For as long as the human race has been on the planet, they have been trying to find things to do with their hair. Hair care is not a new science but the past few decades have advanced the science of hair care to new heights. New innovations and discoveries as well as a better understanding of how the human body works has added to this body of knowledge of how to take care of our hair and how to get it to do what we want it to do. For example, people with curly hair can have their hair 'relaxed' to make it a little straighter and a little more manageable. But even relaxed hair care needs to be taken into consideration.

Relaxed hair care is as necessary as normal hair care or perm hair care. As soon as any sort of work has been done on your hair it is no longer in its natural state. This means that the hair needs some extra attention to maintain its shine, luster and health. While many people may not believe this, hair is still 'alive' to a lesser or greater degree. It grows everyday of our lives and problems with our health can affect our hair. Putting your hair under a lot of stress can cause all sorts of damage to it and can lead to various other effects such as:

• split ends,
• hair breakage, and
• hair thinning.

There are many other effects as well, but these are some of the more frequent.

While your stylist is likely to give you much better advice on relaxed hair care, there are some basic tips that you can keep in mind. A basic tip is to never process or overlap already existing straightened hair. Your hair is under enough stress without adding more. Only relax about 80-85% of your hair so that you hair can maintain some of its natural elasticity. This elasticity is part of its natural protection against outside stresses. Do not relax your hair too much. Only relax your hair every four to six weeks and if you have a softer texture hair then prefer six to eight weeks between relaxing.

Other general relaxed hair care tips are simple things to remember. Use a satin pillowcase if possible and wear a cap in the shower or bath to protect your hair at all times. When washing use a combination protein and moisturizing shampoo and apply a 'leave-in' conditioner before blow-drying your hair. If you want to use a ceramic iron then allow your hair to air dry naturally before doing so.

There are many other relaxed hair care tips available. These are some simple things to remember. Your stylist will be able to give you more information as well specific products that might be useful for your specific case. Remember that the same applies to hair that has been treated in other ways. Take care of your hair and you are sure to have lustrous, healthy hair for a long, long time.