One of the characteristics that are found in mammals is hair. Hair is the protein that is found in the dermis. Hair consists of alpha keratin.
Every hair is divided into three parts medulla, cortex, and Curtis. Hair is so important for humans that it almost grows everywhere except for the glabrous skin and the mucus membrane.
Hair also undergoes a cycle that determines its length. Each of these stages co-occurs. Steps include the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases. Different textures of hair can be found.
Three factors determine its volume, consistency, and curl pattern. Texturizers and relaxers are chemical treatments that remove or treat curly or kinky hair.
Key Takeaways
- Texturizers are mild chemical treatments that loosen the natural curl pattern of hair, while relaxers are stronger chemicals that straighten hair completely.
- Texturizers maintain more of the hair’s natural texture than relaxers, which can cause hair to become completely straight and lose its elasticity.
- Texturizers are left on the hair for a shorter time than relaxers, resulting in less damage to the hair.
Texturizer vs Relaxer
The difference between Texturizer and Relaxer is that Texturizer is used for temporarily curling the hair. It doesn’t straighten the hair completely. Only natural curls are loosened to make it straight. In comparison, the relaxer is the permanent option to straighten the hair. It is used to straighten the coiled, tightly coiled hair completely. Texturizer causes less damage to the hair. At the same time, Relaxer causes more damage to the hair. Texturizer is applied on various sections of the head. Relaxer is used only on the root of the hair.
Texturizer is a chemical process used to alter the structure of the hair. It is very similar to Relaxer. It helps to make the natural curls loosen so that it becomes straight.
Texturizer is straightforward and easy to manage, as it gives a lovely curl pattern. Texturizer helps to retain some of the natural kinks and curls.
So if a person wants to keep curly and straight hair, managing curls can sometimes be challenging. Then Texturizer can be used. It adds softness and sheen to the hair.
Relaxer is a chemical treatment that is used o straighten hair. It is a permanent solution. It is a cream or lotion applied to the hair’s roots.
It is straightforward to manage the hair with the relaxer as it straightens the coiled and very tightly coiled hair. Relaxer chemically alters the texture of the hair. But depending upon the different hair types.
Relaxer is left on the hair for 15 to 30 minutes. Suppose anyone wants to permanently change the hairstyle, i.e., from curls to straight. Then a relaxer can be a good option.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Texturizer | Relaxer |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Kenra Platinum Texturizing Taffy, Garnier Fructis Style Texture Tease Dry Touch Finishing Spray, Living Proof Texture Volumizer, Luster’s S Curl Texturizer, etc | Thio relaxers, “no lye” relaxers, Alkaline and lye relaxers. |
| Time | 5-10 minutes | 15-30 minutes |
| Effect | Breakage leakage, or harsh damage. | Breakage leakage or harsh damage. |
| Applied | Various sections of the head. | The root of the hair. |
| Damage | Less Damaging | More Damaging |
What is Texturizer?
Texturizer is applied to the hair as a chemical treatment. The main aim of the hair texturizer is to de-frizz curly hair. It can be seen as a temporary solution. It does not straighten the hair completely.
It only loosens the natural curls of the hair. Texturizer is the lighter version of the Relaxer. Texturizer makes the hair soft and helps loosen the hair’s ring.
A hairstylist uses this technique for people who want to manage their hair’s curls. It can be called a Special relaxing technique that gives soft hair.
The hairstylist applies the Texturizer to the various sections of the hair. A texturizer is left on the hair for 5 to 10 minutes. A mild or regular relaxer is called Texturizer. When applied to the hair, it is left on the hair so it can be set.
Then it can be rinsed. Texturizer should not be applied for more than 10 minutes. Otherwise, the hair would get straightened. There is a significantly less damaging effect of the Texturizer.
Various types of texturizers can be found in the market.
Like Kenra Platinum Texturizing Taffy, Luster’s S Curl Texturizer, Davines This Is A Dry Texturizer Spray, Garnier Fructis Style Texture Tease Dry Touch Finishing Spray, Living Proof Texture Volumizer, Organics Texture My Way Texturizing & Softening System, etc. It is less harsh than Relaxer.
What is Relaxer?
Relaxer, as the name suggests, relaxes the hair by applying it to the roots. Relaxer consists of a strong alkali that acts as an active agent. It also contains formulations like ammonium thioglycolate or formaldehyde.
Relaxer was first used in the year 1909. Relaxer was found accidentally by Garrett Augustus Morgan when he was trying to find a solution so that his sewing machine could work effortlessly.
Then he tested on the dog’s fur. After it became successful, he opened the company named G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. He sold his hair straightener products to mostly mixed or black people.
The process of hair relaxing can be done by any professional, whether it be a professional barber or a professional cosmetologist. Now hair relaxer kits are also available. A hair relaxer is applied to the shaft of the hair.
Then it is left till the time it alters the texture of the hair by a controlled damaged structure. Using a relaxer continuously can cause harmful effects like brittlBreakagereakage, or even widespread alopecia.
After the relaxer has worked, the hair is rinsed. A shampoo suitable to the hair type is applied to neutralize the effect. Conditioner can also be used to remove all the natural oil.
Types of relaxers include Down perm, no-lye relaxers, alkaline relaxers, lye relaxers, etc. Commercially, sales spiked from the year the 1990s.
Main Differences Between Texturizers and Relaxers
- Types of texturizers include Kenra Platinum Texturizing Taffy, Garnier Fructis Style Texture Tease Dry Touch Finishing Spray, Living Proof Texture Volumizer, Luster’s S Curl Texturizer, etc. Types of Relaxers include Thio relaxers, “no lye” relaxers, Down Perm, Alkaline and lye relaxers.
- The time required for Texturizer on the hair is 5 to 10 minutes. The time needed for a relaxer on the hair is 15 to 30 minutes.
- The effect of Texturizer is that it keeps the natural curl pattern in a loose form. Effects of relaxers include brittleness, dryness, harsh damaBreakagereakage.
- Texturizer is applied to various sections of the head. Relaxer is applied on the hair shaft and root of the hair.
- Texturizer causes less damage to the hair. Relaxation causes more damage to the hair.
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/26505328
- https://cdn.mdedge.com/files/s3fs-public/issues/articles/Vol28_i2_Hair_Loss.pdf
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
Great post, very informative. I found this post quite educational.
Apostrophes are used and misplaced incorrectly throughout. For example, kinks’ instead of kinks. Spelling errors throughout.
I didn’t know the history behind relaxers. It is interesting how it was first found.
The distinction between texturizer and relaxer is clearly explained. I like the comparison table at the end.
Agree, very informative. Great explanation.
The post is very biased towards a texturizer. It should have been more neutral.
The comparison made on the damage caused by texturizer and relaxer is not accurate.