Relaxers can be lye, no-lye, or guanidine. Polyethylene Glycol is the base sometimes found in the no lye relaxers, while sodium hydroxide is the active ingredient found in most lye relaxers.

Since the pH levels of relaxers are high, be sure that is what you want. Once applied it becomes permanently straight and the process cannot be reversed out until hair is cut off or grown out.

Be careful about which relaxer is good for you. No-Lye Relaxers do not always straighten as successfully as Lye Relaxers. Therefore if you have coarse hair, no-lye Relaxers are not always a good recommendation for you because it may cause your hair to swell.

During the early years no-lye was limited to one strength for all hair types. With modern advancement it is now available in a range of strengths that straightens better than before.

In my professional experience, now about 5% of Caucasians apply hair relaxers to permanently straighten their curly or wavy hair straight. 

Experience shows that African-American hair when relaxed has the tendency to become fragile whether in a wet or dry stage. Extra precaution is necessary since the hair generally has less tensile strength and can break easily. 

It is therefore advisable for African-Americans with chemical relaxed hair to be cautious about certain products they apply to their hair. It is advisable to stop home perms. With all this advancement, if a relaxer is not applied correctly it can still create severe breakage and other serious problems.

Chatto's Salon provides relaxer services for all hair types and textures.