What's More Damaging--Heat or Relaxers?

[mzteaze]

mzteaze

would you say your hair is easily moldable? I could be wrong but i noticed that sucessful natural rollersetters have hair that straightens and sets easily.

Napp
Well not sure about my hair being easily moldable but my hair only needs a little tension and light heat to get mostly straight. The rest is really technique. But I have had disasters with rollersetting. Its sinking in that you really need technique, a little tension (think pulling hair straight from root and smoothing the ends over the roller) and really damp roots and ends.

I wish I could teach my SO to roll the back which is the hardest because of the length of my hair. He tried but its not smooth at all.

 

[sunnieb]

@sunnieb Do you have coarse strands? I seem to be sensing a trend that the fine stranded ladies have had more issues with relaxers than the coarse stranded ones. My stylist told me that due to my fine strands, I am very susceptible to overprocessing which is part of why I'm wary of even texlaxing.

prettypithy - Girl yes! My hair is coarse, coarser, and coarsest! And dry on top of that!

 

[Raine054]

Both can be damaging when used improperly but I think relaxers are more likely to inflict permanent damage on the hair.

 

[ebsalita]

ebsalita, I hope I have results like yours. I never got real damage in the past until I started flat ironing my relaxed hair daily at 430, no heat protectant. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm hoping, I can harness the heat wisely this time.

prettypithy Thanks!

I know what you mean - I used to do the same thing and coupled with other bad hair care practices my hair was doomed. I have noticed that the better I take care of my hair, the less heat it needs to look smoother and shinier.

 

[greenandchic]

I never had a relaxer, but I fried my hair for years to the point it was almost straight while wet. I had to transition to "natural" just as if it was relaxed.

 

[NikStarrr]

For me it's relaxing. I use heat regularly as a natural and have almost WL hair. When I was relaxed, I only wore rollersets and my hair could never reach this length.


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[SuchaLady]

Out of the two I would say heat is not as friendly to me. Ive been getting relaxers for an extremely long time and always had healthy hair. It wasnt until I tried the flat iron/wrap weekly or every two weeks method did I begin to have issues.

 

[in_di_vi_du_al]

Im pretty sure the are both damaging in their own respective ways. However, many people choose to wear their hair in these styles and that alone is a damaging decision that requires much baby-ing and care!

 

[B_Phlyy]

For me, relaxing is more damaging. It thinned my hair out and no matter how balanced I tried to keep my hair, I always got breakage. As a natural, I only use heat once a month (max 2x) and only use one appliance. My hair is much thicker and healthier now.

 

[blackberry815]

I relaxed my hair because as a natural I was flat ironing weekly.... I just knew that wasn't gonna be good in the long run. I just loved straight hair... And when I flatironed I wanted it to look relaxed! So I was just like wth... Life is easier with a wash and set

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[Sugar]

For me heat is more damaging and since I prefer to wear my hair straight on a daily basis relaxing it is the best way to go.

 

[MizzCoco]

In my case, relaxers were too harsh for my fine strands. In order for it to get straight, the relaxer had to stay on much too long, and my weak hair was constantly breaking. Im 10 months post relaxer, and I've decided to be a heat straightned natural. My hair has been doing much better, I hardly get any breakage, and my new growth is so resiliant. I use a Sedu and argan oil heat protectant, and I steam every wash session. My hair couldnt be happier. I agree with another poster, who said relaxers tend to be more damaging to fine haired women, and coarser haired ladies had more problem with heat.

 

[Sugar]

I agree with another poster, who said relaxers tend to be more damaging to fine haired women, and coarser haired ladies had more problem with heat.

I would have to be the exact opposite. I have super fine hair that has no problem with relaxers but has a love-hate relationship with heat.

 

[MizzCoco]

I would have to be the exact opposite. I have super fine hair that has no problem with relaxers but has a love-hate relationship with heat.

Really? I was always overprocessed, until I started doing it myself, then I would be texlaxed, but it was still weak!

 

[Sugar]

Really? I was always overprocessed, until I started doing it myself, then I would be texlaxed, but it was still weak!

I do my own relaxers, with ORS for fine to medium hair, and I've never had a problem with overprocessing. My hair "breaks down," as stylists say, very quickly, but still no overprocessing. Except for the traumatic time I let an idiot in beauty school do my relaxer. Hair was melting off in the sink.

The ORS leaves me slightly texlaxed on its own...but for the last 2 years I've been adding conditioner to the relaxer and I'm purposefully texlaxed. I also do the hardcore 2-step protein the week before my relaxer, use a conditioner with cationic polymers in my relaxer and on my NG, and I also do the mid-relaxer protein step...and a light protein conditioner after I neutralize. All of that leaves my hair pretty strong, well strong for fine hair.

 

[blueberryd]

great thread! Any other opinions? I'm newly natural and also struggling with this--relax/texlax or weekly high heat? hmmmmm?

 

[Lucky's Mom]

relaxers were too harsh for me. Sadly - I found that out many years and much damage too late.

glad to be away from any relaxer since 1998...

 

[levette]

I think of Kenya moore who is natural but wears her hair straight and long and I wonder if being a straight natural is healthier than being relaxed.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

To the OP/title's question, both can be damaging.