# Does Relaxed Hair Grow Faster than Natural Hair?



## seraphim712 (Jul 15, 2007)

After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair?  *

I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it. 

I've been natural for three years after transitioning from relaxed hair. I didn't realize however how much thicker and coarser my hair is. It also seems to grow much slower in comparison when I had relaxed hair. Does it have something to do with my curl pattern being much looser allowing moisture to sink in? I ask this because now that I'm natural, every time I add moisture, my hair seems to drink it up and dry out like a desert. I only wash twice a week and add light oils such as grapeseed and jojoba. But the only time I seem to be getting anywhere is when my hair flat ironed and not tightly coiled in natural curls. I hope to use caruso steam rollers to do the trick in making my hair a bit more manageable. 

I apologize, I just had to vent out my frustration at that moment. But I am still curious for your answers and opinions.


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## ♦K.O♦ (Jul 15, 2007)

I believe that the growth rate is the same for healthy relaxed and natural heads. The difference that you are talking about may be in the retention of hair.  I dont know, but if I were to theorize, maybe the looser curl pattern of relaxed hair facilitates (for some people) better retention because there is less manipulation? 

Hmmmm.


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## chayil0427 (Jul 15, 2007)

I've been natural and relaxed and my hair growth was the same. It's just harder to tell because of the shrinkage with natural hair.

And often times relaxers are dont improperly and cause damage so the hair is breaking and seems to grow more slowly.

Chayil


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## *Michelle* (Jul 15, 2007)

seraphim712 said:
			
		

> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair?  *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...



Generally this is true because (in short) the hairs are not causing friction amongst them selves.

IMO...what you do to your hair (relax, natural) has nothing to do with the growth.  It is all about RETENTION.  Hair grows from the INSIDE, what we do or don't do on the outside will make a difference in retention.

Maybe during your period of slower growth there was something going on internally, maybe you were stressed more, maybe you took for granted that your hair was natural and just going to grow so you didn't take care the best care of it like you did your relaxed hair.  There are just so many variables...

Are you using the same products as when you were relaxed?

I wish you all the best and know you will get some great advice...hang in there girl!!


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## VeryBecoming (Jul 15, 2007)

I don't think the hair grows faster. It's all natural when it grows out of your scalp. I'm sure shrinkage with natural hair makes it appear that it isn't growing as much. Also, there's no new growth so you can't actually see where the new hair has come in.


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## cmw45 (Jul 15, 2007)

AlexB7 said:
			
		

> I don't think the hair grows faster. It's all natural when it grows out of your scalp. I'm sure shrinkage with natural hair makes it appear that it isn't growing as much. Also, there's no new growth so you can't actually see where the new hair has come in.


 
I agree...I think that shrinkage makes is seem link natural hair doesn't grow as fast, but I def. don't think that's true. My hair is THRIVING now...something it didn't do when I had relaxers, because the relaxers bothered my scalp so much.


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## meia (Jul 15, 2007)

cmw45 said:
			
		

> I agree...I think that shrinkage makes is seem link natural hair doesn't grow as fast, but I def. don't think that's true. My hair is THRIVING now...something it didn't do when I had relaxers, because the relaxers bothered my scalp so much.


 
I AGREE! My hair seems to be growing more now than ever and quicker (which its never done before). I think it appears, when you have a relaxer, to grow a lot quicker but its only because when you get a touch-up, you're only straightening out the new growth and so it feels like its growing faster. Honestly? its just because the new growth is straight....for years I believed this but then I realized I only noticed the growth when i touched-up and not really otherwise.

Even if you do just grow your hair out natural, imagine how much less breakage is faced versus the shedding from relaxers. I don't know this is just my personal experience- but the relaxers irritated me and made my hair thin something fierce..


