During a virgin thio relaxer, which test is used to determine if the proper amount of relaxation has occurred?

• A. Comb test
• B. Strand test
• C. pH test
• D. Temperature test

Answer: (A)

During a virgin thio relaxer, you want to know when the hair has been loosened enough to be considered sufficiently relaxed without over-processing. The comb test does exactly that by running a fine-toothed comb through a processed section to see how smoothly it moves. When the comb glides through with minimal resistance, the hair has relaxed to the desired degree and you can stop processing, then rinse and neutralize. If the strand snags or curls, you continue processing a bit longer and recheck. This method directly gauges the resulting texture and smoothness of the hair, which is why it’s the best indicator for proper relaxation. A strand test is used to predict how hair will respond before full processing, not to gauge ongoing relaxation. A pH test checks acidity, not the degree of relaxation, and a temperature test isn’t a standard measure for this purpose.