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Curly Nikki

Relaxer Gone Horribly Wrong…

By January 27th, 202176 Comments

76 Comments

  • airbrush tanning says:

    hi I would like to know about more regarded such as

  • Anonymous says:

    This reminds me of the Malcolm X movie, with the exception that these ladies had water!…..smh

  • Anonymous says:

    lol she sounds like me during a perm in highschool days, that stuff burns the heck out your scalp. i dont blame her, my scalp is burning just looking at it!

  • CrAZy5470 says:

    horrible. Comments below the video, the mother's ignorance, the man's laughter… Just horrible enslavement which is even worse since its to an inanimate object!

  • NikkiNukka says:

    this was tragic! but in all honesty ive never had any burns when i got a relaxer and my hair still came out straight. thank God i didnt have to experience that pain. #washitout

  • NancyM says:

    Annie L. – I couldn't agree more!

  • Annie L. says:

    Those sites attract the gutter-rat element of this planet, the comments are unsurprising. Is it real? If it isn't, they're sure on top of their stereotypical ghetto set design (dirty dishes, screaming silly women, oblivious jerk).

    If it is, it's just another example in a long line of images used to reduce Blacks in the public imagination to ridicule and derision. Publicized images in the hands of the 'right' people speak louder than volunteer work, CEO plaques and Miss Universe titles.

    Is there not even the slightest inkling in the cameraman's (and woman's and girl's) thick skull that images of Blacks as buffoon from 100 years ago are still plaguing us today? Historically, images purposefully created to define Blacks as the perpetual lowest class gave Whites, who carefully constructed their image, and everyone else not Black the ability to establish themselves as an overclass. Because Black was so effectively branded with the help of these images as social death, other groups had an in-place 'untouchable' class to stand on top of in order to climb the social hierarchy. Sorry to go on, it's a free country and I know it doesn't seem that serious to some but in a nutshell – image is power and powerful, and is rarely confined to itself. For every Miss Angola and Michelle Obama there are 10s of these videos.

  • Anonymous says:

    My hair and I were beefing yesterday – really bad twist out LOL! But if I EVER want to perm again I'm looking up this video. It's extreme and I never went through a touch up like this, but WOW… it's just barbaric if you really sit and think about it. Do what you want with your hair, but putting caustic chemicals on your scalp just to achieve a straight look, seems so silly now.
    That girl will have about 2 seconds of hair in about a year if she keeps this up.

  • Bri says:

    oh my goodness. I honestly teared up watching that! None of my relaxers ever hurt (at least not to the point of tears). I actually got burned once when I did my first relaxer at home, hunched over the bath tub as my oldest sister did it for me. After that I was seriously left with scabs and very damaged ends. I really think people should abstain from doing relaxers unless they are done from someone who is QUALIFIED or AT LEAST READS THE DAMN DIRECTIONS. Lord jeezus have mercy >.>

  • glamazini says:

    I felt that perm burning while she was screaming. :*(

  • Anonymous says:

    Is there anyone other than me that thinks this entire video was staged? Who do you know that puts a relaxer in their hair while running water on it. The guys was laughing because this is all an act to get hits on the internet. smh

  • Anonymous says:

    Dear God. . . What would Jesus do? Really.

  • mmharp says:

    I just cried…seriously!

  • Anonymous says:

    I had a flashback…feeling the same way this girl felt. Finally washed it all out, wrapped my hair and woke up the next morning with pus oozing out of my scalp. This happened one too many times. I finally let go of the creamy crack!

  • Mahogany Soul says:

    i'm glad that when i told my mom it burned she would just wash it out. for some reason folk don't realize that an underprocessed touch isn't the end of the world. that's what a texturizer is. the child surely had the scabs that clumps of hair will stick to…oh those days.

    I'm so glad I'm natural. I can scratch my hair any time of the month!

  • kinkycurlyhair says:

    Wow. Seriously sad.

  • Courtney says:

    Zack needs a beat down of a lifetime. lol

  • Anonymous says:

    THIS IS JUST HORRIBLE AND EMBARRASING TOWARDS OUR RACE. "LETS ALL LAUGH AT THE BLACK WOMAN BECAUSE SHE DOESNT LIKE HER KINKY HAIR"! WHY EVEN SHOW STUPIDITY LIKE THIS.

