Born to be mild

Hi girls,
Really quickly, I just discovered an amazing option for girls with fine-to-medium curls who'd love to relax their hair a bit, but don't want the heaviness and pin-straightness of a major relaxer. Last week, I was at my local Dominican salon, Adelina's (love ya, Addie!). I'd had this weird kink in the front of my hair, towards the bottom--and no matter how much I flatironed or curling iron-ed it, that piece never stayed straight. It drove me NUTS. So, I asked Adelina if there was anything I could do for that section, short of a relaxer. Fabulous Addie was like, "Sure mami! Let's do a relaxing conditioner!" She proceeded to whip together equal parts deep conditioner and relaxer (she used Paul Mitchell Super-Charged Moisturizer, $10.99; with SoftSheen-Carson Optimum Care Mild Relaxer, $6.99), and then massaged it into my weird, frizzy section of hair. After letting it marinate for ten minutes, it was business as usual--she washed it out once, followed with conditioner, and that was that! Brilliant. I mean, what a fabulous option if you just need super-mild relaxing (ideal for little girls, too).

Here's the cautionary tale, though. My sister Devon (aka Brownie) had been growing out her perm for years, and was finally, FINALLY, done! A couple months ago, she went to her local D.C. Dominican spot and, without asking, her stylist slapped in a thickish pre-shampoo treatment. When Brownie saw her wet hair, she was baffled and devastated--her hard-won natural curls were looser, yet she knew her stylist hadn't given her a real relaxer or texturizer (she only washed it out once, and Brownie didn't smell chemicals). What happened?! It wasn't until I had my existential Adelina experience that we realized what the stylist had done. The NERVE, right? Good thing Brownie graduated summa cum laude from Howard Law School, because she's taking her ass to court. Moral of the story is, always watch your stylist...she might make an executive decision about your hair texture without asking.

xoxo,
Tia