Hello Ladies,
‘My hair is breaking!! I don’t know what happened, its been breaking so much and I don’t know why’ .
Lade, can you tell me how to make the breakage stop?
This is a question and scenario I have heard and been in so many times. Each time I am faced with this question, I take a deep breath and ask myself, where do I start from? How do I explain that there are so many things that can cause hair to break and in most cases it usually isn’t one thing.
I will write more posts about breakage, the numerous things that can cause it and how best to prevent it. In this post, I will discuss one of the most hidden reasons for damage and breakage and how to avoid it.
One of the biggest game changers and key contributors to my success on my quest for healthy and long hair was learning that hair must be prepared for relaxing or colour processing. When I began my hair journey and took every aspect of it seriously, I stopped the habit of removing my hair from extensions and relaxing it the same day or the day after. I did the right things instead. Keep reading if you want to learn more 😊
Why Hair Should Be Prepared for Chemical Services
Relaxers and chemical hair dyes break down some of the protein bonds in the cortex layer (inner layer) of our hair and unfortunately this makes our hair weaker. Relaxers and hair dyes are harsh processes and if done on hair that isn’t strong enough to withstand the process, will result in more protein breakdown than would have occurred had the hair been prepared correctly. So yes relaxers and colours weaken the hair but the weakness will be a lot worse if you don’t complete some steps 4 to 7 days prior.
Now if you don’t prepare your hair for a chemical service your hair will not disintegrate or fall apart on relaxer or colour day. As a matter of fact, it may even look great and feel great on relaxer or colour day and in the initial weeks afterwards. Overtime (months and years) however, the hair will become so weak and damaged it will eventually break and each strand will become thinner too. So ladies if you notice that your relaxed or coloured hair is beginning to break more and more and you can’t figure out why, note that incorrect preparation for the chemical process may be just one of the many reasons your hair is breaking.
My hair after my Ready Steady wash day. PS – excuse the corny hand on shoulder pose. I was hiding my underwear 🙂
How to Prepare Hair for Relaxing
For ladies who are new to Hairducation, I’d like to make it clear that contrary to popular belief, hair should not be very dirty before a chemical process. Preparing hair for relaxing should begin 4 to 7 days before the relaxer or colour treatment. A cleanse to remove build up from hair should be completed and this must be followed with a conditioning treatment that will fortify the keratin levels in the hair. In other words, it isn’t your regular wash and condition day. This is one of the many reasons why we offer a variety of wash days at Hairitage. We have a wash and condition treatment called Ready Steady which was designed specifically to be completed by ladies in advance of their relaxing or colouring services.
After the wash day, wait 4 to 7 days before you proceed to relaxing or colouring your hair. You should leave your hair alone in those 4 to 7 days and avoid any intricate hair style that may stress or irritate your scalp. A simple bun or goddess braids would be ideal. Essential oils should be avoided that week too.
I will be relaxing my hair very soon after almost 7 months and I have completed my own Ready Steady wash day. Cannot wait!!!!!
Do you prepare your hair for relaxing or permanent colour treatments? Yes or no??
My next post will be my relaxer update post and I’ll be sharing a bit about some major challenges I’ve faced with my hair over the last year and how I have overcome them. Come back soon ladies!!!
Happy hair journey
x
Lade