  • Libby says:

    I do not miss those days. I went through to short lived permed phases – Freshman and sophomore years in college and for a short while about 10 years after that. The second go round was worse than the first, so I'm done. It's just not worth it.

  • Sophie says:

    I actually teared up a bit… it seems so long ago (five and a half years!) that I was dreading long salon visits, and trying to convince my hairdresser that my scalp was hurting. And it makes me emotional because I wasn't even proud of my hair then! It was limp and thin, and I just hid it with buns as soon as possible. Now I love to let my hair free! It almost feels like another life because every time I do my hair now it's all massages and sweet smelling products… so relaxing (pun not intended).

    As for the comments, they roll off my back to easily now because it's just pure ignorance. The grammar and spelling alone should prove that we're not dealing with people who are trying to make an intellectual argument. There's no reasoning with people who insist upon thinking like that.

  • BeeNatural88 says:

    I have being transitioning for 5 months and considering getting a relaxer but after watching this there is no way I will put myself through that pain again…staying natural and loving it

  • Anonymous says:

    I remember my first perm at a salon….the idiot did not rinse all of the perm out the nape area and it took my hair out….Don't miss the burning at all!!!

  • random says:

    All that just to look good. I would've just thrown on a wig.

  • Anonymous says:

    Just when I started contemplating going back to the creamy crack. What a wake up call. Whew! Scrolling back up to the article re: styles for fine hair. I can't take it like a woman! Or, maybe I can. Like a natural woman. Lol.

    Bridget D.

  • Loreal says:

    This is horrible and the comments were disgusting and shameful…the world we live in is soo eff'd up it's ridiculous and scary. As far as her hair goes, I hope it doesn't fall out. It's already straight and her mother is foolish for forcing her to endure the pain. I feel so bad for her hair and her scalp. I know she's gonna have some serious burns! Poor baby…I'm so glad I don't have to go through this anymore because just looking at the video was painful and so were the memories!

  • Anonymous says:

    Im sorry to say I started to laugh a little becuase that used to be me with my mom getting a perm in the sink (Without the dirty dishes though) I'm so happy i'm natural becuase I dont miss the burning and inability to scratch your head.

    Now onto the commnets….they were terrible I mean blacks, whites, and hispanics were being racist and ignorant and just terrible the comments were just simply atrocious and they kept getting worse as you scrolled down I just had to stop I was getting sick SMF (Shaking My 'Fro)….

  • Anonymous says:

    @Anonymous September 13, 2011 2:05 PM – Only a sociopath would think seeing another human in pain (especially a child) is funny.

  • Anonymous says:

    most of my relaxer ezperiences weren't close to this bad but THE SMELL was so horrible and caustic…here i was trying to live a healthy lifestyle and avoid chemicals in food, skin products, etc and I'm slapping this horrible chemical in my hair. It's just not worth it. There are so many other options…that's the main point..it doesn't matter if you are relaxed, natural…just know you DON'T have to go through something like this!!!

  • Anonymous says:

    So happy I never have to experience that again. Seeing that video reminds me of the chemical smell, the burning on my scalp, & the slickness of hair nearly falling out after keeping it in to get it straighter. I'm have PTSD just looking at it. Glad to be natural now. Having awesome hair doesn't have to hurt.

  • LM says:

    I hope this was a defining moment in this girl's life lol. I have a sensitive scalp also and always burned very easily and quickly. This experience should make ANYONE keep their hair natural, and I agree that the comments were very ignorant. Reading such ignorance and hatred saddens me deeply. I pray that the comment sections of this site never become bombarded with such foolishness.

  • Anonymous says:

    Lord help all those who still get this treatment get a revelation! Amen.

  • Anonymous says:

    PURE MADNESS!

    This video highlights self hate on so many levels.
    The attitude of indifference by the mother towards her daughter's pain. The attitude of the videographer, as well.
    Truly sad.
    The comments are even more horrific.

    We are lost. Just totally lost. On SO MANY LEVELS.
    SMDH

  • Anonymous says:

    You guys are taking this too seriously. I'm a natural girl and can't imagine getting another relaxer, but this ish is too funny. Im in my office crying from laughter!!!

