Are Lye Relaxers Really Better for Hair

Are lye relaxers better for the hair?

  • Yes

    Votes: 34 75.6%

  • No

    Votes: 11 24.4%
  • Total voters
    45
  • Poll closed .
vtoodler

vtoodler

New Member
I read somewhere that lye relaxers are much better for the hair (not scalp) than no-lye relaxers.

Is that true? If so, why?

Has anyone switched between a lye and no-lye relaxer? If you did, what sort of changes did you notice?
 
I've read that in lye relaxers the sodium hydroxide doesn't break certain bonds leaving hair that is not as straight and less damaged. the no lye relaxers (potassium hydroxide etc) break more bonds in your hair causing a straighter strand but more damage to the follicle. I remember using no lye relaxers and my hair going bone straight way before the recommended time. I'm not 100% sure if thats correct though, I will have to find the link.
 
from what i understand no lye relaxers are much more drying to the hair.

of course, every head is different and not everyone experiences that effect.
 
havilland said:
from what i understand no lye relaxers are much more drying to the hair.

of course, every head is different and not everyone experiences that effect.
Click to expand...
^^^ That was my experience. When I joined the forum I was using no lye relaxers. I also had a bit of color in my hair. That combined with poor habits lead to dry crunchy hair. Plus I never liked bone straight hair:nono:. After reading and learning more about haircare I changed to lye relaxers. The difference for me was huge! It would still be several months of trial and error b/f I got the whole moisture balance / protein thing down. That lead to tex-laxing and finally no chemicals at all. IMO, my hair was not straighter w/ the lye relaxer but it def was healthier overall (far less breakage and splits):yep:.
 
I'm not relaxed right now but headed in that direction. When I left my hometown, my stylist stressed to me to never let anyone use a no-lye relaxer. He told me that they were very drying & would surely break off my crown, which is extremely dry.
 
I agree with the drying effect people have mentioned. My hair was always extremely dry, now that I've been using no lye I don't have that prob...
 
There's definitely been a difference for me. I used ORS no-lye for about 2 years before I switched to their lye version. I relax every 8-10 weeks and I always experienced major shedding after 5 weeks with no-lye. Since switching, my hair is not as dry and I have no major shedding. I could probably stretch past 10 weeks now, but I chose not too. My hair is much healthier now!
 
I may be the only relaxed head that responds to no lye relaxers way better than lye. I switched to lye after years of using no lye and I ruined my hair and scalp! I went back to no lye right before my HHJ last year and use silken child and I have retained all my length and my dandruff issue is extinct! Lesson learned is that I'm part of the small % that do better with no lye. No dryness at all. So be careful thinking that lye relaxers are for everyone cause they are not!
 
^^^I'm a part of the same minority. Tried lye, didn't work so I had to stick with what works. I don't suffer any dryness at all.
 
bebezazueta said:
I may be the only relaxed head that responds to no lye relaxers way better than lye. I switched to lye after years of using no lye and I ruined my hair and scalp! I went back to no lye right before my HHJ last year and use silken child and I have retained all my length and my dandruff issue is extinct! Lesson learned is that I'm part of the small % that do better with no lye. No dryness at all. So be careful thinking that lye relaxers are for everyone cause they are not!
Click to expand...

I Agree. I had to switch back to No-Lye.:ohwell:

I feel with Chelating, Moisture/Protein Balancing, I will have no problem with No-Lye Relaxers.:yep:

With Lye, I was always severely underprocessed. NG was hard to manage and was loc'ing & knotting all over the place.:nono:

Cream Tee said:
^^^I'm a part of the same minority. Tried lye, didn't work so I had to stick with what works. I don't suffer any dryness at all.
Click to expand...

Me Too.:yep:
 
No-Lye Relaxers seal hair strands closed, which makes it close to impossible for conditioners and other hair aids to penetrate the hair shaft. This also allows the hair to become straighter for a longer period of time. Lye relaxers do not seal the hair shaft and are therefore healthier... but it's also harder to get bone straight hair with a lye relaxer. As a texlaxer who is not at all interested in bone straight hair, I use a lye relaxer.
 
lye is (supposedly) harder on the scalp, easier on the hair; no-lye is (supposedly) easier on the scalp, harder on the hair.

my hair was dry with both lye and no-lye; i now know it was/is the hard tap water. i just use a chelateing (sp) shampoo. it may also be my diet. idk.

i switched from lye to no-lye. i was tired of burned scalp, and hair i had to straighten with heat. i just wanted staight hair, and a simple wash-set routine.

i have not noticed any problems with the switch, and i even corrected the lye parts with no-lye. keep up your protein and moisture, of course.

good luck
 
Mini mimi said:
lye is (supposedly) harder on the scalp, easier on the hair; no-lye is (supposedly) easier on the scalp, harder on the hair.

my hair was dry with both lye and no-lye; i now know it was/is the hard tap water. i just use a chelateing (sp) shampoo. it may also be my diet. idk.

i switched from lye to no-lye. i was tired of burned scalp, and hair i had to straighten with heat. i just wanted staight hair, and a simple wash-set routine.

i have not noticed any problems with the switch, and i even corrected the lye parts with no-lye. keep up your protein and moisture, of course.

good luck
Click to expand...

@Mini mimi

I had to do this too.:blush: Really glad I made the switch too.:yep:

I think with a solid regimen & proper chelating (as necessary) things should be alright.
 
i'm not relaxed, and i never used a no-lye relaxer, but i always thought no-lye made your hair less straight than lye...you learn something new everyday...
 
