Relaxed Hair is structurally weaker than natural hair. This is because the relaxing process breaks down the protein in your hair strands thereby leaving your hair in a weaker structure that increases the risk of breakage, which can be a challenge in growing healthy relaxed hair.
When relaxing your hair, don’t allow your hair to become fully straightened, so that there is some elasticity left in the hair. The more texture you leave in your hair, the more of its natural strength and elasticity you will retain.
Length retention is one of the main focuses when growing healthier, longer, fuller relaxed hair. It is the maintenance of the existing length of your hair by minimizing or eliminating hair breakage.
If your hair is breaking off, it simply means it isn’t growing because you’re losing as much hair as is growing out of your scalp. Unlike hair growth, length retention is something that can be controlled.
Growing healthy, long, and thick relaxed hair can be a challenge. But with the right care and maintenance, you can achieve the look you desire. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Protect Your Hair from Heat: Heat damage is one of the most damaging things for relaxed hair. Direct heat from heat styling tools like blow dryers, curling irons, and flat irons can break down your hair strands weakening them and drying out your hair making it more prone to breakage.
Air dry your hair more, and when using a heat styling tool, make sure you use a good heat protectant spray that will help to protect your hair from damage.
Use the Right Products: When you use the wrong products on your hair, your hair will struggle to thrive and achieve a healthy state which helps it retain length.
Use products specifically designed for relaxed hair like the Mara Cruiz Anti-Breakage & Repair Product Range. This will help to keep your hair healthy and well-nourished.
Get Regular Trims: Getting regular trims can help you get rid of split ends before they even start to damage your hair. Once a split end gets out of hand and travels up your hair strand you need more than a trim to curb it.
Once you see a split end, trim it off immediately. Don’t hang on to it. Trim your hair, at least every 3-4 months. Don’t trim too often though as that will take off your length.
Deep Condition Regularly: Deep conditioning treatments are essential to keeping relaxed hair healthy and hydrated. Deep conditioning your relaxed hair will help to impact your hair with the needed moisture, and revitalizes damaged and weak hair strands.
Use a Deep Conditioner that is formulated with Intense Moisture boosting ingredients to help reinforce your hair cuticles. Deep condition every month or as needed, and use a steaming cap for adequate product penetration
Avoid Over-Manipulative Hairstyles: To over-manipulate your hair can occur either by constantly styling, brushing, and/or using direct heat on your hair. This can lead to dryness, frizziness, and breakage. Some styles don’t protect your ends, put too much tension on your hair, or can pull out your hair. Try to avoid over-styling and give your hair a break from time to time.
Keep your hands out of your hair as much as possible. Take your time and be gentle when detangling, combing, and styling your hair. Wear your hair in a style that keeps your ends from brushing on your clothes. Avoid gluing wigs to your scalp. Make sure that the technique used to install your weave doesn’t leave it too tight.
Avoid Bad Hair Habits: Habits such as using too much product, over-brushing, sleeping with a cotton pillowcase, and sleeping with your hair out can cause damage to your hair and lead to breakage. The cotton pillowcase will suck the moisture from your hair and can also cause friction when your hair rubs against it leading to breakage. Try to avoid these habits as much as possible.
Swap your cotton pillowcase for a satin pillowcase and/or wear a satin/silk scarf or bonnet at night. Satin/silk pillowcase, scarf, and bonnet lessen friction on the hair and retains moisture on your hair, unlike cotton.
Take Care of Your Scalp: All attention and focus should not be on your hair alone and neglect your scalp. During relaxing, your scalp is surrounded by harsh chemicals. You should know that healthy hair growth starts from a healthy scalp, so don’t forget to give it some TLC to promote healthy hair growth. Massaging your scalp with hair growth oil daily will increase blood flow thereby boosting healthy hair growth.
Use Mara Cruiz Anti-Breakage & Repair Growth Oil to massage your scalp every day. This will help open up your pores and stimulate hair growth.
Eat Healthily and Stay Hydrated: What you eat and drink can impact the state of your hair, especially when you’re trying to grow healthy relaxed hair. Eating a healthy diet that is rich in vitamins and minerals can help to promote healthy hair growth.
Eat foods with high levels of protein, vitamins, iron, and fatty acids. Drink copious amounts of water so you’re hydrated from the inside out.
Over-processing: Over-processed hair can be a huge reason why length retention seems so elusive. Over-processing can happen when you don’t stretch your relaxing time frame. It can also happen when the relaxer is left on for too long on your hair. Using permanent hair dye on relaxed hair can cause a lot of damage to your hair. The chemicals used in hair dyes are as harsh as the chemicals used in relaxers.
Relax your hair at least every 3-4 months. Apply the relaxer only on the new growth, this will help you not to relax an already relaxed. Avoid permanent hair dyes by all means.
Moisturize Your Hair Daily: Lack of moisture is another factor that affects length retention. When your hair is dry it becomes fragile thereby making it prone to breakage. Your ends are the oldest part of my hair, so keep your hair especially your ends, well moisturized to minimize breakage and help you retain length.
Moisturize your hair daily using Mara Cruiz Anti-Breakage & Repair Growth Lotion. Then follow up with Anti-Breakage & Repair Growth Oil to seal in the moisture.
Following these tips, you can achieve healthier, longer, fuller relaxed hair with ease. With regular care, you can have the hair of your dreams. Don’t neglect your hair because it’s relaxed, you too need to rock beautiful hair. Give your hair all the love it deserves.
Mara Cruiz Organics Anti-Breakage & Repair Range is a perfect haircare product range to grow healthy luscious relaxed hair.
The products in the range are formulated to strengthen your hair against breakage and split ends whilst providing your hair with the necessary protection it needs to shield itself from the harsh chemicals in relaxers. It repairs your hair strands, boosts shine, and promotes length retention.
Click here to shop Mara Cruiz Anti-Breakage & Repair Range.
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