  • Anonymous says:

    I used to get home perms all the time. Most times, I would do it myself. I remember burning but never like that. Of course, I don't remember labor pains being that bad either…my daughters will never get perms ever…learn to accept yourself as you are not what society thinks you should be!

  • Anonymous says:

    *Sigh* So many questions…

    First, this can't be real. This has to be some made up nonsense. Really though??!! Second and most importantly, why is there a long KNIFE in the sink where she is trying to wash out the perm??!!

    My people's, we need to get it together ASAP!

  • Natasha says:

    I can't handle this much foolishness. Laughing male, chelsea screamin and crying, the mom, and the ignorant comments below. smh

  • Anonymous says:

    yep…..sure as heck dont miss that foolishness. I can remember my head being on fire from perm sessions. I swore my head had to be bleeding because it hury so bad. Then the scabs and oozing sores left behind…no ma'am im done. As for that one comment im so happy I don't date n*ggaz so now I dont have to be concerned with soft and silky hair

  • Anonymous says:

    OMG! WHAT THE HEEZY…LOL…poor girl…Im so glad that I dont desire a relaxer any more…How many of you remember that you couldnt agitate the scalp like even scratch your head before getting a perm? …a slave to the lye…Im so free…

  • luvmylocs says:

    i thought the same thing rosa. if the relaxer is okay to force on your daughter's hair, why do you have on industrial strength gloves? this is tragic, not funny and just all around sad/ignornant.

  • Rosa says:

    So mom wears gloves to protect her hands, yet slathers the perm all over the daughter's scalp and neck…interesting…

  • Anonymous says:

    It's a good thing Chelsea didn't tell her mother she wanted to try drugs because moms would have forced her to smoke some crack and then she would have told her to "take it like a woman"!

    What the hell does that even mean? Your scalp is on fire and your mother tells you to "take it like a woman"??!??!

    SMMFH!

  • Anonymous says:

    maybe they should have washed the dishes and put them up before taping and perming hair…

  • Anonymous says:

    It's just sad. When I relaxed, it was always at a salon, and applied by a professional.

  • Anonymous says:

    This video makes me sad. So glad I am 1 yr relaxer free and 5 months completely natural. Never say never, but I don't think I ever want to go through getting a relaxer again. Poor child and I am SO mad a the dude filming and the mother allowing him to film this foolishness. What's the purpose?

  • Kimberly says:

    I have to honestly say thank God for kiddie kits and relaxers! As a child my mom used to press my hair and it was the worst thing ever! She was soooo heavy handed and I was so tender headed. Getting a kiddie kit was the best thing that ever happened for me. Now mind you, the whole purpose of me getting the kiddie kit was to make our hair sessions easier for the both of us. I only got it about twice a year and my roots were only done. I used to get my hair relaxed 3 times a year with a mild relaxer. I'm 5 ½ months into my transition. I must say that I have never loss any hair from a relaxer nor has my scalp ever burned from one. It may be because I’ve always used a mild strength. My reason for transitioning is out of pure laziness, LOL! I have grown tired of sitting in the salon to get my hair done. Even though I only go a few times a year (hair trimmed and relaxer) sitting in the salon for 3-4 hours is truly a waste of my time. Not to mention, quite expensive ($75-150) This video reminds me of our (my mom and I) pressing comb sessions. Different method, same pain!

  • Carla says:

    I'm so glad my mother never allowed me to get a perm no matter how much I begged her growing up. I had a hard time watching the video and even harder time reading the comments. Wow, just wow!

  • Anonymous says:

    Madness all around: the mom, the guy laughing, and the ignorant comments. So sad. We gotta long way to go…

  • TiAnna Mae says:

    This video makes me so sad! Totally agree with June…another moment to exploit black women and get a good laugh????!??!! I feel totally bad for the young girl and I feel even worse for her mom. She's obviously disillusioned. No beauty is worth that much pain!

    tiannamae.blogspot.com

  • KayDanai says:

    And then I read the comments.

    "Betta straighten dat nappy shxt. I don't like da natural look. Soft n silky is wat n*ggaz like."

    "im a black girl with pretty hair. & i never put any of that poison in my hair, smh"

    "She probably scratched her scalp and didnt grease her scalp before putting the relaxer in her hair now itz gone be all messed up….o well she will know next time lol"

    Such ignorance and stupidity.

