Hair relaxers have been around for many decades and have been the first choice for many African women when it came to finding an easier way of managing their hair. This process can be stressful and damaging to your hair, so you need to be very careful when choosing kind of relaxer to choose.

Hair relaxers work by altering the bonds of the very curly hair and so, making it less tangled and straighter. It is a chemical process that can weaken hair and make it vulnerable to breakage. Despite this, many ethnic women continue to use hair relaxers so that they can achieve straighter hair that is easier to comb and style.

Fortunately, many advancements have been made with regards to hair relaxers. They are not as dangerous for your hair and scalp as they used to be. However, there are still some risks that come with using hair relaxers and this is why you should consult a professional when it comes to them.

At the moment, the two most popular types of relaxers on the market are lye and no-lye relaxers. They both promise to give you flowing straight hair, but it can get confusing deciding which one would best suit you. So, let’s see what the difference is between lye and no-lye relaxer.

Relaxers, in general contain a pH of between 9 and 14. The higher pH of between 11 and 14 is found in ‘’super strength’’ lye relaxers and a lower pH of between 9 and 10 is found in more gentle no-lye relaxers. The no-lye relaxers also promise to be gentler on your scalp and not burn it as much as the lye relaxers.

It may seem obvious that a no-lye relaxer would be the automatic choice when it comes to hair relaxer because of the lower pH, but some women may still choose the lye relaxer because it is a more effective relaxer. Those with very course hair may need a stronger relaxer to help them achieve the straight hair look that they want.

A lye relaxer is very strong and so, works very quickly when you apply it. It is recommended that a professional hairstylist applies lye relaxers because they can apply it quickly and evenly around your head and then rinse it out before it causes any damage but after it has done its job of straightening your hair.

No-lye relaxers, on the other hand are very gentle, but may not do a good job of straightening course hair. Also, no-lye relaxers tend to weaken individual strands of hair and so, can make it vulnerable to breakage.

Basically, lye relaxers are gentler on the actual strands of hair, but can cause scalp burns, while no-lye relaxers are more gentle on the scalp, but cause damage on the hair strands.

There are pros and cons to using either lye or no-lye relaxers. It is thereforeup to you to decide which one would best suit your hair. The advice of a professional hairstylist would come in handy at this point. Also, you should avoid changing relaxers frequently and unnecessarily. If one relaxer is not working out for you, you should wait a few weeks until new hair growth has emerged, before trying a new relaxer.

Article by Sharon Kariwo