If you have curly hair that you’ve been chemically straightening for a long time, you might be wondering if using hair relaxers can cause hair loss.

Like most other processes, the answer usually depends on the original condition of your hair, whether it’s been dyed or bleached, and how many other processes you’ve already done.

Before we answer the question about hair loss, here are some important facts about hair that you need to know:

What is Hair Made of?

Hair is made of a hard, fibrous protein called keratin. Hair strands are formed from stem cells at the base of hair follicles located on the surface of the skin’s epidermal layer.

Breaking Bonds – How Do Hair Relaxers Work to Straighten Hair?

Hair is held together by hydrogen and disulfide bonds. The disulfide bonds are among the strongest naturally occurring bonds in the world.

These bonds must be “broken” or altered, to change the texture of a hair strand. When you relax or straighten your hair, you’re breaking those bonds and resetting them in a permanently straight configuration.

The chemicals in hair relaxers (usually sodium hydroxide, ammonium thioglycolate, and sodium thioglycolate) generate extremely high heat, which breaks apart the disulfide bonds. Once the bonds are broken, there’s no turning back; the only way to get rid of the straightened hair is by cutting it off.

Relaxed Hair Vs. Natural Hair

Do Chemical Relaxers Cause Hair Loss?

Sometimes.

Even when used prudently, chemical hair relaxers can make hair brittle, dry, and prone to breakage. And let’s face it, most people who decide to straighten their hair in the first place are probably already dealing with hair that’s curly and dry.

So, if you’re starting out with unhealthy hair and then performing chemical processes on it, there’s a chance that some type of hair loss could occur.