I like to space out my relaxers as far as possible. My hair thrives when I relax every 10-12 weeks. By stretching out my relaxers I’m giving my hair a break and allowing my new growth to grow in fully before putting the relaxer on it. When your new growth is not visible, it’s much easier to overlap the relaxer on the previously relaxed hair. This can cause thinness, breakage and overall damage. Stretching your relaxers makes your hair stronger and thicker over time.
Normal strength relaxers tend to process the hair at a much slower rate than extra strength relaxers. The slower process along with my quick relaxer speed results in my hair not relaxed completely bone straight. There is still some texture left over in my strands. More texture means thicker dense strands.
I like to pre-poo my hair with a mixture of conditioner and coconut oil before I shampoo. Coconut oil is known to protect the hair from protein loss when used as a pre-shampoo treatment. In other words, it helps prevent damage to the cuticle. Less damage mean stronger fuller cuticle, whihc gives you thicker hair.
I never relax my hair without my ends being protected from the relaxer. Relaxing previously relaxed hair can cause the hair to be over-processed eventually leading to thinness and breakage. Protecting the length of the hair to the ends creates a barrier between your hair and the run-off of the relaxer.
I changed my regimen around in order to incorporate weekly protein treatments. Using reconstructors under a hooded dryer for 15-20 minutes is the best thing for my strands. Protein causes the hair to swell in diameter, therefore increasing the thickness. Protein treatments strengthen and fortify the hair preventing breakage.
Valerie Bremang founded Hairlista Inc. Social Network in 2008 as a platform to educate, inform and encourage women that they can achieve healthy hair.
