What do you use Lye or No-Lye and why?

Which do you use?

  • Total voters
    517
  • Poll closed .
I use Lye because for some reason, most no-lye relaxers leave my hair feeling dry, and also no-lye relaxers tend to discolor my hair to this dirty looking brown.

But Lye is much more likely to burn me, so I try to have the stylists wash it of ASAP
 
I am considering switching to no lye because my hair is not as "big" as it used to be. It feels thin and limp. I have extreme 4z and I have been using Super Design Essentials. I use super because underprocessed hair is unmanageable hair for me, esp,. because my hair gets wet after cardio workouts.


What are the risks of switching between lye and no lye?
 
For me, its just a shame that I used No Lye for 10 years and after using Lye for the first time with my last relaxer, I realised I should have been using Lye AAAGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ago.

My hair had been dry and brittle for the longest time with No Lye. After an almost 10 months stretch and about 4 to 5 inches of new growth, I relaxed with Lye. I can actually feel the difference in softess between the part which has been relaxed with Lye and the part that has been relaxed with No Lye.
When my hair is air dried, the part which has been relaxed with Lye remains soft and the part with No Lye dries hard, brittle and crunchy :nono:... NO LIE.

Its Lye for me from now on.
 
envivany said:
I use Lye because for some reason, most no-lye relaxers leave my hair feeling dry, and also no-lye relaxers tend to discolor my hair to this dirty looking brown.

But Lye is much more likely to burn me, so I try to have the stylists wash it of ASAP
Click to expand...

My stylist did something really good the other day while relaxing my hair.
Instead of just basing the hairline with petroleum jelly/Vaseline, she parted my hair in small sections and based the whole scalp.
My scalp didn't burn at all, and I have a VERY sensitive scalp. Sometimes I would get burning using no Lye.

(Just a tip to try for anyone who only bases their hairline, but still gets burning of the scalp.)
 
I was just thinking about this. As long as you take care and moisturize and protein your hair well. You should be good. No lye -just use a cheleating shampoo. Lye up with moisture & protein. Its really no difference. If you look at this site, you can't really tell who uses what, cause majority of the females hair are so beautiful. Then you have some females who uses Phyto and others. Then natural. IMO just moisturize more and stay on top of your protein, along with weekly DC. Your hair will grow regardless.
 
I love the thickness I experience since I been using Lye, compare to using no-lye. I don't like that bone-straight hair, and I feel that lye keeps more of my natural body and moisture better than any no-lye relaxer I have ever used.
 
before my bc, i used no-lye. my hair was always dry.
now that i've relaxed again, i'm using lye. my hair is perfect! its so moisturized and silky. i'm definitely sticking to lye.
 
For most of my healthy hair journey I've used no-lye (Phyto). My hair was always really dry & brittle, and no amount of DC's, or chelationg would help. I decided to switch to lye and I finally know what it feels like to have over-moisturized hair :spinning:. My hair looks a lot better since using lye relaxer (I went over the hair relaxed with no lye), and i'm never going back to no lye!!
 
question: i'm natural but when i used affirm back in the day my hair loved it. is affirm lye or no lye?
 
I bought Elasta QP Lye yesterday and Im still scared to try it out but Im going to soon, this NG isnt playing around.
 
I use lye relaxers because for some reason my hair lasts longer between applications. I don't know if it's the brand (I use Elucence regular strength) or if it's the lye/no-lye thing. But, with no-lye kits I would have to go every 4-6 weeks. With lye relaxers, I can go from 8-10 weeks (I've even managed a 12 week stint...)
 
shunta said:
I use lye and I love it. I switched over 2 years ago.

Lye=softer, silkier hair. At least for my hair. :)
Click to expand...

What Relaxer do you use cause your hair looks like pure silk!

anniev2 said:
question: i'm natural but when i used affirm back in the day my hair loved it. is affirm lye or no lye?
Click to expand...

I hope someone answers this cause I am going to use affirm moisture plus for my next touch up next week and I dont know which one it is

dejah9 said:
I use lye relaxers because for some reason my hair lasts longer between applications. I don't know if it's the brand (I use Elucence regular strength) or if it's the lye/no-lye thing. But, with no-lye kits I would have to go every 4-6 weeks. With lye relaxers, I can go from 8-10 weeks (I've even managed a 12 week stint...)
Click to expand...

where do you get your Elucence from cause I been trying ti get my hands on some but cant... hence why I am using affirm
 
For those that use lye relaxers, what do you do to combat the extreme dryness (if u experience this) that it causes? I have used no lye for years and started using lye due to this board, and my last attempt left my scalp absolutely ridiculous....!
 
If only I had a time machine and could go back to being 18, when I decided to leave stylists alone for good. I had no idea that stylists generally use lye unless you ask them not to. So, when I went in the store and bought Optimum no-lye, I thought that I was using the same thing that my stylist had been using on me for years. NOT!

Oh well, I know now, and you couldn't pay me to go back to no-lye. I try to convert people to lye, but no one wants to hear it! Not my sister, not my cousin, not my friends...oh well, at least I tried.
 
My stylist used to use lye when i was 16-17, and my hair was straight and shiny. I switched stylists and the new one used Dark and Lovely no-lye, which, on her advice, i have also used at home for the past few years. My hair is not as shiny, it is drier and always underprocessed. I thought it was something else until i joined this forum and discovered that the no-lye might have been the root of the evil.

