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African American Hair & Japanese Thermal Straightening
Q: I read your comments on the Japanese Thermal Straightener. I too am an African American woman now living in Japan and is
considering the straightener. I have basically relaxed my hair all of my life with no lye relaxers. However, my last relaxer was in
November of last year as I began to notice considerable breakage. I have mostly chosen braided hairstyles but since then I moved to
Japan in August and can not find a braider although I would like to give my hair a rest from the pulling. Lately, I have been sporting
the pulled back ponytail with a piece. But the humidity even as we approach winter makes my hair puffy, plus as I understand it is
not good to pull your hair back daily.
I have had a consultation with a salon and they think it will be fine, of course they are Japanese
and this will be their first on an African American head. My friend had the Thermal Straightener here but opted to cut off about 2-3
inches of previously relaxed hair, from about 6 months ago just in case.
I am unwilling to do that. Do you think one year of no relaxers has been long enough to be safe?
What is the process like? Do you absolutely not recommend it? What if I had a “Gentle Treatment No Lye Relaxer” sent here and had the
stylists here apply it, what do you think? I am actually pretty curious about it and would love to feel good about my hairstyle again.
A: Well, as I mentioned before, Yuko Systems, who created the Thermal Straightening (Thermal Restructuring, Thermal Reconditioning)
processes has said that African-ethnic hair is not suited to the straightening methods in their system. Because of this, I would be
hesitant about having the service done. While hair will grow back, you have already expressed an unwillingness to lose any length of
hair at all.
As to whether or not one year of “no relaxers” is long enough to be safe, the answer is simply,
“No.” It’s not a matter of how long since your last relaxer service. It’s a matter of what that service does to the hair. Relaxers
permanently break the chemical side bonds of the hair chemically changing the bonds into lanthionine bonds. The change in these bonds
doesn’t go away over time. Because of this, the hair that has been relaxed with hydroxide relaxer can NEVER be treated with traditional
perm chemicals.
This means that the Japanese Thermal Straightening may react badly. The fact that the salon is
willing to do it at all MUST be tempered by your knowledge of their lack of experience with African-ethnic hair. I double-checked the
Yuko Systems website, and their disclaimer that specifically references African-ethnic hair is no longer listed. However, I placed a
phone call to the Yuko Training Academy and spoke with a representative and specifically asked about the suitability of the Japanese
Straightening for African-ethnic hair and was told very politely that “No. Straightening cannot be done for African or other kinky-type
hair.”
Having a relaxer product sent from the U.S. (or ordered from some online resource) would be a good
alternative. Just make sure that the “no-lye relaxer” is not a Thio-based product, or you will have the problems discussed above. Even
relaxers that are listed as “no-lye” formulas are still hydroxide-based.
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