Louisiana Cosmetology Board Practice Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The chemical process that involves breaking down hair's disulfide bonds is hair relaxing. Disulfide bonds are the strong connections that provide hair with its structure and resilience. During the hair relaxing process, specific chemicals are used to alter these bonds, allowing the hair to become straighter and more manageable. This typically involves applying a chemical relaxer that penetrates the hair shaft and breaks the disulfide bonds, which can then be reformed in a straight configuration as the hair is styled and set.

In contrast, hair dyeing focuses on altering the color of the hair without necessarily affecting the structural bonds, hair perming creates curls or waves by breaking and reforming the bonds in a different pattern, and hair conditioning generally aims to improve the hair's moisture levels and texture without modifying its chemical structure. Understanding the role of disulfide bonds is crucial for hairstylists when performing these treatments, especially when considering the health and integrity of the hair.