What is the primary ingredient in most hair relaxers?

Sodium hydroxide is the primary ingredient in most hair relaxers due to its strong alkaline properties, which allow it to break down the protein structure of the hair. This process effectively relaxes the natural curl pattern, making hair straighter and more manageable. Sodium hydroxide is often referred to as "lye" and has been commonly used in traditional hair relaxers for many years.

The choice of sodium hydroxide is significant because it provides a fast and effective means of altering hair texture, especially in coarse and resistant hair types. Its high pH level raises the cuticle layers of the hair, enabling the chemical to penetrate and alter the disulfide bonds that give hair its shape and structure.

Other ingredients like glyceryl monothioglycolate, while used in some relaxers, typically serve as alternatives that offer a different method of hair texture alteration, often resulting in less dramatic texture changes. Ammonia is primarily associated with hair coloring products and works by swelling the hair’s cuticle to allow color to penetrate, rather than specifically relaxing curls. Hydrogen peroxide acts as an oxidizing agent in color treatments and lightening processes, not as a relaxer. Thus, sodium hydroxide stands out as the dominant active component in typical hair