What is the difference between a straight perm and a hair relaxer?

I'm not sure if its meant for a certain ethnicity. I have wavy semi curly hair. Its pretty puffy so I never let it down. I would like to get it done at the salon permanently, but I don't know which to get. Any advice? :DWhat is the difference between a straight perm and a hair relaxer?
By now, I'm sure you've heard of the hair straightening process invented in Japan that has swept America and made countless women forever grateful to it's hair-transforming powers. It goes by several different names - Japanese Straightening, Thermal Reconditioning, Straight Perm, and Japanese Straight Perm. So, what exactly can you expect after a thermalreconditioning service? Well, it's actually nothing short of miraculous, if you choose the right product and stylist.





I had my treatment done at a Japanese salon in Ohio that specializes in this service. After about six hours of sitting in the salon, being alternately shampooed, heated under intense heat lamps, blown out, flat ironed, and then going through the entire process again, I emerged from the salon with a completely retexturized, smooth and sleek head of hair. All together, the straightening process cost about $750, including a VERY generous tip and a large bottle of shampoo and conditioner specially formulated for my new tresses. The hourly rate for the service was $80, which is actually below most others that charge about $100 an hour. I was under strict instuctions to guard my hair from water or any type of moisture for the next 72 hours.





I was completely thrilled with my new hair. The light reflected off of it like crazy, and it blew naturally in the breeze, not at all dried out or artificial, like you might expect after a chemical treatment. It actually was in the best condition ever, which seemed counterintuitive since it had esentially just been through six hours of chemical and heat treatment. Nevertheless, it was absolutely and undeniably true.





I was told I would need to come back for a touch up on the new growth anywhere from 6 months to a year, depending on how straight I wanted it to stay and the rate of hair growth. It is now six months later, and even though it has more body, it is still shiny and smooth. I actually like it a little more with some body at the roots. It gives it a little extra lift, and the remaining hair is still straight and manageable.





There are some things you want to look out for when searching for a salon that offers thermal reconditioning. First, find out which straightening product they use. The best Japanese Straightening System is Liscio, and the second is Yuko. Both are made in Japan. Any others are to be cautiously researched. Liscio has produced the best results on clients,and if you've read about it anywhere, there is nothing negative to be reported. This is the system the salon I went to used, and my results were healthy and beautiful. Second, make sure the technician performing the service has plenty of experience in the process. Any good salon will provide you with before and after pictures of their work.





Third, be sure to be open and honest with the stylist about any prior haircoloring or processing, so they can adjust the treatment accordingly for the best results. Don't fall in to the trap of buying expensive shampoos and conditioners like I did (I spent about $85 on shampoo and conditioner).





You can actually use several quality, gentle shampoos and intensive conditioners and get the same, if not better, results( http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com/best-hair鈥?/a> ).





After Japanese Straightening, you do want to be sure to keep hair protected from the sun and moisturized, so frequent deep conditioning and an SPF spray or other UV protective hair product is highly recommended. You must wait at least one to two months before coloring your hair after the treatment, depending on your stylist's recommendations. If you can, goto a stylist who was actually trained by a top technician at the corporate headquarters for the system they use. This assures they have been trained correctly and specifically on how to get the best results possible.





What this means for you is a lower risk of getting a ';botched'; straightening job or damaged hair. Do your research. Get online and find the salons in your area that offer the service along with their credentials. After all, you don't want to waste your hard-earned money on something that is less than a superior result. The cost of the treatment can be very high, especially if your hair is particularly long or hard to ';de-curl';. Typically, the longer and curlier the hair, the longer the process takes, and the more you will spend.





Bottom line, if your hair is unruly, frizzy, or overly curly and you would like to have low maintenance, hassle free hair that is shiny and straight, the ';Japanese Straight Perm'; is just the thing for you. I know I will be going back for a second round!


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A relaxer is a type of lotion or cream which straightens hair by chemically ';relaxing'; the natural curls. The active agent is usually a strong alkali, although some formulations are based on ammonium thioglycolate instead.





