Relaxer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A relaxer is a special type of lotion or creme usually containing a strong alkaline (although it can also contain perm salt) used in the treatment hair with a type of permanent. This treatment relaxes the curls of the recipient, giving it its name. Mostly associated and very popular with African-Americans, people of other ethnicities also occasionally get relaxer treatments using a lotion containing ammonium thioglycate.
The alkaline relaxer was actually discovered in the 19th century when African-Americans realized that washing and combing hair with a lye soap helped to straighten it. Proline, manufacturers of Dark and Lovely, officially "invented" the relaxer in 1971. This relaxer consists of a strong alkaline solution such as lye, potash lye or slaked lime, mixed with petroleum jelly, with mineral oil added for consistency. Various emollifiers and conditioners are added in varying degrees.
"No-lye" relaxers contain calcium hydroxide. Calcium hydroxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ca (OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder, and is created when calcium oxide (called lime or quicklime) is slaked with water. A traditional name for calcium hydroxide is slaked lime, or hydrated lime. If heated, calcium hydroxide decomposes into calcium oxide and water. A solution of calcium hydroxide, called limewater, is a medium strength base that reacts violently with acids and attacks many metals in presence of water. Calcium hydroxide can be found in a variety of products, ranging from bowl cleaners, hair removers, and hair relaxers.
A perm relaxer is a thick creme with perm salt or ammonium thioglycate added. The creme is applied to the hair and the creme is left till the maximum time is reached which is between 25-30 minutes or until it starts to itch or burn, then its rinsed out and hair is shampooed. If it is not washed out during this time it can create burnt scalp patches. Hair is then conditioned, the person is put under the dryer, the conditioner is washed out, the hair is styled by the hair dresser. Then the person is placed back under the hair dyer until the hair is completely dry. Then the hair is flat-ironed and styled. The whole process can take a few hours. A texturizer is an alkaline relaxer with less solution added, to relax the curl slightly. A blowout creme has even less alkaline solution in it and is used by African Americans to create a "soft afro" effect.
One of the reasons that African Americans use relaxers is to make their hair "more manageable". However, African hair is manageable when treated with care and when using the proper tools. African hair is thick, and the purpose of a relaxer is to straighten and relax the hair. The relaxer is applied to the roots and as the hair grows out, the relaxer grows out (much like with hair dye), and the hair begins to return to its original state. Relaxers should be reapplied about every four to eight weeks. They can be done at home or professionally.
In many African American speech communities, relaxers are called "perms".
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[edit] African-Americans, racism, and relaxers
In the book Color Complex, authors Kathy Russell, et al expound the theory that racism is one of the reasons that relaxers are popular with African Americans. Their theory claims that in the past, African Americans were not lauded for their physical appearance because of the prevailing social conditions of the times, hair texture and skin color being only two of the many aspects of physical appearance for which they were looked down upon. During this time, however, interracial mixture occurred, producing children with varying degrees of "European" and "African" physical traits, such as complexion, eye color, and hair texture. African Americans with more European physical traits were given "preferential" treatment. Often, African Americans with predominantly "white features" were "allowed" to work inside the whites' houses, as opposed to in the hot fields with the other dark-skinned and "nappy-headed" African Americans, creating a subtle and nuanced division between "fairer-skinned", straighter-haired Blacks and darker-skinned, "nappy-headed" Blacks. The theory claims that during this time, a European look became more prestigious and desirable in the minds of African Americans as well, and that by using relaxers, Blacks were able to transform their so-called ugly and nappy Afro textured hair into a hair texture that more closely resembled the hair texture of people of European descent.
Critics of the theory contend that many African American women use relaxers because they believe it makes their hair generally more manageable or to sport various styles that can only be done or are more conveniently done with relaxed hair.
However, the issue of "manageability" is contextually driven by society's standards of propriety. In its natural state, typical African American may require different grooming instruments and products to make the grooming process easier and more manageable without straightening products. By being subjected to products and instruments not intended for African American hair, many African Americans relax their hair because they find fault with its natural state rather than with the idea of using hair products and techniques that aren't appropriate for their hair grade/texture. Compulsory and consistent hair relaxation often leads to the hair loss and damage experienced by many African American women.
[edit] References
- Russel, Wilson, and Hall. "The Color Complex: The Politics of Skin Color Among African Americans". First Anchor Books. NY. November 1993.
