Does Having a Relaxer Damage your Hair

[My Friend]

or just change it? I mean if applied properly, etc. I read about Phyto's Natural Relaxer, does that damage your hair? Does it get your hair straight?

 

[I Am So Blessed]

i dont know weather my hair is microscopically damaged, and i dont really care, long as its not breaking and i continue to reach my goals with mad thick hair.

so to answer your question lol. my hair is thick. not breaking, and feels soft. so i dont think its damaged

whats up myfreind?

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Oh, this is gonna turn into some drama hope not though....

Honestly, a relaxer is essentially controlled damage. It has the same active ingredient as Nair and drain cleaners: Sodium Hydroxide. Which essentially breaks down the protien bonds in the hair. Relaxers just do this at a slower pace then Nair.

However, you can definitely retain length with a relaxer and have strands devoid of splits and grow your hair long and thick with the right techniques.

ETA: Don't be fooled by products like Phyto that make the claim "natural" everyone's trying to claim to be natural now because they know the consumer is becoming more aware and leery of their chemical exposure. Here is a good article on how the term natural in reference to the Phyto Relaxer is misleading to say the least.

 

[HollyGolightly]

I have very fine 4a hair and relaxers definitely damaged it. When I was relaxed my hair never got longer than APL, no matter how much I babied it. Now that I'm natural my hair has quickly grown to BSL.

 

[MsBoinglicious]

Oh boy! Well its had been about a week since something 'done popped off 'round here. lol

Lets just hope this goes well.

 

[loulou82]

What is considered "damage"? Is the dissolution/re-arranging of protein bonds damage or simply alteration? I lean to the side of alteration and not damage since a properly applied relaxer should not split, break, peel the hair (if the user practices otherwise healthy maintenance). Oh course some heads cannot take any chemicals or heat regardless of the application.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

Oh boy! Well its had been about a week since something 'done popped off 'round here. lol

Lets just hope this goes well.

dam i missed it? shoot

 

[Twix]

It is damage.

Also please remember that consistent pressing/flat ironing of hair as well as general overmanipulation of your precious strands are also damage.

Pick your poison. ;p

 

[I Am So Blessed]

It is damage.

Also please remember that consistent pressing/flat ironing of hair as well as general overmanipulation of your precious strands are also damage.

Pick your poison. ;p

you said it sista

and most of the women on this board SL to WL do at least one of these to their hair, yet still have flowing locks

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

It is damage.

Also please remember that consistent pressing/flat ironing of hair as well as general overmanipulation of your precious strands are also damage.

Pick your poison. ;p

lol I feel you, true story for alota ladies, but in the beginning of my natural journey all I knew how to do was press my hair and I literally did it every wash for like three years straight with no heat protectant and I was retaining length, thickness and strength....if I would've tried that with my relaxed hair I would've been straight BALD I came to see I could seriously get away with murder with my natural coils whereas anything could cause a setback when I was relaxed lol....I think it had to do with the fact that I made my strands more delicate through relaxing.....but that was a good point

 

[**SaSSy**]

or just change it? I mean if applied properly, etc. I read about Phyto's Natural Relaxer, does that damage your hair? Does it get your hair straight?

I hate when these companies put that word into a relaxer, it's one of the worst oxymoron you can have in hair care.

IMO relaxers can cause damage over time if applied to often. It might not cause hair damage, but it can cause hair follicle damage if applied to often. One thing that I learned from the "outside world" before LHCF from a former friend telling me that at her beauty school they taught them not to apply a relaxer too often, and a min of twice a year.

 

[Twix]

lol I feel you, true story for alota ladies, but in the beginning of my natural journey all I knew how to do was press my hair and I literally did it every wash for like three years straight with no heat protectant and I was retaining length, thickness and strength....if I would've tried that with my relaxed hair I would've been straight BALD I came to see I could seriously get away with murder with my natural coils whereas anything could cause a setback when I was relaxed lol....I think it had to do with the fact that I made my strands more delicate through relaxing.....but that was a good point

Actually, I meant even when natural, heat damage is damage.

It's possible to burn one's curl pattern out (also sometimes called "heat training"). Technically, if one is a consistent presser/flat ironer, they have a considerable amount of damage that they've done over and over again to the same sections of the hair, whereas (typically) relaxing is supposed to be done only to hair unexposed (virgin).

