Akili Ni Nywele: Mizani Butter Blend Relaxer Review

I got my first relaxer when I was 14, so I’ve had relaxed hair for about 7 years. I really wanted to get my hair relaxed at a younger age, however my mum insisted that I should keep it natural till I completed primary school. She wanted me to wait till I was older so that I would be responsible enough to take care of my hair without adult supervision.

At this juncture, let me mention that my decision to get my hair relaxed and remain relaxed has nothing to do with neo-colonialism. I genuinely have a massive amount of love and respect for all my natural hair sisters who are absolutely killing it with their beautiful kinks and curls.

Being relaxed is simply a personal preference based on 3 main reasons.

First, my skin is really sensitive and this means that the region around my scalp, face and neck usually breaks out in rashes whenever I put on braids, wigs, weaves or any other form of artificial hair that doesn’t grow out of my head. The only exception is bun extensions which have minimal contact with my skin hence I can comfortably wear these on a regular basis.

Having sensitive skin means that if I decided to go natural, I wouldn’t be able to wear braids, wigs or weaves. If you ask any naturalista to try and survive the rest of their life without these staple protective styles, they would definitely tell you that it can be quite a challenge.

Secondly, I genuinely enjoy having relaxed hair because of the versatility it offers. On one day, I can do a braid out and get a faux-afro look with lots of volume and bounce, then on the next day I can do a sleek and straight sock-bun without breaking a sweat.

Thirdly, I like the convenience of relaxed hair such that it takes me about 5 minutes to do my hair on most mornings. Considering the volume, length and texture of my hair, this would definitely not be the case if I chose to go natural.

As a side note, let me mention that it wouldn’t be completely impossible for me to go natural and I would be lying if I said that I haven’t been tempted to do so on several occasions. Fortunately or unfortunately, this conviction hasn’t grown to such an extent that I actually go through with such a major decision. So, will I have relaxed hair for the rest of my life? I honestly don’t know. I guess time will tell, but at the moment, I am fully committed to team relaxed.

There are 2 main types of relaxers namely ‘lye’ and ‘no-lye’ relaxers. Some common examples of no-lye relaxer brands include Dark and Lovely, Revlon and Creme of Nature. On the other hand, some examples of lye relaxer brands include Mizani and Design Essentials. Here is a table outlining the main differences between these two types of relaxers:

For the past 7 years, I’ve always used no-lye relaxers. In January, I had a terrible experience with a certain brand of no-lye relaxer. The formulation was too harsh and if not for the quick action of my hair stylist, I would’ve potentially left all my hair in the sink. It was quite bad. I had burns on my scalp and my hair was significantly weaker. Luckily, to the untrained eye, the appearance of the hair wasn’t too awful. However, I could definitely see that there had been some massive over-processing.

After this traumatic near-bald experience, I decided to give my hair a break. For the past one year, I’ve kept my hair plated in cornrows with alternating protein and moisture deep conditioning treatments every 2-4 weeks. I’ve also incorporated more natural oils in my moisture routine specifically castor oil, olive oil and coconut oil. I would previously go for relaxer touch ups every 3-4 months however this year I decided to stretch the relaxer for 11 months. In late November, I did some research and discovered that lye relaxers would be better for my hair and Mizani was highly recommended as one of the best lye relaxers in the market.

So, I went ahead and got my first lye relaxer touch up using Mizani Butter Blend and here are the main pros and cons I can share from my experience:

PROS

• The Mizani relaxer experience is quite comprehensive with about 4 or 5 components including the relaxer itself, a Bond pHorce treatment, 25 Miracle Milk and other great products to ensure that your hair gets adequate moisture, straightening and protection. In particular, The Bond pHorce treatment left my strands feeling surprisingly fortified unlike my previous experience with no-lye relaxers which can leave your hair feeling very weak.

• The lye relaxer doesn’t require mixing prior to application hence it takes a shorter time to complete the whole process.
• I experienced no burning or scalding throughout the application process. This is quite rare for me especially considering the sensitivity of my skin. The really interesting thing is that lye relaxers are usually meant to be harsher on the scalp yet this formulation was perfectly mild and perfectly effective.
• After 11 months post-relaxer, my hair was quite voluminous and it would require a significant amount of product to get the job done. Luckily, my salon had just purchased a new Mizani relaxer pack hence there was more than enough product to use all over my head. If I was using a no-lye relaxer with 11 months of new growth, I would probably have to use two full kits since the quantity of product in each package of my usual no-lye relaxer is quite small compared to what Mizani offers in a single package.
• My hair ended up looking more voluminous than expected. I usually get a bone-straight look when using no-lye relaxers hence I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mizani achieved a fuller look despite it being a fresh touch-up.

 

CONS

• The total cost was much more expensive than what I would normally pay for a no-lye relaxer touch up. The price usually varies depending on the salon you visit, but generally speaking, lye relaxers are more costly than no-lye relaxers. However, considering the fact that touch ups are only done once in several months, it is definitely worth the investment.
• For those who are accustomed to the super sleek and straight results of no-lye relaxers, one might wrongly assume that my hair got slightly under processed. However, this is only a problem if you really desire to achieve bone-straight results. Personally, I really like this mild straightened look. After 2 rounds of application, we left the relaxer on for about 5 minutes or so. Perhaps next time we might try leaving it on for 7 minutes or 9 minutes and I’ll see whether I like the results better. But so far, I have no complaints whatsoever.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend Mizani to anyone who has experienced over processing with no-lye relaxers. I think it’s a great product that I’ll definitely continue to use in the future.

 

 

Since this is my final post of 2019, I’d like to wish all of you a merry Christmas and a fabulous 2020.

-RR🌸