Just had an epiphany: lye vs. no lye ,protein vs. ceramides

artemis_e. said:
Ok, I just re-read this thread and since then I've learned a lot a/b no-lye relaxers (thanks to Sistaslick's lovely articles).

For those that use no-lye relaxers and want to incorporate ceramides into your regimen, please keep in mind that ceramides are meant for more cuticle-binding purposes in regards to the hair shaft. The wash day after the relaxer is the perfect time to incorporate the ceramide-containing products into your regimen, considering using a chelating 'poo that day will rid your hair of most, if not all the deposits, and leave your hair with a clean slate and prepping it for the ultimate conditioning experience. (Now, this isn't to say that you cannot use a ceramide product on wash day!) Proteins and moisturizers are still necessary to help support the integrity of the hair post-relaxer (esp. hydrolyzed silk and wheat proteins that actually enter the shaft), but you can totally think of ceramides as a bonus ingredient to help nourish the strand after such an invasive process. Furthermore, using ceramide products throughout the relaxer cycle (those weeks between relaxer sessions) can help fortify the strands so that less damage will occur on the next touch up day :)

Lye users can still benefit from the strengthening properties of this ingredient as well, but I wanted to post this for no-lye users as calcium deposits/dryness, etc can be a concern for no-lye users.

Hope this made some sort of sense ;) If not, I know someone will come in here and tell me a/b myself! J/k :lol:
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This is some excellent advise...

Any updates?

I am printing some of this out....

Great info....
 
this is great information but it very overwhelming. I have been using no lye because its really is more gentler on my scalp and now i see how its more prone to moisture lost and im disappointed. But what is a girl to do go back to lye relaxers and ahve her scalp burned only to retain moisture.... There has to be another way... that no lye users can continue to use no lye and not worry about moisture lost. i peronsally havent seen any wrong with my hair from no lye cause i know i have to moisture my hair just cause of the type of hair i have... the only breakage in my hair ive seen was because i didnt know how to detagle properly and use the right products.. now my hair is fine.... truth is there has to be an alternative approach cause some ppl scalp will not tolerate lye relaxers..
 
krissynick said:
this is great information but it very overwhelming. I have been using no lye because its really is more gentler on my scalp and now i see how its more prone to moisture lost and im disappointed. But what is a girl to do go back to lye relaxers and ahve her scalp burned only to retain moisture.... There has to be another way... that no lye users can continue to use no lye and not worry about moisture lost. i peronsally havent seen any wrong with my hair from no lye cause i know i have to moisture my hair just cause of the type of hair i have... the only breakage in my hair ive seen was because i didnt know how to detagle properly and use the right products.. now my hair is fine.... truth is there has to be an alternative approach cause some ppl scalp will not tolerate lye relaxers..
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One of the keys of no lye users is to use a chelating shampoo. The dryness comes from mineral deposits. Chelating shampoo can help remove these.
 
OKay my bad i dont think i read all the post. there is a way... this is really great info and what i have found is that .. a lot o products like soft sheen carson and optimum has ceramides .... which is great .. they are not that expensive... man are we on our way to really healthy hair or not. This with indirect heat and protective styling watch out lol .............we are on a roll
 
delp said:
I am not an expert but stick with what works. Maybe just keep this info in mind. Change up your regime.

http://www.growafrohairlong.com/perms.html

LYE RELAXER performs much better than NO LYE Relaxers. Some relaxers straighten faster than other relaxers. Design Essentials relax the hair in less time than Motion

Relaxers: Straightens, soften and make coarse or unmanageable hair more manageable.

Texturizers: make hair more manageable but in a milder form. It gives the hair a strong look and feel of the hairs' original texture.

A Perm: Is to tame the hair permanently by getting the effects of straight hair, waves, body, or curls.

