Firstly, I must state openly that I hate the name of this product! Although I’ve only been natural since May 2011, it has taken me about 14 months to rid my head of the remnants of the last chemical relaxer I ever used. So the last thing I am looking for as a ‘natural’ is a reminder of what I have chosen to leave behind.
So when Natural Afro Beauty posted details of their product ‘Natural-Laxer Mix’ in The Natural Lounge, a Facebook group for UK naturals, I was not amused and shared my view that it seemed odd to link a natural product with a word that is synonymous with chemical straightening of afro textured hair (re-laxer) and then to target that product at naturals.
So that is how I ended up doing this review. When advised by the Natural Afro Beauty representative that the product is formulated with completely natural ingredients I wanted to try it for myself to see if the product could redeem itself given the notoriety it has earned in my book for having such a distasteful name.
Just to add some more background information, some rudimentary research online reveals that there are several manufacturers marketing chemical straightening treatments for afro textured hair using words like ‘natural’ when they are not natural at all and contain the same harmful ingredients found in most relaxers.
TCB Naturals Relaxer, for example contains calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate toxic, as well as parabens and a whole host of other chemical nasties (see EWGs Skin Deep Cosmetics Database). So I would have thought that Afro Beauty would have distanced itself from un-natural products like this with similar –sounding names.
Anyway, I tried the product, so I will share my experience and give my verdict.
When you’ve finished reading you can watch a five-minute video clip which shows the whole process from start to finish.
I should begin by saying that my hair is in pretty good condition to begin with, since embarking on a very effective health care regimen for the last nine weeks. My hair is also naturally soft and very fine.
I had already applied coconut oil and castor oil as an overnight leave-in conditioner on my hair, sleeping in a plastic cap. So I started by shampooing my hair, which the Natural-Laxer mix instructions recommend. I did so with my hair still in twists.
Next, I undid the twists carefully and applied the Natural-Laxer Mix with a colouring brush, before massaging gently into the hair and covering with a plastic cap and heat cap and leaving for three hours. It was fairly straightforward to apply, it looked just like mud and had no particular smell.
Now I was somewhat apprehensive as my usual routine is to condition and detangle my hair after shampooing and then cover my hair with a heat cap for 30-45 mins. This whole step had to be omitted from my usual routine which made me uncomfortable.
After three hours I removed the plastic cap to find my hair shrunken to a fraction of its length – not the fault of the Natural-Laxer Mix, that’s just the way afro textured hair behaves. I then shampooed my hair again and the process was completed.
I was a bit lost at this stage as this is where you are supposed to style your hair. My usual routine is to put it in twists, but for the purpose of the review I just massaged some Eco Styler Gel and olive oil into my hair to see what it looked and felt like.
I can’t say I really noticed much difference with my hair out – it was too shrunken really. So after I finished making the video clip I dampened my hair, applied my usual home-made leave-in conditioner recipe, some coconut oil and olive oil and then twisted my hair.
It was then that the difference in the hair texture became apparent. The hair was shinier, silkier and somehow straighter, although it retained its natural curl. I was impressed but not necessarily bowled over.
In all fairness to Natural Afro Beauty, Natural-Laxer Mix is a good product. It is made of wholly natural ingredients, the most active being Sahara clay, which is reputed for extracting impurities, cleaning and conditioning. This is why some naturals use clay treatments instead of shampoos, as the latter tend to strip afro textured hair of its natural oils.
If I had thicker hair then I might be more appreciative of the benefits of the Natural-Laxer Mix, but as stated before, my hair is already fine and soft – if anything I want it to be thicker! After two days I undid a couple of my twists to inspect my hair and the effects of the Natural-Laxer Mix were even more pronounced.
The hair was even silkier and if I had swept it up into a bun it would probably looked as if it has been chemically treated or straightened with ceramic tongs. Whilst I do not necessarily feel the need to make my hair look straight any more, it’s useful to have the option of getting that look without using chemicals or heat, which both damage the hair.
You are supposed to apply the mix initially three times, every seven to 10 days and thereafter every 4-6 weeks. I’m not sure that I want to get into a situation where I am forming a dependency on a product to make my hair “more manageable”. After all, I have just liberated myself from chemical relaxers, so even though it’s natural, I’m not getting hooked on this relaxer either.
At just under £20 for a tub, which depending on hair length can be used twice, the price is not dissimilar to other products made for the natural market, such as curling custards and curling creams. So it’s worth trying if your hair is on the thick side and if you wear it out a lot in puffs and afros that make it easier for the hair to get tangled.
