Biracial Hair Care Tips

There is a myth that no-lye relaxers take all the worry out of straightening the hair. Pardon the pun, but that’s a lie (lye). No-lye relaxers are more gentle on the scalp. But, more gentle is relative. No lye relaxers are not without their risks. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has received complaints of scalp irritation from no-lye relaxers as well as lye relaxers. The same safety precautions apply to both lye and no-lye relaxers. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide as the active ingredient. With no-lye relaxers, calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate are mixed to produce guanidine hydroxide. It’s the hydroxide that makes the relaxer reactive (basic) and the way they work is the same. Both work by being highly alkaline and breaking the bonds in the hair. In fact, many people have reported no-lye relaxers leave their hair more dull and have gone back to lye relaxers. And some beauticians actually recommend against no-lye relaxers. If you’re having problems with scalp irritation using a lye relaxer, you might want to try a no-lye relaxer. But, don’t believe that it’s somehow more healthy for your hair.