* If you are not familiar with applying relaxers, perms, or chemicals, have a professional do all your relaxers and perms. Have this done after your hair is in good condition

When choosing a relaxer, apply ones that encourage moisture. Keep your hair deep conditioned

No-Lye Relaxers

These are formulated with Guanidine hydroxide to straighten the hair. They have a pH of 9-9.5. Which is higher than your hair pH is supposed to be. Your hair should have a pH of 4.5-5.5. Another chemical base name for no-lye relaxers is thioglycolate-based formulations. Many believe that no-lye relaxers are less harsh on the hair, but they seem to be more drying to the hair than lye relaxers. If you have a no-lye relaxer that seems dry, you can still get your relaxer to the proper pH level where it's healthy. On a regular basis, deep conditioning your hair once every week or once every two weeks. Eat the most nutritious foods, add vitamins to your diet, and handle your hair differently. If for some reason your no-lye relaxer is still shedding or feels like straw, no matter what you do, there is no need to have a no-lye relaxer.

Other alternatives: Grow your hair out to have the old relaxer clipped out. Use a Lye relaxer instead, wear a natural or hot press your hair.

Keep products such as Abba Moisture Scentsations in mind, Creme of Nature Shampoo, infusium23, Sebastian Clarifying Shampoo, Paul Mitchell's Clarifying Shampoo, and Le Kair Cholesterol Plus.

If your No-Lye relaxer were not working for you, it would not be a good thing to put in braid extensions to grow your hair with a no-lye relaxer. I have heard that the PHYTO NO-LYE RELAXER is a good one. phyto.com It has natural ingredients, yet keeps the hair moist.

Lye Relaxers/Perms
These are formulated with Sodium hydroxide. They are also referred to as 'alkali relaxers'. The pH levels are higher than no-lye relaxers. The pH is of 12-14, which is high. With both lye and no-lye relaxers, the hair must stay deep conditioned to get the hair back to a normal ph level. When you apply the relaxers, you cannot apply it to the old growth, no matter how strong your hair is, it will break down your hair excessively and your hair will began to break. You must also use the proper steps when applying or your hair will be damaged. I recommend lye relaxers be done by a professional.
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This really shed some light in my dark mind re: relaxers, THANK U
 
krissynick said:
this is great information but it very overwhelming. I have been using no lye because its really is more gentler on my scalp and now i see how its more prone to moisture lost and im disappointed. But what is a girl to do go back to lye relaxers and ahve her scalp burned only to retain moisture.... There has to be another way... that no lye users can continue to use no lye and not worry about moisture lost. i peronsally havent seen any wrong with my hair from no lye cause i know i have to moisture my hair just cause of the type of hair i have... the only breakage in my hair ive seen was because i didnt know how to detagle properly and use the right products.. now my hair is fine.... truth is there has to be an alternative approach cause some ppl scalp will not tolerate lye relaxers..
Click to expand...
I've only used no-lye relaxers and it works great for me. :up: I understand it may need more moisture but I get that easily from washing 2x each week (Cathy Howse original method for no-lye). Even before this hair journey, I used no-lye without problems because of dry hair--mine was not having any knowledge about hair care.
 
I've been up until the wee hours of the morning reading this thread from start to finish, you ladies are truely amazing. Even though I don't have a relaxer, I feel like I can still benefit from the information as I have been thinking about relaxing my hair once I reach my final hair goal. The knowledge you ladies have is priceless. best $5.00 I ever spent.:yep:
 
Ok Im going to have to buy some of that biolage stuff now!
Thank you delp for this it has really helped and totally makes sense.
My hair loves humectress, this will really also help the PJ in me!!!

thank you

Uzz
 
I use lye relaxer but still get great benefits of using ceramides. My hair stays moisturized longer and feels juicy or plump if that makes sence. I use Nexxus Color Ensure replenishing conditioner/detangler. I realy love it. It is pH3, has ceramide-3, and other yummy ingredients.
 
WOW, I love this thread!!!

Does anyone have a compiled list of products (poos,cons, leave-ins) that contain ceramides? We can make a sticky of it for future reference.
 
I used L'Oreal Professional Shampoo with ceramide 3 and my hair felt verrry strong, but I had to DC straight away as my hair felt strong but stiff.

