I found out what's making my hair dry....

I finally realized what's causing the big time dryness in my hair. I used to use no-lye relaxers most of my life but the past 2 yrs. I started going to a salon for my relaxers. She used Affirm (lye) relaxer, which was fine w/ my hair.

Then last Feb. I decided to start relaxing at home again. I wanted to be texurized. I used a no-lye relaxer (in the box) and my hair started to dry out BIG TIME. I thought it was other products I was using but then I finally realized the only thing I changed in my routine was my relaxer.

I just wonder why all those years that i used no-lye relaxers my hair was fine. I guess my hair got used to the lye relaxer this past 2 years.
Has anyone experienced this when they changed from lye to no-lye???

Now I"m conditioning my hair like crazy but it's still dry as heck! Should I go back to the salon and get the Affirm w/ lye put on my hair?? The only problem w/ that is I feel bald after she does it. I keep telling her I want it texturized but she keeps saying my hair is too thick and needs to be bone straight!!

Everytime I have tried a no-lye relaxer my became extremely dry. I would put all kinds or products into it and it would still be dry. I have fine strands and the salon would always over straighten my hair as well. For me the decision was to do my hair at home....HTH

amazin9 said:

Everytime I have tried a no-lye relaxer my became extremely dry. I would put all kinds or products into it and it would still be dry. I have fine strands and the salon would always over straighten my hair as well. For me the decision was to do my hair at home....HTH

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I'm assuming that you use a lye relaxer at home. What relaxer do you use??

Thanks for the info. I think that is what is my problem too. I started using the hawaiian silky no lye a couple of years ago. And while I love the texture it leavs my hair very dry. Before that I used to use a lye perm and my hair was not as dry. So now on my next one Im gonna try the lye version of the hawaiian silky and see how it goes...

I loved my phyto but as time went on by the 3 application I realize that my hair wasn't taking to moisturizers and I've tried tons. My hair just continue to get so dry. My hair just wouldn't retain any moisture. I had to make the switch to lye. So far my hair is much softer.

In the past I was using no-lye (the best of the bunch being soft and beautiful)--my hair was constantly dry, flaking and shedding. I was using it to texturize and I didn't use that much heat. In late summer 2004 I changed to lye--my last relaxer was Jan. (I'm transitioning)
My hair shedded but wasn't as dry as the box at home no-lye relaxer. Now 6 months into transitioning my hair is healthier and the chronic dryness is gone. I haven't bc'ed yet and don't plan on it.

Going to a professional for relaxing was better than doing it myself I will admit, but my last relaxer didn't take so I decided to give it up and my hair is now thanking me.

Kia, is the no-lye relaxer/texturizer you used this time different from the one you used before when your hair was not dry? If not, perhaps it is just the different brand of relaxer that does not agree with your hair rather than all no-lye relaxers.

I've used Soft and Beautiful no-lye in regular strength to texturize my hair for over ten years and it has never made my hair dry. It's always soft and has a lot of elasticity. But, after reading so many posts about how other no-lye relaxers have dried out people's hair, I'd be afraid to try a different brand on my hair than the one I use.

I'm not familiar with any other brands, but the one I use has two packets of pre-relaxer treatment that you apply all over your hair to prevent overprocessing. The conditioner used after neutralizing is formulated to remove calcium deposits left on your hair from the relaxer. So, those things might make a difference.

Yeah there are many factors. It depends on the brand and your own hair. If I ever had to go back to no lye I would definitely try the Profectiv and Soft N Beautiful. They sound like they are really good no lye relaxers.

renee_n_3000 said:

Kia, is the no-lye relaxer/texturizer you used this time different from the one you used before when your hair was not dry? If not, perhaps it is just the different brand of relaxer that does not agree with your hair rather than all no-lye relaxers.

I've used Soft and Beautiful no-lye in regular strength to texturize my hair for over ten years and it has never made my hair dry. It's always soft and has a lot of elasticity. But, after reading so many posts about how other no-lye relaxers have dried out people's hair, I'd be afraid to try a different brand on my hair than the one I use.

I'm not familiar with any other brands, but the one I use has two packets of pre-relaxer treatment that you apply all over your hair to prevent overprocessing. The conditioner used after neutralizing is formulated to remove calcium deposits left on your hair from the relaxer. So, those things might make a difference.

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Well a long time ago I was using Soft & Beautiful (like for 10 years), my hair was great! Then I started going to the salon and she used Affirm w/ lye, for 2 years.
I wanted to do it at home again because when she does it at the salon, it gets too straight. So I used Elasta QP MIld (w/ lye). That's when my hair texture started changing. Then after 2 months I used the Soft & Beautiful. I like the way it did my hair but my hair is still hard but not as hard as before. I'm not sure what i should do next. I don't know if it's the Elasta that messed it up or the SOft & Beautiful.

Should I just keep doing the SOft & Beautiful or go and get the Affirm at the salon??

renee_n_3000 said:

Kia, is the no-lye relaxer/texturizer you used this time different from the one you used before when your hair was not dry? If not, perhaps it is just the different brand of relaxer that does not agree with your hair rather than all no-lye relaxers.

I've used Soft and Beautiful no-lye in regular strength to texturize my hair for over ten years and it has never made my hair dry. It's always soft and has a lot of elasticity. But, after reading so many posts about how other no-lye relaxers have dried out people's hair, I'd be afraid to try a different brand on my hair than the one I use.

I'm not familiar with any other brands, but the one I use has two packets of pre-relaxer treatment that you apply all over your hair to prevent overprocessing. The conditioner used after neutralizing is formulated to remove calcium deposits left on your hair from the relaxer. So, those things might make a difference.

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Renee, when I transitioned from being natural for several years, I was using a no-lye relaxer with the 2 packets of pre-relaxer treatment to protect my ends when the relaxer gets rinsed out of the hair. I've used At One no-lye relaxer in Regular. My hair felt dry, especially at the ends after relaxing days later. I switched to Elasta QP Mild lye relaxer around October of last year. I noticed that my hair had more moisture with the lye than the no-lye. And I do my own relaxer touchups at home. I rarely go to a salon to get my hair done, and I don't trust the stylists due to fact they can sometimes ruin your hair that you've worked so hard of growing it long.

To end all things, I'm sticking with the lye relaxers since they did a real good job on my hair as far as not making my hair dry goes.

BC

No-lye relaxers are sodium hydrocide wahat dose the word sodium say SALT...
Salt is drying to evrything it is used on.
The makers of No-lye taught us the Lye burned the scalp if left on the hair, No-Lye was safer to use How many of us have burned a patch of hair right off of our heads thinking that is was safe
We all now know that the faster we work a relaxer the better the results, so go back to the lye as MADAM C.J. WALKER made the first relaxer.
If you only want to texturize than rinse /remove the relaxer faster than you usualy do.

hairmaster said:

No-lye relaxers are sodium hydrocide wahat dose the word sodium say SALT...
Salt is drying to evrything it is used on.

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"No-lye" relaxers usually contain calcium or lithium hydroxide, not sodium hydroxide. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide..