Hydroxide relaxers permanently break which type of bonds?

Hydroxide relaxers are designed to permanently straighten curly or wavy hair by breaking down the hair's internal structure. Specifically, they target disulfide bonds, which are strong chemical bonds that create the strength and elasticity of the hair. These bonds form between the sulfur atoms in the amino acids of the hair proteins, contributing to the hair's overall structure.

When hydroxide relaxers are applied, they penetrate the hair shaft and break these disulfide bonds, allowing the hair to be restructured into a straighter configuration. This is a chemical process that results in a permanent change to the hair’s texture until new hair growth occurs.

Understanding the role of disulfide bonds is essential for anyone practicing barbering or cosmetology, as it provides insight into how chemical treatments can alter the hair. The other types of bonds mentioned, such as hydrogen and salt bonds, are more temporary and can be affected by environmental factors like heat and moisture, while peptide bonds are the links that hold amino acids together in proteins and are not directly impacted by relaxing treatments.