How-to Steps for Hair Relaxing
Hair relaxing is a process that results in a person's hair becoming straighter. Some people use spot relaxing to straighten a patch of hair that won't stay down. Others choose to relax their curly, unruly hair, while others opt to remove the natural wave from their hair. Whatever your preference, relaxing is something that can be completed at home, with the right tools and a bit of knowledge. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Large-tooth comb
- Cape or towel
- Hair coloring brush
- Plastic gloves
- Base cream or petroleum jelly
- Hair relaxer
- At least 4 hair clips
- Neutralizing shampoo
- Plastic shower cap
- Timer
- Towel
- Deep conditioner
- Leave-in conditioner
Instructions
-
-
1
Gently comb dry hair with a large-tooth comb. Drape a cape or a towel around your neck and shoulder area to protect your skin and clothes from any relaxer that may drip.
-
2
Apply base cream or petroleum jelly completely around your hairline, including behind your ears. This will protect your skin from burning or irritation caused by the relaxer.
-
-
3
Put on a pair of plastic gloves to protect your skin from the relaxer. Divide your hair into four sections, and secure each section with a hair clip. Divide the sections in a horizontal fashion, from one ear to the other, and in a vertical fashion from your forehead to the nape of your neck.
-
4
Apply base cream or petroleum jelly to your scalp between the sectioned areas. This will help protect your scalp if the relaxer comes into contact with it.
-
5
Work on one clipped area at a time, starting at the back of your head with a one-inch horizontal section. Use an applicator brush to apply relaxer to both sides of the hair. If your hair has been relaxed previously, ensure that you only apply relaxer to the part of the hair that is new growth.
-
6
Work as quickly as possibly, and re-clip each section of hair as you finish applying the relaxer, to keep the sections separated. After finishing the application, smooth the relaxer over the new growth with your gloved hands for approximately 10 minutes, or the recommended amount of time by the manufacturer, in order to assist with the process.
-
7
Un-clip your hair and rinse it with warm water thoroughly. Apply the neutralizing shampoo, rinse and repeat two to three times to remove all of the relaxer from the hair.
-
8
Towel dry your hair, apply a deep conditioner all over, and place a plastic shower cap over your entire head and hair. Sit under a bonnet dryer for approximately 20 minutes, or use a hand-held electric hair dryer with a heat concentrator for the same amount of time.
-
9
Remove the plastic shower cap, rinse hair thoroughly, apply a leave-in conditioner and style as desired.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Avoid overprocessing the ends of your hair by pre-treating them with conditioner.
Relaxing your hair more frequently than every 10 weeks may cause breakage.
Avoid aggressive brushing or combing of your hair, as well as scratching your scalp, before you apply a relaxer. An irritated or abraded scalp will sting and burn when the chemical relaxer comes into contact with it.
If you feel stinging or burning at any time during the process, immediately rinse your hair thoroughly to remove the relaxer.