Contents


1 General usage


2 Types of hair relaxers


2.1 Lye relaxers


2.1.1 ';Base'; and ';no base'; formulas


2.2 ';No lye'; relaxers


3 See also


4 External links


General usage


Hair relaxing , or lanthionization, can be performed by a professional cosmetologist in a salon, or at home with relaxer kits purchased from discount stores and pharmacies. As with hair dye, the treated portion of the hair moves away from the scalp as the new growth of untreated hair sprouts up from the roots, requiring periodic retreatment (about every 6 weeks) to maintain a consistent appearance.





The relaxer is applied to the roots of the hair and remains in place for a ';cooking'; interval, during which it alters the hair's texture by a process of controlled damage to the protein structure. The hair can be significantly weakened by the physical overlap of successive applications or by a single excessive one, leading to brittleness, breakage, or even widespread alopecia.





When the relaxer has worked to the desired degree, the hair is rinsed clean. Regardless of formula, relaxers are always alkaline to some degree, so it is prudent to neutralize or even slightly acidify the hair with a suitable shampoo immediately afterward. The prompt use of hair conditioner is also important in order to replace some of the natural oils that were stripped away by the process.








Types of hair relaxers





Lye relaxers


Alkaline relaxers were informally discovered in the United States during the 19th century, when African-Americans observed that their hair's texture could be altered by washing and combing it with soap which had been made with excess lye. Proline, the manufacturers of Dark and Lovely, officially ';invented'; the commercial ';lye relaxer'; in 1971.





A lye relaxer consists of sodium hydroxide (also known as NaOH or lye) mixed with water, petroleum jelly, mineral oil, and emulsifiers to create a creamy consistency. On application, the caustic ';lye cream'; permeates the protein structure of the hair and weakens its internal bonds, causing the natural curls to loosen out as the entire fiber swells open.





No special deactivation step is required after washing the lye cream out, other than the routine pH adjustment and hair-conditioning.





Manufacturers vary the sodium hydroxide content of the solution from 5% to 10% and the pH factor between 10 and 14.








';Base'; and ';no base'; formulas


Entirely distinct from the chemical concept of base as a synonym for ';alkaline';, lye relaxers may be labelled as ';base'; or ';no base';. In this instance, the ';base'; refers to a preliminary coating of petroleum jelly onto the scalp to protect it from being irritated or burned by the lye cream. ';No base'; creams have a lower concentration of lye and may be applied directly to the hair roots without requiring the protective ';base'; layer, although these weaker products may still irritate the skin of some people who must therefore coat their scalps beforehand anyway.








';No lye'; relaxers


';No-lye'; relaxers are of three main types. One type operates on the same general principle as lye relaxers but use a slightly weaker alkaline agent, such as potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, or guanidine hydroxide. The last of these is not pre-formulated, but rather is generated at the time of use by combining a cream containing calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) with an ';activating solution'; of guanidine carbonate.





Another type of ';no-lye'; relaxer uses ammonium thioglycolate, which is also known as perm salt for its use in permanent waves. Perm salt is a chemical reducing agent which selectively weakens the hair's cystine bonds instead of disrupting the entire protein, but strips out the natural oils even more thoroughly than the alkali hydroxide products. Afterward, the thioglycolate must be oxidized with a special solution of hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate.





Lastly, in most relaxers sold for home use, the active agents are ammonium sulfite and ammonium bisulfite (the two compounds are interchangeable, depending on the surrounding pH). These also selectively reduce the cystine bonds, but are much weaker and work more slowly. Nevertheless, their mild action minimizes (but does not entirely eliminate) collateral irritation to the skinWhat is the difference between a straight perm and a hair relaxer?
Well any body can straighten their hair with a perm instead of putting rods in your hair you just comb the wave solution through your hair and try to keep it straight for the time it has to stay on your hair then your rinse it out then put the neutralizer on for the time it need and then rinse out . With a relaxer this is very harsh to the hair and takes a little longer and more of a proses to the hair as far as which one to use I would leave that up to the salon person that's doing your hair. But like said you can buy a home perm and straighten it at home.
A perm comes out soon. My hair was relaxed, and it does not come out unless you get your hair cut.