The Do’s and Don’ts of Hair Relaxers
Hair relaxers are a chemical treatment that is used to straighten curly or kinky
hair. Natural African hair is coarse dense and hard to work with without these vitally
important chemical treatments. They work by breaking down the protein bonds in the
hair, which allows the hair to be reshaped and straightened. Hair relaxers have been
used for decades in our community and are a popular choice for those who want to
achieve a straight and sleek look. Hair relaxer has revolutionized the way our people
style their hair. It is a popular choice for people who want to straighten their hair without
using heat styling tools. In this essay, we will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of
using hair relaxer.
One of the main benefits of using hair relaxer is that it can make styling hair easier.
People who have naturally curly or wavy hair often find it difficult to style their hair in a
way that they like. Hair relaxer can make hair easier to manage and style, which can
save time and effort. Hair relaxer can also reduce frizz and make hair look shinier and
healthier. At the end of the day without the miracle of hair relaxer most of our cultural
hair styles would be impossible due to our DNA of naturally thick, coarse and hard to
work with hair that our culture has had to fight with for thousands of years until today.
Once applied it is a night and day difference. It is truly amazing that this can neutralize
the craziness of our hair without turning it radioactive green or having your entire scalp
fall out which some of our people opt for since they probably don’t have time to deal
with it and it would be easier just to be bald and call it a day. One prominent actress
from our community in the popular “Black Panther” movie series recently showcased to
Hollywood how sexy and beautiful the bald look can be. If you haven’t noticed in
Hollywood behind the silver screen the actresses from our culture with complex hair
styles like extensions or braids must take this step-in application before they get scene
by the professional hair stylists to do the finishing touches. Hair shouldn’t be this
complicated right? Hair relaxers really are a miracle product saving us time and
frustration once applied.
However, there are also some drawbacks to using hair relaxer. One of the biggest
issues with relaxer is that some can contain harmful chemicals. Some of these
chemicals have been shown to cause breakage and damage to the follicle. In my
experience I have used several different brands and the ones containing lye are a hard
stop in my opinion. Nobody wants to be in the shower and have your hair fall out from
chemicals burning you just because you wanted to install hair extensions or get braids
done.
Hair relaxers are available in two different types: lye and no-lye. Lye relaxers are more
alkaline than no-lye relaxers and can be harsh on the scalp and hair. No-lye relaxers
are less alkaline and gentler on the hair and scalp. While everyone’s hair is different the
reaction to the ones with lye are more chemical in nature and the products without lye
are more subtle and gentler while in use. Thankfully the majority of the products you find
in your local grocery store for the most part is classified as “no-lye”. In my own
experience anything containing sodium hydroxide in the form of a “lye” relaxer causes
major breakage and seems to do more damage than good. The worst thing that could
happen to a woman is you go through all the time and effort of applying a never used
product and suddenly you realize your hair is falling out and your appointment is the
next day, spoken from a true experience of mine.
In closing, unfortunately there have been several times where a day has been ruined by
lye-based relaxers. Unfortunately, it is too easy for women to mistakenly pick the wrong
product as the fine print is deceptively written in too small of a font for you to notice. All
to common is the scenario of a husband being sent to Wal-Mart because his wife is
busy and distracted, the husband buys the wrong box, and you don’t check and several
hours later you discover the horror of chunks of hair going down your drain. I advise you
not to make the same mistake that have been made by women in the past. If you are
going to take a leap of faith and try a new brand, don’t wait until the day before your
appointment to test the product and always test on a small area before going into a full
application to make sure you don’t have a negative reaction.