A hair relaxer is a hair care product applied on curly hair to make them straight. Hair relaxer is used by People who desire to straighten their naturally curly hair without using hot combs or pressing irons. Hair Relaxer contains various chemical stuffs thus it has many side effects.

Lye and no lye are the types of hair relaxers. Lye relaxers hold the chemical sodium hydroxide while no-lye relaxers hold the chemical guanidine hydroxide. Both of these formula act to soften the hair and alter its natural structure to a straighter form. It includes many chemical substances, which break up the protein construction of the hair follicles and realign them to make straight the hair. These products contain lye or sodium hydroxide so if the people use these products regularly then hair relaxer side effects are observed. Hair grows quickly so once you apply hair relaxer; you have to regularly apply it on new hair growth to match the chemically relaxed hair. Classically this is done every six to eight weeks.

The process of Hair Relaxer includes applying a cream or lotion on the hair to be relaxed and allowing it to sit in place for a set period of time. After applying it, be sure that you should wash out your hair after the appropriate amount of time. Relaxer chemicals generally strip the hair of an important portion of its natural oils therefore neutralizing shampoo is used afterward. You should also apply moisturizing conditioner to reinstate moisture, balance and shine.

Tips of using Hair Relaxer

• Hair relaxing should be done by experienced professional stylist, do not try to use this at your home.
• If there are minor cuts and wounds in the scalp then Hair relaxer should be avoided. For this reason, do not try to comb the hair too much prior to hair relaxing.
• Apply special kind of base cream before relaxing the hair. This will lessen the touch of the chemicals with the scalp skin.
• After wash out the hair relaxer, use the neutralizer to bring down the pH level and decrease the chances of hair breakage.
• Harsh chemicals of hair dye and swimming pools should be avoided on relaxed hair.
• Between two consecutive applications of hair relaxers, there should always be a gap of six to eight weeks.

Side effects of hair relaxer

People go for hair relaxing as it has properties to straighten excessively curly and wavy hair strands. But it has the following side effects.

Burns on Scalp:

When the hair relaxers chemicals come in touch with the scalp skin, it may result in burns and irritation on the scalp surface. If some chemical burns then become red, tickly skin rash may emerge on the scalp. Thus care should be taken when you apply the hair relaxer.

Dryness of Hair:

The chemicals strip off the natural oils and humidity from the hair during the relaxing treatment. They also annihilate the natural proteins of the hair. So your hair becomes dry. If the treatment is followed by deep conditioning of the hair, this side effect is avoided. Hot oil treatments and application of hair masks are helpful for hydrating the hair.

Breakage of hair:

During the hair relaxer process, the chemical remains in your hair for at least 30 minutes. Lye strips the hair of amino acids and moisture that can burn or break the hair ray.

Hair Damage:

In the hair relaxer process, oils and essential proteins of the hair are destroyed. The natural properties of the hair strands get unfavorably pretentious that make them vulnerable to breakage. After using hair relaxers, some people may experience rough hair and hair loss problem. These types of damages are more observed in those people who utilize hair relaxers frequently.

Other Serious Side Effects:

Swallowing or breathing in the chemical may cause solemn sign of breathing difficulties and drastic drops in blood pressure, to throat swelling, blood in stool and even loss of vision.

Warnings:

Persons should always follow manufacturer’s instructions before using relaxers. The chemicals should not stay on the hair for long time.

The Truth about Hair Relaxers video from youtube: