Tips For Shampooing Deep Into A Relaxer Stretch

The more and more I stretch my relaxers, the more and more I learn about how to do it with little to no damage. Deep conditioning is important, keeping the hair moisturized is important, gentleness is probably even more important.

One thing that is also just as important as the rest but doesn’t get talked about as much, at least in my opinion, is shampooing.

Related read: 9 Tips For Stretching Your Relaxer Longer

How I shampoo my hair a couple of weeks after a relaxer touch-up is a bit different than how I shampoo when I’m 10 plus weeks into my stretch and have a good amount of new growth.

The reason is the new growth adds a little bit of complexity as it makes my hair more susceptible to tangling and breakage. The good news is I’ve figured out how to get work around all of that when I wash my hair and I’m sharing my four tips in this post.

Tips For Shampooing Deep Into A Relaxer Stretch | A Relaxed Gal

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1. Detangle before shampooing

This is the first thing you should do. Having detangled hair before you wet it and apply shampoo not only helps with avoiding hair damage but can also speed things along.

The key to detangling is to not do it on dry hair. Meaning you shouldn’t just get up in the morning and start detangling. Apply some moisture to your hair. This can be water to dampen your hair, a rinse-out conditioner, or even some oils.

When I’m deep in my relaxer stretch I detangle when I apply my pre-poo of a rinse-out conditioner mixed with natural oils to my hair. I also detangle in sections starting my ends and working up.

You can see more about pre-pooing in this video.

2. Shampoo in sections

Yes, you read right, shampoo your hair in sections. By having your hair in sections you can shampoo each section one at a time. It may seem weird and a lot of work but it is well worth it because it helps with keeping your new growth from tangling up on itself.

There are a few ways you can section your hair

Create multiple pony or pigtails using small butterfly clips
Put your hair in multiple loose braids
Do multiple twists them and clip each section to the top of your head

3. Use an applicator bottle

I can’t remember how I got started using an applicator bottle to apply my shampoo but I’m glad that I did. Typically I would squeeze some shampoo into my hands and slap it on my scalp. That would get my hair clean but I would use a lot of shampoo to get the kind of lather I wanted or to clean all of my scalp.

Related read: How You Can Make Your Hair Routine Easier

I found that by putting some shampoo in an applicator bottle and adding a little water I could get a better lather and also apply the shampoo mixture directly to my scalp so no area is missed.

4. Use a moisturizing shampoo

When you’re deep in a relaxer stretch, using moisturizing products is a must including your shampoo. I’ve seen a difference in how my hair acts and feels when I use a moisturizing shampoo in the later stages of my relaxer stretch.

Moisturizing shampoos gently cleanse the hair without stripping away all moisture or natural oils from it. They are also formulated with nourishing ingredients that can help your hair look and feel better.

Shop my favorite shampoos