Chemistry of Chemical Hair straightener?

Question

can someone please tell me the chemical make up of relaxers? thanks

Answer 1

Hair has the amino acid cysteine. Cysteine, for short, is Cys-SH. The -SH mercapto sulfhydryl bonds oxidize to form cystine, Cys-S-S-Cys. It is the -S-S- bonds that hold hair as "curly," "straight," "kinky," or whatever. A reducing agent in the straightener, usually a sulfide, reduces the Cys-S-S-Cys bond to Cys-SH, allowing the treatment to relax hair. When the hair is relaxed and in the form that the stylist wants, an oxidizing agent restores the -S-S- bonds between neighboring Cys.

Answer 2

Something to do with the alkali breaking the keratin bonds.