Fight the Frizz: Everything You Wanted to Know About Hair Relaxers

Your naturally curly hair can be fun and wild, adding a bit of bounce, spontaneity, and spunk to your style. However, you would be lying if you said it wasn’t inconvenient. Between unwanted frizz and everyday styling difficulties, you tend to get a little frustrated while trying to tame your rebellious hair. For women who don’t have the time to style their hair every morning or women who simply want to change their look, hair relaxer is the perfect solution.
The history behind hair relaxer is not a well-known story. The invention was accidentally created in 1910 by a man named Garrett Augustus Morgan who was working in a sewing machine repair shop. While trying to create a new substance to lubricate the sewing machine needle, Morgan wiped his soiled hands on a wool cloth. When he returned to work the next day he discovered that the coarse hairs of the wool had been smoothed and straightened. He experimented with the formula on an Airedale dog and found that his creation could smooth even the curliest of canine hair. Thus, the first chemical hair straightener was born. “G.A. Morgan’s Hair Refining Cream” was Morgan’s first of many in his line of grooming products, which later included shampoo, hair dye, pressing combs, and more.
How does hair relaxer work?
A relaxer reduces the hair’s curl by breaking down the strand and chemically altering the texture. Depending on your hair type and the type of hair relaxer used, your hair will remain straight for around six to eight weeks.
Can I do it myself, or should I go to a professional?
Hair relaxing kits are available for purchase; however, it is always recommended to have your hair relaxed by a professional at a hair salon store. Putting chemicals in your hair can be damaging, so it requires close attention and learned skills that only a professional cosmetologist can provide. A professional will also assess your hair in order to determine what kind of relaxer is best for you, or if a relaxer is even necessary at all. There are around 663,300 hair stylists working in the United States. Finding a qualified professional at a quality hair salon store should not be too difficult.
Studies show that women have 104 different hairstyles throughout their lifetime. Relaxers, hair extensions, and sew weave hairstyles are just a few of the services a hair salon store can offer to let you change up your look. Since Morgan’s invention of the product, relaxers represent 21% of the black hair care market, hitting numbers as high as $125 million in expenditures.
The great thing about hair relaxer is that it is not permanent. You can enjoy the convenience and smooth style of straight hair while still letting out your wild side now and again.