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

[sareca]

I use no lye because as far as I know that's the only type for Phytorelaxer and I love this relaxer.

Same here.

 

[KhandiB]

I havent made my decision yet... I have been under processed with both in the past year

I thought I was sure, but Im not now..

Next time I wont speak so soon...

 

[LovelyZ]

I use lye relaxers only because I have read that no-lye relaxers are very drying.

When my Mom first started relaxing my hair (around 11 years old), she used the no-lye relaxer kits. I used those kits until I was about 18 and started to read up about hair care. I have been using lye relaxers ever since. My hair did become healthier, but I made a lot of other changes in my hair care regimen so I can not attribute the healthier hair to the relaxer alone.

 

[precious_pup]

I prefer Lye because my hair does not dry out when I use it. I tried No-Lye on several occasions and it always turns out the same....DRY & HARD.

 

[Namilani]

Lye! Why? Well, after reading all my hair books I was scared to ever come anywhere near a no-lye relaxer again ! And too, I'd used lye right before I had my daughter and a little after while my hair was the longest it'd been since childhood (around brastrap, unsure of exact length). Even though I was stressed and it was post-partum, I'm correlating (probably didn't spell it right ) my hair loss also with my switch to no-lye when my baby was about 3 or 4 months old. Lye's been doing the dern thang for me for the last year and some months, so why cheat in a perfect relationship? I may switch brands, but since I bought my big tub of TCB Bone Strait I'll be with it until next year sometime. Then I'm going back to the salon for my Affirm every 8 or so week ~

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I am so undecided on this one because I was in braids up until Sept. and Relaxed in Oct. very underproessed with SE mild. That was on purpose, I didn't know what I was doing. I did a corrective with African Pride No-Lye and my hair did get nice and straight, it has been a bit dry though....I have a sneaking suspision that my hair would prefer lye relaxer. I am going to go for a very long stretch and I'm leaning towards Mizani Fine and Color Treated. I understand that this relaxer works a lot slower alowing time to smooth which is the biggest problem that most people have with lye relaxers. If it burns, you can't keep it on your head long enough for it to do its magic. I have fine hair, so I can't afford any thinness (I keep reading no-lye = thinness and dryness) so I think lye may be better for my hair type in that regard....

So I'm thking right now that I am going to hold out and go with Mizani later. Actually that was my first mind, I have to continue to educate first... I'm just happy to have hair on my head at all right now! Since I'm going for lenght and fullness, everything I've read in the books say lye is the answer LOL

 

[daedae157]

i prefer no-lye. when i used lye it made my hair feel tangled and crunchy no-lye has always worked fine, as long as i take care of my hair and get no more than 4 touch-ups a year

 

[Mystic]

I am torn between lye and no lye relaxers and I do not know which one is better for my hair. I hear alot of negative things about lye relaxers and I am trying to give my hair the best possible chance. However, I used to use affirm and my hair was so thin and stringy. I switched to phyto and love the body my hair gets but since I was self-relaxing, my ends are underprocessed and overtime, my hair got SO dry, sheds and look dull. I recently touched up with Elucence lye and I got no burn - not even a tingle but....., my hair roots look like it was never relaxed which is incredulous because the hairdresser kept the relaxer in for over 35mins!! It is now 7 days since I relaxed and my root is as natural as ever! This has never happened with Phyto, which has allowed me to relax every 4 months. My hair is now reminding me of how it used to look and feel with a lye relaxer - thin, lack body but full of shine and softness. I don't really want to experiment with too many relaxers so it looks like I might have to go back to Phyto but..., the dryness and the many washes with the neutralizer is such a concern to me. I am thinking that if I continue to use Phyto then my constant henna conditioning might eliminate the dryness over time. I don't know.., I am so torn. It is still too early to decide my next step but I am evaluating................

 

[AtlantaJJ]

It seems we have many undecideds. A week or so later, I'm still leaning towards the long stretch and mizani for fine color treated. From past memories my hair was healthiest over the long haul with lye. I am happy with my hair for the most part right now but I think it takes extra work for my type of hair to deal with the no-lye type relaxer. I have fine strands, medium thickness so I don't need dry stick staight hair...

 

[PinkPeony]

I recently switched to no-lye after I stopped texturizing,only no-lye get's my hair straight and silky!

 

[Babygurl]

I use no-lye, my scalp is pretty sensitive and lye pretty much eats up my scalp. No-lye is better for my scalp and has not adversely affected my hair in any way.

 

[january noir]

No-lye. The person who does my hair says the opposite. Lye might be fine if you have thick, coarse hair (which I don't) Lye is too strong and I've never had a problem with no-lye.

 

[KeraKrazy]

I use lye I've used no lye in the past and it resulted in very dry hair (even with phyto) so I'm sticking with lye.

 

[SpiritJunkie]

i honestly don't see a difference between the 2 with my hair. i now use no lye because i like ors and silk elements and i believe they are both no lye

 

[Naphy]

I've always used no-lye too, but maybe one day I will use lye relaxer just for seeing if the result is different on my hair ^^

 

[nursetam]

I've always used no-lye, never tried lye. no-lye works well

 

[prettypuff1]

i have used no lye relaxers i never really used a lye relaxer because iheard it was more damaging to the hair. I have never had an issue with using no lye and i will keep with this

 

[seraphinelle]

I'm deciding between the two.

