If you have afro hair, you must be wondering how often should afro hair be relaxed. It is always better to know as much as you can about something. So, our guide will tell you exactly what you need to know about getting relaxers in afro hair, specifically, more about afro hair in general.
If you are an African American woman, there is a high chance that you have had a relaxer at least once in your life. Relaxers are made of highly concentrated chemicals like sodium, potassium, or guanidine hydroxide. What these chemicals do is that they permanently straighten the hair.
Due to such a high level of chemicals, the bonds in the hair are damaged, which then results in the hair losing its natural pattern of curls. Even though it might seem like an easy way to get rid of the effort of styling your hair every day, eventually, you might see the side effects. For that reason, it is better to apply relaxers every 6-12 weeks.
How often should an African American woman get a relaxer?
The most commonly used chemical treatment for their hair is the relaxer among African American women. As relaxers contain too many chemicals in them, it is better to get them every 6-12 weeks. If you can’t wait for too long or have an emergency event, it is still recommended to at least wait for six weeks before you re-apply.
Getting too many relaxers in a short period of time can, in fact, make your hair more fragile and more prone to breakage. So, even if you are getting a relaxer, make sure to be careful in the process.
The damage can, in fact, be more if relaxers are applied in combination with hair color or tight hairstyles. But you can’t suddenly stop getting relaxers just because of the cons.
So, now the question is, how should the relaxed afro hair be maintained?
How do you maintain relaxed Afro hair?
Even though the natural hair movement has taken over the world, especially the black hair industry, some people still relax their hair. For those who do, in fact, still, relax their hair, they should definitely start taking care of them before they get damaged. So, how do they do this?
- If you have relaxed your hair, it is ideal for relaxing it after every 8-10 weeks. Not applying a relaxer at the right time can lead to either breakage at the line of demarcation or there may be a risk of over-processing the hair.
- For those who have dry and itchy scalps, make sure to moisturize them with a little oil. Make sure to cleanse it regularly, though.
- Massaging your scalp leads to increased blood circulation, which is also really good for keeping your scalp and hair healthy.
- Don’t be scared of trimming! If your ends are weak and dried out, chop them off.
- The key to maintaining a relaxed afro hair is good deep conditioning. Nothing can beat routine deep conditioning when it comes to taking care of relaxed afro hair.
But as we are, in fact, talking about afro, you might be wondering why exactly is afro hair curly.
Why is afro hair curly?
The sun is a primary threat to survival in Africa other than predators and disease. This has led to an adaptation of increased melanin in their skin as well as darker and thicker hair. Robbins (2012) has mentioned that afro-textured hair might have been adaptive for Africans due to its relatively sparse density along with elastic helix shape.
So, does curly hair get straighter as you age?
Does curly hair get straighter with age?
You might have heard from someone that they had curly hair, but they thinned out for some reason. For some, it can be as they age; for some, it can be due to postpartum or other reasons. Curl patterns depend on a lot of elements like-
- Genetic
- Hormones
- Environmental change
- Haircare regimen
If these sound like way too many elements, it’s because they are. We face many genetic, hormonal, and environmental changes throughout our lives. All those changes, including your constant change in your hair care routine, can, in fact, result in your curls getting straighter with age.
Afro hair looks very textured, which results in many people questioning if afro hair is soft.
Is afro hair soft?
Afro hair is usually soft and luxurious, but the wrong hair care routine can sometimes make it feel like a bale of hay. Taking care of hair like that is way harder than taking care of straight or wavy hair. So, the right treatment and hair care product is needed to keep the softness of the hair intact.
Now, the question is, what makes afro hair soft?
What makes afro hair soft?
The proper hair care routine is a must when it comes to keeping your afro soft and shiny. Just one wrong product or hair treatment is more than enough to turn your soft curls into dry ones. Most African American women swear by the five steps:
- Cleanse
- Condition
- Leave-in
- Style and
- Finish
If you aren’t fully aware of how these five steps work or what they mean, here’s a quick rundown:
- Cleanse your hair with a shampoo that contains moisturizing ingredients like along oil, avocado oil, or more.
- Condition your hair with a rich conditioner that is infused with essential oil.
- A Leave-in conditioner is a must for the perfect styling afterward.
- Determine your curl type and then style however you want to.
- For finishing the look off, apply an edge tamer with shea butter.
Afro hair is known for its high maintenance and stylings. This can lead to many people wondering, is afro hair weak?
Is afro hair weak?
Afro hair is very fragile because of its kinky nature. It is one of the strongest hair types in terms of tensile strength and the capacity to hold water. But because it can hold a lot of water, it does get breakages and damage very easily if not taken care of.
We all know that our hair is the weakest when it is wet. So, can afro hair get wet when it’s already so fragile?
Can afro hair get wet?
A very common misconception is that afro hair doesn’t need to be washed frequently. But that’s not completely true. Afro hair loves water and moisture, which is why it needs to be cleansed for it to be healthy.
To keep afro soft, many hair products are layered on top of one another. So, it is necessary to wash your hair every 7-10 days. But if you use more products, then try to wash them a little more frequently.
So, how should you detangle afro hair when it’s wet?
How detangle afro hair?
Detangling afro hair can be very tricky if not done the right way. Here’s some step to follow in order to detangle your hair perfectly-
- Section your hair
- Wash it properly
- Apply plenty of conditioners
- Put on a plastic hair cap
- Detangle your hair with a finger
- Finish off with a wide comb or brush
Hopefully, your conception about applying relaxer in afro hair through this article became clear.
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