Meaning
A chemical cream ('perm') applied to straighten tightly-curled hair, 'relaxing' the curl into a smooth, straight texture. A mainstay of Jamaican and Black hair care for decades, the relaxer replaced the hot comb; the routine of 'putting in a relaxer' and 'touching up di new growth' is familiar, though it stings the scalp — hence the wry nickname 'creamy crack' for its grip on the hair-care habit.
Examples
-
She put in a relaxer fi straighten har hair.
She put in a relaxer to straighten her hair.
-
Di relaxer bun mi scalp likkle bit.
The relaxer stung my scalp a little.
-
Time fi touch up di new growth wid relaxer.
Time to touch up the new growth with relaxer.
Origin
From 'relax' (the curl) + '-er'; a chemical hair straightener ('perm'). See [[hot-comb]], [[natural-hair]].
How it’s used
A chemical hair-straightening cream; replaced the hot comb. See [[hot-comb]], [[natural-hair]].