Why You Should Never Color And Relax Your Hair On The Same Day

There's a myriad of hair trends out there and the desire to try them all at once can be tempting. After all, life is short and time is of the essence. 

A question that frequently gets asked in beauty circles is if it's okay to color and relax your hair on the same day. Is there really any harm in popping over to your favorite salon and asking them to dye your hair in a color you carefully chose so it'll make you look younger and also asking them to relax your hair when they're done coloring it?

Both coloring and relaxing are hair styling processes that involve chemical usage, and according to Behind The Chair, most stylists are apprehensive about mixing these two services on the same day. While there are some stylists who claim they've found ways to successfully offer both services to one client on the same day, this too is not recommended to all clients, as salon owner and educator Patric Bradley shared with Behind The Chair. Bradley says that he would never offer this service to a walk-in client and a first-time client. "You need to know that client's hair inside and out — no guessing," he stresses.

Why coloring and relaxing your hair at the same time is a bad idea

According to Hair Finder, the concern with doing both color and relaxing on the same day really comes down to the fact that both services make the hair more porous which prevents it from holding moisture. Hairstylist Cassandra Olivia told Behind The Chair that she doesn't like mixing relaxers with lighteners "because the relaxer breaks down the bonds of the hair and [the] lightener can cause those bonds to become even weaker causing dry and brittle hair."

Kendra Alia, another stylist, spoke with Behind The Chair and observed that the chemicals in the different hair products used for both services can damage hair texture. "If you don't understand the chemistry behind the chair, it can be harmful to your client," she shared. Like Olivia, Alia doesn't recommend mixing the services of coloring and relaxing at the same time noting "the combination of chemicals [overlapping can] cause over processing, make the hair weak and promote large amounts of breakage."

If you still really want to color and relax at the same time, can you?

You might be wondering, even though experts recommend not doing these services at the same time, can you? Technically, yes. However, repeated chemical processes will have lasting effects on your hair's health and it's important to understand that any services done on your hair will eventually cause damage. Though you might not notice the damage at first, in time, your hair will be more fragile (via Hair Finder). 

Beauty industry influencer and silk press expert John George III shares that he has mixed the two services in the past. "The results initially were great, but over time I saw how the two don't always mesh well together," he told Behind The Chair. Eventually, George spaced the two services and also "prepped the hair in between time with a protein treatment."

Cassandra Olivia explained, "if a client wants both services, I offer the relaxer [on] the first visit, and I recommend waiting at least a week to lighten the hair" (via Behind The Chair). She also says it's important to consult with the client before making treatment decisions. "The best way that I can prepare myself and a client is to do a consultation prior to [the] service . . . I customize the routine based on individual clients hair needs."

All in all, you should probably hold off on mixing these services, after all, you don't want to add to the ways you're ruining your hair.