Relaxers marketed as no-mix-no-lye relaxers are typically which chemical?

• A. Potassium hydroxide
• B. Sodium hydroxide
• C. Calcium hydroxide
• D. Ammonium thioglycolate

Answer: (A)

Relaxers use a strong alkali to break the hair’s disulfide bonds so it can be reshaped. When a product is marketed as no-mix-no-lye, it means it comes as a single-component base that doesn’t require mixing. Potassium hydroxide is commonly used in these ready-to-use relaxer formulations as the active base, delivering the needed alkalinity in one bottle.

Sodium hydroxide is also a strong base but is the traditional “lye” relaxer, not the typical no-mix-no-lye type. Calcium hydroxide appears in some no-lye systems but often involves additional steps or different formulations, whereas ammonium thioglycolate is a reducing agent used more in perms than in typical relaxer bases.