Hair Relaxing & Flat Iron Damage

Flat ironing long hair
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Q: My hair is a few inches past my shoulders and very frizzy. Every 8 to 10 months I get my hair relaxed at a local salon. The relaxing does not help all that much, but it's hard to brush my hair without it.
 
I also occasionally flat iron my hair, usually once every 3 weeks. I can't do it too often because my hair is getting damaged and breaking. I don't know what to do to get my hair straight, but healthy. Help!
 
A: One of the first things I can recommend is that you don't brush your hair as a matter of styling. For regular styling, it is always better to use a wide tooth comb. Brushing the hair too much can cause damage to the hair since the brush exerts much more tension on the hair than combing does.
 
In addition, I recommend that you make sure to use a leave-in conditioner and a smoothing serum to help keep your hair conditioned and smooth. It's important to condition your hair daily, regardless of how often you shampoo.
 
As for keeping the hair straight, your relaxer/flat ironing routine is reasonable, but given that you are seeing signs of damage, I suggest that perhaps you should get a flat iron with adjustable temperature setting, and use a lower temperature setting when flat-ironing the hair. You can also find products designed specifically for preventing damage when straightening the hair.
 
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See also:
 
Flat iron styling
 
Hair combing and brushing basics
 
How often you can use hair straighteners