Hair Straighter and Your Natural Hair

Have you ever noticed that most women who use hair straightening products like relaxers and perms normally have short or thin hair?  Hair relaxers have been used to straighten the hair for generations.  But many women never examine how the hair straightening process works, or even what the long term effects could be on their hair and to their health.

Most commercial hair straighters or hair 'perm', as it is widely known in the black community, contains one of two chemical agents that acts as the main ingredient that breaks down the hair shaft and allows the hair to go straight. One is Sodium Hydroxide(lye-based) and Guanidine Hydroxide(no-lye). Sodium hydroxide is considered the stronger of the two but both do the same thing...they take moisture out of the hair shaft, breaking its natural chemical bonds from curly to straight.

When the moisture has been stripped out of the hair shaft it is altered forever. It is in a weakened state and will no longer be able to retain the natural oils that protect and replenish the  hair through its natural life cycle. The hair is straightened, but suffers from being in a constant state of dryness that requires constant conditioning. This gives it the appearance of being healthy and moisturized, but normally the battle is lost and the hair becomes dry and breaks off.

The chemicals that are used in hair straighteners are also the main ingredient in many of the liquid solutions used to clear blockages in drains and sewer pipes. Guanidine Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide have very high PH levels, which means that they are highly acidic and can dissolve the hair shaft completely within 20 minutes of use.

The FDA banned the use of industrial cleansers that contain more than 10% content of these two chemicals because of the corrosive damage that was being done to the pipes. If left on the hair shaft for longer the 15-20 minutes it will actually dissolve the hair shaft completely.

If these main ingredients are this powerful to be able to corrode the inside of your pipes, what is it doing to your scalp and your brain?

So the next time your hairdresser suggests that you need that sexy new celebrity hair cut after having a relaxer, you may want to take the time to examine whether or not your hair and your head, has had enough. 

*If you are at a point where you are considering leaving the hair relaxer alone, I would suggest reading Tulani Kinard's 'No Lye' , and another great read is Pamela Ferrel's book Let's Talk Hair: Every Black Woman's Personal Consultation for Healthy Growing Hair . Much of the subject matter for this article was derived from these sources.