I know in the past I always used no-lye in the boxes.

But I also know in the past I didn't take care of my hair. I overprocessed, and some got onto the previously relaxed line.

Plus if I relax again, i'll be adding conditioner into it.

I think i'll burn real bad with lye, since I do have a very sensitive scalp, so I'll stick to no-lye

 

[Wishin4BSL]

I am a No Lye user (Ors/Dr Miracle's). However, after reading this thread I have learned why my hair is so dry and brittle!!! I am very very gentle with my hair in all of its manipulation because of it. I think that I am going to switch to Lye next time I relax to see the difference it'll make , if any. Dang, you girls are so full of knowledge!!! I was thinking because No Lye is not as harsh on your hair that it was better....but now I have learned that types of hair respond differently.

The No Lye makes my hair break also, I was wondering when that would stop!! I do EVERYTHING...but as soon as i get down to syling and look in the sink....its short peices everywhere!!!!


Thanks LHCF

Now I'm wondering....was it the protein treatment my stylist put in my hair, or the NO-LYE RELAXER that gave me severe breakage!!!??? I don't know, but I'm to go back to Revlon! This is the relaxer that I had used all my life before LHCF and I think it would be wise for me to go back to it! I just need to use the regular instead of the mild like I used to. I stopped using Revlon mild because it stopped taking COMPLETELY in my hair! I'm done with this no-lye ish!

 

[InnerSoul]

I use no-lye b/c it makes my hair feel thicker and softer w/body. Whereas when I was using lye.. my hair looked thinner and felt slightly harder and my scalp burning was no joke. I will be using ORS no-lye on my next relaxer, this Friday to be exact! I also know there are others who don't like no-lye b/c of dryness.. but now that I am taking care of my hair with knowledge...I keep my hair moisturized!! IMO your hair can break with either lye or no-lye (since they are both chemicals) the key is taking care of your hair and keeping it moisturized. As far as the calcium buildup, that is what a clarifying poo is for... or even ORS poo.. to remove the deposits. I will just stick with no-lye since that is what works for me.

 

[STLQueen]

I used No-Lye for years then about a year ago I read up on it and kept hearing that Lye was better. So I started trying the Motions Lye relaxer and I could immediately tell the difference. My hair is much softer, shinier and thicker since switching. I've burned w/ both so I just make sure I base my scalp well. I'll be trying ORS Lye relaxer on my next touch up.

BTW- I'm a newbie and this is my first post. Just had to testify about what Lye has done for my hair. I've been peeping and learning from you ladies for a little over a month now. I'll get my own pics and whatnot on here as soon as I can figure out how to do it. I'm computer illiterate.erplexed

 

[loveable37]

I used NO-LYE it ruined my hair so bad it caused calcuim bulidup switching to LYE the best thing tha happened to me never will i ever switch to NO-lye regardless how it sold,used,what it made of.

 

[RZILYNT]

I have used no-lye and switched years ago. It left deposits on the hair that left it dull. I get better results with lye relaxers. ( Sodium Hydroxide)

 

[e$h]

I've always used no-lye. I don't ever recall having any problems with it. I've always had thin hair so I can't say it's the no-lye relaxer....or can I

 

[trulyurangel82]

No lye. My scalp is sensitive and my hair is fine. I know that no lyes are not for everyone but I just couldnt see myself using lye. I think it will tear my head up.

 

[Yellowflowers]

O.K. I received mixed reviews about using no-lye relaxer. 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.

Excellent post. I remember when I was in cosmetology school, yers ago, one of my instructors was fond of saying that no-lye is a lie. She said all of it is lye!

 

[candita]

i made the switch from no-lye to lye last year and had great results. My hair was less dry and had less breakage. I've since switched to Phyto, which gives me results identical to the lye

 

[smitmarv]

I use No-Lye at this time because I want to do it myself and save money. I use ORS and I am so surpised at how straight it gets my hair. It is almost as good as a lye relaxer for my hair.

 

[tricie]

Hi, hottopic,

I am using a lye relaxer; when I first graduated from college (years and years ago), my beautician at the time was using a lye relaxer and I swear my hair was healthy and growing like weeds; I believe it was Hawaiian Silky! A few years ago, my beautician was using a no-lye relaxer and my hair was lifeless, dull and dry. Last year, I started going to a new beautician who uses Mizani Rhelaxer on my hair, and it bounced (literally back to being lush, thick and shiny, and grew from barely able to tuck behind my ear to sitting right at my neck within a few months. So my vote is for lye, unless you have had success with no-lye. Good luck!

 

[Amarech]

As of my last relaxer, I use lye. I've heard all the reviews about no lye vs lye. I actually had a eureka moment. When I decided to perm my hair in 2001 after being natural for 3 years, the stylist used Vitale. I remember asking her what she used and I always thought I was buying what she used. Now I realize I wasn't and haven't been using what she used. I know she used lye and my hair was soo much better back then. It's not bad now, and I get many complements, but I know my hair. It's dry. I think using the lye will improve that because I do everything to retain moisture. Yes, I use heat but that heat usage only accounts for about 25% of my styling process ( if you want to break it down) I don't use so much heat for my hair to be this dry, so perhaps it is the relaxer. We'll see in March!