CAN YOU USE RELAXERS IF YOU HAVE DANDRUFF?

If you have curly or coiled hair, you may be tempted to use a chemical relaxer to straighten things out. But beware if you have dandruff as well.

Chemical relaxers can be a fantastic way for people with curly or coiled hair to get a straighter look. But if you have dandruff at the same time, they can spell disaster.

Dandruff and relaxers

Dandruff is caused by skin irritation, from the Malassezia globosa microbe. It causes damage to the scalp that makes the skin weaker, so it’s less effective at keeping “good stuff” in (like moisture & nutrients), and keeping “bad stuff” out (like irritating chemicals).

While normally dandruff irritation is simple to treat, relaxers could make the problem much worse.

Chemical relaxers necessarily use strong chemicals to straighten stubborn curls. They do this by breaking protein bonds in the hair. The problem is that these chemicals are notorious for causing skin irritation.

If your skin is already weakened by dandruff, you could be even more vulnerable to irritation from relaxers.

Likewise, irritation from a relaxer could weaken your scalp, and make you more prone to dandruff. So, what’s the curly haired girl (or boy) to do?

First things first

If you have both curly hair and dandruff, it’s important to get your priorities straight. That means tackling your dandruff before you try a relaxer.

A good dandruff shampoo, if used regularly, could get rid of the symptoms of dandruff in as little as two weeks.¹

Once your head is clear of flakes and no longer itchy, you are ready to flaunt your straight hairstyle.

Just make sure you keep up the maintenance with a product designed to help keep your hair and scalp moisturized and better protected from the harsh relaxer chemicals.

¹ visible flakes