Myth or Fact: Coconut/Lime 'Relaxer'
Youtube and internet forums are all buzzing about the coconut/lime relaxer. I have previously discussed this on super extra fab blog BGLH too but because I have two ladies asking, here we go
Recipe
Coconut Oil
Coconut Cream
Yoghurt (Some add Juice of 1 lime)
Method
Mix it up, place it on your hair and allow to sit. Et voila, the hair is relaxed........or is it?
Evidence of Relaxing
Youtubers seem unsure for the most part, I think for lack of a description (because the hair is clearly not relaxed) some say their curl is 'loosened'. I have to say that in none of the 9 videos that I viewed was there a 'relaxing' or even 'loosening' effect. Actually one lady has a 3b/3c haired daughter and to me the hair before was dry and sort of picked out and afterwards looked moisturised and more clumped together.
Do any of these ingredients have bond breaking capacity like relaxers?
Yes, bacteria in yoghurt can break bonds but whether this extends to hair, I very much doubt it.
Would I consider this to be relaxing?
In a word No. I think it is most likely a fussy but good moisturising treatment. Until I see some real evidence of relaxing, I'm going to say no it does not relax the hair. Would I recommend that you do it? Sure throw out the lime (or maybe make a drink with it!!) and apply the rest, after all coconut oil is great (I really need to stop raving about it, don't I:)). For the BGLH discussion - click here
Image Credit
I agree. I do the coconut cream treatment and it doesn't relax my hair at all. Like you stated, it simply moisturizes and softens my hair like crazy and I receive incredible clumpage of my curls.
ReplyDeleteI am a coconut oil addict myself! Can't get enough of it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's just a really intense deep conditioner and interpreted as a "relaxer" because it makes gets rid of the fuzzies and clumps curls together so it LOOKS like you went down a type.
ReplyDelete@Alice - I really don't think any of them even look like their hair type changed. I think they just look like a very moisturised version of their original hair type. I think it is a moisturising conditioner too.
ReplyDeleteI love this mix (throw out the lime yes) and its really helped me whilst transitioning from relaxed to natural as its kept the new growth soft and loose so that it blends in a bit better with the relaxed hair ;0)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned the video with the daughter because I agree that her hair was in no way made looser by the treatment...it just looked like it was due to the before-and-after effect. But you'd have to be knowledgeable about natural hair to see that...unfortunately there are suckers born every minute on YouTube...
ReplyDeleteGreat post :o)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I am going to try this to see if it will at least help with detangling, I've tried a yogurt treatment before (Cherry Lola Treatment) and it worked pretty well :o)
ReplyDeleteNow I have that Nilson song "put the lime in the coconut" stuck in my head. I think I will try this natural hair treatment. Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeletecoconut oil and cream does wonders for my 4a/b hair... love it. and pretty much for me it just made my NG softer; therefore, it wasnt unruly and it just smoothed out easier in a wrap.
ReplyDeletei have type 4 also, and it DID loosen my curl pattern, noticeably. it's a lot manageable and has less shrinkage. i let the "relaxer" get room temp and then added about a 3/4 cup of room temp, full-fat plain yogurt and 2 tbsp of virgin olive oil. i followed the instructions from there. left it in for about 4 hours. this is definitely a part haircare regime.
ReplyDeleteCoconut cream totally changed my hair texture. I did avocado, coconut oil, jbco and coconut cream. I normally use coconut milk but didn't have any that day, I had coconut cream. I applied it to clean dry hair with an attempt to leave it in overnight, but the plastic cap was too hot for my liking washed it out 5 hours later. Normally my hair has a S shape aand some curls at the ends in the back. Not this time. This time it was barely wavy. I rinsed my hair again in the morning and my hair still looked tge same. Even after applying my normal leave in mix my S's are still very stretched right now. As I stick my fingers ak up in my hair, I barely feel any texture.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the recipe that I used to straighten my hair. The recipe I used had coconut milk, lime juice and olive oil with some cornstarch to thicken it up. I have very coarse and thick hair and it absolutely did straighten my hair.
ReplyDelete