Question

How do chemical hair relaxers work?

A) they break the hydrogen bonds, which are responsible for the hair's texture, in order to change the hair from straight to curly, or curly to straight.
B) they increase the hair's pH balance to an alkaline state, which raises the cuticle layer and allows the relaxer to reach the cortex, where restructuring takes place.
C) they decrease the hair's pH balance to an alkaline state, allowing the relaxer to reach the hair follicle, which restructures the hair's texture.
D) they repair broken disulfide bonds that attach to the natural keratin found in hair fibers to permanently restructure the hair's shape.

Answer 1

Chemical hair relaxers work by breaking the disulfide bonds in the hair fibers, which are responsible for maintaining the hair's shape and texture. The process involves the use of a reducing agent to disrupt the disulfide bonds, followed by the reformation of these bonds in the desired shape using an oxidizing agent.

Step-by-step explanation:

Chemical hair relaxers work by breaking the disulfide bonds in the hair fibers, which are responsible for maintaining the hair's shape and texture. The relaxer contains a reducing agent, such as ammonium thioglycolate, which reacts with the disulfide bonds, disrupting their structure and allowing the hair to be reshaped. The hair is then wrapped around forms and an oxidizing agent, usually hydrogen peroxide, is added to reform the disulfide bonds in the new desired shape. This restructuring process permanently changes the hair's texture.