|
 |
Hair Straightening and the Re-Growth Effect
Q: I am Latin with rather stubborn hair. I have *lots* of very fine and nappy hair, not to mention frizzy! I have gone
natural for 1 ½ years and since it grows rather quickly, I am very tired of blowing it out and using the flat iron to get the
“relaxed look”. I would prefer to have loose curls with less frizz than the straight hair because I think it’s a more natural look
for me.
Not only that, it would be great to soften the kinks to enable me to comb my hair everyday
rather than every two or three days! I wish to find a product that would allow me to “wash –comb- and go”, if that’s at all
possible. I spend 1 whole hour in the shower washing my hair because it’s that difficult to comb thru. I’m pretty tired of it.
I’ve seen it natural; it could be managed, but I simply don’t have the time!
I read about EasyStraight and Oglivie products and I wonder if you think this would be
appropriate for my hair type. I’m very afraid to succumb to the relaxers because one thing I *hated* the most about my old
dependency is the re-growth. I looked rather silly with very straight hair and very nappy hair growth. Also, my hair used to
break and fall out very easily. I have read some awful reviews about EasyStraight, but have not seen enough on Ogilvie.
My questions to you are: 1) Based on my hair descriptions, do you think either one of these
products would work? 2) Which one do you think is gentler? I would like to keep my hair as “chemical-free” as possible (if there
is such thing.) 3) which one of these would not give me the “re-growth” look? And 4) Does it wash out? Or is your hair permanently
straightened (permanently chemically processed). Help! I need something to soften it, but I don’t want to have the re-growth
effect, nor do I want to damage my hair after all the effort I put into bringing it back to life! Thank you!
A: I’m sorry to say that, most likely, you’re going to have to cope with “re-growth” issues no matter what method you choose to deal
with your hair. All of the methods you mention are “permanent” processes, in that they will change the wave pattern of the hair
until it is changed back through similar processes. Because of this, you will experience the “new growth” syndrome, where the new
growth of hair will have your natural wave pattern.
A word of warning: be aware that the “relaxers” that are currently available (the ones that are
listed as containing various hydroxides) are all not only permanent, but are irreversible. These relaxers break the chemical side
bonds so completely that they cannot be reformed.
Products like the Ogilvie system and Easy Straight can be reversed if you dislike the results
and will eventually begin to “wear off” after a period of time. This typically comes when the product is due for re-application.
You can also reverse the straightening done using thio-straightening processes, too. Reversing these processes simply involves
getting the hair permed using rods small enough to emulate the hair natural wave pattern.
From your initial description of your hair, and my subsequent investigation into the Easy
Straight product, I think Easy Straight “might” be something you would like to try. Just be careful and read the directions
thoroughly BEFORE doing anything. Also, be sure to perform a strand test as directed in the packaging before applying the product
to the main body of your hair.
You did mention above that you would like to have “loose curls” that can be combed through.
Because of this I would actually suggest that you consider getting a perm using large rods for bigger curls. I think this might
actually be something you will enjoy more than simply getting a straightening procedure.
©Hairfinder.com
Hair Products
|
|
