/or you use it more than three times weekly.

And yes, petroleum jelly works just fine as a base.

supersugar, what do you know about elasta QP relaxer? i use soft and beautiful and im scared of changing relaxers so i dont have any problems

Heard of it, not very familiar with it. No hairdresser that I've been to in the past five years uses it. This is not to say that it is a poor product, especially since I believe it's a 'professionals only' sort of item. Ask hairdressers in town, whether at random, or ask the hairdressers of your friends. This should give you a general idea of whether or not it's meant for your hair type. Good luck!

So I did some searching and found this:

http://www.xenna.com/product_curlaway.html

So has anyone ever used this? Does it really work?

No comments at all on the Xenna product?

yea

I've never heard of it. I've never known anyone to use it. If I do, I'll gladly tell you about it.