What worked for your hair five or even ten years ago may not be what your hair needs now. As your hair changes, your lifestyle changes, and even the products available change, your routine will probably evolve too.
Mine definitely has.
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Since I first started seriously focusing on the health of my relaxed hair, there have been so many popular hair care trends, techniques, and “must-do” steps that everyone seemed to swear by. Some of them worked well for me at the time. Others eventually became unnecessary, too time-consuming, or just not worth the extra effort anymore.
Let’s go through several things I used to include in my relaxed hair regimen but no longer do, and why I stopped doing them.
The biggest reason people co-wash is to help avoid stripping moisture from the hair while still getting a light cleanse.
Years ago, I used to co-wash my hair in between wash days or even on wash day itself if my hair felt dry but not necessarily dirty.
Now? I honestly can’t remember the last time I co-washed my hair.
At this point, I don’t really feel like I need to do it anymore. My hair tends to hold moisture well between washes, and adding an extra wash day creates more manipulation than my hair really needs.
I also realized co-washing never gave me the level of cleansing my scalp and hair currently need.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that co-washing just doesn’t seem as popular as it used to be. A lot of brands that once launched cleansing conditioners or co-wash products have discontinued them, and I rarely see new ones coming out now.
Would I ever co-wash again?
Maybe.
If my hair started feeling excessively dry or I thought it could benefit from it, I’d definitely consider adding it back into my regimen.
When I used to stretch my relaxers beyond 12 weeks, the amount of new growth I had made made detangling much more difficult. Washing my hair in braids or twists helped keep my hair from becoming overly tangled during wash day.
I would usually separate my hair into four or more braids or twists and secure the ends with small clips or scrunchies.
Then I’d wash my hair section by section.
Sometimes I would wash the braid itself, and other times I would take each braid down individually, wash that section, and then re-braid it before moving on.
Honestly, it really did help at the time.
But eventually it started feeling cumbersome and unnecessary because I stopped doing super long relaxer stretches.
Once I stopped stretching much beyond 12 weeks, my wash days became easier to manage without all the extra sectioning and re-braiding.
Tea rinses are natural hair treatments where brewed tea is used on the hair and scalp for different benefits depending on the type of tea used.
I specifically used caffeinated green tea because it can help reduce hair shedding. I also found that green tea rinses made my hair feel softer and soothed my scalp.
For about ten years, I did them off and on. Mostly on.
I would usually use the rinse after shampooing, but before deep conditioning.
Ironically, I stopped doing them completely by accident.
One wash day, I forgot to brew the tea beforehand, skipped the step, and realized I actually enjoyed having a simpler routine without the extra step involved.
So I just… never started doing them again.
I still think green tea rinses can be beneficial, especially if you deal with excessive shedding, but at this point, my hair regimen feels easier and more manageable without them.
A lot of us did.
The goal behind air drying is usually to avoid heat damage, which sounds great in theory. But for my hair, air drying ended up causing more problems than it solved.
Whenever I tried to fully air-dry my hair, it would literally take all day and sometimes even overnight for my hair to dry completely.
Not only was that inconvenient, but my hair would often end up feeling dry, puffy, and frizzy afterward.
There were even nights when I went to bed with damp hair, which I now know wasn’t the best idea either.
Over time, I realized prolonged wetness just didn’t work well for my hair. My strands became harder to keep moisturized, and I experienced more breakage.
I also dealt with increased frizz, which can happen because excess water exposure causes swelling of the hair shaft and can lead to cuticle damage over time.
Now I prefer just using heat to dry my hair.
Usually, that means roller setting under a hooded dryer or using a blow dryer when needed.
For me, controlled heat works much better than sitting around with wet hair for hours.
I would dilute the apple cider vinegar with water so the mixture was about one part vinegar to two parts water. Then, apply the rinse after washing my hair.
There are quite a few benefits associated with apple cider vinegar rinses, including:
When I used these rinses, my hair usually did feel smoother afterward.
