kitchen used to be my stepmother’s makeshift salon; it was where I got my first hair relaxer

So, there I sat as my uncertified stepmother applied a cream that stunk of chemicals I couldn’t pronounce nor spell

Vaseline was placed haphazardly around the border of my head in an effort to ensure the relaxer didn’t burn me

At first, I didn’t feel anything but eventually, a small tingling sensation started around my head that then escalated

I couldn’t have been more wrong, the process of relaxing my hair went on for as long as my hair could take it

Hair relaxers are creams or lotions formulated for use on tight natural curls to chemically straighten them

In the world of relaxers, the higher the PH the better, with most relaxers commonly containing a PH of 12-14

This isn’t surprising due to the number of harsh chemicals that make up the ingredients list of the most basic hair relaxer