Hey, ever had this chat with your saloonist?

Hair relaxers change the texture of kinky hair and make it straighter.

Every woman loves lustrous and great-looking hair that is easy to manage. However, typical African natural hair can be difficult to manage. The easiest way to manage the hair is to use relaxers.

Relaxing is a chemical process, thus choosing the right relaxer and technique best suited to your hair type, is important. Otherwise, your hair may suffer irreparable damage.

There are many things to consider when choosing a relaxer. Pay attention to your hair type, ingredients, properties of the formula and the results you want.

The best relaxer will give you a healthy scalp and hair, by being gentle on both. If your hair is thick and wiry, you have coarse hair, thin, smooth hair is a fine texture, while anything between the two is medium texture. Pick the correct strength formula for your hair type.

Types: There are two types of relaxers - alkaline and lye retainers, and no-lye relaxers. Lye relaxers give you straighter hair, but are likely to damage your hair more by causing chemical burns on your scalp if not used well.

They also cause it to lose lustre and shine. Used professionally, it leaves the hair straight, moisturised and soft. The latest natural relaxers are no-lye. They have a lower pH balance, thus are milder. They are best for women with sensitive skin. While lye-based relaxers are known as the best relaxer, they can still damage the hair, especially, if not handled professionally.

There are also ‘no base’ formulae said to be less damaging to the scalp. However, a petroleum base is best as it offers extra precaution. Let a professional decide what suits your hair the best.

Strengths: Relaxers for African hair come in three strengths: Mild, regular, and super. Mild works best for thin hair that is extremely fine in texture. Regular strength is for hair with medium texture and some hair with coarse texture. Super strength is for coarse hair that is resistant. However, the fact that you have thick hair does not necessarily mean you need a super relaxer - the thick hair may just be a mass of fine strands.

Most relaxers, however, contain strong alkaline chemicals, and that is why it is important to use a neutraliser after relaxing. A professional hairdresser will best advice on the highest rated relaxers on the market.