COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL NIGHTMARE

by Alicia
(Tennessee)

My hair 1 month prior to the relaxer

I love to wear my hair in braids (micros, cornrows, etc.)because my hair is very thick and it takes 30 to an hour to blow dry or flat iron it. One day after taking my braids down I decided to get a relaxer in my hair to help straighten it.

One of my good friends at work suggested that I go to the Cosmetology school and get them to relax my hair because they use a special kind of relaxer that is good for your hair. So I made an appointment.

The following week I get to the school in time for my appointment. The lady sat me in the chair and started prepping my hair. I sit there as she puts the relaxer in my hair and carries on random conversation with me...time goes by...about 10 or 15 minutes went by and all of a sudden my scalp starts to burn and tingle a little.

I assume it's normal with that relaxer because the relaxer I usually get tingles when it is time to wash it out. So the lady takes me back to the sink and washes it out. And then she asks me if my hair normally sheds and I say "yes", which is true, and then she said does it shed alot and I respond " not a whole lot".

All of a sudden she says she will be right back, so she leaves and comes back with the instructor. The instructor asks me the same questions and also if I recently had a relaxer or colored my hair and I said "no". So I raised up and looked in the sink.....THE SINK WAS FULL OF MY HAIR!!!! The relaxer they used was too strong for my hair.

I almost cried! The instructor asked her if she had a filled out the hair card which asks me questions about my hair to let them know how much time to leave the relaxer in. "SHE NEVER DID THAT" I told the instructor. When I got home I cried. Though I could not see the areas where my hair was missing I could feel it. Skipping to the end, that was the last time I had a relaxer...October 2008!