I'll keep a look out for more products containing Ceramides because they clearly improve the hair.
 
yeah, the ceramides are def the way to go. This gives me a reason to finally check out Nexxus products. I 'm a big PJ but I am really cheap and rarely buy more expensive products but now I def want to try out Redken's Extreme strength and/or Suave's professional knock off of Redken's line
 
I use Nexxus products. While I am disappointed with the shampoo. It has sulfates in it which leaves my hair so hard. although I have just recently given up on shampoos all together. I co-wash only now.) I love their conditioners. I use Humectress and Keraphix. My hair is definitely stronger. The Humectress was $8 I think. The Kerpahix was $16-18. That's what I don't like. so if I can get the same technology with Garnier for $3 I'll have to try that when I run out of the Nexxus.
 
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I use the Biolage Cera-Repair Hydratherapie and the Fortetherapie for home use and the professional one. They are both really great, leaves my hair very soft and manageable and gives my hair a lot of slip.
 
I am so glad you made a post about this! Last week I bought both Nexxus and Biolage and cant wait to use them in June! I really hope they help. Will these ceramides be good for people who stretch their relaxers? I'm going to try and stretch my relaxer for another 5 weeks (which will make it 16). Now I read that chelating shampoo is better than a clarifying shampoo because of how it binds to the mineral deposits making it better to remove them from the hair...now would anyone happen to know of a good CHELATIN Shampoo...man my wallet is just getting smaller and smaller:ohwell: lol
 
pinkskates said:
To answer your question:
I have his book and on page 151 Shamboosie states:
Contrary to popular belief, a conditioning lye relaxer is the best relaxer for your hair and scalp. It will leave the hair silkier and softer by conditioning as it relaxes the hair. The conditioning lye relaxer allows the hair to receive the moisture from conditioners it needs to retain its softness and to remain pliable. There is no calcium buildup and no extreme dryness, which you will always get with a no-lye relaxer. The conditioning Lye relaxer leaves the cuticle layer of the hair healthier with every application (and this is no lie).

The biggest problem with the No-Lye relaxer is that the calcium buildup locks the hair, sealing the cuticle, and will not allow the hair to receive the moisture from shampoos and conditioners it needs to remain soft to the touch, pliable and capable of holding its curl and style.
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This is a great thread, I notice this when I immediately switch to Lye relaxers, my hair is always soft now. I read his book also, and this was one of the reason I switched over, and Im glad I did. Also comming to this site I learned alot about proper hair care. When using no-lye I had to almost put a whole bottle of moisturizer on my hair just for it to feel soft, I mean my ends were crunchy and everything. Lye IMO is good for the hair with maintaing moisturizer and softness.
 
Ok I just bought
L'Oreal Elvive Repairing Concentrate Anti Breakage Leave In Treatment

Concentrated Ceramide Cement (X10)

Hope this make my hair strong!!
 
You may be on to something. I just purchased an obscenely expensive product from Fekkai--a PM protein repair with ceramide technology as well. It costs $65. Normally, I would never purchase something so pricey, but the customer reviews on this stuff was unbelievable. This is my first week using it so it remains to be seen on how it reacts to my hair, but so far, I'm seeing less breakage from manipulation and my ends are remarkably smoother.
 

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Christelyn said:
You may be on to something. I just purchased an obscenely expensive product from Fekkai--a PM protein repair with ceramide technology as well. It costs $65. Normally, I would never purchase something so pricey, but the customer reviews on this stuff was unbelievable. This is my first week using it so it remains to be seen on how it reacts to my hair, but so far, I'm seeing less breakage from manipulation and my ends are remarkably smoother.
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sooo was it worth the money?? :drunk:
 
This is worth trying...

I have, a few times, had super hard, crunchy hair after a relaxer

I don't know what caused it. Not even aware if it was between switching from lye to no-lye.

Ceramides, here i come!
 
Interesting. No wonder why my hair has been a mess. I have always used no-lye because my experience with lye, led to my hair being extremely thin and it broke easily. Now I don't plan on switching to lye, at least not yet, but I know what to do to make my hair stay on point. This is probably why my hair LOVES silicon mix treatment.
 
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