The lye relaxer was too harsh for my scalp (I burned almost every time and my scalp was sore) and it left me underprocessed. I'm very happy with my no-lye. Once I learned how to properly care for my hair (chelating, moisture/protein balance), I no longer experienced the dryness. My hair is healthy and I have no problem retaining length.

I will not be switching back to lye.
 
Lye relaxers were far to strong for my hair. I learned the hard way too. My scalp0 burned, I was under processed and this dried my scalp to the point that i had to see a dermatologist. I dreded my touch ups :nono:
 
Thank God, I never 'burned' using Lye, the Results were always sub-par.

The Underprocessing and the loc'ing & knotting was just too much to deal with.:nono:
 
Smiley82 said:
No-Lye Relaxers seal hair strands closed, which makes it close to impossible for conditioners and other hair aids to penetrate the hair shaft. This also allows the hair to become straighter for a longer period of time. Lye relaxers do not seal the hair shaft and are therefore healthier... but it's also harder to get bone straight hair with a lye relaxer. As a texlaxer who is not at all interested in bone straight hair, I use a lye relaxer.
Click to expand...


I'm wondering where you got this information. I couldn't find it on Dr. Ali Sayed's website but might have missed it:

http://www.dralisyed.com/

What he says about relaxers in general is that the cuticle swells with the application of the relaxer at 13.0 ph to roughly 60-80% larger, opening up the cuticle and with rinse and neutralizing shampoo, it's open about 30%...so these two stages are the best for getting a polymer protein deep into the cortex of the hair. When the hair is neutralized and conditioned...the cuticle closes. No-lye relaxers do not seal the cuticles closed, according to the information I viewed. Where did you get that info, if I might ask?
 
Volver_Alma_Gitana said:
I'm wondering where you got this information. I couldn't find it on Dr. Ali Sayed's website but might have missed it:

http://www.dralisyed.com/

What he says about relaxers in general is that the cuticle swells with the application of the relaxer at 13.0 ph to roughly 60-80% larger, opening up the cuticle and with rinse and neutralizing shampoo, it's open about 30%...so these two stages are the best for getting a polymer protein deep into the cortex of the hair. When the hair is neutralized and conditioned...the cuticle closes. No-lye relaxers do not seal the cuticles closed, according to the information I viewed. Where did you get that info, if I might ask?
Click to expand...

Long story short, I was natural for many, many years. Before deciding to texlax, I did a ton of research. I did not take relaxing again lightly. In my research I found that lithium and potassium hydroxide (no-lye relaxers) leave behind mineral & calcium deposits, which block (basically seal) the hair shaft. This makes it very hard for nutrients and hair aids to be absorbed. Please forgive me for being too lazy too look this information up again for you. I've already done my research for my own purposes & this basic information has become common knowledge for me. If the dr that you are quoting has published everything there is to know about no-lye relaxers, then that information should definitely be a part of his publication. If not then, if you are open to other sources, feel free to look it up.

Aside from the science, I've experienced personally that my hair is softer and less brittle with a lye relaxer. Before I was natural, I used no-lye relaxers. My no-lye relaxed hair was very dry, dull, & had no body. It was lifeless.
 
Smiley82 said:

Long story short, I was natural for many, many years. Before deciding to texlax, I did a ton of research. I did not take relaxing again lightly. In my research I found that lithium and potassium hydroxide (no-lye relaxers) leave behind mineral & calcium deposits, which block (basically seal) the hair shaft. This makes it very hard for nutrients and hair aids to be absorbed. Please forgive me for being too lazy too look this information up again for you. I've already done my research for my own purposes & this basic information has become common knowledge for me. If the dr that you are quoting has published everything there is to know about no-lye relaxers, then that information should definitely be a part of his publication. If not, then if you open to other sources, feel free to look it up.

Aside from the science, I've experienced personally that my hair is softer and less brittle with a lye relaxer. Before I was natural, I used no-lye relaxers. My no-lye relaxed hair was very dry & dull.
Click to expand...
Did you chelate/clarify?
I'm a fan of lye, but I've heard so many ppl say that the problems w no lye were easily fixed by doing that. Just wondering..
 
afjhnsn said:
Did you chelate/clarify?
I'm a fan of lye, but I've heard so many ppl say that the problems w no lye were easily fixed by doing that. Just wondering..
Click to expand...

Back when I was using a no-lye relaxer I wasn't even aware of what it was doing to my hair. Now, as a texlaxer, I have absolutely no interest in using a no lye relaxer, so I don't know. This question would be better posed to someone who is currently using no-lye relaxers.


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
 
afjhnsn said:
Did you chelate/clarify?
I'm a fan of lye, but I've heard so many ppl say that the problems w no lye were easily fixed by doing that. Just wondering..
Click to expand...


Yes by chelating regularly you quickly solve the 'dryness' issue. In actual fact even before I started chelating my dryness was fixed I was getting regular moisture through my DC, but I will always chelate.
 
No-lye ladies, how often do you use chelating poo? Have you had to change your regimens in any other ways since making the switch?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
What makes lye relaxers better for the hair?
Replies
12
Views
2K
CrownnGlori
CrownnGlori
skegeesmb
Lye Relaxers -vs- No Lye
Replies
29
Views
7K
Champagne_Wishes
Champagne_Wishes
vtoodler
More Tangling with Lye Relaxers?
Replies
11
Views
2K
Saludable84
S
Z
Is Mizani Butter Blends Sensitive Scalp Lye or No-Lye?
Replies
11
Views
16K
pink219
pink219
myronnie
My new theory on NO-LYE VS LYE RELAXERS
2
Replies
51
Views
28K
Solitude
S
Back
Top