What type of chemical bonds are disrupted when using hair relaxers?

Hair relaxers primarily function by disrupting disulfide bonds, which are a type of covalent bond formed between cysteine amino acids in the keratin structure of hair. These disulfide bonds contribute significantly to the hair's shape and strength. When a hair relaxer is applied, chemical agents in the relaxer break these disulfide bonds, allowing the hair to be reshaped and resulting in a straighter appearance. This process is essential for transitioning curly or wavy hair into a straighter style, as it alters the fundamental structure of the hair on a molecular level.

While hydrogen bonds and ionic bonds also play roles in maintaining hair structure and shape, they are more transient and weaker compared to disulfide bonds. Hydrogen bonds can reform quickly when hair is wet or styled, and ionic bonds, which are based on electrical charges, do not provide the same lasting change in hair structure as the breaking of disulfide bonds does. Therefore, identifying disulfide bonds as the primary bonds targeted by hair relaxers is crucial for understanding how these products work in permanent hair straightening treatments.