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Chemical relaxers may straighten your hair, but they're far from being your mane's best friend. Truth is, the caustic cocktails known as relaxers can cause injury to your scalp and loss of your precious strands of hair. Fortunately, there are products on the market that can help you “go green” when it comes to relaxing your tresses. No matter what your hairstyling goals are, it's worth learning what organic relaxers are out there, and what they mean in terms of your hair.
Relaxers vs. Organic Relaxers
Hair relaxers are made of chemicals that straighten your curly hair. They are extremely alkaline, usually with a pH level between 10 and 14, depending on the strength that you use. There are two types of chemical relaxers, lye and no lye. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide, which is the harshest of these chemicals (also found in drain cleaner), and no-lye relaxers most often contain guanidine hydroxide. These harsh chemicals irreversibly weaken the hair by changing the bond of the hair shaft, and can burn your scalp or even cause you to lose hair. Organic relaxers are natural alternatives to traditional chemical relaxers. They use natural ingredients that are gentler on your scalp and hair.
Organic in Name Only Relaxers
If you think a relaxer is organic just because the name says so, think again. According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CFSC), there are no legal standards or restrictions on what hair care manufacturers call organic. That means what you see, or read, isn't always 100 percent what you'll get. Look in any drugstore and you're liable to see several relaxers with the word "Organic" in the name. The problem is, most also have the words "lye" or "no-lye" describing them and aren't true organic relaxers. Many of these so-called organic relaxers only include one or more organic or natural ingredients. Creme of Nature brand relaxers, for example, are no-lye relaxers that contain "Certified Organic" ingredients such as coconut and sunflower oils, but also contain synthetics.
Natura-laxer Mix
Natural-laxer by Baka Beauty is an organic hair relaxer that's 100 percent chemical-free product. It contains ingredients such as Sahara clay, rose petals, fenugreek, myrtle, nettle and sage and is mixed with rose water. Unlike traditional relaxers, Natural-laxer only relaxes your hair's natural curl pattern and doesn't permanently alter its structure. The company claims it will make your hair more manageable, and easier to straighten with your flat-iron if desired.
Naturalaxer Kit-in-a-Jar
The Naturalaxer Kit-In-A-Jar by Green Wonders is another organic hair relaxer and a part of the CFSC Compact. If you're going with this organic relaxer however, you're not quite getting a 100 percent natural product. According to Green Wonders, its product is up to 98 percent natural (all the active, get-the-job-done ingredients are natural), with emulsifiers and fillers being a few of the synthetic ingredients that are a part of the kit. A few of the natural ingredients include minerals to loosen your hair's natural curl pattern, Shea butter, vitamins, amino acids and mineral oil. The Naturalaxer Kit In-A-Jar isn't permanent and won't straighten your hair the way that chemical relaxers do, but Green Wonders claims it will make your curly coils more relaxed and easier to manage.
