Mistakes black women make when it comes to chemical relaxers

This is part 2 of my recent discussion with Amoy Pitters of Amoy’s Beauty Salon in New York City.

Black or mixed women who decide to opt for a chemical relaxer to soften the curliness of their hair in order to make hair styling a much easier process know how fragile and delicate the hair can become over time. When your hair is chemically relaxed, hair care is essential in order to prevent falling into a vicious cycle of permanent breakage that can follow a chemical relaxer.

Amoy Pitters’ tips on chemically relaxed hair:

* If you are not a professional hairdresser you should NOT do your own chemical relaxers and you should certainly not do relaxers for friends and family members.

* Over-the-counter relaxers are not the best buys because you may be buying the wrong strength for your hair texture … which could result in hair breakage.

* The ideal time frame for touch-ups is every 6-8 weeks and not sooner.

* It’s essential to use a neutralizing shampoo after the relaxer to bring back the PH level of the hair and avoid breakage.

* You need to wait 2-3 weeks after a relaxer before applying demi-permanent or permanent colour to avoid severe hair breakage disasters.

About Amoy Pitters

If you’re visiting New York City you can book an appointment with Amoy’s Beauty Salon located at 239 East 10th Street. The number is 212-529-5153. If you have family or friends in London (U.K.) you might also want to let them know that Amoy works in London each month for about one week. If you call her New York salon, you’ll be able to get more information.

Photo by ChicagoEye