It’s time for another relaxer touch-up recap where I’ll be sharing with you how my touch-up hair appointment went, how my relaxer stretch went, and a few things I have planned for my hair in 2023.
I had my last relaxer touch-up of the year the last week of December. I stretched for right around 12 weeks which is my normal amount of time to stretch.
Even though I only stretched for 12 weeks my new growth was something fierce during this stretch. Even the stylist mentioned how thick my new growth was.
Because my new growth was so thick it was harder to detangle my last couple of washes and keep my roots from looking so puffy. I’m not sure what happened as I didn’t do anything differently during that stretch. The only thing that was “different” was that I was working out more consistently. Not sure if that was the cause for the extra thickness.
Also during the last couple of weeks of my stretch, my scalp was itching. I think it was the cold and me not drinking enough water to stay hydrated from the inside. I kept from scratching as I didn’t want to irritate my scalp. I did however do a few scalp massages which helped a lot.
Because of my thick new growth and itchy scalp I wasn’t sure how this hair appointment was going to go.
To try and help make this appointment go well I did a couple of things my last wash before the touch-up
- I clarified my hair using the ORS Olive Oil Moisture Restore Creamy Aloe Shampoo. That way I could get rid of any product build-up that may be on my strands and could impact how the relaxer took to my hair. I also thought it could help my scalp itch less.
- I did a light protein treatment to help give my hair some strength. Back in the day, I used to do hard protein treatments the week before my touch-up. I don’t think doing a hard treatment is necessary now which is why I did the light treatment.
Despite my new growth being unusual and the itchiness, the appointment was uneventful which I was grateful for. I guess the clarifying and protein treatment helped.
Related read: How I Care For My Hair Before A Relaxer Touch-up
To get the appointment started the stylist sectioned my hair, then section by section based my scalp with a petroleum product. After she was done with my scalp in that section she applied a product to protect my strands.
I can’t recall the name now of the product she used to protect my previously relaxed hair. I do however remember it was thick.
After she was done rinsing out the relaxer, she used a neutralizing shampoo, and then washed my hair.
I also got a trim. She did the trim on my wet hair. I really, really needed a trim because I didn’t get one the last time I got a touch-up and I’ve had some breakage on my ends which we’ll talk about a little later.
My ends look and feel so much better. They also look fuller. That’s a combination of the trim and also my ends always look fuller once the new growth has been relaxed.
After she trimmed my hair I asked the stylist just to blow out my hair, no flat iron.
If you watched my last relaxer touch-up video I mentioned that when she flat ironed my hair then I felt she did too many passes. I had planned to tell her to just do one pass but then I realized I’d have to check the temperature that was used as well and that started to feel like too much work. Plus, I would get a discount for not getting my hair styled.
I decided if I wanted to flat iron my hair I could do it at home myself.
I could have gotten a roller set but I had some things to do after the appointment and doing a roller set would have kept me there longer, by at least an hour if not more, than I’d have liked to be.
Ok, now let’s talk about the breakage.
About halfway through my stretch, I started to notice lots of little hairs showing up on my clothes, the floor, and the bathroom counter. I started to get worried and began trying to figure out what was causing it.
I soon started to suspect it was the bond treatment products I’d been using. I’ve been seeing several posts and comments from women who have had hair issues after using a bonding treatment.
Things like minor to major breakage and even hair falling out.
Previously I would just do a bonding treatment occasionally like every few months, or a couple of times a month. Lately, I had been doing the treatments on back-to-back weeks.
To see if my suspicion was correct I decided to stop using a bond treatment for a few weeks. Instead, I did a light protein treatment. That seemed to do the trick. With each day, the breakage got less and less until it stopped. So this next stretch I won’t be doing any bond treatments. To help strengthen my hair I’ll be doing light protein treatments instead.
Overall, this last year was a good hair year for me. I didn’t have any abnormal hair problems
- I felt in tune with my hair: If I started to notice something changing I was able to narrow down the cause and make changes if needed.
- I tried a few new hair products, not a lot but some: I’ll be doing a separate blog post to talk about each of those products that I tried. While I did try some new products I didn’t change a lot when it came to the products I used or how I cared for my hair. All of my staple products still have been working well for me.
Here’s what I’ll be doing in 2023
- I will be trying several new products: I like the products I currently use on my hair but it’s nice to have a few backups. Plus, I have several shampoos and a few conditioners that are new to me that I’d like to see how they would work for my hair and share my thoughts on with you.
- I’m going to try and grow out my hair: I know that I can do it’s more a matter of wanting to do it. The last time my hair was below my shoulders I cut it to shoulder length. I like the look and versatility of long hair but after a while, it would become more of a chore to care for it. We’ll see how it goes this year.
Now it’s your turn. How did your hair fare in 2022? What are your plans for your hair in 2023? Share in the comments below.
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