 

[Minty]

any and all chemical relaxers break the disulfide bonds within the cortex of the hair strand, whereby allowing the curl to be removed from the strand of hair. The bond is destroyed - there is no way to repair it, or else the hair would not be relaxed.

all relaxed hair is "damaged" by nature of the process of relaxing.

I hope this answers your question.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Actually, I meant even when natural, heat damage is damage.

It's possible to burn one's curl pattern out (also sometimes called "heat training"). Technically, if one is a consistent presser/flat ironer, they have a considerable amount of damage that they've done over and over again to the same sections of the hair, whereas (typically) relaxing is supposed to be done only to hair unexposed (virgin).

Oh yea, I knew what you meant alot of things are "supposed to be" but what percent of women do you think apply that relaxer "properly" lol so sad but true....I remember when I was younger I went with my cousin to have her hair pressed and we saw across the room a "stylist" was applying the relaxer on this preteen root to tip I remember looking at it back then like "I don't know much about hair but I dont think shes supposed to be doing that"lol

Even as a pressed natural back then....I still experienced way more strength of strands overall then I ever had with my Affirm relaxer....oh well it is what it is....the OP was talking about relaxed hair so lemme stop derailing

 

[Esq.2B]

^^^ Oh boy.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

everytime i see a strand in my sink, i pull it and it stretches like a rubberband and it always has a white bolb... so--> all is fricken well.

 

[Miss AJ]

Does having a relaxer damage your hair? No. Does improperly applying a relaxer and not taking the necessary steps to care for chemically treated hair lead to damaged hair? YES

 

[loulou82]

Is damage and health exclusive of each other? I see a whole lot of beautiful relaxed hair around here so can relaxed hair be both damaged (by virtue of the chemical alteration) and healthy?

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

or just change it? I mean if applied properly, etc. I read about Phyto's Natural Relaxer, does that damage your hair? Does it get your hair straight?

Hold up, I just re-read the OP, are you looking for tips on the best relaxer to get your hair straight? Or are you asking if the relaxer itself is damaging to the hair?

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Is damage and health exclusive of each other? I see a whole lot of beautiful relaxed hair around here so can relaxed hair be both damaged (by virtue of the chemical alteration) and healthy?

Well, technically, nobody's hair is healthy because hair is nothing more then dead tissue. What we go for is strength, length retention, moisture, shine, thickness...blunt ends...etc what we term "healthy looking". I think its more Damaged vs Strands that retain their natural structural integrity.

So someone can have damaged strands that have blunt ends, maintain moisture, have nice shine etc....."healthy looking"

but I feel you 100% there are some relaxed ladies on here that have breathtakingly beautiful hair.

 

[WorkInProgress88]

............

 

[Victorian]

or just change it? I mean if applied properly, etc. I read about Phyto's Natural Relaxer, does that damage your hair? Does it get your hair straight?

Phyto is just a regular chemical relaxer (I'm assuming that's what the real question is). There's never a "does" or "doesn't" involved with these things, just "can" and a concomitant likelihood based on what's in it and how it is used. We use others' experiences to help us mentally figure likelihood as well. It reduces the amount of risk we personally take on (we don't have to try out every product before deciding if it is worth using). That's the purpose of giving reviews and of boards like this. Phyto seems to work better for a lot of people than their previous brands, but it is still just a relaxer, so your results may vary.

Some use the word damage to describe any and all permanent alterations to the structure of the hair. Some use the word damage specifically to refer to any unseemly or undesirable qualities (unseemly and undesirable are defined by the individual, though a majority tend to agree on many of these qualities). Everyone assesses health based on how their hair looks, feels, and behaves. Products and processes affect all 3 of these to different degrees.

People who define damage based on how hair looks, feels, and behaves can get offended when people define it as any permanent alteration to the structure of the hair, because according to themselves their hair may be healthy, while according to others it isn't. People don't like to be called unhealthy (your hair is an extension of yourself, so that's basically what this equates to), because it is an affront to the ego.
That's why you see a few responses with people anticipating negativity in this thread.

