20+ Differences Between Texturizers And Relaxers (Explained)

There are certain chemical ways to set your curly hair. Two of them are texturizers and relaxers.

While both of them have the same purpose- to style a curly set of hair, the end result differs minutely. To know which technique you should use, which technique cause less damage and which method will set your hair, read below. 

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Key points of Texturizer:

• Doesn’t change your hair appearance completely 
• Easy to maintain curls
• The process takes 5-10 minutes
• Rids from frizzy hair
• Adds volume to your hair
• It can be protein-based or cream-based treatment 
• Less harsh than relaxers 

Key points of Relaxer:

• Changes your hair appearance completely 
• Gives straight hair
• The process takes 20 minutes
• Requires less amount of touch-ups
• It can be lye or no-lye relaxer
• Harsher than texturizer 

Major Difference Between Texturizer And Relaxer

What Is Texturizer?

Texturizer helps in loosening curly hair. This purpose is served by a cream that will lose your natural curls. This method takes a shorter time period and completely entangles and removes your curls. 

You will still have your curls if you opt for texturizing, but the intensity and tightness of your curl will gradually decrease. In simpler terms, if someone has a tight-shaped set of curls (S-shaped curly hair), the texturizer will still maintain the S-shape of your curls but in a subtle way. 

The cream is placed on the hair to style and manipulate the hair after the disulfide bonds of the hair are broken down. An oxidizing agent sets the loosen-down curls to maintain the new shape and style of your once curly hair. 

Texturizers can be done with the help of protein-based and cream-based moisturizers. The cream-based moisturizer is widely recommended for this technique as a protein-based moisturizer can be proved harmful to your hair. It can lead to brittleness and damage to your curly hair. 

What Is Relaxer?

This chemical lotion or cream can do wonders to your hair in terms of providing straightness to your curly hair. The main ingredient is usually alkali to straighten out your curls. It is widely popular as a perm for black hair. 

Relaxers work by getting deep into the cuticles and cortex layers. The natural curly or wavy hair is turned into sleek straight hair.

Perm for black hair is way too different from perm for straight hair. Perm for naturally straight hair consists of ammonium thioglycolate for creating curls and waves in straight hair. 

Dyed hair can also be relaxed, but if you have bleached hair, a relaxer cannot be used to relax your curls.

Hair relaxing techniques can also be used at home, but the process should be carried out carefully. If you already have thin or broken hair, you should avoid using a relaxer at all. 

A relaxer will completely straighten out your natural curls for a very long time period. It can be permanent as well. But when the new hair starts showing up, you would be required to visit the salons for touch-ups. 

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Comparison Between Texturizer And Relaxer

Parameters	Texturizer	Relaxer
Aim	Relaxes your natural curl by using a lotion or cream while keeping your hair in the same style	Completely removes your curls and change your hair’s appearance
Who should not use them	People with straight hair or Z-shaped curls. Texturizers won’t give them visible results.	People with already damaged or weakened hair strands
Pros	Keep your original hairstyles to manage curls; it provides volume and shiny, frizz-free quality hair.	Easy to do process tangled strands or knots perfect for styling in a different wayNo numerous touch-ups
Cons	Results may vary slightly with changed hair color breakage and Weakened hair strands.	Proper cure scalp irritation Advised visiting a salon Not for every hair type.
Aftercare	Use a silk scarf for wrapping around your head, avoid hair brushes don’t use gel muchWash with water every day	Condition every time don’t go for extra touch-ups, not use a sulfate shampoo, Use heat-protectants

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Contrast Between Texturizer And Relaxer

Purpose

• Texturizer – It is a chemical-based process that will give you relaxed curls and help your hair to remain frizz-free.
  
  The natural curls of your hair are not completely removed, but they are styled in an elegant and subtler way. In fact, using a texturizer can add shine and texture to your hair. 

• Relaxer – The cream or lotion is applied to the root of your hair for this method. The natural bond of your hair is broken down to straighten out your extremely curly hair or tight curls.
  
  Using a relaxer can remove the protein from your hair which can cause damage in the future. Relaxers also help in manipulating the texture of your hair, which varies from hair to hair. 

Recommended For

• Texturizer- If you like your natural curls but still find them difficult to manage, you can consider using a texturizer. Texturizing will maintain your curly hair shape, but your curls won’t look as frizzy or wild.

• Relaxer- If you want completely straight hair permanently, you should opt for using a relaxer in your hair. To get rid of your hard-to-manage curls on a daily basis, a hair relaxer can be a good option. 

Who Should Not Try Them

• Texturizer – People who have Z-shaped curls should not try texturizers. Using texturizers for such hair won’t give you such visible results. People with straight hair should stay away from using texturizers as well. 

