Phytorelaxer: The Lie Of No Lye Relaxers
Neecholle needs knowledge: I have natural African-American textured hair, which I would like to grow longer by keeping my hair natural, healthy and moisturized. How safe, effective, and natural is the PhytoSpecific PhytoRelaxer?
The Right Brain responds:
Before we answer your question about Phytorelaxer, we’ll explain about hair and how it’s relaxed for our readers who may not understand the process.
Chemical bonds in hair
The shape of hair is partly controlled by chemical bridges, called disulfide bonds, that connect protein fibrils together. Because these bonds are so strong, a powerful chemical reaction is required to break them apart before the hair can be straightened. This reaction requires a very high pH. For those of you who fell asleep during chemistry class, pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance it. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14. Chemicals with a very low pH value (around 1 to 3) are very acidic and can be damaging to hair and skin. Chemicals with very high pH (10 to 14) are very basic and can also be damaging.
Relaxers have high pH
Relaxers must have a very high pH (11 or above) in order to work. Unfortunately, this pH can also weaken your hair and damage your scalp. Historically, relaxers used a chemical called sodium hydroxide (also known as “lye”) to create such a high pH. Over time, chemists found similar chemicals like calcium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, ammonium thioglycolate, and guanidine carbonate which basically do the same thing. Relaxers based on these chemicals are called “no lye” because they don’t contain sodium hydroxide. But they still expose your hair and scalp to very high, potentially damaging pH.
How Phytorelaxer works
Phytospecific’s Phytorelaxer is a no-lye type. It’s based on guanidine carbonate and its pH is between 11 and 12. Here’s what Phytospecifc’s website says about the product:
“Phytorelaxer is effective yet different because it permanently relaxes hair without harsh chemicals or irritation usually associated with chemical relaxers. The active ingredients in the straightening cream are a complex of egg and soy extracts. These ingredients are from 100% botanical sources and are hypoallergenic.”
This is a very misleading statement for two reasons. First, the pH of this product is very high, almost as high as lye relaxers, so it is using harsh chemicals. Second, the straightening cream may contain natural ingredients but egg and soy are not what make this product work. This cream is only one of the products in the relaxer kit. You also have to use the high pH guanidine carbonate Inductor product, or the hair won’t be permanently straightened.
So, to answer your question: is this a safe product? It’s as safe as other no-lye relaxers. Is it effective? Yes, it’s active ingredient really works. Is it natural? No, but Phytospecific leads you to think that based on what they say about the product. In our opinion, that’s misleading to consumers. They have a very good product, they shouldn’t have to distort the truth to get people to buy it.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Phytorelaxer is a good, but somewhat expensive, alternative if you’re looking for a milder relaxer. But don’t fall for their hype about natural egg and soy extracts permanently straightening your hair because that is just NOT TRUE.
If you want to try it for yourself, you can buy Phytorelaxer here. And if any of our community would like to share their thoughts on no-lye relaxers, we’d love to hear your comments.
Do you see the secret message in the face picture above? Leave a comment and let us know if you got it.
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Nicki Says:
I got it! Very clever…
dcbearden Says:
my granddaughter,age 3, has bi-racial heritage, and her hair has that same texture. we have tried everything on the shelf short of relaxers or straighteners to tame it somewhat. finally my daughter bought a relaxer for children and used it. i was afraid for her to, but. anyway it did relax it, but i am worried about long term effects. any comments to help?
LeAnne@hairsmystory.com Says:
Well, I’m write about relaxed hair and I’ve heard that Phyto is one of the best relaxers to use. I haven’t tried it yet, but if the rest of the products in the line are any indication of this relaxer’s marvel, then I am hooked. I hate Elucence relaxer, Revlon and all others besides Mizani.
For the lady with Biracial hair: yes! You’re granddaughter was entirely to young to receive a relaxer. If you want to know more about relaxers and the process, or styling children’s hair, click the links below. For the record, you don’t have to relax a child’s hair for it to be manageable. I would have recommend that you left her hair natural until she was 14. If you know you cannot care for the hair, I would REALLY recommend you cut out the relaxer and leave her hair alone. She’s too young.Also, Essence Mag has a great review on the various relaxers. I think it was the November 2007 issue
Mane Talk w/ the hair coach
jennifer Says:
yes i see the word on the face. spells liar
Tonya Says:
I saw the secret message! It’s Liar! Very cute.
Cate Says:
Liar! Before I knew there was a secret message there I thought the eyes looked like an ‘L’. I just didn’t look all the way through the word.
Lisa Says:
The secret face spells “liar” in cursive.
To get to the real reason why I am writing in, I really want to tell everyone that I am an African-American who started getting relaxers about 5 years ago. My mother was really smart in that she would not let any of her kids anywhere near relaxers until they were grown enough to get one. But I wanted one so bad that I couldn’t wait until it was finally my decision. Looking back, I really wish that I hadn’t. First off, any look on relaxed hair can be done on natural hair. All it takes is a little TLC.
With a relaxer, my hair is constantly breaking off, it is dry, and the chemicals are so harsh. I got another one today and I almost cried thinking about why I hate the process so much because it burned my hair something BAD. However, once you get a relaxer the transition face in growing it out is so hard that you just put up with it. I am willing to bet that over more than half of the people who have relaxers would never get one again if they could grow it out without the breakage and bad hair issues that comes along with it.
