CARING FOR YOUR RELAXED HAIR

First of all the process of relaxing hair involved the application of Chemicals (Relaxer) to your hair. This permanently relaxes the hair and eliminates any form of curls or kinks. The common issues women with relaxed hair face includes:  Brittle hair, extremely dry hair, Extreme hair breakage, Unmanageable hair, Hair loss and extremely frizzy hair.

So I have been having lots and lots of problems with my relaxed hair.  The damn thing has not added any more length since I turned 16 and that’s a “loooooooong” time ago. I did a little research on how to take care of my hair in its natural state and this is what I found. Hope you find it useful.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR HAIR

Caring for your hair is a process. It’s somewhat of a lifestyle you have to adapt to. This process includes Cleansing, shampooing and styling your relaxed hair.

CLEANSING: A lot of us are used to washing our hair once a month or even longer for some. This is not good for your hair.  You should wash your hair 1 to 2 times a week. Though it is true that shampooing frequently is not good for relaxed hair, the sulphates contained in them strips your hair of its natural oil leaving it dry, dull and brittle. You can shampoo your hair one a Month and CO-WASH 1 to 2 times a week. CO-WASH simply means washing your hair without using shampoo, instead use just conditioner.

CONDITIONING: The secret to healthy hair is to find the perfect balance between moisture and protein in your hair. You will need leave in conditioners, regular conditioners, deep conditioners and protein treatments.

·         Leave in conditioners should be used once a day after you apply leave in conditioner to your relaxed hair, you can seal in the moisture with an oil of your choice eg. Coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, castor oil,  etc

·         Regular conditioners are the type you use to Co-wash your hair with. Co washing helps to keep your hair moisturized.

·         Deep conditioners are more intense than regular conditioners and should be used 1-2 times a month. You apply the deep conditioner to your hair and cover with a shower cap and apply heat for at least 20mins.  Always remember to Wash off conditioner with lukewarm water or cold water. This will help to close the hair cuticles and lock in moisture.

·         Protein Treatments are very important when it comes to hair that has been chemically altered.

STYLING:  While Most of us like to style our hair using flat irons, thongs and other type of heat styling tools, Fact is it causes even more damage to your hair. The best way to care for relaxed hair is to leave it alone! You can do cold roller setting to maintain your hair.

Hope most or you find this useful. In the next post, I will be talking about some dos and don’ts for relaxed hair and how to grow relaxed hair.

Stay fabulous my belles.

Love Maureen.

PS don't forget to leave your questions and comments below. I'll be happy to answer them.