Reasons to Stop Using Relaxers on Your Hair

Natural hair is the rage at the moment as most women are beginning to realize how beautiful kinky hair is but many others still prefer the look and ease of straight hair which is achieved with relaxers.

Hair relaxers present an easy way to care for your hair, talk of permanently wearing your hair straight without tangles or difficulty of combing the hair. In a nutshell, hair relaxers offer a sleeker hairstyle that does not require a specific type of hair product to smooth down the hair. Although hair relaxers provide ease of maintenance and styling, they can damage your hair and cause hair breakage and hair loss.

For most people (me inclusive), going natural is the safer option when it comes to the health of your scalp. I suffered extreme hair loss while relaxing my hair and it was one of the reasons why I transitioned. The best decision ever for my hair. But I understand that not everybody is interested in the stress that comes with maintaining natural hair. People want to be able to style their hair without struggles associated with natural hair and that is perfectly okay.

Hair relaxers offer many advantages but one needs to be careful because a poorly done relaxer can cause irreparable damage to your hair and scalp. The best way to prevent bad relaxer damage and potential hair loss is to seek a hair expert opinion on the best hair relaxer that is suited for your scalp. Also, it is a good idea if you don’t relax your hair every month. 3 times in a year is better.

However, there might be a time when you need to completely stop relaxing your hair. Once you start experiencing the signs below, then it’s time to stop.

1. Do you have a sensitive and itchy scalp? 

Scalp conditions like dandruff, psoriasis, dry or itchy scalp do not augur well with hair relaxers. In fact, you are a candidate for natural hair if you have any of these conditions. Applying a hair relaxer to a scalp that sheds excessive dandruff will increase the amount of dandruff and flakiness in your hair. This is because relaxers are irritants and increase dryness.

2. Are your hair shedding excessively? 

If you are experiencing hair loss, Sister please stay away from relaxers. They can make the hair loss or thinning worse and you will end up losing more hair. In case of permanent hair loss (damaged hair follicles), it is the only sign you need to stop relaxing your hair.

3. How often do you color your hair? 

If you are always using hair dye to cover up grays or you just fancy hair colors, then you’re definitely a candidate for natural hair. Applying relaxer and color to your hair may cause your hair to be dry, limp, and eventually break off. They are both chemicals, choose one. Hair colors or relaxers?

Finally, I am not insinuating that hair relaxers are bad and are our enemy especially when they are used the right way. Both natural and relaxed hair requires adequate care to ensure that no harm is caused to the hair or scalp.

Which hair type do you think is healthier, natural, or relaxed hair? Share your thoughts in the comment section.