Relaxing your hair makes it smooth and straight and you can enjoy easy and freer styling.
But having relaxed hair is not all good without the bad.
For example, there’s the big bad that every hair lover fears — Hair Breakage.
If your hair has stepped into the scary world of hair breakage or seems to be on the way there, don’t worry, there’s a way out.
This post will provide nine tips on how to stop relaxed hair from breaking.
But let’s see why your relaxed hair breaks in the first place.
What causes breakage in relaxed hair?
Relaxed hair is very prone to breakage because hair relaxers contain harsh chemicals.
Most relaxers use Sodium Hydroxide (known as lye) to break down the hair’s naturally curly structure and make it straight.
Lye gets the job done, but it also leaves the hair weak and dry.
Because of that, any little mismanagement of relaxed hair leads straight to breakage.
Such mismanagement includes:
- Forced combing
- Overuse of heat styling tools
- Irregular moisturizing and conditioning
- Over processing of hair
How to Stop Relaxed Hair from Breaking
Now you get why your relaxed hair may break, it’s time to learn how to stop it.
Each of these suggestions will lead you out, but you’re more likely to escape the world of hair breakage when you apply all the tips.
Here are nine tips on how to stop relaxed hair from breaking:
1. Start moisturizing regularly
Lack of moisture drives hair to dryness and that makes it break easily.
The chemicals in relaxers make the hair dry, so you need to regularly combat the effect of these chemicals by replacing lost moisture in the hair.
A simple yet powerful way to do that is to use leave-in conditioners.
Conditioners like the Mega growth leave-in conditioner contain natural oils and conditioning proteins that will moisturize your hair and defend it against breakage.
You should apply this (or any other leave-in conditioner that works for your hair) to your relaxed hair daily.
You should also deep condition and steam your hair once a month; this infuses it with moisture deep within.
Key Points:
- Use daily leave-in conditioners
- Deep condition or steam your relaxed hair monthly
2. Use moisture sealants
Sealing in moisture is as important as moisturizing itself.
You need moisture sealants to keep moisture in your hair and many hair oils are great for the job.
For me, coconut oil and olive oil tops the list.
Pick your favorite hair oil, and then each time you moisturize your hair, follow it up by applying hair oil.
You can also apply hair oils to your hair before relaxing; they’ll form a layer that protects your natural oils and moisture.
This will keep your hair hydrated and reduce breakage.
Key Point:
- Apply hair oils to your relaxed hair after moisturizing
- Apply hair oils to your hair before relaxing.
3. Use protein treatments
Protein treatments are hair products that are designed to add strength to your hair; they usually contain keratin and collagen.
Using protein treatments for relaxed hair at home should be a normal part of your routine, along with moisturizing.
If you don’t use protein treatments for your relaxed hair and you notice it’s breaking, that’s a sign you need to start.
However, protein treatments should be done moderately.
An overuse would give your hair too much protein than it needs, and that can also cause breakage.
Key Point:
- Choose a protein treatment for your hair and use it once a month.
4. Swap to moisturizing shampoos and conditioners
Most shampoos contain sulfates and parabens; ingredients that suck up moisture from the hair.
If your regular shampoo contains sulfates and parabens, one of your first steps to stop breakage is to swap it to a safer shampoo and conditioner.
You can tell by checking the ingredient list of your shampoo.
Choose a shampoo that is designed to moisturize and is free from bad hair ingredients.
You may also want to shampoo less and co-wash more often.
That will help your hair retain more moisture and stop breaking.
Key Points:
- Use a sulfate-free, moisturizing shampoo.
- Start co-washing.
5. Use safe combs
Yup, your regular hair combs can also cause hair breakage.
If you use combs that have seams at the tips, it drags your hair ends and contributes to breakage.
Tight-toothed combs will also pull through your hair forcefully, causing mechanical damage. You should use a wide-toothed comb that works through your hair freely.
Key Point:
- Use a wide-toothed, seamless comb
6. Go easy with relaxers
How often do you relax your hair?
If you’re counting more than four times in a year, you’re overdoing it and that’s a shortcut to hair breakage.
To stop your relaxed hair from breaking, you should relax it less often, say every four months (thrice a year).
If you get undergrowth very often and you feel you can’t wait up to four months, relax your hair every three months at most.
That will reduce how often your hair comes in contact with harsh chemicals and reduce the chances of breakage.
There’s also the danger of overprocessing; caused by leaving the relaxer on your hair for a very long time.
You may think it helps your hair to be “very relaxed” but it actually makes your hair weak, brittle, and very likely to break.
Always check the relaxer’s label to know how long you should leave it on your hair.
Key Points:
- Relax your hair less often — every three at most.
- Do not leave hair relaxers on your hair for too long.
7. Give chemicals a break
If your relaxed hair is breaking already, you should give it a break from chemical processes like bleaching or coloring.
Like relaxers, hair dyes and colors also contain harsh chemicals.
Adding all these to your hair while it’s breaking will only worsen it.
Until your hair recovers from breakage, avoid further chemical processing.
If possible, give your hair a break from relaxers too.
You may wait for about five months before relaxing your hair while providing it with moisture and protein treatments.
Key Point:
- Avoid hair chemicals for some time.
8. Avoid heat tools
If you’re a fan of heat-styling tools like dryers and curling irons, you’ll need to limit their use — if you want to stop your relaxed hair from breaking.
Overuse of heat tools dry the hair out and that pushes you a step further to breakage.
Key Point:
- Avoid or limit the use of heat-styling tools to the barest minimum.
9. Style loosely
Protective styles are great for tucking your hair strands in and preventing them from damage, but not when you make them too tight.
If your hairstylist styles your hair so tight that you always get bumps or feel uncomfortable even days after styling, you two should talk.
As you guide your hair to stop your relaxed hair from breakage, avoid tight hairstyles.
Style your hair loosely so you don’t put much pressure on it.
Key Point:
- Stay away from tight hairstyles that put too much pressure on your hair.
FAQs on How to Stop Relaxed Hair from Breaking
If you have further questions about relaxed hair and breakage, here you go!
How do you strengthen relaxed hair?
To make your relaxed hair stronger, use hair oils, do protein treatments, moisturize your hair, and avoid overprocessing and over-styling your hair.
How often should relaxed hair be moisturized?
Once a day.
Relaxed hair needs moisture to thrive, especially with chemicals sucking out the hair’s natural oils and moisture.
However, if you have very fine hair, you may only need to moisturize your hair a few times a week.
What oils are good for relaxed hair?
Coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, and tea tree oil are excellent oils for relaxed hair.
Is coconut oil good for relaxed hair?
Yes and I’ll tell you why.
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and protein, two ingredients that are necessary for healthy hair.
Lauric acid penetrates the hair cuticle to nourish it while protein strengthens your hair strands.
You can apply coconut oil to your relaxed hair as a pre-poo treatment, leave-in conditioner, or hot oil treatment.
Is leave-in conditioner good for relaxed hair?
Yes, a leave-in conditioner adds much-needed moisture to relaxed hair, making it healthy.
Your Hair Can Stop Breaking
Hair breakage is bad, but it can be stopped.
Whether your hair is breaking already or you want to prevent it from breaking, the tips above will help you stop your relaxed hair from breaking.
Now that you know how to stop relaxed hair from breaking, you can enjoy your relaxed hair journey even more!
Hey, hair lover, this post may contain affiliate links. So if you buy a product through a link in the post, I’ll earn some commission at no extra cost to you.
Thanks so much for this piece.
My pleasure! I hope it helped!