I know it probably doesn't matter all that much.  But which one is mostly prefered & why?  Relaxers with lye or without lye? I've used both actually, but it seems like salons use lye more. 

The ar relaxers, the ones that don't come in a box are mostly lye relaxers.  You have to buy the neutralizing shampoo seperately.  I've used QP Elasta Lye relaxer for 5 years.  The QP rep told me Lye relaxers are for professional use but of course we all know anybody can purchase them.  She said if your hair is really damaged to use a relaxer with no-lye, it contains calcium, & is less harsh to the hair.  Lye relaxers are good, but they are stronger because they have sodium hydroxide.  Professionals still may use lye relaxers on damaged hair, & hair is still repaired without a problem.  But in my case since I do my perms myself, I'll just switch to QP no-lye until my hair is strong again, who knows maybe I'll stick with no-lye afterwards or maybe not.  I've tried QP no-lye relaxer is the past & results were still the same.

I heard that too Natalie Nicole, sounds like a famous name girl.... lol  You gonna make it big one day. :-) I conclude that both types just require care & it depends on your hair.

I got his from Black Mississipi website

I frequent online hair boards. Women on these hair boards claim they have experienced hair breakage due to using No Lye relaxers. Most of them prefer using Lye relaxers. What's the difference, and is it true that No Lye relaxers can cause more breakage?

Briefly, the difference between Lye and No Lye relaxers is that Lye relaxers are made with sodium hydroxide (same chemical in drain cleaner) and No-Lye relaxers are made with either calcium, potassium or guanidine hydroxide. Lye relaxers have the highest pH levels, around 12-14, while the No Lye product has pH levels between 10 and 12. The pH of drain cleaner is 12+. Currently we are conducting a hair study and so far the conclusion is: all relaxers cause breaking and thinning hair if they are repeatedly pushed on to the scalp. Lye or No Lye makes no difference!

Sally's beauty supply Website

This was recently posted on another hair forum that I belong to taken from an article in Essence magazine (I've cut/pasted only the part that's relevant to this thread):

ESSENCE: If you've been using no-lye relaxers for years, is it okay to switch to a lye relaxer?

L'Oreal Institute: Yes, you can switch between lye and no-lye relaxers. You cannot switch, however, to thiol-based curl products like the Wave Nouveau or the Jheri Curl.

If you want to read the whole posting including a link to the site, go here: http://blackhairtalk.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=general &action=display&thread=1140716665

Hope this helps! -GHG

When I was younger, I got no lye relaxers and they made my hair dry and brittle and it didn't look too nice.

When I started going to the salon, my stylist used Hawaiian Silky lye relaxer and it made my hair look sooo much better. I was amazed with the results!