The Best Hair Relaxer Salons Near You

Beautster has brought to you some of the best local salons that specialize in hair relaxing treatments in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and many other cities in Canada! 

Beauty seekers with naturally curly or thin hair can compare various hair relaxing treatment costs and instantly book an appointment with the best hair relaxer salons with Beautster.

Is relaxing good for hair?

Hair relaxing treatments chase the same goals as the usual hair straightening and rebonding methods but often bring about fewer disadvantages as the materials used by most hair relaxer salons are less intense and force less stress on your curly hair. 

The key difference between relaxing and rebonding, which is another name for chemical straightening or Japanese straightening, is the extent that the chemicals are used to dissolve the molecular bondings that cause curliness. Hair relaxers are creams that consist of such dissolvents and sometimes require ironing after the application to conserve the effect for longer times. But in a fully-fledged hair straightening session, products of higher efficacy are used to completely reshape the hair structure to create sleek, shiny, straight hair that keeps its smoothness for much more extended periods if maintained correctly. Then, another type of product, called a neutralizer, is applied using heavy ironing to lock the hair in its straightened shape for months. 

Compared to hair straightening, hair relaxing treatments offer a faster, low cost, and easier to apply solution to help smoothen the less curly and frizzy hair. They are considered a viable solution for people who seek sleeker hair but are unwilling to undergo the pressure and the commitment of an entire hair straightening process.

Nevertheless, just like the more extreme methods mentioned earlier, hair relaxers tend to use chemicals to alter the disulfide bondings of hair molecules to prevent the strands from curling up and getting frizzy. The disintegration of the molecular bondings weakens the roots and the hair strands and makes them prone to hair breakage and frizziness. Intensive or repetitive use of such methods may bring other conditions such as hair dryness, hair splits, scalp itchiness, and hair loss. These are some of the general consequences of weakening your hair strands by performing chemical alterations to your hair.

Is hair relaxing permanent?

Having less dissolution efficacy, hair relaxing treatments will not straighten your hair as long as the other permanent hair smoothening solutions. Speaking of pros and cons of hair relaxing, despite their much lower costs, shorter application time, less amount of necessary maintenance, and all-around convenience, they usually only last between 6 to 12 weeks and will need occasional touch-ups from your stylist if required. They are feasible for softening small curves and reducing the general frizziness and would not be suitable for achieving pin-straight results. 

Bear in mind that some salons or stylists use the term relaxing and straightening or rebonding interchangeably, but that should not be the case. For example, Brazilian hair relaxing treatment is a full-on process that takes hours, uses high-intensity chemicals, and does not fall in the same category as standard relaxing procedures.

Anyhow, if your hair is not very curly and your beauty consultant believes hair relaxing treatments can get you closer to your preferred look, you may consider having one. It would probably be a better option to go through hair relaxing treatments every 2 or 3 months instead of reshaping the molecular structure of your hair entirely and having to deal with all the side effects of a full straightening session as well as the related high costs.

How much does it cost to relax hair?

One of the most prominent factors is the hair relaxing treatment’s price regarding its advantages over other hair straightening solutions.

They start from about $15 - $20 from at-home relaxers and go up to $200 in the best hair relaxer salons, which seems like a bargain over treatments often 3 to 4 times their price. In-salon Hair relaxing treatment costs usually vary by factors such as the hair’s current length, the stylist proficiency, the salon brand, and the type of hair relaxer they use.  

What type of hair relaxers do salons use?

Hair relaxer salons select their relaxer of choice based on their customer’s hair characteristics and budget. Generally, hair relaxers fall into four categories: Lye relaxers, No-lye relaxers, ammonium thioglycolate relaxers, and finally, natural hair relaxers.

Lye is the common name for Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH). It is one of the fastest and the most potent dissolvents when it comes to breaking hair bondings which is why it is used in most hair relaxing products. Lye relaxers can break down heavier loads of bondings, meaning they can be more effective against curly, wavy, and frizzy hair. They are also one the best black hair relaxing treatments because of their effectiveness against coily and African-American voluminous curly hair.

No-lye relaxers mainly consist of calcium hydroxide, a more delicate chemical used for less curly hair and sensitive scalps, but its downside is the dryness to the hair strands. They are proper solutions for gray hair relaxing treatments as they are gentler with hair strands and can be formulated to avoid adding a yellow tint to gray hair. No-Lye relaxers also represent themselves in most kiddie hair relaxing treatments that are supposed to be the mildest form of hair smoothening products while still being practical for straightening children’s curly hair.

Ammonium thioglycolate is another chemical that is used in some relaxers. These hair relaxers are milder options that are often not recommended for very frizzy hair and are mostly suitable for thin hair relaxing treatments and people with finer hair or small curls and waves. 

Lastly, some of the more natural hair relaxer salons decide to go with plant-based or chemical-free ingredients to develop natural hair relaxing treatments for their customers. They combine natural hair relaxers such as honey, milk, or aloe vera to create hair masks that can straighten the hair over time. While these methods would mostly not last very long and can prevent smaller curves from shaping, they are free of any side effects and could be an option for people who are not willing to take any risks with their hair.

We hope this article helped you choose the best option for relaxing your hair. If you are still undecided, Beautster allows you to contact each hair relaxer salon and get proper consultation. We have gathered the best hair relaxing treatment packages near you. Browse every option easily and book a seat right away!