Relaxed Hair 101

Hey yall,

Yesterday, I went to the salon with my friend to get my ends trimmed. I had just washed it. My stylist was like…”You rarely come in to get your hair styled; you should let me try something new.” I was like hell no. My patience is too short to sit down and get my hair done. My hair is too long (past the bottom of my shoulder blades) and it seems like it takes all day. She also asked what was in my hair and I said, “Well, I did a hot oil treatment and I put Biosilk Silk Therapy in it.” So she decides to wash it out and place me under the dryer. I’m thinking, ok she’s a professional so I’m not gonna say nothing. Plus, she’s my homegirl so I trust her. Before, I can even get these thoughts out of my head, my friend that I was with stated that being placed under a dryer wasn’t good for the hair. And she went on about hair treatment….

First, she stated that relaxers are the harshest chemicals that can be placed in your hair. Avoid using it if you can. However, if you use it, then it is best to use the SAME relaxer for each treatment. Each relaxer has a different chemical compound and it will affect your hair. She said to imagine if you used a different soap everyday on your skin, the skin would have a “reaction” to the different chemical compounds in the soaps. She stated that your hair is the same. Moreover, she stated changing relaxers make the hair more brittle and weak.

Second, she stated to keep your hair conditioned and moisturized. Shampoos are “cleaners” so they take out all of the dirt AND the natural oils in your hair. Hair (relaxed or natural) needs natural oils. So, if you wash your hair, make sure you condition it. It’s best to deep condition it. It won’t damage your hair. Btw, use conditioners made for “women of color”. Pantene Pro-V Women of Color line is good. It has added oils in the conditioner. (Personally, I LOVE Pantene Pro-V.) Also, she said to perform a hot oil treatment after each relaxer to replenish the oil loss. She stated that actually you can perform a hot oil treatment after each wash. It’s just oil. You hair needs it anyways. Plus, it helps to reduce dry scalp. Furthermore, she said to wash your hair every 1-2 weeks to keep it healthy.

Third, she stated to not use as much heat as possible. Heat can further damage your hair. She said to let you hair “air” dry rather than using a blow dryer after washing it. If you do use the blow dryer, she said to spray your hair with oil sheen as well as Biosilk Silk Therapy to protect the ends from splitting while the hair is being heated. (Personally, I absolutely LOVE Biosilk Silk Therapy. It has made my hair so soft and flowing.)

Fourth, she stated to keep your ends trimmed. So many black women say their hair doesn’t grow. Well, it does grow. It grows about 6 inches a year. But many don’t see it because it breaks off. So, they try “new things” to make it grow. Products don’t make your hair grow. Products make your hair damaged and thus, it breaks off. There is not a miracle product. Don’t be fooled. Your hair is going to grow regardless. You just have to make sure you have something to show for it. Starting off, you should get your ends trimmed every 6 weeks until your hair becomes healthy. Then, you can do it every 2-3 months. She said if you wanna increase hair growth, change your diet to include amino acids, B-6, biotin, folic acid, beta-carotene, protein, and soy (or you can take vitamins. Personally, I take pre-natal vitamins. They have everything. LOL.) Exercise, reduced stress, sleep, and good health also help with health growth.

Fifth, she stated to stop spending tons of money on supplemental products such as hairdressers and other moisturizers. These products are not chemically strong so they are not going to severely damage or even really help your hair. All hairdressers are on an equal playing field. She did say to use light hairdressers, if possible. Remember, there is no miracle product. So, stop searching! Pick a product and use as directed to keep the hair moisturized.

Finally, she stated to use the same regimen day in and day out and to cover your hair at night to keep the moisture in. So many people wanna try something new to help their hair when in fact every time you try something new, it damages the hair even more. She said you can train your hair. Using the above method, it’ll take about 2-3 relaxers to see a 100% difference.

I was like damn she said some good things but are they valid. Well, she used to be a hair stylist. When she was in college, she was a chemistry major and did her senior capstone course project on chemical treatments used by black women, which has been published. I would say her name but I don’t wanna blow my cover! Just trust me. Now, the focus of her project was on relaxed hair. So if you got natural hair, these pointers don’t apply to you 🙂 I’ll have to ask her about that topic then write another blog! Btw, she use to have relaxed hair but now she has natural hair.

Disclaimer: This blog is not the “word”. If things work for you, then do it. Everyone hair stylist and person will have a different opinion. Also, they will have different methods they employ. For this blog, these methods have been scientifically researched, so they are valid.