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## Blackoutzangel05 (Jul 15, 2007)

I don't believe that having relaxed hair makes your hair grow faster, just more noticeable. People that have natural hair have to give just as much TLC to their hair as relaxed people and that is where the common misconception is. I find that some naturals don't believe that they have to do anything to their hair because its natural,however, with the hair coiling around each other and constant friction it does take work. Even though my hair is short because I just BC'ed I notice that I have to work moisturizers down my hair shaft where before I could just apply and run through. Nope not now, I apply dabs in sections and ensure its getting to my ends. I can tell that this is going to take longer when my hair gets longer but that is okay with me, its just something that I have to do. Natural hair takes just as much care and maybe even more so then relaxed hair....


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## LocksOfLuV (Jul 15, 2007)

As a WHOLE (everyone has varying factors) I don't think one type grows faster than another.

You just SEE the length more because there is less shrinkage with relaxed hair.


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## PinkPeony (Jul 15, 2007)

Isn't ng natural hair...

We don't have relaxed hair growing OUT of our head 

ok....sawry again,I just GOT the threaderplexed


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## seraphim712 (Jul 16, 2007)

Pixel Lady said:
			
		

> Generally this is true because (in short) the hairs are not causing friction amongst them selves.
> 
> IMO...what you do to your hair (relax, natural) has nothing to do with the growth. It is all about RETENTION. Hair grows from the INSIDE, what we do or don't do on the outside will make a difference in retention.
> 
> ...


 
No, after coming to this forum and reading about all of the products that are better for the hair. I threw all my old ones away. They all had alchol based ingredients which I knew was a huge mistake for my hair. 

I really want to try henna, but fear that it will cause my hair to clump together.


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## justNikki (Jul 16, 2007)

I was relaxed for over 15 years and I'm natural now.  My hair grew fast with the relaxer and without it.  The difference is, I actually retain more healthy hair (thickness all the way to the ends) with natural hair than I did with relaxed hair. I can grow long hair either way, but being natural allows me a little more freedom so I'm not babying my hair all of the time to retain the ends. You can definitely see the length more in relaxed hair, but you can flat iron natural hair occassionally to see the length as well.


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## joyous (Jul 16, 2007)

MizzEsq said:
			
		

> I believe that the growth rate is the same for healthy relaxed and natural heads. The difference that you are talking about may be in the retention of hair.  I dont know, but if I were to theorize, maybe the looser curl pattern of relaxed hair facilitates (for some people) better retention because there is less manipulation?
> 
> Hmmmm.



As a natural I agree.


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## Ayeshia (Jul 16, 2007)

I retain length easier with natural hair...but either way it grew the same rate.


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## Valerie (Jul 16, 2007)

Both hair relaxed and natural grows the same, but with natural hair, there is shrinkage and it is sometimes difficult to see the growth.


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## lovenharmony (Jul 16, 2007)

I voted it depends on the person and hair type that determines the growth rate. Hair grows nonetheless and it depends on how you take care of your hair that determines how much you retain, which is important for noticing that your hair is growing. Relaxers straighten the hair, so it looks as if it's growing faster, but I've seen to many natural ladies on here whose natural hair grows like a weed to believe otherwise!


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## Cichelle (Jul 16, 2007)

I could not retain growth beyond BSL with relaxers. Now that I am natural, I am able to retain the growth and my hair is longer than it ever was relaxed. If the growth rate is better now, it has to do with other factors, like nutrition, rather than the relaxed/natural difference. IMO.


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## Country gal (Jul 16, 2007)

My hair grows faster natural than relaxed. For me the chemicals slowed down my growth.


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## scorpian (Jul 16, 2007)

I get the same growth as a natural that I did when my hair was relaxed.


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## so1913 (Jul 16, 2007)

A relaxer does not change the growth rate of your hair.


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## STLCoverGirl (Jul 17, 2007)

AlexB7 said:
			
		

> I don't think the hair grows faster. It's all natural when it grows out of your scalp. I'm sure shrinkage with natural hair makes it appear that it isn't growing as much. Also, there's no new growth so you can't actually see where the new hair has come in.


 
ITA, I think it grows at the same rate, but with shrinkage it is harder to see growth.


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## Keen (Jul 17, 2007)

STLCoverGirl said:
			
		

> ITA, I think it grows at the same rate, but with shrinkage it is harder to see growth.



