NTM / Products with Lye

So I'm not sure if all of you lovely naturals know, but many products that we use contain sodium hydroxide (or lye). The gel that I've always used, and that has been great for my hair I just discovered has lye, and also Neutrogena Triple Moisture, which I've heard great things about, also contains lye, or Sodium Hydroxide (the deadthly ingredient in many relaxers).

I know that many naturals use these products (especially NTM), and love them. Do you guys know that these contain lye? If so, do you not mind this?

I'm worried that this would cause my hair to lose some of its curliness, and that the smoothness obtained by use of NTM is in fact because of the lye. I'm transitioning, and still trying to figure out the products that my hair likes, so please give me your opinion on this.

If I'm truly missing out on something with these products, then perhaps you will sway me. I'm just being very careful with what I put in my hair these days, as I know you ladies are as well.

Thanks!

Your avatar is so cute. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

As for your question, once you know what ingredients are in your products, you're in the position to make a CONSCIOUS decision about using them. Especially if they make you feel suspect. You can either keep using it, or toss it in favor of something else.

It also should be noted that companies like Neutrogena, Garnier, TRESemme all list their ingredients in the order of AMOUNT, from the MOST (at the top) to the LEAST (at the bottom). The same goes for a lot of organic companies like Jason's, Aubrey Organics, Nature's Gate, etc. If "dingleberries" are at the top of the list, it's gonna do SOMETHING to your hair because of it's high amount. If it's at the bottom, it might not do anything at all because the amount of it is so small. Depending on where the lye is on the list of your Neutrogena product, it may or may not have an effect on your hair.

But regardless of its position on the ingredients' list, it's still up to you if you want to continue using it or not. If it makes you feel THAT suspect about it, then stop using it and try something else.

Hope this helps. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]