    And I didn't even at the racist comments. I don't have even have the time for that mess.

  • Anonymous says:

    ii honestly just dont know what to say…i was absolutely mortified…i cant even process this right now..the comments were terrible and it always comes back to race when we deal with hair when will the torture of the creamy crack end

  • KayDanai says:

    I almost in tears. The fact the I've had 2 relaxers in my lifetime, and the second one burned me, and I washed it out in about 2 secs. But if somebody tried to stop me from washing it out all hell would have broken loose. And the poor thing is in pain and crying and this horrible guy is recording and laughing at the whole ordeal. Damn shame.

  • PepperAnn says:

    I will not miss this one bit, even when my scalp was based and I didn't scratch my scalp weeks prior to getting a perm, I still got burned. I could only recall two times in my whole lifetime that I did not get burned by relaxers. I was always scared of my natural hair and that it would never grow. Four months post-relaxer, I'm a baby in this journey and I've already learned so much more about hair now than I have ever before. Plus it seems as if my hair grows faster now. Bye Bye Relaxer. Hello freedom.

  • Anonymous says:

    Lord do i remember those days! Once you turn Nataural you Never should turn Back!

  • June says:

    I don't remember relaxers being this traumatic, but we never did it at home. My parents had four girls, all of us within 5 years of each other, so off to the salon we went for everything – braiding, relaxing etc. Even as I got older and was a broke college student, I never had the nerve to do it at home. I just stretched the relaxer out to once every 3 months and maintained that habit until I stopped relaxing.

    I am not sure why this video is being broadcast as if it is extraordinary that a girl/woman is getting a relaxer. It seems to be another 'let us laugh at black women' topic that has been popping up with relative frequency in the last few years. The guy laughing and recording in the background is getting on my last nerve.

    You warned me about the comments, but couldn't resist. After reading one of the comments, I had to go and google a chimp. I have put that comment in as evidence # 1,000,000,000,009 that bigotry is illogical. Chimps have straight hair so what was the comment really about? SMDH.

  • Annabel says:

    This is so disturbing, transitioning was the best decision I could have made!

  • Sham says:

    My brother forwarded this video to me Sunday morning. I, my mom & my auntie watched it in horror, while he was cracking up. Almost like that moment on Malcolm X when they had to wash his perm out in the toilet, cuz the faucet didn't work.

    I'm really tender-headed, so I used to get a mild or “kiddie” relaxer & require Vaseline on my scalp to help protect me from chemical burns. The beauticians always wanted to let it sit longer than I was comfortable with (like this poor child), so I started doing it myself. I don't think they (men) get it because they haven't experienced the agony of a scalp burn. But I agree with y'all: I DO NOT miss this foolishness. SMH

  • Unknown says:

    Damn…she couldn't wash the dishes first? My mom would have a heart attack of someone saw that many dishes in the sink.

  • Anonymous says:

    i just cant get over the guy in the background laughing…its not funny at all
    i feel so sorry for that girl and her mother. smh

  • Anonymous says:

    That was so disturbing and for so many reasons. I mean could you put the dishes away before you start doing hair right over them. I have never seen anyone apply a relaxer while the person was holding their head under the running faucet?!! And all that screaming, was that really necessary. She goes from screaming one minute to saying, "Yeah, just get the front real good". I just thought it was embarrasing, harsh and almost unrealistic. I guess I've never had a home perm before, so maybe that's how it's done, but it was just awful. Who tapes that kind of ish?

  • RNatural says:

    WOW!! Just the thought of the "burn" brought back memories (trembling) AND who sprays oil sheen on a burning relaxer???? I think the mom and the guy with the camera were absolutely WRONG for taping and then sending the vid to WSHH!!

    Not to make light of a horrible situation, but Hi, my name is RNatural and I am a recovering creamy crack addict. I have been clean and sober for 2 years!! Relaxer Free FOREVER!

  • Anonymous says:

    Ugh. I don't miss that mess at all. And the guy laughing the whole time was terrible. ~KF519

  • Anonymous says:

    I was a little irritated at the guys laughing in the back. This poor girl is feeling the burn because she wants to be seen as beautiful. Black dudes will laugh at a girl getting a perm and them turn around and say the hair is nappy when the women doesn't perm her hair.

