Is texturised hair similar to natural hair?

You learn something new everyday. Texlaxing is a chemical process where a relaxer is applied for a shorter time period or where a less potent relaxer is used. The result is that the hair retains its curls although they may be elongated or follow a different pattern, for example a type 4 pattern can be converted to a type 3.



Q: Kelly who is texlaxed emailed me to ask, 'My hair for all intents and purposes is still curly. In fact if I do not apply gel to it, it is pretty hard to distinguish it from the natural hair which is not chemically treated. Should I treat my hair as natural?'



A: No, texturised hair even if the look is natural is chemically treated. Applying a relaxer to hair, whether it is mild or for a shorter time still changes the structure of hair. Therefore your hair is not in a natural state and most likely is chemically damaged. You may therefore require additional specific care to mitigate this damage (see this post)



The basic principles of hair care do apply to all hair. These basic principles are

1. Treating the hair gently (gentle towel drying, no rough combing)

2. Conditioning regularly to mitigate damage due to weathering

3. Trimming when necessary to get rid of split ends

4. Reducing traction (i.e not pulling hair too tight)



If you regularly apply permanent hair colour or bleach your hair, your hair is also likely to have some damage similar to chemically treated hair.