Here are some very useful tips to ensure that your relaxed hair stays in shape and maintains its state for a longer period of time.
Aastha Dogra
With a majority of celebrities sporting straight, soft, and shiny hair, it has become every other woman's dream to acquire similar kind of hair. This is where hair relaxers come into picture.
A hair relaxer is a kind of lotion or cream, which contains chemicals that help in straightening the hair and making it less curly. It is of two types, i.e., alkaline and lye. It is similar to hair dyes, applied to the hair roots, and is left like that for some time, so that it can alter the hair structure completely.
Since this technique involves damaging the hair proteins to change its texture, hair relaxers can weaken the hair and can even cause baldness in some cases, if applied regularly. So, in order to avoid that, proper care is very essential. Follow these tips to stay on the safer side.
Avoid Heat
Relaxing hair is equal to having chemical content in them. So if they are exposed to heat, natural or artificial, like an ironing machine or a blow dryer, they can become dry and even start to break. Thus, try to avoid subjecting them to appliances which emit heat.
Healthy Diet
When this hair straightener is used on hair, it diminishes the hair's protein content and changes the texture of the hair, too. In order to make up for this loss of proteins, it is very essential to take a well-balanced and healthy diet, which is especially rich in proteins.
Some protein-rich foods which should be included in the diet are eggs, chicken, fish, beef, dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese, soybeans, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds.
Moisturize
Keep the hair well-moisturized, so that they do not become dry and break. A good way to do that is to wash your hair thrice a week and moisturize it after every wash. Avoid using shampoos and conditioners with strong chemicals on relaxed hair.
Use mild shampoo, twice a week and rinse it with room temperature water once a week. Also, post washing, let the hair dry naturally, do not rub vigorously or blow dry, as hair is more prone to breakage this way.
Deep conditioning the hair every fortnight to replenish the moisture lost, is recommended too. In fact, using hair care products, such as follicle building shampoos, to rehydrate the chemically treated hair, is especially beneficial for the hair.
Before going to bed, tie your hair in a bun or wrap with a scarf to avoid breakage. The pillow case which you use, should not be of any coarse or rough cloth material. And lastly, getting the hair touched up at regular intervals, usually after six weeks, from a salon, is very essential to maintain the look of the hair and to ensure long-lasting effects.