Should You Relax or Perm?
Posted: Saturday, December 10, 2005
by Jenny Andrews
http://www.hairstylevillage.com
Not everyone is blessed with hair that falls perfectly into place. Some need to coach their hair a little to get the look they want and others fight a never-winning battle when it comes to taming their tresses. In order to help in this battle, many turn to chemical relaxers and perms to make their job easier. Should you?
The first thing to remember when choosing to perm or relax your hair is that chemical processes can cause damage to your hair. This is important because choosing the wrong procedure at the wrong time can leave you with a mess that’s harder to deal with than what you currently have. So, before you decide to perm or relax, make sure your hair is in the condition to handle it.
Another thing you should think about is all of the state-of-the-art ceramic thermal flat irons and curling irons that are on the market. If you can achieve your look with one of these, you might be able to pass on the chemical process. And with the new ionic technology available, even the kinkiest hair can be sleek and shiny.
So, when should you relax or perm? Follow these guidelines:
- If your hair is stubbornly kinky curly or coarse and straight, getting a relaxer or perm can make your hair more manageable. A relaxer will change the texture of your hair and make it easier to work with. A perm will help break down your hair so that it is easier to curl and style.
- If your hair is fine and limp and there is not much of it, a perm can give you much-needed body. Wearing a perm will make your hair appear thicker and fuller than it does straight.
- If you have ethnic hair, it is almost always a good idea to relax. Extremely curly black hair can be a hassle to deal with. It gets tangled easily and is impossible to comb. It also never gets longer, just bushier which limits your hairstyles dramatically. By getting a chemical relaxer, you can get length and manageability in one easy process.
- If you like the look of a perm and don’t color your hair, you should get a perm. If you do color your hair often, perhaps you should try out some different thermal curling tools to minimize the damage done to your mane.
Jenny is a hair expert, and the author of an incredible free minicourse, that explains how to find your unique style, how long or short you should have your hair, how to find the right hair color for you, how to find the right salon, and a lot more.
The bottom line is this: choose a chemical process when it is in the best interest of your hair’s health. If the process would cause more damage than do good, maybe you should wait.
Go to http://www.hairstylevillage.com/ now and get this amazing hair minicourse – absolutely free.
This Article has been viewed 15,726 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsYou all need to chill and read what she said about the whole situation. Ethnic doesn't always mean BLACK. Quit it with BLACK here and BLACK there because she didn't say BLACK but ETHNIC people. ETHNIC doesn't mean BLACK and black folks are not the only ones with curly or hard to tame hair. I have long black and curly hair that is hard to tame and I am not BLACK but a Pacific Islander. I have a few friends from different backgrounds and races that have the same type of hair. One is Asian, the other one is Puerto Rican and White. Don't be quick to point a finger at the person writing the article because she actually stated that you do have a choice in the matter and you know your hair better than anybody else and this is not about individuals being African American. Gosh you all are sad for thinking that this article is racist especially if this comment is coming from somebody that is minority which is myself. Would you prefer Jennifer saying Ethnic or African American or Indian? How about Hispanic or Hawaiian? You who are being negative about the article thinking that it is racist need to hush. If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. We are all suppose to help each other out. If it didn't work for you then maybe you should go into specific details on why it didn't and not try to jump to conclusions that the article is RACIST. If it did work for you then share the experience so it would benefit the other readers that are in need of answers on the specific topic.Woman please, I seriously doubt if your Hawaiian, AKA modern Asian hair has ever been bushy. Only people of African descent have bushy hair. O.k. maybe some Indian, middle eastern, islander, or Hawaiian people have kinky hair, but not bushy like Angela Davis! Plus u type of people that I just mentioned has long hair, although it's kinky. She was referring to black hair, bc she thinks our hair doesn't grow because it doesn't elongate like hers or yours! Our hair does grow, probably longer than white hair, but u would never know bc 90% of black women relax their hair, which stunts the growth....I have extremely curly, springy hair and am from India. She is right. The longer I grow it, the bushier it gets. When wet, it is wavy and comes to the middle of my shoulder blades. When dry, it is shoulder length. I would give anything to find a product that would keep my hair as it looks when mid way between wet and dry.
