Well, I’ve found and started doing something else when I wash my hair that has increased the moisture levels in my relaxed hair and helped it retain moisture.
What I found is steaming or steam treatments.
What is hair steaming
Hair steaming is using moist heat on the hair to help open the hair follicles and scalp allowing for better moisture absorption. This makes it great for dry hair. I wish I had started steam treatments on my hair when I had protein overload. I think it would have helped my relaxed hair to get over protein overload quicker and maybe with a lot less damage.
Right before I started my healthy relaxed hair journey I had gone to a hairstylist that would do steam treatments on my hair because it felt dry. My hair did look and feel better after those hair appointments but I didn’t realize that the steam treatments were one of the reasons why.
Right before I started my healthy relaxed hair journey I had gone to a hairstylist that would do steam treatments on my hair because it felt dry. My hair did look and feel better after those hair appointments but I didn’t realize that the steam treatments were one of the reasons why.
Why steam your hair
Hair steaming has many great benefitsBetter hair elasticity
Elasticity is the hair's ability to stretch and shrink without breaking or snapping. When the hair has the amount of moisture it needs it’s elastic.Reduced hair breakage
When hair is properly moisturized and isn’t dry or brittle it doesn’t break.Increased moisture retention
Steaming helps to raise the cuticle layer of the hair strands which allows for greater penetration of moisture from the steam and conditioner. This has helped my hair stay moisturized for longer periods of time.A cleaner scalp
The steam can help to loosen up dead skin cells and product build-up on your scalp. This gives your hair a better place to grow and thrive. While I see this is a good benefit it’s not a top one for me because I feel that cleansing my scalp with shampoo should also achieve this and I steam after I shampoo.How to hair steam
All of that sounds good, right? So now that you know how good steaming can be for your hair, how do you do it? Well, there are a few waysGo to a salon
This is where I first had a hair steam treatment. Some salons have steamers and will give a steam treatment as part of a regular service or as an add-on.Buy a steamer
There are many different ones out there. You can get one on a professional one on a stand, a handheld, or a tabletop like the one I use. I bought mine online from Amazon. As of the posting of this, that steamer is out of stock so here is one I found that is similar. I also found on Amazon the steamer that Hairlicious uses.DIY it
If you don’t want to spend the money on an actual steamer right now you can steam your hair without it. I’ve done that in the past.Here’s what I did after I washed my hair and applied my deep conditioner
- Put a shower cap on my head
- Wet a towel and warmed it up in the dryer for a few minutes
- Wrapped the warm, damp towel on my head
- Covered my head with another plastic cap
- Left on for about 15 minutes
- Let my hair cool for about 10 minutes before moving to the next step
Now that I have a hair steamer my process has fewer steps but I still steam after washing my hair and applying a deep conditioner. I’ve tried steaming as part of my pre-poo and it didn’t make my hair feel good like I thought it would so now I only do it on clean hair.
Hair steaming tips
Whether you steam your hair at home or at the salon here are some tips that can help make it a better experienceDon’t overdo it
You only need to steam your hair for about 15-30 minutes and only a few times a month. Hair only needs so much moisture. Giving the hair too much moisture can cause some damage weakening the hair because the protein/moisture balance is out of whack.Have a towel handy
Sometimes hot water or condensation can drip from the hood of the steamer onto your face or neck. I’ve had this happen to me and while I’ve never been burned the dripping water is not fun.Depending on the steamer being used it may make sense to wear a face shield and something to protect your neck.
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