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