For the person who asked about the long term effects associated with relaxers, you should do a google search because I’m pretty sure another site can explain better than I can. But your granddaughter should have never gotten such a harsh chemical procedure at her age.
Mischo Beauty Says:
Thank you so much for breaking it down! My analytical chemistry final project in college was on “lye vs. no lye” relaxers- you are most definitely correct in your explanation.
Mischo Beauty
http://mischobeauty.blogspot.com/
sylvia Says:
liar thats your secret message
i fell that alot of people are getting in to deep with all the chemicals that we use on our body that is stupid if they only knew all the damage that they are doing to
their hair or skin
Anne Says:
I’m a blonde, straight haired caucasion mother of 3 spectacularly beautiful(OK, I know I’m a little biased,) biracial kids, in fact I’m Australian living in Sydney. My Husband is African American. In my (very opionated!) opinion, there is absolutely NO excuse for a white Mum not to learn how to care for her mixed kids hair!!!, I cornrow or twist my 10yo son’s slightly blonde, yet very frizzy afro, I can also tame it into groovy looking natural curls. People are surprised that I can braid because I’m white, but seriously what’s the difference?, every Black woman that can braid learnt the art from someone else, just as I did, all it takes is a little committment to learn. My 5yo daughters hair is completely different to her Brother’s, it’s soft and very curly, but it lies straight and flat when it is wet. It still needs a lot of moisture but a different kind than his, Her’s also has blonde streaks and her curls are truly beautiful,(she knows, because she hears it every day from strangers). The keys to looking after hers are: wash once a week max, condition and rinse in between, comb with detanging comb while wet with loads of conditioner; either braid or put a cap on to sleep-ALLWAYS!!!!;(my son also ALLWAYS sleeps with a du-rag on) trim regularly: don’t expect it to be like yours - embrace it’s beauty, be creative with the amazing styles you can do with this kind of hair - braids, clips, twists, scarves, hats, headbands; everything has more impact with the wow factor of curly hair!, My daughter loves her hair and gladly lets me style it so she can run to the mirror to check out her latest do!! We also have a 10mnth old girl with big soft curls (so far), and here’s another tip, START COMBING YOUR CHILDS HAIR EARLY!! teach them from a very young age to sit still while you do their hair!! jam them between your legs if you need to!!, but teach them young or you will allways be arguing with them about it. If I’m cornrowing or braiding I will put a DVD on for them to watch, BUT they have to sit still….remember whose the boss Mommies! Let them have some choice about styles but remind them that if they want to enjoy the compliments of nice/cool/whatever hair, then they need to cooperate with you!!
fxdiva Says:
Way to go Anne!!!!
That’s exactly how my mom did it and everyone just knows I have a weave (I don’t)
There are a lot of black moms who don’t do that!
Kai Says:
Great post Anne - I wish ALL mothers, race irrelevant, could read your post! Thanks!
Lulu Says:
Just a correction, although harsh chemicals do break the bonds that make hair curly there is a very gentle substance that can also loosen those bonds without damage: water. When the hair is wet the bonds relax temporarily and the curl pattern opens up. Sadly no one has yet figured out how to use simple water to make a safe natural relaxer. It seems so simple yet it’s never been done.
thebeautybrains Says:
Water will affect the hydrogen bonds so the hair temporarily changes shape. But it doesn’t affect the more permanent protein-protein bonds that standard relaxers break down. Once the water is gone, the hydrogen bonding effect is changed and hair shape is determined once again primarily by the structural protein bonds. That’s why it’s not been done before.
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alexis Says:
easy…LIAR
routine hair Says:
I am going to try a alkaline water no lye relaxer on my 5th grader hair Why
because she has a variety friends Native American, Caucasian and African American.
and the school year is beginning again and she wants her hair straighten. her hair
is really soft but it’s a huge afro puff when not braided. I have washed and blow dried her hair
and straighten it with a hot comb or a straighter and this works well until she goes swimming
or run out in the heat and sweat then it frizzes back up and into an puff ball again, which upsets her.
Most of her life I have kept her hair washed, conditioned and braided. But now that she is older and its back to school time she wants her hair straight, so I’m going to bite the bullet and use a no-lye, alkaline water relaxer. if you have any suggestions for us please let me know, but my daughter has now out grown all the little balls, barrettes and clips hair accessories and now she is tired of the just wash and braid my hair routine.
smartblackhair Says:
I’d recommend not to get a relaxer at all, for any reason. Relaxers are bad. PERIOD. They make your hair lim, dull, and dry. Relaxers also cause breakage.
routine hair Says:
I actually did use this natural hair product from a website called http://www.naturalrelaxers.co.uk/bodipher.htm
after 3 weeks it has seem to worked well
her hair is not bone straight as it would be from a lye perm base cream but it is straight enough to manage and it retains it straighten during rain and humid weather. Please check out the website and let me know what you think or if anyone has use this product before. I don’t see any breakage or danage, however I did not leave it on her hair very long (fearful) and I may not use it every 4 to 6 weeks as recommended instead I may use it ever 12 weeks instead (again fearful)what do you think? I very new at this and am very fearful of damaging her hair which was already soft. I know I probably should have not done this but we were really very tired of the rain and humidy affecting her hair styles and she wanted to do something besides the braids in her hair which has been most of her short life.
I’m very interested in all the feed back I can get.
thanks