So I did an experiment with some weave...chelating & no lye relaxer

Dposh167

Dposh167

Well-Known Member
For the past 2 months i've been thinking of going from lye to no-lye. And i've been researching like helllll. There were so many threads of people saying that chelating did not get rid of their dryness. Some chelated, some didn't. Some never had issues at all. I was getting quite frustrated so I decided to try something.

I am only used to lye relaxers. Its all I know. So the dryness and coated feeling that others get from no-lye is taboo for me. I really wanted to understand what that feeling was without messing up my hair. I also wanted to see if chelating could seriously help it, even tho a lot of folks claimed it didn't.

So I had some leftover Jerri curl human hair weave and i used a box relaxer (Lusters Smooth Touch Relaxer in regular... w/ Keisha cole).



I cut the weave in half and labeled each of them A and B.

For A:
my intentions were to do all the necessary steps, but NOT CHELATE after neutralizing. I relaxed bone straight for 10 mins.

for B:
I did all the necessary steps, but i did chelate after neutralizing. And did everything else the same as A.


my results:
I completely saw a difference the way A felt compared to B.
A felt coated. It felt like straw and it felt dry. I guess this is what folks were talking about. It was dull looking and it didn't feel like anything I would want on my head. This weave was super soft before the relaxer, and now it feel like straw.

now B (the weave that was chelated)...was soooo soft feeling. It was shinier, and had bounce. Still felt slightly coated, but no where near what A felt like.


my thoughts afterwards:
I didn't do this experiment to show that chelating is the answer. At the end of the day, its still weave. But it did give me more insight on just how important chelating is during the relaxing process. It also helped me understand exactly what this dryness is that people keep talking about. Now I TOTALLY get it. :yep:

I plan to experiment more to see if the texture of the two weaves improve with continued use of the chelator as well as moisturizing products. The reason for my switch of relaxers in case you're wondering has to do with me starting to self relax, and not trusting myself with lye. Also lye isn't doing so well with keeping my thickness. I find that over time my hair is getting thinner. So that's my story
 

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I think that's a very wise decision to experiment on "weaved" hair, instead of your own. I've always liked the texture of my hair when relaxed with lye. I found, no lye relaxers left my hair dull and stiff. I tell my stylist I prefer lye, so keep up the good work.

Good Job

India
 
that's such a great idea! my scalp is far too sensitive for me to go anywhere near lye relaxers and i'm a 4b naturally, so i cant afford to use any no-lye relaxer that would further dry my hair out. can you please post the name of the chelating shampoo you used?
 
@Brittster & alive I used Quantum chelating shampoo from sally's
mar-3435.jpg
 
poochie167 That was so clever, I would have never thought to do something like this. Gotta love the ingenuity of LHCF cousins. I am seriously considering going back to Lye because like you my hair thins (sheds) something fierce for weeks after I TU. Since incorporating hempseed oil in my regimen it stopped my excessive shedding in its tracks. I am set to relax on Sunday and I am going to monitor my hair for the next two weeks if I shed ridiculously I am going to swith back to no lye but do serious chelating. One poster stated she chelated for the next 2 shampoos (she also chelated the day of her TU)after her relaxer and she did not suffer from calcium buildup. This sounds like something I will do.
 
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Myjourney2009 i can't find the list online either. Its pretty long for me to type. is there a certain ingredient you're looking for. This product is labeled as a clarifying poo...HOWEVER, on the back it says it chelates and removes mineral deposits from hard water, etc.
 
I posted in your other thread, but I wanted to mention that I DO NOT use chelating shampoos on my hair. I use no-lye and my hair is still soft, shiny, and moisturized. I'm kind of interested in trying it, but those shampoos are probably way too harsh for my hair.

I think your experiment was clever, but it's hard to tell because weave has already been chemically processed.
 
Solitude said:
I posted in your other thread, but I wanted to mention that I DO NOT use chelating shampoos on my hair. I use no-lye and my hair is still soft, shiny, and moisturized. I'm kind of interested in trying it, but those shampoos are probably way too harsh for my hair.
Click to expand...

Solitude what relaxer do u use btw?
 
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That's a good idea to do that experiment. I only wish you had done a lye sample too.

The dry and straw-like hair I had with no-lye relaxers didn't show up until after I used no-lye for several years.
 
I noticed that my hair has thinned alot since using lye relaxers. When I was using no-lye, my was very dry, but I remember it being soo much thicker. So, I'm also debating on whether to go back to no-lye. In addition, no-lye is not as harsh on my very very sensitive scalp.
 
I love your experiment! very clever :yep:

India*32 said:
I think that's a very wise decision to experiment on "weaved" hair, instead of your own. I've always liked the texture of my hair when relaxed with lye. I found, no lye relaxers left my hair dull and stiff. I tell my stylist I prefer lye, so keep up the good work.

Good Job

India
Click to expand...

Thats exactly it dull and stiff, even though I use a chelating shampoo every wash. I love how my hair feels with lye relaxer.
 
My hair feels much better when relaxed with no lye relaxers. I have found that lye relaxers leave my hair dry, dull, and limp (I have fine hair and having this happen is a no no) no where near as soft as when I use a lye relaxer.

Specifically I have use Mizani Butter Blend in both lye and no-lye. My hair feels much better with lye. I will never go back to no-lye relaxers.
 
Great experiment! I find that I get better results with no lye and regularly chelating my hair with Joico Chelating shampoo.

Thanks for the post!
 
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I see that I've got 2 Phytolaxers in here. Solitude, when did you switch to Phyto Index 1 and how is it? I want to add, that you should look into a chelating poo. I really helps with the washing process immediately after relaxer application.

Taz, how often do you chelate? I actually feel the need to chelate about 1 a weak because I'm paranoid about dry hard feeling hair. Does your hair ever get hard?
 
This is a great experiment. I don't think I would have ever thought of using human hair weave. There are some no lye relaxers that don't use calcium hydroxide. Phyto 1 and 2 is just one brand. Optimum and Silk Elements make no lye relaxers with lithium hydroxide as the inductor. You should search the hair boards for more info. Gymfreak had a great post on some research she did on lithium hydroxide.

Chelate is necessary if you have hard water or if you use a relaxer with calcium hydroxide.

HTH
 
I didnt chelate after my last relaxer w/ no lye, and my hair felt sooooooo much worse. Like bone dry. I hated it, the next week I used a chelating shampoo my wash day and it felt alot better. Next time I relax after neturalzing Im gonna to do do one or two lathers of my chelating shampoo
 
I have been chelating once per month and my hair has definitely been suffering for it. I will be going back to once every two weeks!
 
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