  • Anonymous says:

    I felt abused just watching that video! I am so happy I am niot doing thta anymore and my kids will never get a relaxer!!

  • Antonia - Beauty Health Finance and Green Issues Editor says:

    Terrible.

    So many things wrong with that video. The relaxer should only be applied to the new growth and not to the scalp. Also, the hair should not be manipulated too much after the relaxer has been added.

    Why are they applying a chemical treatment to the hair in the kitchen of all places? all the pates and everything are in the way…..Relaxer being washed all over her face….Oh my goodness, poor girl…

    That guy laughing in the background is crazy laughing like that, although the woman is killing me "I gotta work it, I gotta work it!"

    Those spray oils do not work at all for soothing the scalp or hair after it has started to burn, best thing to do is wash the whole thing off straight away with the shampoo in order not to damage or burn the scalp and roots of the hair.

    If applied properly, the relaxer need not burn the scalp or cause any damage at all, as long as the proper preparation and instructions are followed…..Wow, that video was eye-opening.

    Reminds me of some hairdressers I have been to in my teenage days who refused to wash the relaxer off even when my head was on fire.

    Best to visit a qualified professional who knows what they are doing, or risk losing your hair.

    Personally, I can apply the relaxer, but I only learned how to do it because I watched many qualified and professional hairdressers applying it over the years when I was a teenager…..Also, you HAVE to follow the instructions on the box for best results and for safety.

  • Antonia - Beauty Health Finance and Green Issues Editor says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  • MsJboogie007 says:

    I have never had a home relaxer (wouldn't you move the dishes first?) but I have burned really bad regardless of not scratching and having "base" applied before the relaxer. I would have to have the relaxer put in a certain way and quickly to try to avoid the burning (this is after not scratching and basing) so I can imagine the burn if you're at home doing and maybe didn't base your scalp first. But ummm, yeah, I don't miss those days…

  • Flo says:

    I had to keep skipping the video…..I feel so bad for her.

  • Anonymous says:

    Watching this made me flash back to all the times that my hear was on "fire" while the creamy crack burned holes into my scalp. Now that I'm natural it's as if those memories are from another lifetime. I'm just so glad I found another path to MY BEAUTY, because having a head full of scabs for two weeks after every perm was not attractive at all!!! Viva La Natural!!!!

  • Breanna says:

    That was kinda funny actually I mean yeah it will burn but more so if you had been scratching in ur head or if you didnt get ur scalp greased down before the perm. The only problem I had with perms was that mine took to quick in my hair because of the different textures, and if I had scratched prior to getting it done. Then yeah I would be near tears or asking the stylist to blow in my hair where the perm was burning.lol.. But I preferred a perm to getting the hot comb which always left me with a burnt ear or forehand mark.

  • Anonymous says:

    My goodness I don't miss this at all! The last time I went though something like that I ended up with 2nd degree chemical burns on my scalp. I lost almost all my hair and what wasn't lost was cut off. I promised myself never again. "Taking it like a woman" took me straight to the ER.

  • MrsWardy88 says:

    i promise i dont miss it at all… my hair feeling thin and lifeless afterward….

  • Anonymous says:

    that is a hot mess. It sounds like child abuse. that girl needs to call the administration for children services, DYFS or whatever agency is in her state. that is just wrong.

  • Anonymous says:

    Im so glad I don't go through this anymore! I let my mom's friend, who is a beautician, put my relaxer in once. My head was on fire and she kept saying that she "just needed to comb through the back" I was in the chair crying and it seemed to hurt worse once she started rinsing me out. Thats the last time she touched my hair.

  • Anonymous says:

    I remember "taking it like a woman!" and had thin and lifeless hair after it was done. Don't miss that at all!

  • Anonymous says:

    I don't miss it one bit. I remember going to a beauty salon and the girl was talking about her scalp burning, but asking to let the perm stay on a few minutes longer. I don't want to go through that anymore.

  • MsDiva1658 says:

    OMG!! That was just crazy! The mother made the comment'you gonna take it like a woman!' Are you serious? I am soo glad that I decided to go natural, because I couldn't take it like a woman!

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