Relaxers for African American hair have become extremely popular in recent years. They are used to make hair more manageable. Some hairstyles can only be completed when hair has first been relaxed. Several things should be considered before using relaxers, and this article will review a couple of these things.
Choosing the Right Relaxer
If you have decided that you want to have your hair relaxed, you will have to choose whether you want to use a natural relaxer or a chemical relaxer. The difference between to two is in the names. Natural relaxers are obviously made with all natural ingredients, and are less damaging to your hair. Chemical relaxers contain many chemicals, including sodium hydroxide. Chemical relaxers are ok to use, but frequent use could increase your odds of damaging your hair, burning your scalp, hair loss, and breakage.
If you plan to relax your hair often, natural is the way to go. Look for one that includes ingredients such as soda ash, minerals, alkaline water, and vitamins. Natural relaxers may not straighten hair as dramatically as a chemical one would, but they can be used multiple times while keeping hair safe and healthy.
Are They Safe for Children
Many parents of African American children have turned to relaxers to make their children’s hair more manageable. Numerous people strongly disapprove, and do not believe that children should risk their health for vanity purposes. However, is it actually for vanity reasons?
Anyone who has tried to style a young child’s hair knows that this is not an easy feat. It is ten times harder when the kid’s hair is un-tamable. If a relaxer can decrease the pain that a child goes through when having their hair styled, then is it really a bad thing?
Scientifically speaking, it can be a very bad thing; Chemical relaxers have many harsh side effects that can be hazardous to a young child’s health. They are not old enough to make an informed decision, and because of that, chemical relaxers should not be used on children.
Natural relaxers are a completely different story. They can be used many times on a person’s hair with no dangerous side effects resulting. A natural relaxer will not burn a child’s scalp, cause hair loss, or damage their beautiful baby hair. What they will do is make the hair much more manageable and less painful to style.
