It’s possible to have healthy relaxed hair only if it’s applied properly and you take care of it. Chemically treated or not, it’s important to give your hair what it needs. When my hair was natural, it was healthy and taking care my coarse texture was time consuming. Don’t think having relaxed hair means you don’t have to do anything . Relaxed hair also demands care. In my case, my relaxed hair is manageable and less time consuming to take care of. I no longer have to plan my life around my hair. I love my relaxed hair, one of the best decisions I made was to relaxed my hair again three years ago. I’ve noticed many people deciding to also relax their hair. The relaxed hair community is still growing . I get so many questions about relaxers so I felt like it was important for me to talk about a few important things. Here are great tips for relaxed hair.
1. Have a pre-relaxer regimen. Be sure your hair is in a good state before the relaxer. Example: A week before , use a clarifying shampoo, protein treatment, deep conditioner , moisturizing and seal. If your hair is breaking or and shedding excessively, do not relax. Get the breakage and shedding under control before proceeding.
2.Thoroughly base the scalp .
Doing so will prevent scalp burns. A petroleum based product is excellent. Ex: Grease , Vaseline. I love the Summit For Sensitive Scalp
3. Use the right strength of relaxer for your hair.
You may need mild strength or regular depending on how fine/coarse you stands are.
4.Coat your previously relaxed hair with a thick product
Example: Thick oil, petroleum jelly, conditioner. It’s all about preference. I prefer using something like grease or Vaseline.
While relaxing , you may accidentally apply the relaxer on a part that’s already relaxed , so coating the strands will prevent the relaxer from starting to process it . Also another thing to watch out for is relaxer runoff which happens as you are finding out the relaxer . While rinsing out the relaxer, the relaxer will touch the parts that’s already relax and coating the haie prior offers protection. We do all of that from preventing overprocessing.
5. The relaxer should not be touching your scalp during application. It should only touch the scalp during smoothing and that’s why it’s important to not scratchy the scalp to cause irritation.
It’s not until a few years ago that I found that that I was doing it wrong . I have been self relaxing and I can honestly say that I don’t master the technique of applying the relaxer throughout without it touching my scalp. It’s easy to apply it in the front but in the back , it’s always hectic. For the longevity of my hair and my sensitive scalp, I decided to get my relaxers professionally done from now on. A good relaxer will do all these right things so don’t worry . Kudos to all the self relaxers that master this process perfectly.
6. Coating your your new growth with too much product will result in underprocessed hair .
The week before I relax my hair, I put it in a bun or plaits until it’s time to relax. I do very little to no manipulation and I don’t apply products on my new growth . I moisturize and seal when needed which is the length of my hair. If you moisturize and seal your new growth, the relaxer may not fully process so keep that in mind .
7. Make sure your hair is well detangled before relaxing.
That is the reason why I keep my hair in a bun or big braids until it’s time to relax. It makes everything easier. Even if I don’t have it in a bun , my hair doesn’t get extremely tangled anyways. With relaxed hair , detangling is never a hassle.
8.Read the manual so you know how long the relaxer should be left on the hair .
Leaving it too long will result in overprocessed hair and rinsing too early will result in underprocessed hair.
9. Not smoothing the relaxing through will also result in underprocessed hair.
After you apply, smooth with your fingers (wear gloves) or the back of a comb. Choose a method that works.
10. Rinsing the relaxer thoroughly
Rinsing stops the relaxer from processing so make sure you rinse thoroughly before neutralizing. Last time my hair was relaxed , the stylist rinsed my hair was 10 mins. When I self relaxed , I always spent so much time rinsing. You want to make sure all the relaxer is out so don’t rush.
11. Take your time neutralizing your hair.
Let the neutralizing shampoo sit on the hair for some time. Example: Rinse , lather , let it sit for 5 mins then repeat. If you are using a color coated shampoo, repeat the process until the lather turns pure white. Us ladies on forums are extra(lol), when I self relaxed , I would leave the neutralizer on for 15 mins the first time, 10 mins the next then 5 mins. Who gon check me me boo !?!!
12. Do not relax your hair right after taking a protective style like braids or sew-in especially if you kept the style in got weeks .
Let your hair rest. Wait at least two weeks before you relax. Again , you have to make that decision. Look at your hair and see if it’s ready for a relaxer. My hair feels weaker right after I take a sew in out.
13. Take care of your hair after relaxing
Make sure you set up a regimen that will ensure a protein and moisture balance.
I’m sure there are more tips so feel free to comment below or join the conversation on Instagram .
Thanks for reading ,
Brenda
