Affirm Fiberguard, will you marry me?

Here it is folks. My Fiberguard/Preservo Serum review. I actually contemplated stretching a little while longer but my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to go ahead and take the plunge.

I began my relaxer expeirence with the Preservo Serum. I parted my hair into relatively small sections, saturated each part with the product, and repeated until my entire head was adequately treated. The serum is similar in consistency to a watery/creamy leave-in. Very close to a Lacio Lacio, if I had to make a comparison. I was very grateful to this product because I pretty much had given up on trying to do anything to my hair the last week before relaxing. The Preservo Serum allowed me the ability to detangle without going completely insane.

I carefully opened the top to my relaxer and dipped my applicator brush into the contents. I immediately began regretting my inability to keep from scratching or irritating my scalp as soon as I noticed the consistency of the relaxer. It was creamier/thinner than I was used to. I knew right away that I would be enduring scalp burns as a by product of my lack of discipline.

So on I went parting, applying, parting, applying until I felt the time was right to begin smoothing. Yes....my scalp burned, and yes I suffered through it for the sake of smooth edges.

Finally the time came to rinse and I quickly jumped in the shower wondering what the end result would look like. As I washed the Affirm relaxer out, it was as if I was washing out a deep conditioner. My hair was so buttery smooth and delicious. Unbelievable!

When the relaxer was completely rinsed out, my hair felt as if I already washed and deep conditioned. I still proceeded with my Silicon Mix Pearl Extract conditioner just before I neutralized and, honestly, my hair felt just as good before the Silicon Mix as it did after.

After the wash I loaded my hair with more conditioner and tested out my new generic-ghetto version of the steaming method (I'll post on this method later in the week).
After steaming, I rinsed, rollerset, and sat under the dryer.

My hair, ladies and gentlemen, is so freakin' beautiful today that I am at a loss for words. I was planning on using a black rinse to help bring back some color and shine but there's no need. My hair is darn near perfect right now. I attribute the finished product to a superior relaxer, the steaming process, a fabulous leave-in, and quality finishing products. Everything worked together in glorious harmony.

If my hair will look like this every time I relax, then I think I found my new best friend. Oh, and by the way, my roots were not at all wavy when it was all said and done. The relaxer did a great job of managing my outrageous new growth. I also wanted to mention that though my scalp burned like crazy, I am not (yet) experiencing any scabbing.

I am definitely recommending this product to anyone who is in the market for a new relaxer. I also want to recommend the Preservo Strengthening Serum because this product was the ying to my relaxer's yang. I am a very happy gal this morning and just wanted to share my joy with you all.

Be Blessed.

Affirm Fiber Guard Relaxer has arrived!!!

This long arduous day of mine has been saved by a glimmer of hope in the form of a small package. Finally the day has arrived when I can relax. After three long months of stretching, the time has come for a touch up. My Affirm Fiberguard relaxer is here. Along with the fiberguard relaxer, I also purchased the Preservo Strengthening Serum. The purpose of the serum is to protect and condition the hair during the relaxing process. The instructions state that the product is applied to the entire head of hair (including the new growth). The serum is said to minimize the swelling of the hair shaft thereby better preserving the strength of the hair.

I've read some reviews from those who've used Affirm Fiberguard relaxer saying that their new growth was not a straight as with other relaxers. Right now my main concern is with the overall strength of my hair. Bone straight roots are the least of my worries. I spend most of my days sportin' new growth waves anyway. I'll trade healthy hair for bone straight roots any day. Isn't healthy hair what this is all about?

If all goes well, I should be relaxing within the next several days. And, of course, I will most certainly share my experiences. I am taking a very systematic approach to achieving healthy hair. I'm breaking down every step of my hair care routine, looking for areas where I can improve it, and creating workable solutions with every step. If I am able to get the relaxing step right (with the help of Fiberguard), I know that will be a huge win for my hair.

Want stronger hair? Maybe you should start with your relaxer

As you all may know, I'm going through a phase where I'm searching for the most optimal means possible of adding much needed strength to my hair. So far I've been introduced to the Nanokeratin system by my stylist. Along with that, I also bought Silicon Mix w/Pearl Extract in hopes of benefiting from the strengthening pearl ingredient.

Today, while browsing various blogs online, I noticed Dr. Ali Syed shared with his readers a fabulous presentation on the type of damage that can occur to our hair during the coloring, styling, and relaxing process. His presentation will be shared with professional hair dressers on his visit to Europe.

I am most grateful that he shared presentation with us. He presents some great information that we (common folk) may not see on a regular basis. That's because most of the information is highly scientific in nature.
Dr. Syed immediately grabbed my attention on slide 48 where he shows the amount of cuticle layer loss which occurs during the relaxing process. Knowing how important the cuticle layer is to the health of our hair, I was disheartened to see how much loss occurs using a traditional traditional relaxer. According to the graph, the loss which occurs at the cuticle layer is about 90% more than in untreated (virgin) hair. Just before I started contemplating going natural, I noticed a third comparison of cuticle layer loss with the use of a fiber guard relaxer. According to the graph, the amount of cuticle loss with a fiber guard relaxer is about half of that with a normal relaxer.


I immediately went searching for more information on the fiberguard system. Apparently the fibergaurd system is one that is exclusively used in the Avlon's Affirm Relaxer with fiberguard. I found some reviews online and I thought I would share one or two of them with you.

This one was excerpted from a blackhairmedia.com thread:

"I use Fiberguard and I LOVE IT! It retains the tensile strength and elasticity of the hair, and it is excellent for color treated hair. My hairdresser uses Affirm and Fiberguard on my hair, depending on whether I have used color recently or not. Both relaxers work great. I used to use optimum before I switched to a hairdresser who used Affirm. That was 7 years ago, and I will not use any other relaxers. I urge you to try Affirm or Fiberguard."


Here's another post from LHCF:

"My stylist also uses Affirm Fiberguard on my hair, too. I have not had as much breakage since he's been using it. My last stylist used Affirm...not sure if it was Fiberguard and I always had really thick hair. After Hurricane Katrina I went through a stylist search and ended up using other brands. I had so much breakage and thinning. I found my new guy and he used Affirm FG and it is healthier. It is a plus for preventing/slowing breakage IMO. As far as CONS, maybe switching brands after using it for years was not a good idea. That is the only thing I can think of."

According to Avlon's website, strengthening polymers in the relaxer creme penetrates hair fibers leaving hair with significantly more tensile strength and elasticity after relaxing. The four-step system is also said to preserve up to 40% more of the hair's strength compared to conventional relaxers.

This information came to me at the most opportune time because I'm currently on the hunt for a new relaxer and I am seriously leaning towards ordering this product.

Right now I am experimenting with Mizani but I'm not totally sold yet. I have to admit that my hair feels extremely silky and soft right after application but after a couple of weeks, I'm no longer impressed with the appearance of my hair.


Prior to Mizani, I was faithfully using Deep Brilliance. I had no major concerns with Deep Brilliance, I just stopped using it because I could no longer purchase it from my local BSS.


To be completely honest with you, I have now reached a new level of thinking with regards to my hair care. I no longer want a mediocre product. I want a product working hard to protect the strength of my hair. I want my products to go to war against the evil powers that be which seek to damage my hair!!!!
I will continue to search both near and far until I can honestly say that I have thee absolute best products for my hair.

With that said, I will politely finish off the rest of the Mizani relaxer and quickly replenish my relaxer supply with Affirm Fiberguard. If Avlon's claims are true, by this time next year my hair will be a force to be reckoned with.