African American Hair Care Products

A Focus on Hair Relaxers, Are They Really Good for Your Hair?

African American hair is different, because the components that make up your hair are put together to create a unique structure. Your hair can contain twice the amount of cuticle, (which is the outer layer of your hair), and make the texture thick and the strands, larger in size.

African American hair is usually tightly curled, making it more difficult for the oil produced by the scalp to travel down to the ends of the hair. One of the biggest myths that surround African American hair is that it's stronger than other types of hair because of its texture. However, the truth is that your hair is actually prone to more breakage. Thus, there is a need to properly treat it, especially when using different African American hair care products.

One of the most commonly used products on our hair is the relaxer. Relaxers are products that may or may not contain lye. Regardless of its components, they all have a high pH, or measure of acidity. Relaxers break down the bonds of the hair, making it straight. The trade off is that the bonds that are broken down are actually the ones that give hair its strength. As a result, the hair can be significantly weaker than untreated hair. Hair relaxers can also strip the hair of its moisture.

With these facts, does this mean that relaxers should be scratched off the list of African American hair care products that can be used? Can a quality hair relaxer that is applied properly still be healthy? You're told: all it takes to maintain the hair to its optimum state is the proper follow up treatments and management. But is this really true and is it worth it?

If you choose to wear a relaxer in your hair, take note that non-lye relaxers are not gentler than lye relaxers. Follow the same kinds of precautions when using these hair relaxer products. There are some products that are branded as natural relaxers. However, precautions should be taken when using these kinds of relaxers as well. It could just be a texturizer and not actually a product that can straighten the hair.

Before applying the hair relaxer, your scalp and hair should be in good condition. If your hair is already weak or damaged, the application of the hair relaxer can cause the strands to break. In addition, a scalp that suffers from dandruff or has cuts can cause the hair relaxer to be absorbed by the body and lead to various hair problems. The stylist should also conduct a skin test to make sure that the hair relaxer does not cause any allergic reactions.

After the application of any hair relaxer, the chemicals should be washed out with warm water. A neutralizing shampoo should then be used to neutralize the acidity of your hair and cause the lye to stop working.

For the record, before I chose to go natural I was one with a perm/relaxed hair. It took its toll and my temples began to bald. Once I made the decision to "go natural", and it wasn't easy, I've never looked back. Why wasn't it easy you ask? Coming from the fashion industry, when natural didn't get you the job was one reason but another was the fact that I'd become accustomed to believing that straight was better and that I wasn't beautiful with my natural hair.

Sick, you bet! Maturity may have a lot to do with it at this point in reference to the choices I make but I really like what going natural has done for my hair, my image and my self-esteem.


Dedicated To Your Beauty

Juliette Samuel,


Founder/Esthetician/Publisher

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