Much of the conversation surrounding black hair in recent years has been about caring for and styling natural hair, and for good reason. As news spread that relaxers may cause hormone disruptions and other health issues, black women, in droves, began to cut off their relaxed hair and wear their natural texture.
Yet many black women still do chemically straighten their hair. And right now, they’re locked out of their main source of maintenance: the salon.
As relaxed hair grows out, the new roots can create styling challenges, like edges that won’t lie smooth. Then, over time, breakage can occur at the fragile line between the old straight hair and the new textured roots.
“The longer you wait to relax the new growth, the more you run the risk of breakage,” said Ursula Stephen, a hairstylist who owns a salon in Brooklyn. Combing and styling creates more friction in curly roots than in straight ends. And the added tension can easily snap hair at the demarcation line, in strands already weakened by chemical processing.
Decades ago, it was commonplace to relax one’s hair at home, but as women began to rely on in-salon maintenance, fewer have experience in D.I.Y.-ing.
“At first, people were willing to wait this out,” said Jihan Thompson, the chief executive of Swivel Beauty, a booking app that vets salons that specialize in black and textured hair. Now, as people realize they’ll be away from their stylists for the foreseeable future, they’re looking for solutions.
Ms. Thompson hopes Swivel can help fill the hair-care gap with virtual hairstyling consultations, in which stylists walk clients through services like blowouts, protective styles and relaxer touch-ups.
“A lot of people are going to work virtually via video calls so they don’t have to just pull their hair in a bun,” she said. “This is a way stylists can continue to support them.”
Here, we explore some at-home options with three hair-care experts.
Don’t Relax, but Do Moisturize
Instead of relaxing, you could just let your roots grow and treat them with a lot of moisture, Ms. Stephen said. Moisture keeps the hair more supple and helps prevent breakage. Deep condition more frequently. If you were on a twice-a-month schedule, step it up to weekly.
“Apply leave-in conditioner daily and focus on that line of demarcation,” Ms. Stephen said. As you moisturize more, manipulate your hair less.
“The more combing you do, the more breakage you’ll have,” she said. “This a good time to focus on caring for your hair and doing protective styling.”
You can over-moisturize, she said, but it’s not a big deal. “The biggest risk is it gets too soft, but all you have to do then is stop adding so much moisture,” she said. “It’s reversible, but breakage isn’t.”
Don’t Relax, but Do Use a Flat Iron
For medium to long hair, straightening your roots with a flat iron is a good styling alternative to relaxing, said Tinika Sadiku of Hair by Sadiku in Manhattan. Her advice: Work with small, thin sections of hair and do so slowly.
Tool kit: One-half-inch flat iron and heat protectant spray.
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Blow-dry your hair.
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Part your hair into four sections and start flat-ironing in one of the back sections. Pin away the other three so they’re out of the way.
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Spray a heat protectant spray, like Chi 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray, $8.
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To really get access to the roots, you’ll need a “micro” flat iron. Ms Sadiku likes the FHI Heat Platform Tourmaline Ceramic Pro Styler, $80.
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Begin flat-ironing at the nape of the neck, working your way toward the front of your head. Take a quarter-inch-wide section of hair, clamp the flat iron at the root, pause for a moment, then pull through to the ends in one motion. “The smaller the section, the more precise you’ll be, and the straighter your result,” Ms. Sadiku said.
Relax Your Roots at Home
If you’ve watched your hairstylist touch up your roots for years, you may have a false sense of confidence in your ability to mimic the process at home. The most difficult aspect of relaxing your own hair is not being able to see the back and crown, said Joie Wallace, a hairstylist and colorist in Virginia.
When touching up your roots, it’s important to avoid putting relaxer on hair that’s already straight. This is why people who do their own relaxers often have breakage at the back and crown — they can’t see what they’re doing. If you can, ask a helper to apply relaxer in those areas. Or, set up your work station between two mirrors so you have more visibility.
Hairstylists emphasize that you do not have to relax all of your roots. For very short hair, a so-called edge-up relaxes just the back of the hair, temples and sides. (Picture the hair that remains in male pattern baldness.)
“I don’t think there’s a stylist alive who would say you should be aiming to get your hair perfectly straight,” Ms. Sadiku said. “This is about trying to feel a little more normal — not perfection.”
Opt for no-lye relaxer. It’s a gentler option that’s better for a nonprofessional use. Ms. Wallace recommends the Just for Me No-Lye Conditioning Crème Relaxer Kit, $21.39. Follow the instructions that come with the kit. These tips will help you optimize the process.
Here’s the most important rule: Coat only your new growth with relaxer. Applying relaxer to already straightened hair will cause breakage.
Tool kit: No-lye relaxer kit, moisturizing conditioner, gloves, tail comb, towel.
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Apply the basing treatment (something like petroleum jelly that’s typically included in the kit) around your hairline and ears to protect your skin. And wrap your shoulders with a towel.
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Part your hair into four sections. Slather conditioner, like Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque, $13.99, on your straightened hair to create a barrier. Then clip away the sections you’re not working on.
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Part two-inch wide sections of hair and apply the relaxer to the roots with the back of the comb. Work your way through each section using this technique.
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Let it process for the proper amount of time according to your instructions (usually 10 minutes). It’s important to move quickly while applying relaxer so you don’t overprocess your hair.
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Shampoo the relaxer out with the neutralizing shampoo included in your kit.
Your stylist can whip the relaxer through all of your roots at once. But if that feels difficult for you, Ms. Stephens suggests going through the process — from application to shampoo — on just the front two sections of your hair, first. Relaxer should be applied only to dry hair, though. So make sure the back sections aren’t damp when you start the process over again there.
