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Relaxing Curly Hair
Relaxers are a great way to work fresh, young, and modern. They can straighten your hair completely or,
by using less chemical strength, give you a softer, more manageable, wavy or curly style. Both ways increase your options in terms of haircuts you can go for.
Keep in mind that this process permanently alters the composition of your hair in terms of its shape
(into a straighter or softer curl than is natural) and also its health ( hair normally becomes drier than normal). For a relaxer, the most common active chemical ingredient is sodium hydroxide. The chemical process is a strong
one and breaks the structure of your hair bonds into a straighter shape.
The process of relaxing your hair smoothes and flattens the hair into a much straighter shape and style,
or totally straight if you use enough strength. Relaxers have improved over the years so that they no longer make the hair ultra dry and brittle. Because of this, it is becoming an increasingly popular salon service.
It's a safe process for most hair types and it improves your hair's feel, softness and shine, leaving it
completely manageable. More and more curlies are interested in this technique and frequently ask
what it can and can't do, how safe it is and many more questions pertaining to the technique.
Relaxers Q & A
How much does relaxing cost?
Relaxing your hair is a time consuming specialty process. It takes 2-3 hours and during that time, your stylist should be totally consumed with processing your hair, but the results save you hours of blow-dry styling. Because of all that, expect to pay anywhere from $85 to $200, depending on how much hair your need relaxed. A retouch will cost you a lot less that the first time you get it done.
How do Relaxers work?
A good relaxer stylist gives your hair a deep conditioning treatment to add strength and vitality along with a relaxer that safely and effectively re-forms the structural bonds within the hair shaft. This re-formation allows the hair's curl or frizz patterns to be restructured into a totally straight look. Once these structural bonds are relaxed, the stylist uses heat to permanently fix this new straightened structure into place.
Chemicals cause damage in the hair shaft. Will a relaxer cause damage to my hair?
If you go to an experienced professional, you'll get a thorough consultation to determine if your hair is in suitable condition for a relaxing process. If your hair is healthy, there should be no problems. On the other hand, if your hair is fine, weak, or over processed, there is risk of breakage.
A good stylist will recommend a course of deep conditioning and/or protein-rich, keratin-based treatments to toughen up your hair before having it relaxed. a relaxer does need the right aftercare, but nowadays the process is designed to leave hair soft and manageable