Lye or No Lye? What’s the Real Truth?
Written by Samara on November 24, 2008
So you’ve decided to relax your hair or maybe your are already using a relaxer, but you are considering something that claims to be less damaging. Is there really a less damaging relaxer? Are no lye relaxers more sensitive to the scalp and hair? The honest answer to this question is a plain no. No lye relaxers only use a different chemical, i.e. calcium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide which are used in “lye” relaxers. Both types of relaxers are just as damaging because their pH balance are the same. They are both have an alkaline pH of 13 or 14 which means that they can both cause breakage and dryness and scalp irritation. There is really no difference between the two except for the type of chemical used.
No Lye relaxers are just a gimmick to make African American women think that they are getting something better when your getting merely the same thing with just different “damaging” ingredients.
The purpose of this entry is to not steer you away from using relaxers, but to understand that their is no difference between a regular relaxer and a no-lye relaxer. With that said it is totally up to what type of relaxer you want to use or if you want to relax or not. There are no less damaging, plant based, non-chemical relaxers. They all contain chemicals that serve the same purpose. To break down and alter the natural curl of African American hair to a straighter more manageable texture.
No Lye is a lie. There isn’t any difference between the two and that’s the truth!
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3 Responses to Lye or No Lye? What’s the Real Truth?
well just to thank you i tried phyto specific step 2 relaxer yesterday not only did it not burn my scalp but i made my hair feel incredibely soft and i also do not care for the milky reconstuctor. Afterward wich i used the eden peppermint hair cond and my hair felt so soft and had so much bounce thank you for the perm recomendation my hair will never see anything less than the phyto!!!!!!!
I don’t really care for the Milky Reconstructor conditioner they provide either (Phyto Review) I think if left on longer than 5 minutes it would do a better job, but I also recommend using another conditioner as well.
I did and it seemed like my sucked up the milky reconstructor and after 15 mins my hair was almost damp and not wet so i washed that out and put the eden peppermint cond in for 20 more mins under a plastic cap. This is all just temp i do plan on going natural once i am out of the military