Hair Care 101: Breakdown of Relaxed Hair

For the benefit of those of you who are new to this space on the interweb, I have relaxed hair. Shock horror lol. Like most others I had my hair relaxed when I was quite young..maybe when I was about 5-7 years old I think. I obviously didn't know much about what it really did to my hair; all I knew was after the deed was done, I didn't mind combs being run through my mane. 

Fastforward a dozen or so years, I thought it was high time I educated myself on how to maintain my hair without depending on cornrows, extensions, braids and twists. I had seen other girls around me do it so why couldn't I? 

Top (L-R): 1, 2, 3, 4 

Bottom (L-R): 1, 2, 3 , 4 

I don't think a single soul is unaware of the increase in the number of women rockin' their natural afros and locks. A few of my friends have opted to transition their relaxed hair into the hair that pops outta their head naturally. I, however, decided to work with the relaxed hair that I've got 1st before deciding to hop trains. I figured if I can master the proper treatment of hair in its weakest state, then working with my natural hair won't be that big of a deal.

Here's what I discovered:

Relaxed Hair

Relaxers contain a mixture of chemicals that have the ability to break down the protein bonds in hair strands which are the building blocks of the the strand's structure and strength. By doing that they break through the cortex layer and change the original pattern/structure/look of the hair.

ARGHH!! I would be lying to you if I said I ever truly realised what I was doing to my hair. My hair was just more manageable after I relaxed it and that is what I cared about. Well, I also liked the fact that it had more...motion lol. Do not get me wrong, I love it when I can comb my hair into sections and it stays put until I am done. It defies gravity yo!

With the protein bonds being broken, the hair becomes much more weak than normal and requires a lot of tender loving care if not you will break out into song singing 'It's raining hair! Oh my goodness it's raining hair!' When your natural hair breaks new ground and crops up again, it is important to note that you should only relax the new growth and not the entire hair strand as this will over-process the previously relaxed hair and that is not good.

When relaxing your hair, your scalp and hair need to be prepped first. Yes, it almost like you are performing a medical procedure. Here are the instructions:

1. At least a week before the procedure, one must protein condition their hair to give the hair a fighting chance. 
2. Then, on the R-day, one must part hair into sections and line their scalp with an "impenetrable" substance like Vaseline to protect the scalp from the harsh chemicals.
3. You should coat the previous relaxed hair with a carrier oil (Extra Virgin Olive oil, Castor oil, Coconut oil, Sunflower oil etc) or conditioner to prevent it being over-processed by the relaxer run-off when rinsing out the relaxer.
4. Apply the relaxer to the new growth wearing gloves and using a hair applicator brush/comb/a spatula a.k.a your scalpel.
5. Leave relaxer on hair for the recommended amount of time and then rinse out thoroughly. Use a neutralising shampoo to bring your hair back down to its normal pH level and then deep condition your hair using products of your choice.

About a week after the R-day, try to condition your hair with a moisturising conditioner as well as a protein-based one. Relaxed hair tends to lack moisture more than Afro hair so listen to it. Trust me, it will let you know when it is feeling a bit thirsty lol.

Now, because of how simple the process of relaxing hair can seem most of us tend to relaxer our own hair. A problem with that can be the fact that we cannot see the new growth clearly. So, you can either ask a friend to help out, go to a salon to get a professional to do it or invest in a couple of mirrors to help you see your hair better. Butterfly clips are brilliant to section off parts of your hair so you can also invest in some of those. Just make sure you really understand the entire process before you proceed and are aware of the possibility of burning your scalp.

Ouch!

I would advise that you wait a while before sending your hair on holiday to stay with weaves, braids, twists etc just so that it has time to recuperate. Just like how patients stay in the hospital before being let lose in the world again, so shall you keep your hair as is before sending it off to be protected by other means.

Also, if you want to relax your hair after you have taken out the weaves, braids, twist etc you should ideally wait at least a week or two before you relax your hair. Allow your hair and scalp to breathe a little.

That is enough rambling from me for now. Will touch on what the difference between lye and no-lye relaxers is in another post. Until then, happy R-days!!!

Till next time!

Luv, Mo xx