9. Use only temperature controlled heat tools. As the relaxed hair has already lost some of its natural curl, very little heat will be required to smooth it out.
10. Apply a strong protein treatment to the hair a every 6-8 weeks or when you notice excessive breakage.
11. Make sure to use a strong protein treatment the week before the relaxer service. This is to strengthen the hair in preparation for the chemical.
12. Use the same relaxer with each touch up which should be every 2-3 months. You want to have at least 1- 1.5 inches of hair before relaxing, any sooner and you run the risk of over processing the hair.
13. Do not relax the hair ‘bone straight’; be sure to ask your stylist to leave a bit of curl in the hair. This is to ensure that the hair is left with some of its elasticity after the relaxer process.
14. If you self-relax, always use a neutralizing shampoo to wash the hair after the service. This will ensure that all the relaxer is removed from the hair and that the hair is restored to its normal ph level. The same should be applied if you go to a stylist for a relaxer touch up.
15. Use a caramel treatment a month after the relaxer touch up to hydrate the new growth and help to straighten it without using too much heat.
16. Do not braid the hair for the first 2 weeks after a relaxer service.
17. Keep hair braided for 2-3 weeks at a time especially if the hair is at shoulder length as it helps with length retention. If the hair is past this length then braiding is not necessary unless you want to!
18. When the hair is braided, normal washing and conditioning must continue to keep the hair moisturized until you take down the braids.
19. Do not braid too close to the edges (small baby hairs) to avoid thinning of the hairline
20. Clarify the hair once every 6-8 weeks or when a lot of product has been used during the week to get rid of build up. Do not do this often to prevent the hair from feeling ‘stripped’ and dry.
21. Dust any split ends once every 6 months. Trim the hair only if you want full ends as your strands do not grow at the same rate. Trimming the hair more often will only serve to reduce the length gained and does nothing for the overall health of your hair.
22. Track your growth every 3 months with pictures.
The regimen above can be changed to suit your hair’s needs or lifestyle. See the article on how to cheat at roller setting hair.
Would you be able to give a list of hair products to use for all stages of the procedure please?
Thanks
I thought all "cones" were bad, so what product has silicone serum?
The Real Person!
The 'evils' of cones are exaggerated. Everyone's hair is different, just the way some people are protein sensitive and others love protein. I use lots of products with cones and they have been nothing but helpful for me so I would say that it depends on your own hair.
Hello Alma,
The described regimen is similar to what I was doing before I started work. I found it difficult to keep up the dc’ng during the week but did so on the weekends. I’m finding that my hair really loves the water and need it. This is my last week of work for a minute and now I can get back into the swing of really caring for my hair. One question I have is what is a caramel treatment?
The Real Person!
It’s like a home made natural hair conditioner. Here’s the recipe https://blackhairinformation.com/hair-care-2/hair-treatments-and-recipes/the-caramel-treatment-a-natural-hair-softener/