If you want to apply a texturizer to your naturally curly hair, knowing how long it lasts will make sure you're happy with the hairstyle, whether you want loose curls or big waves.

The function of a hair texturizer is to loosen your hair's natural curl pattern, not completely straighten it.

You should only leave a texturizer on the hair for about five to 10 minutes. This allows the chemicals to loosen the curl. The effects of the texturizer last permanently, but you'll have to treat your hair's new growth to loosen incoming curls as your hair grows.

Do a patch test on a small section of hair before texturizing the entire head. This will let you see how your hair reacts to the chemicals.

Texturizers are permanent, so the hair that you texturize will stay that way; it won't go back to its previous natural state.

A licensed cosmetologist should apply hair texturizer for the best results. It can be difficult to determine which hair is previously processed and which hair is new growth when applying these chemicals at home.