What You Need to Know About: Chemical Hair Relaxers

Hair relaxers change the chemical makeup of your hair shaft, and if used incorrectly, can break or damage your hair, irritate your scalp, and even cause hair loss. It is important that you understand how different types of hair relaxers work so that you can make good decisions about the relaxer you choose.

The first hair relaxers were developed around 1910 by Garrett Augustus Morgan, who used lye, or sodium hydroxide as his active ingredient. However, lye not only straightens hair very well, it burns the skin, and damages the hair.

In the 1950’s “no-lye” relaxers began to appear on the market, using guanidine hydroxide as the straightening agent. These relaxers still contain strong chemicals and can potentially damage the scalp and hair.

A new alternative to the traditional hair relaxer, and the “no-lye” hair relaxer is the BodipHier. It is a revolutionary technique which relaxes hair and adds body without the use of lye. The active ingredient is alkaline water.  It is not as strong as lye and will not dissolve hair. The BodipHier does not make the hair "totally straight" like relaxers do. This allows the hair to look more natural, keep its texture and have more body. If heat is applied to the hair after it has been relaxed with a BodipHier, as it is with blow drying and thermal curling, hair will be straighter, softer and feel more silky.

Chemical Hair Straighteners versus the BodipHier

Chemical hair relaxers change the basic structure of the hair shaft. The chemical dissolves and penetrates the outer shell covering the hair, called the cortex or cortical layer. It breaks the internal bonds of the hair shaft. This stripping away of the outer layer of the hair shaft and breaking of the bonds weakens the hair. Once this process is performed it is irreversible.

In contrast, The Fresh Look Hair BodipHier System will not damage, break or over-process hair. Your hair will be healthier and more manageable when BodipHied. The active ingredient in the PERMANENT HAIR BODIpHIER is alkaline water, which penetrates into the hair without destroying the outer layer (the cuticle) and softens the bonds inside the hair without breaking them. Softening the bonds of hair causes the natural curl pattern to elongate or loosen, making hair straighter. After the BodipHier has been applied, hair still has texture and elasticity. It is fortified with vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and restored to its natural pH balance. When hair has been conditioned like this, it is in a much healthier state and is more capable of withstanding the stress of heat appliances.

Chemical hair straighteners are very harsh, and they can burn the scalp or the skin. Cases of chemical hair relaxer being ingested by small children have resulted in sever burns to the esophagus, mouth and face. For this reason, chemical hair strighteners should never be used on small children. Children should be teens before applying any kind of permanent hair relaxer because they are still growing, and their hormones have not finished defining what their ultimate hair type will be.

It is also very easy to “over process” already relaxed hair. This over processing usually results in hair breaking off. For this reason, chemical hair relaxers should be reapplied (only to new hair growth) after about 8 weeks.

A BodipHier is reapplied every 4 to 6 weeks as a retouch or new growth application.

The Process of Relaxing Hair

There are five basic steps that are performed during the chemical relaxing process:

1. A protective petroleum “base cream” is applied to help protect the scalp so that no chemical product comes in contact with your scalp. This cream designed to melt at body temperature and create a barrier between the straightening chemicals and the scalp.

2. Next, the relaxer chemical is applied so that it doesn’t touch any exposed skin. Stylists usually have their clients wear a smock and put a band of cotton around the hair line. The chemical is applied to unrelaxed hair only. The chemical is carefully combed through all unrelaxed hair. The relaxer is allowed to set for the specific amount of time.

3. Next the hair is rinsed with WARM water, completely removing the chemicals. The hair is then shampooed.

4. Next a neutralizer is applied to lower the pH of the hair. From the time the relaxer is applied until the neutralizer is applied, the hair's condition is extremely fragile. It should be handled very carefully so that it does not break.

5. Finally, a conditioner is applied to restore the hair’s natural oils and proteins.

In contrast, the BodipHier does not need a neutralizer. Here are the steps to applying the BodipHier:

1. Apply Permanent Hair BodipHier to the hair 1/4 of an inch from the scalp. Apply around the hairline last. For retouch application apply to the new growth hair first. After applying BodipHier let it sit on the hair for 15- 20 minutes. For retouch application apply BodipHier To previously relaxed hair after 15 minutes. Let product sit for an additional 5 minutes.

2. Rinse and Shampoo throughly with the BodipHier shampoo. A minimum of two sudsings. Towel Blot hair.

3. Apply Fresh Look BodipHier Conditioner. Leave in for 5 minutes. Rinse.

If you want your hair to be perfectly straight, you will need to blow dry and perhaps use a flat iron. First apply Hair BodipHier Blow Drying Cream sparingly. A little goes a long way. Blow Dry and Style According to Preference.

Styling Straightened Hair

Chemically straightened hair is brittle and dry. It will easily break. Usually it is best to comb with a large tooth comb. The hair must also be “deep conditioned” regularly in order to avoid breaking the hair when styling. When hair has been chemically straightened, it is also important to limit the use of blow dryers, hot combs, and curling irons. It is best not to use heat at all on chemically straightened hair.

In contrast, a BodipHier results in healthy hair which can be styled using heat appliances. It is still a good idea to daily moisturize hair, and the Fresh Look Brilliant Sheen Moisturizer has been specially formulated to help maintain moisture, sheen and body in hair that has been BodipHied.

If after reading this, you are still unsure about permanently relaxing your hair, consider asking a professional stylist you trust for an opinion. If your hair is straightened correctly, you can enjoy soft, easily managed, straighter hair for many, many years.