Relaxer Stretching

Ok, so what is "relaxer stretching"? Quite simply, it is waiting longer to relax your new growth longer than usual. If you are like many of women who still relax every 4-6 weeks, consider this: There are 52 weeks in a year, so by relaxing every 4-6 weeks, you are creating the potential of high-level scalp damage 9-13 times per year! Sound a little excessive? Want decrease the risk of hair loss? Start stretching. Also, if you just want to minimize the frequency of potential overlapping that occurs with chemical relaxing, stretching is for you. And, if you are experiencing thinness in the bulk of your hair, and your doing everything else right (deep conditions, scalp is clean on a regular basis, no damage to the hair), relaxer stretching can be a way to thicken it up.

What determines a "good" stretch is purely subjective. However, generally a good rule of thumb is to stretch not based on the number of weeks you wait between touch-ups, but by the amount of new growth you have acquired, anywhere from 1"-2" of growth. So if your hair grows the average 0.5" per month, you should acquire about 1" in 8 weeks or so. If you get 0.75"-1" per month, I would still wait it out maybe 6-8 weeks, respectively. (Most cosmetologists recommend this window of time anyway, again basing it on how much new growth you have.) If your hair grows less than 0.5" per month, then you'll likely be waiting a while, lol! Either way, I think your hair will thank you for it!

I am starting my own personal challenge for 2008 to start stretching my relaxers for 3 months (approx. 1.5"-2") of new growth for the entire year. I normally wait 8-10 weeks. I am doing this for a few reasons:

1. I want to increase my hair's overall thickness
2. I am no longer self-relaxing in '08, and want to make sure my future stylist has enough new growth to work with to minimize overlapping
3. I want to minimize the potential for high-level scalp damage from the relaxer
   

I'll keep you guys updated on how this is going for me. I haven't decided if I will link my Fotki to this blog, or if I will just continue my journaling here. Either way, when I know, you will know :)