But eventually I stopped doing apple cider vinegar rinses for the same reason I stopped doing tea rinses: it became another extra step in my routine.
Even though I liked the results, I realized I wasn’t noticing a major negative difference in my hair once I stopped doing them.
These are intense protein treatments designed to strengthen severely damaged hair by coating the strands with protein and helping restore structure and elasticity.
The most popular at-home version is probably the Aphogee Two-Step Protein Treatment.
I used that treatment for years, especially around relaxer touch-up time.
Whenever I used it, my hair would immediately feel stronger and sometimes even heavier afterward. My hair also looked smoother and healthier overall.
But eventually I stopped doing hard protein treatments regularly.
Part of the reason was probably that my hair no longer needed such an intense treatment as often as it once did. Over time, my hair health improved, and I wasn’t dealing with the same level of damage anymore.
The process itself also became something I no longer wanted to deal with.
Applying the treatment was messy because it was sprayed onto my damp, freshly washed hair. I had to be extremely careful while it hardened on my hair, and the entire process just felt like a lot of work.
Once the treatment dried, it made my hair very stiff and fragile until rinsed out, so I had to avoid moving my hair too much to prevent breakage.
At some point, I decided the effort simply wasn’t worth it for me anymore.
Sometimes simplifying your regimen can actually be better for your hair.
A lot of these practices helped me at one point in my hair journey, and I don’t necessarily regret doing them. But over time, my hair needs changed, and so did my routine.
And honestly, I think that’s a good thing.
Your relaxed hair regimen should evolve with you.
Since I first started seriously focusing on the health of my relaxed hair, there have been so many popular hair care trends, techniques, and “must-do” steps that everyone seemed to swear by. Some of them worked well for me at the time. Others eventually became unnecessary, too time-consuming, or just not worth the extra effort anymore.
Let’s go through several things I used to include in my relaxed hair regimen but no longer do, and why I stopped doing them.
Related read: All About Co-washing And How To Do It On Relaxed Hair
Co-washing
Co-washing is when you gently cleanse your hair using a rinse-out conditioner or cleansing conditioner instead of shampoo.The biggest reason people co-wash is to help avoid stripping moisture from the hair while still getting a light cleanse.
Years ago, I used to co-wash my hair in between wash days or even on wash day itself if my hair felt dry but not necessarily dirty.
Now? I honestly can’t remember the last time I co-washed my hair.
At this point, I don’t really feel like I need to do it anymore. My hair tends to hold moisture well between washes, and adding an extra wash day creates more manipulation than my hair really needs.
I also realized co-washing never gave me the level of cleansing my scalp and hair currently need.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that co-washing just doesn’t seem as popular as it used to be. A lot of brands that once launched cleansing conditioners or co-wash products have discontinued them, and I rarely see new ones coming out now.
Would I ever co-wash again?
Maybe.
If my hair started feeling excessively dry or I thought it could benefit from it, I’d definitely consider adding it back into my regimen.
Washing my hair in braids or twists
This was something I did mostly during long relaxer stretches.When I used to stretch my relaxers beyond 12 weeks, the amount of new growth I had made made detangling much more difficult. Washing my hair in braids or twists helped keep my hair from becoming overly tangled during wash day.
I would usually separate my hair into four or more braids or twists and secure the ends with small clips or scrunchies.
Then I’d wash my hair section by section.
Sometimes I would wash the braid itself, and other times I would take each braid down individually, wash that section, and then re-braid it before moving on.
Honestly, it really did help at the time.
But eventually it started feeling cumbersome and unnecessary because I stopped doing super long relaxer stretches.
Once I stopped stretching much beyond 12 weeks, my wash days became easier to manage without all the extra sectioning and re-braiding.
Related read: Why I Do Tea Rinses On My Relaxed Hair
Green tea hair rinses
Green tea rinses were something I did consistently for years.Tea rinses are natural hair treatments where brewed tea is used on the hair and scalp for different benefits depending on the type of tea used.
