The main difference in Lye and No Lye Relaxers is the active ingredient used to straighten the hair.
Lye Relaxers active ingredient is Sodium Hydroxide.
No Lye Relaxers active ingredient is Calcium Hydroxide or Guanidine Hydroxide.
PH levels in a Lye Relaxer are about 12-14 and No Lye Relaxer is about 9-11. Our hair PH should be about 4-5. The higher PH of the Lye is supposed to make the relaxer work faster.
So what are the Pros and Cons of both type of Relaxers
Lye Relaxer
Pros
- No calcium deposits left on the hair so it's easier on the hair. So hair is silkier and easier to stay moisturized.
- Processes Faster
- Easier to texlaxed with
Cons
- Swells the cuticle more b/c of it high ph and this could lead to damage
- Harder on the scalp burning with relaxing
- Doesn't always straighten completely (under processed hair)
- Some relaxers are only available at salons
- Can be more expensive
No Lye Relaxer
Pros
- Easier on scalp less burning
- Lower PH
- Affordable and easier to find
- Straighter hair
Cons
- Leave mineral or calcium build up on hair. Which makes it difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair (Chelating Shampoo can remove deposits)
- More likely to cause breakage b/c it's harder to stay moisturized and b/c it's gentler on the scalp some may leave the relaxer on longer and this can can over processing.
In a nut shell it's about picking what will work best for you and your hair journey. If you are still unsure what would work best for you I strongly recommend discussing it with your professional stylist.
16 comments:
Hmm. Very informative. I no longer relax my hair, but this is some great information that I didn't even know! My scalp was always a bit sensitive, so I always got the no lye relaxers so I wouldn't burn as much.
Good post!!!
I didn't know that no lye made your hair straighter. For me it was the opposite.
So can you explain I more detail why you personally drivers back to no lye? I know you highlighted it in your youtube post but need muted detail about here your hair responded to both. Great post and video- thanks for sharing!
I'm glad you mentioned that Lye relaxers generally have a higher pH. I used to use lye relaxers in the past but I now use a no-lye relaxer because it has a relatively lower pH.
I wanted to try a lye relaxer. But then I remembered My hairdresser used it once and it burned so bad! I've been using a no-lye relaxer for years and it never fails me. So why change it :)
Where is the part that says y u switched
Is it safe to go back and forth between lye and no lye?
Great Review. http://www.keepitnaturalsisters.com/
This is right on time. I've been thinking about switching to lye and this post sealed the deal for me. I'm def switching over my next tu.
Nice
Very informative.
My next relaxer will be with a lye-relaxer. Im almost 24 weeks post. Cant wait to try this out.
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i had no idea about this. thanks because i always wondered!
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