Why You Should Use Hair Relaxer Treatment Less Often
You may have heard the term relaxer stretching and wondered what it is. In this blog post, I will go over just that and discuss what relaxer stretching is and what some of its benefits are. I will also go over why you should stretch your relaxers if you want healthier hair.
My Story
When I was younger, I used to relax my hair often, and by often, I mean every eight weeks. I used to love getting a perm and how straight my roots would be. Although the concept of what I used to think sounds crazy, I went natural and started learning more about hair care as I got older. It was then that I learned about how important extending your relaxers is.
Relaxer stretching is described as getting your relaxers less often, hence relaxer stretching.
Why I Recommend It
Ever since I started relaxer stretching, my hair has taken a turn for the better. Now that I am older and have gone natural, I am not afraid of my new growth.
I even take it a step further and try not to relax my hair for one full year. The average person typically stretches from 3 to 4 months. However, in this post, I am pushing the idea of stretching your relaxer for at least a year. Alternatively, at least to the new growth, you can have without breakage.
After one year of stretching, my new growth gets out of hand. It starts to break because the two different textures are drastically different. So try to at least extend until the maximum amount of time you can because it will give you better results.
Tips For Relaxer Stretching
Some tips for relaxer stretching can make your journey much easier to extend your relaxers. Here are some
Protective Styling
This concept may not be new, but one way to get through relaxer stretching is by protective styling. This term is about protecting the hair’s ends and shaft in low-manipulation styles that prevent breakage.
The typical protective style that has worked wonders for me is by wearing v-part wigs. V-part wigs are a personal favorite for me as they look more natural than lace front and are very easy to remove at night and to take care of.
I like to braid my hair in small cornrows, going back with little leave out down the middle part of my hair and edges.
This will give a more natural look. After leaving my braids alone for approximately one month, my new growth has grown while the rest of my hair has maintained its length. So this is a tip that I wanted to share if you are trying to grow your hair quickly, and it works!
Moisturizing Your Hair
While it is essential to give your hair a break by extending your relaxer, a great way to prevent breakage is by moisturizing your hair in between stretching.
There are two ways that you can moisturize your hair in between relaxers. The first way is by applying a daily moisturizer to your hair daily or when needed. You can even spritz the hair lightly with water, as water is a moisturizer.
The other way of moisturizing your hair is by deep conditioning it after shampooing your strands. I like to do this once a month, apply a deep conditioner of my choice, and leave it on for 1 hour in a hot cap.
There are so many deep conditioners in this saturated hair market, and I am sure it will not be hard to find one. One of my favorite moisturizing deep conditioners is by TGIN (Thank God It is Natural). It is one of my favorites mainly because of the thickness of this conditioner and the fragrance.
Less Manipulation
While I discussed protective styling and its benefits, it is essential to leave the hair alone. Especially if you wish to see progress slowly. So while protective styling is essential, we mainly do less manipulation here. I like to keep my hair tucked away in small cornrows while I rock different v-part wigs, such as a body wave v-part wig and a straight v – part wig.
I have two kinds of v-part wigs because while the body wave texture is great for curls, I would not suggest it for straight styles as it may quickly revert to body wave. The same thing applies to kinky straight styles and curly human hair.
Your hair will thank you for leaving it alone.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post about the benefits of stretching your relaxers and the tips I shared in this post.
First, we talked about my story, how I discovered this technique, why I love it, and recommend it.
Then we went over some of the tips of relaxer stretching, such as utilizing protective styles that promote hair growth by manipulating it less often. Another tip I shared was keeping the hair in great health by moisturizing it with daily moisturizers and even using deep conditioner to hydrate the strands when you wash it.
Lastly, we suggest you avoid manipulating the hair so often and sport hairstyles such as v-part wigs and weaves.
There are still many more tips that I would love to share, but these are the main ones for now.
Thanks for reading!
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