We often (very often) get questions from clients asking us our opinion on someone else’s “natural” relaxer. Our policy is that we do not comment specifically on other people’s products. We cannot be experts on products we do not sell and have not used. And, as a professional courtesy, we choose not to disparage our competitors.  However, we can comment on natural relaxers, in general.

Treasured Locks was in business for a couple of years before we began selling anything like a relaxer.  To this day (after almost 7 years), the only product we sell that relaxes the hair is Baka Beauty’s atural-Laxer MIX and Natural-Laxer Plus.  However, this product is not a traditional relaxer in that it does not straighten the hair, does not have a permanent effect on the hair and is very mild.  We believe in the motto “First do no harm.”.  We simply do not feel it is worth it for us to sell products that could potentially do major damage to a client’s hair and/or scalp.  Even a good relaxer, in the wrong hands, can cause serious damage to your hair and scalp.  We believe that putting permanent relaxers into the hair is best left to a professional.

Because of the way black hair is structured, it is simply not possible to permanently straighten it with a mild product.  While what someone calls “natural” is debatable, what we have found in common with every natural relaxer we have researched is this.  If it permanently straightens the hair, it is either extremely “basic” (high
pH) or extremely “acidic” (low pH).  What this means is it is very chemically reactive and works pretty much the same way a chemical” perm does.  Many of the companies selling these natural” relaxers will not tell you what the ingredients are.  And, we have found a few dressing up the ingredients to sound more natural than you would think.  As we’ve said elsewhere, sodium laurel sulfate (derived from coconuts) could be termed “coconut
oil derivative”. Every chemical is derived, ultimately, from something natural.  Lye is produced by running water across ashes from  burned wood.  So, lye is “natural”.  But, instead of calling it lye, you could call it something like “natural ash extract”.

A natural, mild product that would straighten black hair would be the “Holy Grail” in this business. Black women would be beating our doors down if we found one.  And, if we ever do, we’ll be sure to let you know!  As
we’ve examined the claims of people trying to sell their products to us, we look for clues like ingredients that aren’t straight forward as o what they really are, extreme precautions on how to use the product, not listing the ingredients at all, etc.  These, to us, are clues that these products are probably every bit as caustic as a
traditional perm and we steer clear of them.

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