• Relaxer – Relaxers can cause you very damage to your curls. If you don’t want straight hair, you should not use relaxers. Furthermore, if the quality of your hair is already damaged or if you have brittle hair ends, then you should not use relaxers. 

Timestamp

• Texturizer – A good texturized hair can last up to 8-10 weeks. After this time period, new hair will automatically grow out, and you will get your natural curly mob of hair back. 

• Relaxer – Hair relaxers can easily last up to 6-12 weeks without needing any touch-ups in between. 

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Aftercare of Texturizer:

• You should seek the help of a professional stylist to know about your hair type and the products that suit you
• Wrapping a silk scarf around your head will prevent the frizz
• Use the recommended shampoo and conditioner twice a week
• Use a wide-tooth hair brush
• Do NOT go for entangling your hair with brushes
• Decrease the usage of hair gels
• Wash your hair with water every day

Aftercare of Relaxer:

• Avoid washing your hair more than twice a week
• Always use CONDITIONER after you wash your hair
• Avoid using heating products 
• If you need to heat-style your hair, then use heat protectants 
• Avoid using sulfate-included shampoo 
• Do not go for touch-ups more than the recommended times 

Process Duration

• Texturizer – For hair texturizing, the lotion or cream is usually applied on different strands or segments of your curly hair. The cream used in this process is generally washed away after 10 minutes.
  
  The chemical-based lotion will give you fine results by setting up on your hair for 5-10 minutes. However, if you don’t remove it on time, your hair will become completely straight. 

• Relaxer – While a texturizer is not placed near the scalp, the cream used in this process is directly applied to the roots.
  
  The cream is meant to be applied to your hair for good 20 minutes. The longer period of time and the harshness of the ingredients used cause comparatively much damage. 

Touch-ups

• Texturizer – Hair texturizers need touch-ups only after 8-10 weeks. It’s totally up to you to decide when you want a touch-up after the mentioned time period. However, your hair would definitely get back to its original type after a few weeks. You can go for a touch-up every 2-3 months. 

• Relaxer – Hair relaxers need only occasional touch-ups. A time period of 8 weeks is recommended between each touch-up. However, if your hair needs more appeal to them, you can consult your hairdresser and ask for frequent touch-ups. 

Advantages

Texturizers – The advantages of using texturizers are described below:

• Maintains the original style of your hair but makes it more manageable
• Provides volume to your elegant hair
• Sets your hair by making them manageable and frizz-free
• After texturizing, you can easily comb or detangle your curly hair
• Texturized hair is easier and more manageable to grow out as compared to relaxed hair
• Enhances the quality and gives shine to your curly locks

Relaxers – Even though using relaxers can cause a bit of damage to your hair, and this process has some advantages as well. The benefits of using hair relaxers are mentioned below:

• This process is easy to do and does not require much commitment
• Relaxed hair does not consist of any tangled knots. You can easily run your fingers through relaxed hair
• If you have correctly done relaxed and moisturized hair, then your hair will stay away from frizz
• The humid climate will not cause frizz to your relaxed hair 
• Relaxed hair is comparatively easy to set or for styling in a new way 
• A straightened hair will not require numerous touch-ups or monthly hair salon trips

Effect

• Texturizers – As mentioned, both of these techniques include chemical-based cream or lotion. But a texturizer can be less harsh on your curls and won’t lead to breakage or brittleness if applied correctly. 

• Relaxers – Relaxers are significantly harsher on your hair due to their properties and the longevity of the process. This process can weaken your hair by extracting the protein from your hair. Hence, relaxers can cause damage to your hair. 

Active Ingredients In The Treatment

• Texturizers – Hair texturizers include Sodium Hydroxide as their main ingredient. The soothing and moisturizing are done by texturizers as well. These purposes are served by antioxidants and emollients. 

• Relaxers – There two types of relaxers- Lye relaxer and No Lye relaxer. The former includes sodium hydroxide as the active ingredient for breaking your hair’s natural bonds.
  
  The No-Lye relaxers include Lithium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide as the active ingredients. People with sensitive scalp are recommended to use no-lye relaxers for straightening their hair.  

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Disadvantages of using Texturizer:

• The end result will depend on the hair type
• It’s not possible to get the same hair result on every different type of hair
• Texturizing can change the color of your hair a bit
• The chemicals present in texturizers are harsh as well
• Scalp irritation and dryness are the possible outcomes
• The hair strands might get weakened
• You have to wait a long to get your natural curls back

Disadvantages of using Relaxer:

• If not taken proper care, the chemicals used in the lotion can cause damage to your hair
• It’s better to seek a professional for using relaxers rather than doing it on your own
• There might be slight chances of scalp damage or irritation
• Once relaxed, it’s hard to get your curly hair back until and unless you grow them out
• It does not suit every hair type
• It needs proper care 
• It can cause dandruff or hair-fall

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

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