I specifically used caffeinated green tea because it can help reduce hair shedding. I also found that green tea rinses made my hair feel softer and soothed my scalp.
For about ten years, I did them off and on. Mostly on.
I would usually use the rinse after shampooing, but before deep conditioning.
Ironically, I stopped doing them completely by accident.
One wash day, I forgot to brew the tea beforehand, skipped the step, and realized I actually enjoyed having a simpler routine without the extra step involved.
So I just… never started doing them again.
I still think green tea rinses can be beneficial, especially if you deal with excessive shedding, but at this point, my hair regimen feels easier and more manageable without them.
Air drying to 50% or more dry
For the longest time, I truly believed air drying was automatically healthier for relaxed hair than using heat.A lot of us did.
The goal behind air drying is usually to avoid heat damage, which sounds great in theory. But for my hair, air drying ended up causing more problems than it solved.
Whenever I tried to fully air-dry my hair, it would literally take all day and sometimes even overnight for my hair to dry completely.
Not only was that inconvenient, but my hair would often end up feeling dry, puffy, and frizzy afterward.
There were even nights when I went to bed with damp hair, which I now know wasn’t the best idea either.
Over time, I realized prolonged wetness just didn’t work well for my hair. My strands became harder to keep moisturized, and I experienced more breakage.
I also dealt with increased frizz, which can happen because excess water exposure causes swelling of the hair shaft and can lead to cuticle damage over time.
Now I prefer just using heat to dry my hair.
Usually, that means roller setting under a hooded dryer or using a blow dryer when needed.
For me, controlled heat works much better than sitting around with wet hair for hours.
Related read: Why I Rinse My Hair With Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar rinses
Apple cider vinegar rinses were another natural treatment I used for years.I would dilute the apple cider vinegar with water so the mixture was about one part vinegar to two parts water. Then, apply the rinse after washing my hair.
There are quite a few benefits associated with apple cider vinegar rinses, including:
- Helping balance the hair’s pH
- Helping reduce scalp itching
- Removing buildup from the hair
- Smoothing the hair cuticle to help reduce frizz
When I used these rinses, my hair usually did feel smoother afterward.
But eventually I stopped doing apple cider vinegar rinses for the same reason I stopped doing tea rinses: it became another extra step in my routine.
Even though I liked the results, I realized I wasn’t noticing a major negative difference in my hair once I stopped doing them.
Hard protein treatments
Hard protein treatments used to be a major part of my regimen.These are intense protein treatments designed to strengthen severely damaged hair by coating the strands with protein and helping restore structure and elasticity.
The most popular at-home version is probably the Aphogee Two-Step Protein Treatment.
I used that treatment for years, especially around relaxer touch-up time.
Whenever I used it, my hair would immediately feel stronger and sometimes even heavier afterward. My hair also looked smoother and healthier overall.
But eventually I stopped doing hard protein treatments regularly.
Part of the reason was probably that my hair no longer needed such an intense treatment as often as it once did. Over time, my hair health improved, and I wasn’t dealing with the same level of damage anymore.
The process itself also became something I no longer wanted to deal with.
Applying the treatment was messy because it was sprayed onto my damp, freshly washed hair. I had to be extremely careful while it hardened on my hair, and the entire process just felt like a lot of work.
Once the treatment dried, it made my hair very stiff and fragile until rinsed out, so I had to avoid moving my hair too much to prevent breakage.
At some point, I decided the effort simply wasn’t worth it for me anymore.
What I learned from all of this
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that healthy, relaxed hair isn’t about doing every single trend, technique, or extra step possible.Sometimes simplifying your regimen can actually be better for your hair.
A lot of these practices helped me at one point in my hair journey, and I don’t necessarily regret doing them. But over time, my hair needs changed, and so did my routine.
And honestly, I think that’s a good thing.
Your relaxed hair regimen should evolve with you.
Shop my current hair regimen
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