Compositions and methods for relaxing human hair with minimal damage to thehair comprising the steps of (a)preparing an aqueous mixture having a pH of at least 11 comprising (i) atleast one base； and (ii) a pre-selected blend ofdehydrat-ed herbs； (b) applying the mixture to human hair for a period of timesufficient to effect a desired amount of relaxation； and (c)re-moving the mixture from the hair with a rinsing liquid.
