Let Your Hair Out – But First...

Now that October is knocking on the front door, the itch to let your hair out is undeniable. This is the time of year when most people look forward to enjoying their hair again. After months of tucking ends away and stretching wash days around a protective style, the urge is to jump straight into wear styles. But skipping a quick health check on the way out is how October starts well and ends in breakage.

The first thing to do is a stretch test. Take a wet strand and pull it gently between your fingers. Hair that stretches a little and springs back is in reasonable balance. Hair that snaps almost immediately is dry and likely brittle from months of lower maintenance and fewer wash days. Hair that stretches significantly without snapping back is over-moisturised (yes, that can happen) and needs a light protein treatment before you add more hydration. The result tells you what to address before you build a new routine on top of an existing imbalance. So, pay attention, correct and then you can be on your merry way.

Oh and check you scalp too! Under braids, a wig, or a crochet install for two or three months, the scalp has been collecting sebum and product residue with limited air circulation. Run a finger along a parting and feel what's there. Persistent itching, visible flaking under the braids, or a smell that doesn't belong are all signs that a clarifying wash needs to come before any new product goes on.

This is also the time to book a trim if you've been putting it off. Ends that have been tucked away for months often have splits that weren't visible during the protective style period. Trying to style over damaged ends in October leads to tangling and breakage and a lot of confused styling sessions. A small cut before you start protects the length you've been retaining.

If the protective style has been in for a while, give the scalp time to recover before you jump into a new style. MPL Hair Treatment 5 Oils applied directly to the scalp two to three times in the week after takedown helps restore the follicle environment after months of being covered and understimulated. Massage it in with light circular pressure to get circulation going again.

None of this takes long. The stretch test takes a minute. Checking the scalp takes another. A trim is an hour at most. But the difference between doing this before October and skipping it shows up by the third week of wear styles, when things either hold or start to fall apart.

The season is for letting your hair out. The prep is just making sure it stays that way.

Love MPL,

Your Hair Doctor