Is there a time when No-Lye is better than Lye?

[Amarech]

Just curious. I switched to lye relaxer this summer. The best thing I've noticed is that my hair is not nearly as dry as it used to be when I was using no lye.

However, it does seem to be weaker. I know my hair has been through a lot over the past 5 months. Maybe what I see as weakness might be the result of my protein overload fiasco. I'm definately seeing a lot less hair in the comb when I wash......

any takers? Does lye make your hair weaker than no lye? Do I have to trade dryness for weakness? Or is the weakness the result of 2 months of protein overload?

 

[Amarech]

bumping...the board seems busy tonight and I really need some direction on this....

 

[gymfreak336]

Well it reallyd depends on your head. Some people have not had success with lye relaxers no matter the brand so they use no lye with out problems. Just as some can't use no lye with out major issues. If you decide to use no lye make sure you have a chelating shampoo in your product stash to remove mineral buildup which is the cause of many problems people have had with no lye relaxers.

 

[Leslie_C]

Well it reallyd depends on your head. Some people have not had success with lye relaxers no matter the brand so they use no lye with out problems. Just as some can't use no lye with out major issues. If you decide to use no lye make sure you have a chelating shampoo in your product stash to remove mineral buildup which is the cause of many problems people have had with no lye relaxers.

I agree. I for one have had severe breakage the few times I tried to use a lye relaxer, even in the mild formula. I use ORS No Lye and am tempted to try the lye version since it gets such great reviews but I think Id better leave well enough alone. I use a shampoo that gets rid of the buildup and so far so good.

 

[Amarech]

I for one have had severe breakage the few times I tried to use a lye relaxer, even in the mild formula. I use ORS No Lye and am tempted to try the lye version since it gets such great reviews but I think Id better leave well enough alone. I use a shampoo that gets rid of the buildup and so far so good.

I didn't want to think about it but I may be in the same situation. I'll be watching my hair very closely now. I mean, I know I over did it on the protein, but that was months ago. I don't necessarily have the out and out breakage that I had before, but when I check elasticity my hair just doesn't seem to be that strong.

I love how the dryness has gone away since i've switched to lye, but I feel like my hair should be stronger than what it is. I do a weekly protein recon by Joico followed by a deep moisturizing conditioning treatment by Paul Mitchell.

Maybe I'm being paranoid too. It's not like my hair has no strength or elasticity. I pull the strand when its wet and it stretches to about 1/4 length and then it snaps. I want really long hair but not if it's going to be weak

 

[nicki6]

I can't answer the question in an absolute manner but I've used both and here's my 2 cents:wink2:

I jumped on the lye wagon because old heads said it was gentler on the scalp. I have dermatitis and that was a strong selling point for me. I tried Affirm twice and while it was good for my scalp I had to let it go because it would NOT straighten my hair to my satisfaction

I went back to ole Faithful (no lye) with no problems. I feel like I get great results and gentle scalp treatment with ORS olive oil or SOft and Beautiful