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ok so my hair is naturally very curly which I've hated & battled all my life so in 2003 I finally got my hair relaxed by a professional twice. I loved it but really can't afford to maintain it what am I supposed to do now that my roots are growing in curly but the ends are still somewhat straight? (my hair is long) I can't manage this anymore, keeping it straight now requires blow-drying & using the flat iron every day which is really destroying my hair : and don't even suggest I cut my hair off - that is not even an option for me :p

What if you were to get a texturizer that would loosen the curls a bit and give you more of a wave?

since it's still a chemical process..you'll just have to deep condition a bit more..but that should be a lot cheaper than the thermal conditioning

you can have ur hair wash set and blow dried. but u said u don't want 2 blow dry.*sighs* well i think that is the only thing u can do to keep it straight. even with relaxed hair, you still have to maintain it b/c ur roots will always grow in. i don't think there is anything permanant u can do. you may have to keep blow drying or perming. sorry i couldn't help. btw why don't u like curly? i think that is so beautiful. well "to each his own" :)

I have the same problem as you, my natural hair is very curly and I have to relax it to keep it straight. If I don' t relax it I have to end up blow drying all the time and flat-ironing (but not everyday). You should learn to do your own touch-ups. I have never had a salon perm in my life. I do my own relaxers and touch-ups at home. It's really not hard. Just make sure to base the hairline and scalp properly and only add relaxer to the new growth.

But AM- why do you need to blow dry and flat iron EVERYDAY? All you have to do is wrap your hair every night before you go to bed and it will stay straight and try not to get your hair wet in the shower.

I really don't trust myself to do it alone w/o any help and I don't have the patience to wrap my hair every night :
I think I'm gonna end up getting a curly perm to get my curls back while my roots grow in, at least then it will blend in.

I would advise against that. Remember the ends of your hair are still relaxed. You might not want to add a curly perm on top if it, that could cause further damage. It won't take that long to wrap your hair at night. Less than five minutes. It's worth it and takes less time than having to blow dry and flat iron in the morning.

I know it could cause further damage but I think there's no way around it I could stand to cut a few inches off my ends but definitely no more than that. ok then I need lessons on how to wrap my hair are you available? :p

Yes, I most certainly am and I can show you how to relax your hair too.

i too have very curly hair and actually relaxed it earlier this year. i personally regret that decision because i could have just continued to wash and set it and wrap it at night as dougla suggested and still have the options of washing and going on those bad hair days. but the relaxing is already done so what i now do is have my hair set and maintain the set by pincurling the hair at night. it might sound difficult but it only take two twos and it done! by the time i finished i only have about 9 big, sloppy pin curls fastened with bobby pins. in the morning i pull them out, shake meh head, finger style, maybe add some sheen and then i gone with lots of soft bouncy curls! i also suggest maintaing the set with these things called "pillow rollers" they are an alternative to sponge rollers. you can get them at Target (10 a pack for about $2.50) They look just like miniture pillow. I swear by them

do u wash ur hair everyday
if not, like if u wash it once a week, u can go to the Dominicans to get ur hair done and they can blow dry it straight for u
dat shud last a week

no my hair is too dry to wash every day, I actually wash it 2 or 3x for the week. I used to go to the hair salon twice a week to get it blown straight but I can't afford that anymore

I have the same issues..this is exactly why I wear my hair in a bun every day

Actually have not relaxed my hair in years!! My mom use to do it to my hair to get it straight and after 1 too many scalp burns I told her to "STOP!" I'll just deal with the curly hair...

Now, I go to the dominicans once in a while to get in blown when I feel for the straight look..otherwise its a ponytail or bun or wear it out naturally...

I hate to admit it but I actually regret relaxing it. at least before I had the option to wear it natural or blow it straight I really love my hair straight but it's too difficult & costly to maintain now
and I want my curls back

You really can't get it back?

It didn't take long for my curls to get back..But I will admit its not the same body that I had before relaxing and especially before coloring...:

What if you go without the relaxing and just wash and blow periodically..That way the chemicals can grow out and you get back your "natural" hair..

nope I tried all my products I used to use when my hair was curly & I would let it dry naturally. It didn't work, only the roots get curly

what you suggested is what I've been doing, I just don't have any patience I wanna get away from the blow-drying
so how long after you relaxed your hair were you able to wear it curly again?