In this post, we will talk about relaxing hair and getting a 
relaxer. I wanted to show you how to relax hair. Now, wait a minute.. I am not going to show you how I relax my hair or how I relax someone else’s hair. Because first of all, I am natural and I like having tightly-coiled hair :). Secondly, I have no desire to relax someone’s hair for the sake of a blog post. However, my cousin wanted to get a relaxer, and asked me join her. Of course, I was down. I have seen my cousins getting a relaxer many times before, and I enjoy watching the process.
getting a relaxer in Senegal
In Senegal, it is very common for women and girls to get a relaxer. They think that relaxed hair is much easier to handle, which is true. However, it is also much more damaging. As I said before, I prefer braids. However, this post is not about what I prefer and why I would not relax my hair. Back to the point! Many women in Senegal relax their hair to make it more manageable. Even the name for getting a relaxer in Wolof literally means: brush it smoother. I have found that it is hard for some women to brush their natural hair. They find it very time-consuming and painful. Of course, it is also a question of laziness and basic ignorance.
Process
Before relaxing their natural hair, my cousins detangle but do not wash it. Then, the hair dresser applies the relaxer. Normally they start from the roots. However, the hair dresser applies the relaxer with two combs. My head hurts just thinking about it. They rinse out the relaxer almost immediately after full application. Next, it is time for rinsing and shampooing. After rinsing out the shampoo, it is time to apply a moisturizer. Of course, you can style the hair the way you want.
Here in Senegal you usually get a ponytail and that’s it. You can see it all in the video below!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxOCedPRDAM[/embedyt]
my opinion
I have never seriously considered getting a relaxer. Of course, I wanted one, because I thought it was easier. My mom used to braid my hair and I would sit many hours. A 
relaxer seemed like a good way out of sitting between my mothers legs and suffer. Of course, today I know better. I am happy my mom always took her time to braid my hair. Even though she must have suffered too, because I could not sit still lol. Even in Highschool, I had the time to discover my own hair. I have learned a lot from Youtube and natural hair blogs etc.
I’m glad I could share this with you! If you want a better visual of the process, check out the Getting a Relaxer in Senegal video. Don’t forget to subscribe to Youtube and follow me on IG: @senegalesetwisted and #sntwistedphoto for photography and video’s. Check out my Facebook page @SenegaleseTwisted. See you in my next post :).