I bit the bullet and did my own relaxer at home, thanks to COVID-19. I mainly did it to encourage my sister to do hers as well in support and solidarity.
We were both pretty nervous about doing it even after watching different YouTube tutorials and tips, but she was way more nervous than I was. She already had a tub of relaxer, but I had to order everything and luckily, Amazon considers this essential products and shipping was not delayed. So here are the things I had to get.
Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly
I had almost forgot about this. I was going to just use my regular avocado oil to base my scalp but I had this in my vanity already so I used this on my edges, scalp, and ears. I didn’t want to put on too much, apparently if it’s too thick then it’s really hard to wash out. But I think I could have used a bit more considering how slow I was at application.
Butter Blend Sensitive Scalp Rhelaxer Kit by Mizani
My scalp is super sensitive so this was a sensible option for me. This is also the same product my sister has already. This is a kit for 4 applications which should be enough to last for the duration of our quarantine period. I don’t even think this is the same brand of relaxer that my hairdresser uses and normally I don’t like switching between relaxers, but I figured that if it’s super sensitive then I might be ok leaving it in longer considering that this is the first time I’m doing this myself and I expected to be a bit slow in parting the hair and applying the relaxer. So I think it’s a bit straighter or have less texture than usual and I did still end up burning a bit, but I’m not mad and still super proud of myself!
Avlon Affirm Normalizing Shampoo 32 oz & Avlon Affirm 5 in 1 Reconstructor 16 oz
I got the Affirm normalizing shampoo and reconstructor because this is a brand we have used before and loved! I did the normalizing right after I washed out the relaxer, then I did the reconstructor. But on the bottle of the reconstructor it said to use the normalizing shampoo after so I did the shampoo again. Then I used my regular conditioner to finish.
Clairol Root Touch-Up Permanent Hair Color Creme
I got this for the brush and gloves but if you can source those normally then of course get those. We all know how hard it is right now to find gloves, plus, none of the brushes were available on Amazon for fast delivery so I went and got this from my pharmacy. The brush was actually really good for me to use since it was so small and allowed me to get far more precision. Heaven knows trying to navigate moving your hand forward or back in the mirror makes probably anyone feel a little disoriented. Right?
I did my blow dry and flat iron styling like I normally would and that was it! I don’t know how long we’ll end up being without our hairdressers so if any other women are considering doing their own hair too, all I can say is, “Good luck, ladies!”.