Yeah, I'm surprise so many people says it depends on hair type.


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## nikkivale (Jul 17, 2007)

STLCoverGirl said:
			
		

> ITA, I think it grows at the same rate, but with shrinkage it is harder to see growth.


 
Don't mean to get off topic but STL CoverGirl Your hair is so Beautiful!


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## TaraDyan (Jul 17, 2007)

nikkivale said:
			
		

> Don't mean to get off topic but STL CoverGirl Your hair is so Beautiful!


 
I know riiiight?!?!  She is one of my natural hair idols!


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## STLCoverGirl (Jun 20, 2008)

Thanks for the nice comments ladies, I needed a pick-me-upper or two today!!


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## RegaLady (Jun 20, 2008)

I think they grow the same rate.  Chemicals have nothing to do with growing from the scalp.  I think they affect the hair and the way it is treated. Relaxed hair shows easy because the hair is stretched beyond what natural hair can be. But, nothing grows faster than than the other.


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## halee_J (Jun 20, 2008)

No I don't see why it should, but due to shrinkage it can appear that way. I'm transtioning and it feels like its taking foorrreverrrr for my hair to grow out 

Also I think that people assume that natural hair does not need TLC and don't mosturize and/or protective style regularly and that can give rise to retention issues, which can also make the hair appear like its not growing.

JMHO.


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## LaPetiteCoquette (Jun 20, 2008)

I would venture to say that for most people it doesn't GROW faster in one state vs. the other, however for some people they RETAIN more in its natural state and for others they RETAIN more if it's regularly relaxed (this seems more the case for transitioners rather than ladies who BC).  It's retention that's the issue.  I am a slow grower.  It definitely didn't speed up when I transitioned and was chem free for a year.  However, I lost a lot of hair due to breakage at the line of demarcation.  So for me, since I will never BC, I need to keep my hair regularly relaxed to decrease the chances of breakage.  I stretch 9 weeks and I slowly want to work my way up to 13 weeks and I think that's all my hair can stand.


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## MAMATO (Jun 20, 2008)

I think the growth rate is the same, but when you relax bone straigth it is easier to see the difference of length compared to a natural head of hair even straightened.  When it comes to retention, it depends on the person.  I have a 4a-4b thick hair, I retain more length relaxed cause I don't have to deal with all the knots I used to have when I was natural.  I used to lose a lot of hair every week while detangling.  But everybody is different, not all naturals have that kinds of problems.


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## ebonylocs (Jun 20, 2008)

LaPetiteCoquette said:


> I would venture to say that .... it doesn't GROW faster in one state vs. the other, however for some people they RETAIN more in its natural state and for others they RETAIN more if it's regularly relaxed.  It's retention that's the issue.



Agreed. That, plus shrinkage.

OP, the answer to your question is a big NO. That wouldn't make sense. It's all natural when it comes out of your scalp anyway.

As a natural, I grew my hair from scratch to BSL in 3 years. HOWEVER: I didn't KNOW it was BSL until I finally relaxed. Natural, it looked huge, but shoulder length - its true length didn't SHOW. Even my housemates who were like "Oh your hair grew so much since a couple of months ago." And I was like, "Uh. No. Then it was shrunken. Now it's all stretched out."

Now for the issue of RETENTION. As long as I low mani-and protect, I retain fairly well both natural and relaxed. However I find relaxers dangerous because of the possibility of overprocessing - double processing recently caused me to have a lot of split ends, which I recently cut off, so I'm stuck at BSL. I do believe if I had stayed natural, my hair STRETCHED would have been waistlength by now. But the thing is, I would NOT have SEEN that length on a daily basis - which for me was a problem. It's a Catch 22 dilemma.

Other 4A/4B ladies that are not as low-mani as me, might have slight problems retaininig with natural hair, because that kind of natural hair is prone to tangling, so if you're ripping a comb through it a lot - just yanking it through when it gets caught -  then you're basically giving yourself a mini haircut every time you comb. So for 4Bers who like to comb their hair a lot, maybe straight from root to end is the way to go - for retention sake. But like I said, for me that wasn't an issue as a natural, because I was perfectly fine with wearing twists for two weeks at a time and combing very rarely.


