Hello sweeties! How are you?
Welcome back! I'm just going to briefly explain a few things you should know about relaxed hair. Above is a picture of my hair. This is it's current length.
Let me begin by explaining what a relaxer is: a relaxer is a chemical straightener applied to the hair. It straightens hair by breaking the bonds that cause your hair to be kinky/curly/wavy. The hair stylist applies the relaxer for a certain amount of time until it reaches the level of straightness it's preferred. For example, some people will only keep it on to get looser curls or waves (a.k.a texlaxing) and others prefer pin straight hair.
Taking Care of Your Relaxed Hair:
- Do NOT over-manipulate it. A little teasing here, pulling your hair into a tight ponytail there is fine but like all hair, too much strain can cause breakage and thinning. This also means to keep your hands out your hair (which I admit, I have trouble with, BAD HABIT)
- Deep Conditioning is a must: Hopefully, you also deep conditioned when you were natural. If not, definitely start right away to keep your hair shiny and strong.
- Take Care of Yourself: Exercising, eating healthy and drinking lots of water will in turn make your hair and nails grow better and your skin look better.
- Shampoo AND Condition Hair: Based on your hair needs/scalp needs, shampoo and condition accordingly.
- Moisturize: Yes, if you're amongst the drier-haired-beauties, adding moisture to your hair is extremely important. If you hair gets too dry, it may break.
- Protein Treatments: To add strength, a protein treatment may be necessary, especially if you have over-processed or chemically weakened hair. Don't be surprised if your hair stylist offers one if you have breakage. Many times, breakage could be a result of weak or damaged hair.
- Do Not Use too Much Heat: Heat, when used sparingly, is fine for your hair. However, if you tend to like curlier styles, it's healthier for your hair to find a heat-less way to achieve it.
Myths/Misinformation about Relaxed Hair:
It won't grow is a MYTH- relaxed hair is still hair and what does hair do? You guessed it! It grows!
No Lye is better for hair is a MYTH: Many relaxers are made of lye. However, some brands have opted for a no-lye option which, in fact is not better for the hair.
It'll be completely damaged is a MYTH- You are adding chemicals to your hair and it does require care to maintain optimal health, but the only way your hair will be completely damaged is if you don't take care of it or over-process it. (The same things can happen with natural hair too, though).
What is over-processing: over-processing is when chemical damage occurs to the hair due to too much chemical exposure. This can happen with both relaxers and dyes.
Helpful Tips:
- Having a hairstylist is extremely helpful: If you aren't comfortable with chemicals or don't have a good attention to detail, I suggest you get a trustworthy hairstylist to do your relaxer to avoid damage. Make sure you question your stylist before letting them do your hair and recommendations from friends will go a long way when trying to find a capable hairstylist.
- Find Heat-less Ways to Curl Your Hair: As I've said before, heat isn't something you want to use in your hair very often. (I usually only use it every two weeks). You may want to Google, use Pinterest or other sites to find curling methods that don't require any heat. I typically use pin-curls or headband curls. However, perm-rods or regular curlers are also good options.
- Experiment: If you've always wanted blunt bangs or a long pixie cut go for it! Varying your hairstyle will keep your look fresh and improve your general outlook. Confidence is extremely attractive, after all.
