Relaxing your hair at home can seem much more convenient versus making an appointment at the salon, but there may be some mistakes that you may be making that could be potentially damaging your hair. Just like everyone isn’t capable of creating that perfect DIY hair style, everyone is not capable of relaxing their own hair.

A common mistake that you could be making is that you are keeping the relaxer on too long! Some may think that if I keep my relaxer on longer than recommended then it will make my hair straighter. However, what it is really doing is breaking your hair down and making it weaker. You don’t want this to happen because having strong hair will allow your hair to combat heat damage, retain moisture and so much more. Making mistakes like these will cause you to spend even more money to repair your hair due to excessive shedding and other risks that no one wants.

We wanted to share with you some safe ways to relax your hair at home (in case you can’t get to a trusted professional):

• Only perm your new growth to prevent over processing

• Be sure to wash out all of the perm

• Don’t forget to use your neutralizing shampoo to ensure all the nutrients that have been stripped can be restored.

• Splitting your hair into smaller sections will help you to not miss any spots and to ensure you can see where you have new growth

• It is much safer and easier to use an application brush so that chemicals are less likely to get on your hands and you can accurately place relaxer where needed.