hey, i’ve got a pretty shallow question here, but maybe someone can help me out? anyway, i used to relax my hair using this product that loaded it up with chemicals, and i don’t want to keep using it since my hair has kind of stopped growing. but it’s completely out of control!! (i have a tendency to ramble on and on, bear with me please. i won’t get to my actual question till way later on so you may want to scroll.) using straightening balms and shampoos doesn’t really work, because my hair has a tendency to curl outwards instead of inwards. THIS REALLY DRIVES ME NUTS. so here i am wearing a bun or ponytail every single day, but my hair looks really nice when it’s down and straight. it’s really thick, wavy, and frizzy, and i’ve used like everything. things i’ve tried: frizz-ease, so straight, curling irons (the straightening method from the YM that’s pink and has scott foley on the cover), steam straightening thingie madoos, you name it. the only thing that really worked for me is dark & lovely no lye relaxer.
MY ACTUAL QUESTION IS: is there any natural, herbal way that i can relax my hair? i want it straight and curling inwards. PLEASE help me, it’s getting on my last nerve. =(
So, is this question related to a Straight Dope column? If not, I’m going to move it to General Questions.
Jill
hm… ur right. i’m quite sorry. =) move away!
You used the word “shallow” so I’m moving it to the “Mundane Pointless” board. No offense!
Natural, herbal? Nope. Even the Frizz-ease has silicones in it, which isn’t exactly herbal. 
You didn’t mention the current cut you’ve got - is your only concern the flipping out bits at the ends, or do you want it stick-straight? If you’re just worried about the ends, see a good stylist. They can cut the under-layers a little bit shorter to encourage the flippies to curl under, and you can use a round brush with your hairdryer to reinforce their good decision.
As far as chemical straightening goes, unless you have coarse hair, don’t use any of the products made for African hair. If you don’t have the coarse hair they’re made for, they will fry your hair and scalp. Go to a salon that deals in Rusk products and see if they use “Rusk Anti-Curl”, which is more gentle than a perm and made specifically for straightening curly hair. There are even three different product “levels” so that you won’t end up with a head full of split ends. It won’t cure your curls, but it will make them easier to manage and blow-dry straight (you’ll still have to use a styling product like Rusk’s Str8 to get it sleek).
lovelee
i’m not offended in any way, miss jill gat moderator ma’am. =) salutes
thanks lovelee. fyi i don’t have the african hair texture, but when i used the dark & lovely product, my hair stayed really soft and straight for maybe 6 months. so i’m looking for rusk? thanks, i’ll check it out. =)
i’m still open to other suggestions. i’d love to have jennifer aniston hair- the stick straight kind that curls in at the end.
LemonGrl,
There seems to a webpage for just about anything you can think of. CurlTalk[/url"] is one of them. They might have the answers you’re looking for. Also try [url=http://www.thelipstickpage.com/forums/swap/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi]The Lipstick Page.
What is a guy doing with girl links? Don’t ask Really I was looking for another forum with UBB Software. I never found it but I bookmarked all the ones I did find. These were just some of them.
Usually when people ask advice about their own hair I won’t answer, I just tell them that they should ask their stylist. He/she knows your hair best.
However…I am going to jump in here…I am familiar with the Rusk product (having worked at a shop that used it), and you should know that you should find out the ingredients of the straightener that you used. THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT! When we had a workshop on how to use the product, they kept stressing that. Most hair relaxers have lye in it and you CANNOT use that Rusk product if you used such a product! If you do, you risk your hair breaking off, melting, or falling out. Damn, I cannot remember what term they use for “lye” in ingredient lists, so talk to the girl who does your hair, if you need to, bring the box with the ingredients list still on it, and she will know what the term is. I would know it if I saw it or heard the name.
Yes, I know that some relaxers nowadays don’t have lye in them, but even the ones that don’t have lye in them have very caustic ingredients that don’t mesh well with the Rusk. The reason Rusk doesn’t make your hair stick straight is because it doesn’t contain the harsh ingredients needed to relax hair that relaxers do.
And if you relax hair, you don’t want to do it too much. It will cause hair to lose elasticity and stuff like that.
PLEASE, please find out what is in the stuff you used. Thank you.
MaryAnn
Sometimes life is so great you just gotta muss up your hair and quack like a duck!
thanks for the curltalk URL. i’m checking that out now.
and about the rusk and lye thing, i used dark and lovely which specifically said “no lye.” thanks for the info about the possible danger to my friend! i’m not sure if i want to put anything else in my hair now, because it gets all dry and weird when the product wears off. it’s going to look like it’s 80 when i’m 20, or however that “feel free to wear sunscreen” thingie goes.
do i always digress? this meant to be a “thank you” message. =)
Hmmm. Should have check my post afterwords. Ruined my perfect record of posting perfect links here 
Let me try again.
http://bb.naturallycurly.com/cgi-ubb/Ultimate.cgi
http://www.thelipstickpage.com/forums/swap/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi
I’m glad you like the links LemonGrl. My 7 year old daughter loved them for about 5 minutes. She has straight hair btw.
LOL about your daughter. sounds like me when i was a kid, minus the straight hair.
and i figured out your link anyway! so don’t fret! thanks for all your help