How to Relax Hair of African-Americans

Relaxing African-American hair makes it manageable.

You might enjoy the straight, silky mane you get after your routine salon trip to have your hair relaxed. However, the salon appointments necessary to maintain your hair in that condition can prove to be a hassle. Relaxing your African-American hair at home is easy and quick. It also saves you the costs associated with getting it done professionally. The important thing to remember is that relaxing hair involves the use of chemicals and prudent care must be taken to ensure there are no burns or loss of hair.

Things You'll Need

• Hair relaxer kit
• Wide-toothed comb
• Petroleum jelly
• Hair bands
• Towel
• Hair dryer
• Hair grease

Instructions

1. Gently comb out your hair and part it into four equal sections. Secure each section with hair bands.

2. Apply petroleum jelly in a thick layer around the hairline of your head including over your earlobes. This will protect the skin near your hairline from a chemical burn if it comes in contact with the relaxer.

3. Mix the relaxer and activator gel according to the instructions on your relaxer kit. Remember to use the included plastic gloves to protect your hands. Relaxers work by breaking and capping the disulfide bonds that are the cause of curly hair so that they cannot chemically reform.

4. Test the relaxer by applying it to a small section of your hair at the back. Let it stay on for a couple of minutes to ensure there is no reaction.

5. Apply the relaxer to the parted sections of the hair. Work quickly as the relaxer only takes a few minutes to process the hair. When you are done, comb out the hair with a wide-toothed comb and let it continue to process for the amount of time indicated on the package.

6. Wash out the relaxer with cool running water. Then use warm water and the shampoo that came with the relaxer kit to clean out all of it. If the shampoo lather has a pink hue, it means there is still relaxer in your hair. Shampoo and rinse as many times as it takes to get a lather that is completely white.

7. Apply the conditioner in the relaxer kit to your hair. Work the conditioner to the end of the hair shaft as these tend to be the driest and prone to knots. Leave it in your hair for 15 minutes and then rinse well.

8. Blot your hair dry with a towel and use a hair dryer to get it dry. Apply your preferred hair grease to the scalp and style your hair.

Tips & Warnings

• Hair relaxers for African-American hair come labelled as "lye" or "no-lye." Lye hair relaxers have a higher pH and work quicker to straighten hair but can be more damaging. No-lye relaxers have a lower pH but can still cause damage if used improperly.

References

• Cornell Center for Materials Research: How Do Relaxers on Your Hair Work?
• The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program:Hair and Skin Care for African American and Biracial Children
• Skin Biology: The Truth About Hair Relaxers