Are relaxers about to be played out?

[longhairlover]

I am looking on rusk's website and now they have a thermal type straightening product http://www.rusk1.com/

It is just starting to look like the days of relaxing your hair is going to be out of style. I like my hair really straight in the summer so i'm not going to be going natural anytime soon.

It's just amazing all of these thermal products that are on the market. And the positive thing is that it seem they have made them to help the hair to maintain moisture and good conditioning.

when i look at how relaxers dry your hair out and make it brittle i'm kind of happy to see that they have stuff on the market that are less drying but still straighten the hair.





just a thought.

 

[SlantedEyezMiss2003]

IMO, relaxers will probably slow down, more women will try to be natural.....but then I think relaxers will pick back up down the line, that is what usually happens......to me, it's not about relaxers being in style or out, but about me being able to manage my hair without sending hours on it. But just my opinion.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Girl hush, this stuff looks very interesting. I certainly can't do the relaxer due to my scalp rejecting the chemicals. I wonder what this Rusk is about...they did save the best for last. The girl's hair in the last picture looks just like mine!

ETA: they don't have a salon in my area but they have one in Los Angeles. I should call my old hair dresser and ask her what she thinks about this method...

 

[loulou82]

Not unless you can get a thermal treatment for $8 at Wal Mart like you can get a box of ORS Relaxer. An alternative would have to be just as cost effective and readily available. I'm glad that more options are popping up though.

 

[longhairlover]

your right, it takes hours to do AA hair whether it is natural or not, it looks like the thermal styling may help to lessen the styling time. I guess i have to see more cases of it being used on AA hair before i'm fully convinced.

and loulou82 your right a lot of products are popping up and that's good maybe if the market ends up over saturated with the thermal stuff the prices will decline.
btw love your hair in your signature.

 

[lexi84]

I'm noticing that the blacks on commercials these days are mostly natural. It makes me happy inside!

 

[yodie]

Aren't thermal straighteners still chemical based?

 

[Tallone]

That last picture was amazing. I would do it if it proves a safe alternative for AA hair

 

[longhairlover]

yeah they are, but they just seem to allegedly provide "healthy and conditioned hair" allegedly.

I know relaxers are said to be more drying and make the strands brittle. I relax don't get me wrong. I'm just wondering if the relaxers will play out since this thermal stuff seems to be on the market and more are making the product too.

i'm sure maybe in the end it will have it's side effects like the relaxers.

I hear ya Tallone, they make it seem as if it's good for white hair. I guess sooner or later they will start marketing the thermal stuff to us.

I do agree with loulou82 on the pricing of the thermal treatments they are pricey v.s. relaxers.

Aren't thermal straighteners still chemical based?

 

[ellebelle88]

I'm not sure if they will become "played out" because I attend an HBCU and trust me--over 90% of the girls there get relaxers faithfully. They don't realize that relaxers are destroying their hair. I think many of them would have a midlife crisis if they were ever asked to give up the "creamy crack." Girls who aren't relaxed are looked at weirdly like, "She know it's time to get a relaxer."

However, I really do hope that the trend moves away from relaxers. Natural hair is so beautiful and I'm tired of seeing so many young black kids whose hair has been fried by the chemicals. Literally, many of the kids who I work with have NO hair at all, and if they do have hair it's so processed and wrecked that I think that their parents should just cut it off and start from scratch.

I have promised myself that I will NEVER relax my kids hair. Regardless of how much she asks me too. I begged for a relaxer and I finally got it, but now I'm paying for it.

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

I hope relaxers dont go out of style...there will be too many very depressed and near suicidal black women out there if that happened.

Most black women can not see life any other way.....

 

[naturalpride]

I have been thinking the same thing, that relaxers will soon play-out because of other straightening options that are safer and just as effective.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I always think about my ministry leader's hair - when you ladies talk about relaxers...............
It has looked the same for 15 years...
It is SOOOOOO Dry from the relaxers.

I want to tell her...But I don't wanna hurt her feelings.... The Chemical, is just hard to work with.... I think most stylists don't have a clue as to how to take care of their clients...hence all the damage.

 

[TaurusAngel]

I doubt it. If so.... then i'll be veryyy unhappy. And no, i am not dependent on relaxers, but I prefer them at this moment in time.

 

[HoneyDew]

I don't know about relaxers being played out, but that Rusk one IS a relaxer. It is a Thio based one.

People been trying to straighten hair for years and years. And based on the way our culture is now, if anything I think we will see people trying to find ways to do it quicker and easier.

But, Rusk has nothing new with that. Thio relaxing is not a new thing and hopefully no one tries to use a lye or no-lye one with it.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

I don't know about relaxers being played out, but that Rusk one IS a relaxer. It is a Thio based one.