Hmmm...I think everyone over reacted here. It is clear that some vocabulary could use attention, but the majority of bi-racial or "black" ppl I know do relax their hair, either chemically or topically. They have explained that there is far more density to african or arabian hair, and by relaxing it, they find it more manageable. I think Jenny was simply expressing advice, that is all.\ I do, however, agree with these comments. My said friends who do wear their hair either naturally or naturally have NOTHING to feel, um, "badly" about. But our hair is personal, and if one wishes to see onself with straight hair, regardless of ethnicity, then healthy looking hair, be it straight, curly or otherwise, is our own decission. We need to be able to discuss these things, not call ppl racist for impressions or data. I hope this helpsWhatever, Jenny doesn't know smack about black hair, because if she did, she would not have said that ethnic hair never gets longer, only bushier. That is so not true. My hair is the longest it has ever been since I stopped relaxing it, and went natural. Plus I don't have the breakage that the relaxer caused, and my scalp is no longer itchy and irritated like it was with the relaxer. The best part about sporting the hair the GOD gave me is, I haven't had one flake of dandruff since I stopped using that horrible relaxer!
I found this article very informing....i am considerin gettin a perm and i found the information u gave useful....i think people over reacted on ur comments...but yeah thanxThat's bc you don't have natural ethnic hair, so you don't have to worry about her comments, you don't have to wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and notice "i have natural ethnic hair, hope the interviewer feels relaxed with my un-relaxed hair." U are the typical non-ethnic woman, who thinks that ethnic women overreact when we hear bias against our hair.
The next thing I will probably read on an internet beauty site is that dark brown skin (or yellow, or golden brown for that matter) should be possibly altered or how to round out slanted eyes. When white women embrace something into their beauty standard, it is considered beautiful. When women of other ethnicities do what they have been doing for generations, it is considered "folk", "ethnic", "different" and worse "unattractive". However, we all are beautiful when we have good teeth, healthy hair, bright eyes, a sweet voice and little stress. Why process and process and process you hair and then spend hours doing Yoga, getting Reiki, etc. just to destress?I have been "natural" and "relaxed". When I was "relaxed", my hair had no life, and somehow I felt different. Now when I want to wear my hair straight, which is not very often, I either use a hot comb/ceramic iron or put on a wig. I am well over 50 and have beautiful, long, natural kinky curly hair with very little thinning and good growth. My husband and son think I am a natural beauty. My daughters say they want to be me when they are my age. I think that's a success.thehennalady, union, nj
I do find my hair annoying to manage. Its thick, beautiful and full of tight curls. It also looks shorter than it is. I just want it to hang a bit more.I don't want straight hair. I love my curlz. I just need something to make them loosen so they hang. It's very frustrating. Products are not strong enough for my tight curlz and I don't like the texture of too much gel. A hair stylist said relaxing could losen my curlz. I'm sort of considering it but I don't know.There are newer products and techniques that can relax or loosen your curls. The biggest problem I have had in the past was finding a professional who knows how to work with curly hair. In the NY metro area there are number of excellent hairdressers who know what they are doing. I will check back at this site to see if you respond. Maybe there is a way where we can exchange e-mail addresses and I can forward you additional info.
Hi Currently Maintaining. Just for your fyi Barbados is a country in the Caribbean ... not Africa.
Ethnic hair can be styled so many ways, roller sets, fro's, pony tail, straightened with heat, I wear any style that I want with my natural un-relaxed ethnic hair! Don't believe the hype my kinky and kurly hair sisters! The relaxed hair is only to make whites feel relaxed, it is not healthy for your hair nor scalp. I've been natural 3 years, and my hair is down my back, almost to my bra strap, the longest it has ever been in my life, even with the relaxer. Ethnic hair is mean to be combed when wet, and is actually much softer than 1a-3b hair, it looks hard but actually feels like cotton!
Oh my goodness, everybody should just shut up and stop taking things so personal. Maybe some of you all DO need to relax your hair. Or maybe some need to perm. There isn't any other way to say that. Stop being so sensitive. And for those of you that ALREADY have a solution to your hair problems, why the hell are you reading this article??? Goodness, people kill me with this mess. Some people are just too sensitive to handle the truth.....
This article really @#$@#&*es me off especially about the part about how it's almost always a good idea for ethnic hair to get relaxed. That's such a stupid statement I don't even know how to respond. Our natural ethnic hair is beautiful and there is know reason why we should get a relaxer so we can make it straight like everybody else's. We just need to take care of the hair and make it healthy. RELAXERS AND PERMS ARE ONE THE MOST STUPIDEST MAN-MAN CREATIONS I HAVE EVR SEEN!! Why can't we just love our natural hair.
I read your article with interest and grinned at "of the state-of-the-art ceramic thermal flat irons and curling irons that are on the market. If you can achieve your look with one of these, you might be able to pass on the chemical process." I get the perm so I don';t have to use the heat or products with alcohol in them but can wash, pick and go. Granted I have a different look when it is a new perm than when I am 8 months out but I have been doing this for about 37 years now and manage to keep the hair doing pretty well. I also color about every 2 months. You made some great points for consideration!
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