How to Relax Afro-Styled Hair

Afro-styled hair is known for being extremely curly and tough to straighten. Many African-American women prefer to permanently straighten their hair, a process known as relaxing, in order to make it more manageable. Many black celebrities such as Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell and Vivica A. Fox are known to relax their hair from time to time in order to change up their hairstyles from curly to straight.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Hair relaxer kit
• Shower cap
• Flat applicator brush
• Plastic bowl
• Petroleum jelly or Vaseline
• Deep conditioner

1. Purchase a professional relaxing kit from your local drugstore or hair salon. Prepare some of the items you will be needing in order to relax your Afro-styled hair safely. You will need petroleum jelly or Vaseline, plastic gloves (which should be in the kit), a comb, a flat applicator brush, a plastic bowl for mixing and a shower cap. Some popular types of hair relaxers include ones from Luster's, SoftSheen-Carson, and Africa's Best.

2. Follow the instructions in the hair-relaxing kit carefully, and mix the activator with the relaxer. Use the flat applicator brush or a plastic spatula to mix the two chemicals together in the plastic bowl. Make sure to blend well and set aside.

3. Apply the petroleum jelly or Vaseline all around the perimeter of your scalp and on your ears. This will prevent the harsh relaxing chemical from burning the delicate skin on your forehead, neck and ears. Try not to get any of the jelly or Vaseline on your hair. Section your hair into four or five sections, revealing the scalp, then apply a thin line of jelly onto the skin of your scalp. Again, be sure to avoid applying any directly onto the hair.

4. Using the applicator brush, gently apply the relaxer all over your hair similar to how you would apply hair dye. Make sure the strands of hair are covered from close to the root all the way down to the tips. Avoid getting any of the relaxer on your skin as this can result in chemical burns. Set the timer to make sure you remove the relaxer at the appropriate time: this time will be noted in the instructions that come up with the kit. Times may vary depending on the type of relaxer, but should be between 15-30 minutes.

5. Remove the shower cap and wash off the relaxer with warm water. Make sure you have removed all of the hair relaxer from your hair. Follow up with a deep conditioning treatment to restore moisture: the relaxer will have stripped your hair of its natural, moisturizing oils, which is why a conditioner is necessary. Leave the conditioner in your hair for at least 10 minutes, then rinse off. Style hair as usual, i.e. you can blow-dry, comb, put in ponytail, etc. as you would have done before. Keep in mind that you probably won't be able to curl your hair using curling iron or hot rollers; your new style simply won't hold the curls.

Tips & Warnings

• You will need to touch-up your relaxed hair about once every 4-6 weeks. Deep-condition your hair at least once a week. You can also use a hot oil treatment to hydrate your hair.

• Don't use the relaxer on dyed hair. Don't wash your hair for at least 48 hours after the relaxing process. Don't use the relaxer on non-Afro-styled hair (i.e. on the already relaxed ends): Your hair will become extremely brittle and break off. Don't scratch your head while the relaxer is on, as this will cause pain and burning to your scalp. Avoid scratching your head a few days prior to relaxing your hair. Broken skin will be extremely painful when it comes in contact with the relaxer chemicals. Don't leave the relaxer on for more than the allotted time.

Resources

• Caribbean Dream Relaxer
• Hair Relaxers at Walgreens