How Long Should You Wait to Relax Bleached Hair? [Top 3 Relaxers]

We all love changes and we love experimenting with our hair. If you have ever envied the warm honey shades of Beyonce’s hair, you know we cannot avoid these chemical treatments forever.

But we have also seen the doomed video of Influencer Lori Faith’s bleached hair falling out after using a relaxer. And those videos have created more doubts than ever about using relaxers on bleached hair.

So that brings us to the million-dollar question: Is it safe to use a relaxer on bleach hair? Can’t we have both silky and straight, and colored hair at the same time?

Read on to know what our experts have to say on the subject.

Can you use a relaxer on bleached hair?

And the answer is YES, you can use relaxers on bleached hair, provided your hair is healthy and not fragile.

While using a relaxer on healthy and untreated hair is completely safe and is very popular, there are several doubts and misinformation about using a relaxer on bleached hair.

The reason for this cautionary advice is that both relaxing and bleaching the hair are strong chemical treatments that alter the natural texture of your hair.

And your hair might need some extra care and conditioning to regain its natural sheen and strength between the treatments.

How long should you wait to relax bleached hair?

Most salons prefer to wait about 10-15 days between the appointments for bleaching and relaxing treatments.

But honestly, the length of the waiting time between the treatments is not as important as the condition of the hair after the bleaching treatment.

The recovery time of the hair cuticles would vary from person to person and can not be covered with a blanket period.

And if you are not able to visually confirm that the healthiness and strength of the hair by seeing it, you should always perform a patch test before you start with the treatment.

You can take a bunch of bleached hair strands from the person and drop them into the relaxer solution and check its state from time to time to monitor the process.

DO NOT proceed with the relaxing process unless you are happy with the end result. This might prevent some catastrophic damage to your hair.

What happens if you relax and bleach the hair on the same day?

Most stylists are wary about scheduling relaxers and bleaching/lightening on the same day because of the risks involved.

Relaxers and bleaches are two chemical services that are very different from each other. The chemicals in the lighteners or bleaches make the bonds weaker and more brittle to enable the color change.

The chemicals in the usual relaxers break down the bonds of the hair to make hair less kinky/curly and less prone to frizz. These two chemicals can together damage the hair bonds and the scalp if they were not applied correctly.

And when they are used together they can over-process the hair and cause extreme breakage and promote hair fall.

That is why most professionals recommend having a good waiting period before using relaxers on bleached hair.

How to care for bleached relaxed hair?

Chemical straightening and bleaching leave your hair more fragile than before and susceptible to more breakage and hair fall. That doesn’t mean you cannot have the best of worlds.

But that also means you have to take extra care in helping your bleached hair to stay healthy after using relaxers.

Following these steps will help to make sure each strand will stay as healthy as possible.

• The first step would be to ensure you use a sulfate-free shampoo, which strips of natural oils and moisture from the hair.
• Next ensure you go for a deep conditioning regime weekly once, to keep your mane as hydrated and moisturized as possible.
• You can add a protein treatment every two weeks, and especially before you relax your bleached hair.

Take extra care of your roots which are usually more vulnerable to split ends after chemical treatments, and trim them off regularly. If you’re struggling with frizz after the chemical process, check out how to fix frizzy permed hair for targeted solutions to maintain your smooth style.

Top 3 Relaxers for Bleached Hair

Here are our top three picks for chemical relaxers that are perfect for bleached and color-treated hair.

1. Softsheen-Carson Dark and Lovely Healthy Gloss 5 Moisturizing No-Lye Relaxer with Shea Butter

This Dark and Lovely No-Lye Relaxer with Shea Butter from Softsheen-Carson is designed specifically for consumers of African descent.

This no-lye relaxer focuses on 5 vital signs of healthy hair – volume, shine, moisture, strength, and softness and works hard to restore them after relaxing your hair. And this formula is built especially for color-treated and bleached hair.

Bleached and color-treated hair needs all the protection it can get after relaxing treatment, especially when the hair bonds are fragile. And this relaxer comes up with a six-step treatment to do just that.

The Dark and Lovely No-Lye Relaxer is fortified with shea butter to ensure you have a soft and shiny bounce to your relaxed hair.

The Optimum Care comes with a kit that includes Healthy-Gloss 5 Moisture Hair Crème, Healthy-Gloss 5 Moisture Conditioner & our exclusive Silk Keratin Serum for softness & body. Do not skip any of the steps specified in the leaflet to get the best out of the product.

The kit ensures your bleached hair is properly nourished and conditioned before and after relaxing your hair, providing you a salon finish right at your home, with 90% less breakage.

2. Revlon Professional Relaxer Super Conditioning Cream

This professional-grade conditioning relaxer is one of the favorites of professional hairstylists all over the world, especially for kinky and African hair.

Made by Revlon, this relaxer straightens your thick, coarse, and bleached hair evenly and makes it more manageable on a daily basis. And perfect for bleached and color-treated hairs as it does not strip out the colors of the hair strands.

The product comes with a conditioner base and it is convenient to apply, without having to mix with an activator. Say no to messiness during mixing as it comes as “ready to apply”.

The conditioning relaxer also works fast, even on coarse hair it hardly takes more than 18 minutes. You can do a patch test before you apply to your entire hair, to work out how long it will take for your hair type.

The relaxer is durable and lasts for about 6-8 weeks. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully, as you would do for any chemical hair treatment, to get the best results.

Perfect product for shiny, silky hair that is healthy even after bleach and color treatment. Must buy!

3. Design Essentials Conditioning Relaxer Regular 4lb

This conditioning relaxer by Design essentials, with Olive oil and Shea butter, helps you keep your mane nourished and conditioned on regular usage.

The product is fortified with HydraStrength Vitamin & Protein Complex to strengthen your hair strands and minimizing breakage.

Design Essentials Regular Conditioning Relaxer is strong and perfect for even kinky and coarse hair and it straightens and relaxes hair evenly. And it is one of the best relaxers for bleached hair because of its conditioning effect.

The relaxer is easy to apply due to its creamy consistency and thus coating your hair evenly and quickly. This ensures you don’t miss out on some strands while applying.

Another great feature of the product is that it washes out quickly and thus reducing the greasy feeling after usage.

The conditioning relaxer with Olive Oil and Shea Butter moisturizes and hydrates your hair from inside and coats your hair with a shiny gloss.

And thus, it works to keep your hair strands healthy and shiny, be it bleached or resistant coarse hair. Use this relaxer on your bleached hair for a silky, shiny, and luxurious effect.

Final Comments:

All that said, it all boils down to your choice of products and stylists and the health of your hair. You can definitely use relaxers on your bleached hair if you use the right products and techniques without spoiling the health and shine of your hair.

Just like everything else in your life, your hair also needs some care and love, especially when it undergoes any chemical treatments. For those wondering about timing between different chemical processes, check out how long you should wait to relax your hair after coloring to ensure you’re giving your hair enough recovery time between services. If you’re considering options for achieving straighter hair, permanent hair straightening is another alternative worth exploring.