You're new, so I thought I'd explain, since I imagine you didn't mean to start anything (just giving the benefit of the doubt)

 

[loulou82]

Well, technically, nobody's hair is healthy because hair is nothing more then dead tissue. What we go for is strength, length retention, moisture, shine, thickness...blunt ends...etc what we term "healthy looking". I think its more Damaged vs Strands that retain their natural structural integrity.

So someone can have damaged strands that have blunt ends, maintain moisture, have nice shine etc....."healthy looking"

but I feel you 100% there are some relaxed ladies on here that have breathtakingly beautiful hair.

Some use the word damage to describe any and all permanent alterations to the structure of the hair. Some use the word damage specifically to refer to any unseemly or undesirable qualities (unseemly and undesirable are defined by the individual, though a majority tend to agree on many of these qualities). Everyone assesses health based on how their hair looks, feels, and behaves. Products and processes affect all 3 of these to different degrees.

People who define damage based on how hair looks, feels, and behaves can get offended when people define it as any permanent alteration to the structure of the hair, because according to themselves their hair may be healthy, while according to others it isn't. People don't like to be called unhealthy (your hair is an extension of yourself, so that's basically what this equates to), because it is an affront to the ego. That's why you see a few responses with people anticipating negativity in this thread.

Well said.

 

[Spring]

Are relaxers damaging to hair, I would say yes. I'm relaxed and have seen pictures of chemically treated hair under a microscope, ... not pretty. But can you grow long healthy looking relaxed hair.... yes you can.

 

[My Friend]

Hold up, I just re-read the OP, are you looking for tips on the best relaxer to get your hair straight? Or are you asking if the relaxer itself is damaging to the hair?

Hi BMP,

I wanted to know if relaxers in general damaged your hair and if so, was Phyto a better option for those considering a relaxer. Thank you for your comments.

 

[chebaby]

relaxers are damaging to the hair. thats what they do is change your hair to be something else and in that process it has to damage your hair. which is why you cant change it back when you feel like it. in order to rid yourself of it you have to grow iit out or cut it off.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Hi BMP,

I wanted to know if relaxers in general damaged your hair and if so, was Phyto a better option for those considering a relaxer. Thank you for your comments.

Ahh okay so we're on the right track Springs post above hit the nail on the head.

 

[My Friend]

Phyto is just a regular chemical relaxer (I'm assuming that's what the real question is). There's never a "does" or "doesn't" involved with these things, just "can" and a concomitant likelihood based on what's in it and how it is used. We use others' experiences to help us mentally figure likelihood as well. It reduces the amount of risk we personally take on (we don't have to try out every product before deciding if it is worth using). That's the purpose of giving reviews and of boards like this. Phyto seems to work better for a lot of people than their previous brands, but it is still just a relaxer, so your results may vary.

Some use the word damage to describe any and all permanent alterations to the structure of the hair. Some use the word damage specifically to refer to any unseemly or undesirable qualities (unseemly and undesirable are defined by the individual, though a majority tend to agree on many of these qualities). Everyone assesses health based on how their hair looks, feels, and behaves. Products and processes affect all 3 of these to different degrees.

People who define damage based on how hair looks, feels, and behaves can get offended when people define it as any permanent alteration to the structure of the hair, because according to themselves their hair may be healthy, while according to others it isn't. People don't like to be called unhealthy (your hair is an extension of yourself, so that's basically what this equates to), because it is an affront to the ego.
That's why you see a few responses with people anticipating negativity in this thread.

You're new, so I thought I'd explain, since I imagine you didn't mean to start anything (just giving the benefit of the doubt)

Thanks BC. No. I'm not trying to give people that thong feeling......
I am new to the board and I wanted to hear from the experts what they thought about relaxers.

 

[B_Phlyy]

I'm natural and consider relaxing just changing the structure of the hair. Yes the disulfide bonds are broken in order to get the curl pattern, but they are then permanent put into the new straightened configuration (by the neutralizing agent I think). So that's why I consider it only a change.

 

[stelladata]

Honestly it depends on what you consider "damaged". Because, the perm does break down your hair even though it might LOOK healthy. I recently permed my hair after being natural for about 2 years and my hair still appears healthy besides an occasional split end, of course when I was natural I had split ends here and there lol but, so far I have nothing to complain about.

I also agree with the fact that perming your at a maximum of twice a year will keep your hair in good condition.

i.e perm only twice a year and you're good.