I am a lye re-converted now :) For my next relaxer i will be using Vitale.
 
Hey, I'm natural but I use a no-lye on my friends hair and when i was relaxed i switched froma no lye to a lye so I think it depends on what works for you. For my friend I use ORS and it's amazing for her, she has really full thick hair and it leaves her hair moisturized and soft before she used TCB (Ugh) so one day she put her hair in my hands and the ORS is excellent. When I was relaxed I used Precise then I switched to affirm, they both did the job I never noticed a big difference so I think if u care for ur hair as always it can withstand either one.
 
hey ladies,

im a transitioning head, thinking about relaxing this weekend. well not thinking, I AM relaxing this weekend. but its been so long... since jan 2007 and im somewhat scared. in jan 07, i had used motions relaxer... and b4 then i was doing it professionally in the salons, and before then, i would use african pride.. not sure if they were lye or no lye... but my question is...................

since i plan to relax this weekend, do you guys suggest i mainly do my edges/roots, or should i be doing my whole hair strand since im 85% natural.

please let me know, thannnnkks in advance.

xoxoxo
 
Great Thread!! I am also considering converting back to lye. My Dad who gave me my first relaxer when I was 10 used Dark and Lovely Lye and me and sisters hair grew like crazy..... I mean just over the summer like 6 inches.!!

But for some reason I switched to no lye and never really connected the lack of shine or fast growth.

I recently switched both of my girls to silk elements lye MILD and I have again noticed what appears to be faster NG My eldest is 12. 3 weeks post and I can tell already she has a good 1/2 inch. This is a lot for her. Both of their hair is also silkier and shinier than before.

I was unsure so I asked my sister. She is a cosmetologist. She was tryiing to explain to me that Lye relaxers are sodium hydroxide. No Lye are calcium hydroxide. Both will straighten but water chemically follows salt. So it may be easier to retain moisture from a lye relaxer. HTH
 
so for me who is converting back to relaxed hair from growing natural for over a year, do you suggest i get it professionally done?! or can i do box perm?! and if so, which perms would u recommend?!?
 
Syntonics LYE. This relaxer left my hair in better condition after it was applied. My hair is able to absorb conditioner and moisturizers better. When I used NO LYE relaxers my hair was as dry as the desert. NOTHING made it feel better. If you color your hair at all-I do demi permanent to cover grays-forget no lye!
 
hottopic said:
O.K. I received mixed reviews about using no-lye relaxer. :ohwell: I been using no-lye for the as long as I can remember especially when I do an at home relaxer until recently I switched to lye. Which do you girls use and why? Sorry if this was asked before….But I am thinking about switching back to no-lye.
Click to expand...


I use no lye...Lye BURNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
 
after lye-ing for 2 years, i'm back to no-lye! Left uderprocessed many time with lye and the burns!!! O the burns!! I used gentle treatment last fri and all seems well!
 
i was a no-lye girl but i tried ORS lye the last time i relaxed and the results were SOOO super, so much better than any no-lye i've ever done, my hair was silky, smooth and really moisturized, so i think i'm gonna be sticking to lye.
 
I have used no-lye and that all i ever used. I wanted to switch to lye but was scared. Nothing is wrong with the relaxer i use so whats the point in switching.
 
my hair loves loves loves lye relaxers. i remember a couple years ago i was a dark n lovely junkie. well my mom was doin my hair and i ran outta the no lye but she had some motions lye left from when she did her hair and she had 2 use that on the last front section of my hair. i was lookin like :ohwell: can you do that? well needless to say that little section of hair i had relaxed with the lye perm was so much softer, moisturized, and well behaved then the rest of my head. since switching to lye i've noticed better sheen and my hair feels stronger and maintains it's thickness. i always had to use a super no-lye just to somewhat relax the curl. now i can use a regular lye and the results are 10x better. i will never use no lye again.
 
Bumping for more responses. I used Phyto back in July on 100% virgin hair and I am always kicking myself for it. I use a chelating/clarifying shampoo regularly (even though Phtyo does not create calcium build up from what I understand), and moisturize/DC a lot, but within reason. All of that barely helps, so consequently I've decided nothing is going to help my hair after using a no-lye relaxer. I am experiencing MAJOR dryness, dullness, difficulty retaining moisture, etc....the usual complaints. I always did well with lye, and I will be switching back to it in January (if I don't decide to transition).
 
i voted no-lye.. have never had any problems what so ever with no-lye. And then i found lchf and hopped on the Lye band wagon, switched from ORS no-lye to ORS Lye and the problems began :sad: i had tear inducing shedding and breaking that is just now (around 6 weeks post or) calming down.. thankfully we are all given thousands of strands of hair, so even though it was an awful lot of shedding i caught it early enough to make the proper adjustments.

It was to the point that i could run my hands through my hair (wet or dry) and clumps of hairs would come out.. porosity control and intense deep conditioning sessions saved my hairs' life!

needless to say.. im sticking to no-lye. Alot of ladies can take Lye with no problems and i fell in love with all the results and benefits that were posted but it wasn't for My hair.:nono:

lesson learned
 
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