Alopecia

Is it True That Relaxers Affect Your Hair?

16:27

Most of us love to have straight, long hair. And now, with the plethora of beauty parlors, the curly haired girls can easily straighten their hair. Yes, it looks stunning and you can wear up any hairdo with it. But, is it all? Are they really safe to use? Of course, not. The relaxers used to soften or straighten the hair contain certain harmful chemicals which may cause scalp damage, scalp irritation, hair loss, and split ends. 




The FDA lists hair dyes and hair straighteners among its top customer complaint section. Yet, you can still get the relaxer at almost any store in your locality. Moreover, the sellers sell these products without much instruction. 

There are three types of hair relaxers:

  1. Thioglycolate Acid
  2. Hydroxide
  3. Ammonia Thioglycolate
The first two are manufactured to alter the natural curl or wave pattern of the hair shaft. It makes the changes by changing the chemical structure of the hair. The third type is very popular and consists of Thioglycolic acid as everlasting wave solutions. It acts as a reducing agent. The acid is then combined with ammonia to raise the pH of the lotion or the cream. It then softens the cuticle layer and enters the cortex to interfere in the ongoing chemical changes. Once inside, the chemicals quickly break the bonds to make the hair smooth. The hair is wrapped around rollers to enhance the effect.

Within a few minutes, a new chemical composition is formed in the hair shaft. The new found position of the hair shaft is hold with an oxidizing solution. This is known as curly perm. A moisturizer is used constantly to retain the hair shafts’ health. You should use the moisturizer to prevent dull and brittle hair. 

Today, the owners mix strong conditioners in the cream while applying a thio relaxer to stop the hair from drying and breaking. You must have noticed that curly hair when straightened looks oval while straight hair is round. On the other hand, kinky hair becomes light and flat.As for instance, each time you run a scissor on a decorative ribbon, a mark is left on it. When the process goes on, the ribbon becomes curly. Similarly, each time the scissor runs on the kinky hair, it gets weakened. So, the kinky hair needs more maintenance than straight or curly hair.

Our skin has four to five layers. The relaxers strip away the first layer- stratum corneum and damage the scalp. Therefore, while applying a relaxer, you must protect your scalp to prevent it from getting damaged. Based on your body’s temperature, the heat present in the product will go deep inside the hair follicle. It may lead to burns or irritations, dermatitis and eventually your hairs will fall out. Too much use of relaxers can cause widespread hair loss known as scarring alopecia.

The next time you use a relaxer, make sure that your scalp is protected. Before applying it, properly understand the process. Take in the proper application of the product to get your long craved straight hair with minimal damage.

You Might Also Like

0 comments