I know I’m not alone when I say my hair can be unruly. I have thick hair that most would identify as “nappy”. Unfortunately, I wasn’t born with hair like my friends or other girls who can just wet and go or do a successful twist out on. Growing up my mom would spend two days to take my braids down, wash, blow dry then braid my hair back up. Two very long days. Eventually she had enough and made the decision to relax my hair to make my hair manageable. Luckily, I was fortunate to have a mom who had been a former hair dresser so needless to say, she knew what she was doing.
Now many people believe that relaxing your hair isn’t a good idea and that your hair can’t be healthy. I’m here to defy that statement because even though my hair is relaxed it is still quite healthy and pretty long. What people fail to realize is that relaxed hair takes work too! In many ways, relaxed hair and natural hair have similarities. I would like to share with my relaxed sisters some tips to taking care of their hair to make it more healthy and happy.
Having a relaxer is simply used to make hair more manageable. It simply makes your job easier. But just like relaxed hair there are certain steps you should take to keep it healthy and happy. For starters, wash days are crucial as well as the products you use. Any shampoos and conditioners used should be sulfate free. Moisture is a must for relaxed hair, any shampoos or conditioners that contain sulfates will just dry out your hair and cause breakage. Also, when you dry your hair don’t use a towel, use a t-shirt. T-shirts hold more water and work a lot faster in the drying process. Trust me, I didn’t believe it at first but now that’s the only way I dry my hair.
Secondly, keep your hair as moisturized as possible. Pure oils like coconut oil or Jamaican black castor oil are crucial. Whenever you deep condition seal it in with one of these oils. Every oil brings its own set of health benefits so research them to see what fits your hair needs best.
My third point is somewhat common sense. Do not use too much heat. Like I said before, moisture is a must for relaxed hair and when you’re constantly using heat to dry it then to straighten it, all the moisture you’ve put in would be for nothing. So, if you’re going to be blow drying your hair use the cooler setting or even just warm. Its more time consuming but you’ll avoid using too much heat. Also chill out with the flat iron. Using it every day or even using it on the highest setting possible will just lead to heat damage.
Finally make protective styles your best friend. Twist outs, braid outs, flexi rods, braids, weaves and my personal favorite, wigs. If it’s a protective style you should give it a chance. There are a few YouTube videos where women with relaxed hair create successful twist outs. They’re not only for natural hair. And if I’m honest my braid out came out better on my relaxed hair than it did my natural hair…it was a hot mess.
Overall, it is possible to have healthy long relaxed hair. Just like with growing natural hair it takes a little bit of research, maintenance, and most of all patience. So, if you are relaxed or even considering going back to being relaxed, keep these tips in mind. I promise they’ll help.