Natural Relaxers for Black Hair

Having naturally straight hair is something that most women who have naturally curly hair crave for. The grass is definitely green on the other side and so women with curly hair, especially African-American hair are constantly on the lookout for good hair relaxers which will help ease the process of 'relaxing' their curls. With this Buzzle article, we aim to tell you about why natural hair relaxers are a better substitute to chemical ones and also give you some of the best ones that you can use.

Why to Use Natural Hair Relaxers

First of all, let us get to know what exactly a hair relaxer does. Well, basically, a hair relaxer is a kind of cream that is used on curly or frizzy hair to literally 'relax' the curls and the frizz, loosening the curls and making them relatively straight. This helps in the process of further straightening the hair. Generally, relaxers are made of strong alkalis and lye. The lye gets into the structure of the hair and disrupts it by breaking the internal bonds. This makes the hair lose the curliness and makes it easier to straighten. However, it was noticed that overuse of these chemical hair relaxers led to a lot of damage to the hair. It made the hair lose its shine, and also made the hair lifeless and brittle and riddle with split ends. Hence, more and more people are opting for lye free hair relaxers to relax their hair. Hence, using a natural one is a much better idea. Natural hair relaxing ingredients make the hair relax, but do not damage it. In the section below, you'll find some easy to use natural hair relaxers for African-American hair.

Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter is proven to be one of the best natural hair relaxers. You can buy cocoa butter from your drug store or supermarket. Mix it with some coconut oil or an activator gel and apply it onto your hair. Keep it for an hour or two. The cocoa butter will react with the oils secreted from your head and your hair will lose its curl and frizz, thus making it easier to manage and style.

Coconut Milk
Another great natural hair relaxer is one that uses coconut milk. Take the flesh of a fresh coconut. Blend it thoroughly to extract all the milk from it. Then, squeeze a lemon into this. Place this concoction in the refrigerator to cool for some time. Open the refrigerator once in a while to check if a frothy layer appears on top. When it does, you can massage the lotion in your hair, from root to tip. Leave it for about an hour and then wash your hair with your shampoo and thoroughly rinse it. Your hair will be straightened and easier to style.

Olive Oil and Honey
A combination of olive oil and honey is a great one to make your hair straight and manageable. All you have to do mix a cup of honey with half a cup of olive oil, lemon juice, and caramel each. Blend them together properly and apply the mixture to your hair, covering each strand properly. Leave this in your hair for about half an hour and then rinse and wash your hair with your shampoo. Your hair will be relaxed, glossy and soft to touch.

The amount of hair relaxer and the ingredients that you use depends on the tightness of your curls and also on the degree of straightness that you want to achieve. The straighter you want the hair, the more frequently you have to use the relaxer. Generally, using hair relaxers with hair straightening solutions work best. So, choose well and enjoy styling your hair!