00:00I was natural 90% of my life.
00:04I didn't start getting relaxers until my mid-20s.
00:07I don't feel like there's a stigma around relaxing your hair.
00:10I feel like the time that we're in,
00:12whatever makes you feel more comfortable.
00:15Hi, I'm Raejean, and today I'm getting a cut and relaxer touch up.
00:19So growing up, my mom had a hair salon,
00:22so I've gone through every single type of hairstyle, braids, weaves.
00:26It would take me like an hour just to wash and blow dry it.
00:30It's thick, it's long, I'm tired, my arms hurt.
00:33I just knew I wanted to cut my hair.
00:36I have three sons, I have a business, so I don't have so much time.
00:39And now it takes me 15 minutes to wash it, set it, and I'm ready to go.
00:45Hey, I'm Greg Gilmore, and today we're going to be doing
00:49a cut and style relaxer touch up.
00:52I've been doing this work for a really long time.
00:55It's been about 18 years for me.
00:58I love cutting, I love color, and it has a tremendous ability
01:02to make you feel different, brand new,
01:06and I love producing that feeling in my clients.
01:09So we're going to take care of your hair today.
01:11We're going to do a relaxer retouch.
01:13Okay.
01:13I know you're a wife, a mom, got that hectic work style.
01:18Yeah.
01:18So we want something nice, easy for you to maintain at home.
01:23Okay, I can't wait.
01:23Okay.
01:24So when I'm about to start a relaxer, I like to first apply a base.
01:29We want to protect the scalp.
01:30The base will melt with the body temperature.
01:35Therefore, it will spread across the scalp and have a nice coating
01:39before applying the relaxer.
01:41Do's and don'ts when you're applying a relaxer.
01:45You can't scratch before your relaxer.
01:47You don't want to shampoo at least two to three days before your appointment.
01:52You want to work very quickly and efficiently.
01:56I like to start with the back and the napes first because even if she starts to burn prematurely,
02:03at least the sides and nape will be straight and you can just get enough tension in the top
02:09to smooth it out with the flat irons if it's not all the way straight.
02:13Tingling from the client on their scalp is an indication that you should start hurrying up.
02:19There's this misconception that you've got to wait until the relaxer is burning before you can rinse it out.
02:26But that is a myth.
02:28The relaxer is really just a lifestyle decision.
02:32They had a decline over the past couple of years, but they actually have a resurgence coming up.
02:36And so now people are gravitating back to relaxers because they've understood what relaxers are really for.
02:44It's very hard work maintaining your natural hair a lot of times.
02:47Most people choose to do relaxing because it's easier to maintain their style at home.
02:52You know, a lot of women have had really bad experiences in the salon with relaxers.
02:58And I think that created a negative stigma around getting relaxers done in the salon.
03:04So it's just really about proper application.
03:09When I'm washing out the relaxer, I like to use two neutralizing shampoos.
03:14So I'll shampoo the hair once with the neutralizing and then twice with the neutralizing shampoo.
03:20And then third shampoo usually is a moisturizing shampoo just to kind of put moisture back into the hair.
03:28Then after the shampooing is finished, I like to condition the hair.
03:32I take my client back to the chair and now we're going to do a little rough draft cutting, or
03:38in other words, wet cutting.
03:39And this is to carve out the initial shape that we're going to have for the cut before her mold.
03:49So after our wet cutting, I will mold the hair with a wrap foam just to ensure that everything lays
03:56smooth.
03:57And I will wrap wrap strips around this so that it stays tight and compressed.
04:02And we put her under the dryer.
04:04This may take about 45 minutes to an hour to dry.
04:08And about 15 minutes after she's been sitting under the dryer, I like to take the wrap strips off so
04:14that the inside of the mold can dry as well.
04:17After my client is thoroughly dry, I like to unwrap it using a blow dryer as well.
04:23This just infuses the hair with a little bit more air, gives it more movement, and just make sure it's
04:29thoroughly dry.
04:31I love this shape.
04:33I know you don't care what I do.
04:35It's fire right now.
04:36Whatever I do, be the bomb.
04:39And then we'll do some more detailing on the cut.
04:42Just to finish it out, this is where we individualize the cut and make it just for her.
04:48And so I will go in and just use a shear over comb method that helps me blur the lines.
04:54I will also use my straight point cutting shear to sharpen the cut in certain places that I may have
05:01missed while I was wet cutting.
05:02Add any signature pieces and just really give it that finish.
05:08I like to come in with a half inch flat iron and I will curl from the top and work
05:15my way down to the bottom.
05:17I add a little bit of serum just to give it that nice sheen, that really, really healthy look.
05:23And then I will finish it in the comb out.
05:29Whoop whoop!
05:31Hey!
05:32Okay!
05:33Oh my gosh, I can't wait to get home and show my husband that.
05:36Okay!
05:37Wow!
05:43I love my hair.
05:44My expectations were far exceeded today.
05:47I just expect it to look nice, but I love the new cut that he gave me.
05:51I put it in his hands.
05:52I trusted him.
05:53And he did not disappoint.
05:56So today I think went really well.
05:59She looks absolutely amazing.
06:01Right now what's trending is, you know, the lace fronts, a lot of commercial extensions.
06:08And so that's why I feel like cuts and color has been a lost art.
06:12You want to maintain your retouches maybe about six weeks in between each relaxer.
06:18I felt that there is a stigma behind relaxed hair and I just want to let everyone know that it's
06:24okay.
06:24It's okay to relax your hair.
06:26Having a great hairstyle gives you great confidence to do what you need to do for your life.
06:31So this cut is a little different than cuts I've had in the past because it's shorter.
06:35But I love this new one.
06:37I just feel good about it.
06:38I think it's going to work out great for me for these next six weeks.
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