Air Dry Relaxed Hair
Hair relaxation is a common treatment performed by salons and independently with at-home kits. The hair is covered with an alkali that sits on the hair for a period of time until the chemical weakens the protein structure of the hair. The damage is controlled by rinsing the chemical to neutralize the chemicals and then conditioning it to help smooth the texture and prevent future breakage. The end result is hair that is less frizzy and curly. Because relaxer damages the hair, it needs to be treated gently and rarely blow dried. Letting hair hang loose while air drying will add waves or curls to it. Developing a regimen of twisting or using rollers will help to keep hair straight and stop further damage. This article will tell you how to air dry relaxed hair.
Steps
- Wash and condition your hair. Detangle the hair with a wide-toothed comb or brush.
- You can also opt to use a leave-in conditioner to further prevent hair damage.
- Apply coconut oil to your hair. Use 5 to 6 drops for short to medium hair. Use more for longer hair. Make sure to cover the ends of your hair thoroughly. Coconut oil protects the hair and produces a smooth texture as it dries.
- Part your hair using your fingers or the end of a comb. Comb the rest of your hair into place with a wide-toothed comb.
- Grab the hair to the right side of your part. Comb it through so it aligns into a ponytail, making sure there are no stray hairs.
- Split the hair into 2 bunches and twist them together until you reach the ends of the hair.
- Place a soft roller, otherwise known as a flexi-roller or flexible curler, underneath the end of the hair and roll the twist up. Flexible, soft curlers are available at beauty supply stores and some drugstores. Roll the twist into the roller until you reach your skull. Bend the sides of the flexi-roller toward the top and center of the rolled and twisted hair.
- Repeat the twist and the roller on the left side of your head.
- Wrap a satin scarf around your head while it dries. You can cover it with a hat if you are going out.
- Leave the twists in your hair for 2 to 24 hours, until fully dried. This will differ greatly depending upon the thickness, texture and length of your hair. You want to wait until the hair inside the twists has dried to get the full smoothing effect of air drying with curlers.
- Undo your twists starting from the bottom and working your way to the top.
- Use a ceramic iron to smooth out any sections that you would like to be smoother.
- Smooth drops of oil into the hair to further smooth down. The results should last from 3 days to a week.
- Finished.
Tips
- Sleep on a satin pillowcase to smooth hair at night.
- You can replace the flexible curlers with mesh curlers and part your hair into more sections. Mesh curlers allow more air to get inside the twist.
Warnings
- Repeated relaxing can lead to breakage, brittleness or loss of hair.
- Do not comb the hair after it has air dried. It may become frizzy.
Things You'll Need
- Coconut oil
- Flexible soft rollers
Related Articles
- Air Dry Your Hair Straight
- Make Air Dried Hair Look Good
- Style Curly Hair
- Make Hair Dry Faster Without a Blow Dryer
