Which one is for you?

Relaxing, texturizing and texlaxing are in actual fact quite similar. All 3 involve the use of chemicals called relaxers or texturizers to change the basic structure of the hair. The length of time the chemicals are left in the hair and the type of chemical used, determine whether the hair is relaxed, texlaxed or texturized.

A strand test must always be done before attempting to process the hair with any chemical. This gives you the ideal processing time for the result you are looking for. A person may have a variety of textures on their heads which may require a different processing time for each section! This avoids any over or under – processing of the hair.

Relaxing – This involves the use of a Sodium Hydroxide hair relaxer (Lye Relaxer) which is the strongest and gives the most dramatic effect or a Guanidine Hydroxide hair relaxer (No Lye) which is considered healthier for hair based on its lower alkalinity. The relaxer is applied to the hair in sections then smoothed through with the fingers or with a comb until the desired level of straightness is achieved or until the processing time elapses. The relaxer is then rinsed off thoroughly and hair washed with a neutralizing shampoo which sets the hair in its new straight shape and also stops any more relaxer action which could over-process the hair leaving it weaker

Pros of a relaxer:
• Easier styling of the hair as hair can be combed dry and easy detangling
• Many like the look of ‘bone straight’ hair
• More variety with sleek straight styles without using much heat

Cons of a relaxer:
• Notoriously difficult to maintain length without the use of many products to strengthen the now weakened hair
• Breakage begins if hair is not constantly conditioned to alleviate the inherent dry condition of the hair.
• Touch ups required every 6-8 weeks to keep the hair (especially around the edges) sleek and straight which can become quite expensive
• Hair that lacks body – tends to look a bit flat.

Texturizing – Generally this utilizes a very mild form of a relaxer called a texturizer which is processed according to the guidelines of the product. The aim of this is to soften the hair texture leaving it with curls or waves but leaving much of the volume in the hair. The texture of the hair after the texturizer depends a lot on the initial curl pattern of the hair. Large corkscrew curls will become S-shaped curls after a texturizer, tighter curls will look loosened and hair with no definite curl pattern tends to get waves.

Pros of a texturizer
• Easier detangling of the hair as the texture has been softened
• May impart more of an even curl pattern to those who haven’t got it while leaving a lot of volume in the hair
• Less frizz is experienced with the curls left in the hair
• Less shrinkage is experienced
• Easier to style – straighten etc as hair does not revert very quickly

Cons of a texturizer
• As the hair has been chemically treated, constant conditioning and protein treatments are required
• Breakage may ensue if not taken care of properly
• Touch ups are necessary. They are not required as often as with a relaxer but would still be needed to keep the look
• If care is not taken during the touch up of the texturizer, the ‘run off’ when rinsing the chemical out could make the previously texturized hair turn straight so its not uncommon to find a multitude of textures including straight ends on people who texturize.

Texlaxing – This is a term that was recently coined in hair boards and is done more or less the same way as a texturizer but with a relaxer chemical instead of a texturizing one. The relaxer chemical has oils or conditioner added to it to make it less potent then it’s applied to the hair the same way as a relaxer. The aim of texlaxing is to loosen the natural curl pattern of the hair but leave a lot of the elasticity in the hair for strength. While texturized hair tends to look quite similar, texlaxed hair can vary depending on the degree of curl left. 80% texlaxed looks just slightly wavy while 40% texlaxed may look just like texturized hair.

Pros of texlaxing
• Easier detangling of the hair as the texture has been softened
• Gives variety as depending on the curl left behind, hair can be worn in a ‘wash and go’ style
• Hair still has a lot of it’s elasticity left behind so is less prone to breakage than relaxed hair
• Easy to style as you are still able to achieve a sleek straight look with heated tools without hair reverting quickly.

Cons of texlaxing
• The hair has been chemically treated so constant conditioning and protein treatments are required
• Breakage may ensue if not taken care of properly
• Touch ups are necessary but may not be required as often as with a relaxer depending on the amount of curl left in the hair

With this information you can choose which process will best suit your hair and give you the desired results. As always, the health of your hair should not suffer for the style! See the article on how to stop relaxed hair from breaking.