People been trying to straighten hair for years and years. And based on the way our culture is now, if anything I think we will see people trying to find ways to do it quicker and easier.

But, Rusk has nothing new with that. Thio relaxing is not a new thing and hopefully no one tries to use a lye or no-lye one with it.

yep - This is the same as CHI, Japanese straightening, ETC... And the Jherri Curl -was thio based.
Same Stuff...

 

[loulou82]

your right, it takes hours to do AA hair whether it is natural or not, it looks like the thermal styling may help to lessen the styling time. I guess i have to see more cases of it being used on AA hair before i'm fully convinced.

and loulou82 your right a lot of products are popping up and that's good maybe if the market ends up over saturated with the thermal stuff the prices will decline.
btw love your hair in your signature.

Thanks. Those pics are oldies but goodies. I have to update my siggy later this week.

 

[MissNina]

I think a few ppl are missing the point of the thread. I don't think the OP meant relaxing is going to go out of style vs. going natural, but a different type of "permanent" straightening technique will be the new standard. Not relaxers as we traditionally know them.

I don't know. Like someone said earlier, until these other straightening techniques are more cost-effective and readily available, adoption is going to be too slow to overtake relaxers. That Rusk one does look like a relaxer though. . .just a different type. It's going to be interesting to see how they continue to advance and update.

As long as whatever it is gets my hair straight for longer than a month at a time, I'm good.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I'd love to hear from someone with AA hair who get's this Rusk technique done, and follow their progress for one year.... just to see how they fair with it, what their maintenance routine is like, etc. What's the side effects.

This sounds like the best thing since sliced buttered bread, but how do we really know that since it's so new. We'll just have to keep an eye out. If anyone decides to get this treatment, please post...I think this is simular to that BK method....if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Muse]

I'd love to hear from someone with AA hair who get's this Rusk technique done, and follow their progress for one year.... just to see how they fair with it, what their maintenance routine is like, etc. What's the side effects.

This sounds like the best thing since sliced buttered bread, but how do we really know that since it's so new. We'll just have to keep an eye out. If anyone decides to get this treatment, please post...I think this is simular to that BK method....if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah I agree, I would love to see how this works on AA hair in comparison to regular lye/ no lye relaxers. I stopped relaxing because my hair was just too dry and brittle and the pain it caused to my scalp. On the other hand if it straightens your hair permanently then it's damaged to a point, no matter how good it feels.

I know someone here will get it soon, I hope. I didn't think it could work on really kinky AA hair until I saw that last clip in the video too. I have a RUSK salon that does it not to far from me but I'm wondering if they have any experience doing this process on AA hair. Can't get it done anyway until I cut away these old relaxed ends. *sigh*

 

[FlowerHair]

I'm just glad there are more and more options out there and less damaging options too.

 

[franknbeans82]

it's not really a big deal to me if we're talking about one method of straightening being replaced by another.

 

[Anew]

Not over here, lol. When I stop using relaxers altogether I'll be going natural. That's not happening anytime soon though...

 

[Anew]

Oh, and I understand the OPs question, its just that I probably wouldn't try this method until its tried and proven amongst many women like 'me', lol...

 

[GlossMeUp]

I'm not sure if they will become "played out" because I attend an HBCU and trust me--over 90% of the girls there get relaxers faithfully. They don't realize that relaxers are destroying their hair. I think many of them would have a midlife crisis if they were ever asked to give up the "creamy crack." Girls who aren't relaxed are looked at weirdly like, "She know it's time to get a relaxer."

However, I really do hope that the trend moves away from relaxers. Natural hair is so beautiful and I'm tired of seeing so many young black kids whose hair has been fried by the chemicals. Literally, many of the kids who I work with have NO hair at all, and if they do have hair it's so processed and wrecked that I think that their parents should just cut it off and start from scratch.

I have promised myself that I will NEVER relax my kids hair. Regardless of how much she asks me too. I begged for a relaxer and I finally got it, but now I'm paying for it.

I agree with you on all points. When I first went natural well over 10 years ago, I'll never forget going to get a Press & Curl, the sisters were looking at my natural hair like they never saw something like it in their lives. I had to realize probably alot of them hadn't cause they have no clue as to their own true texture. I really regret every perming my hair, but I didn't have the knowledge then.

Although I don't see myself ever going back to relaxers, I think is great that there are other options to choose from.

 

[DivaD04]

i don't really see the big deal about this system...all it does is replace one chemical service for another...for the "permenant" str8 hair...it's a chemical...the only difference is the fact that it's name says thermal and its suppose to be formaldehyde-free.

i'm just curious as to what other option rusk is offering other than another chemical service? and their variety of flat irons?

 

[BlackMarilyn]

hmm, my sister bought a whole bunch of rusk products and was not happy about them. she was so disappointed. said it dried out her hair (the shampoo and cond). i'll ask her which products she bought...