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## felicia (Jun 20, 2008)

No, but I think some people's hair thrive(retain more length) more with relaxers as opposed to being natural. For example, my niece. From birth to about 7, she was natural and her never went past next length. She got her first relaxer about a year ago and the last time I saw her (April), her hair was well past shoulder length.


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## morehairplease (Jun 20, 2008)

felicia said:


> No, but *I think some people's hair thrive(retain more length) more with relaxers as opposed to being natural. *For example, my niece. From birth to about 7, she was natural and her never went past next length. She got her first relaxer about a year ago and the last time I saw her (April), her hair was well past shoulder length.




I am beginning to think this, as well. My hair was much longer when I was relaxed than what it is now. If it had not been for the damage from the hard presses I would not have had to bc my hair.


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## LadyKaypnyc (Jun 20, 2008)

I think hair our hair grows at the same rate (which varies from person to person) regardless of it's current state (relaxed or natural).


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## DivaD04 (Jun 21, 2008)

felicia said:


> *No, but I think some people's hair thrive(retain more length) more with relaxers as opposed to being natural.* For example, my niece. From birth to about 7, she was natural and her never went past next length. She got her first relaxer about a year ago and the last time I saw her (April), her hair was well past shoulder length.


 
ITA,I'm a 6mth natural, my hair right now is 1.5". If I was relaxed, I would be about 3-4" and growing. I retain length when relaxed as opposed to m being natural. And what's weird is, that I can loose strands, but not length. But for my growth rate it deppends on my day to day, one month I can get .5"/month and another month I can only get .25"/month. Ever since being natural, it seems as if I've only been getting .25"/month. I think handling my hair differently has greatly influenced the way my hair grows along w/ diet. After my one year nappturalversary I may relax again.


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## Fine 4s (Jun 21, 2008)

meia said:


> I AGREE! My hair seems to be growing more now than ever and quicker (which its never done before). I think it appears, when you have a relaxer, to grow a lot quicker but its only because when you get a touch-up, you're only straightening out the new growth and so it feels like its growing faster. Honestly? its just because the new growth is straight....for years I believed this but then I realized I only noticed the growth when i touched-up and not really otherwise.
> 
> Even if you do just grow your hair out natural, imagine how much less breakage is faced versus the shedding from relaxers. I don't know this is just my personal experience- but the relaxers irritated me and made my hair thin something fierce..


 
I agree. When relaxed heads get a touch up we can SEE the growth a lot better, shock effect. And this is why they also talk about their hair looking shorter when they stretch for a long period, all thanks to shrinkage. But when they apply the relaxer BAMB in ya maouth!


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## naturalgurl (Jun 23, 2008)

With *MY* hair I think it grew at the same rate. As relaxed I couldn't retain length, it was always shedding and growing, shedding and growing. As a natural now, I have length and thickness like never before. It appears to be growing faster because I'm retaining alllllll of my length now. TG!


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## Neith (Jun 24, 2008)

The rate of growth shouldn't be too different in individuals with healthy hair and scalp that know how to care for their hair properly.

However, relaxed hair may SEEM to grow faster because it doesn't shrink up like natural hair.  With relaxed hair you see more of the true length of the hair.


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## lilsparkle825 (Jun 25, 2008)

i vote no; i was grazing APL when i did the BC after a 12 month transition and that is longer than my hair ever was when i had a relaxer. my edges and nape are a lot thicker as well. i cant get over the joy of having a hairline again. LOLLLL

but i digress. like someone else said i think its just easier to see the growth because of the 2 different textures. as naturals we barely notice growth unless we have a loose curl pattern or unless we do frequent length checks, something i did like clockwork once i joined LHCF (but not since the BC).


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## GoingNatural (Jun 25, 2008)

no.

healthy hair retains more length whether natural or relaxed.


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## blkbeauty (Jun 25, 2008)

Well tbh and I don't want to discourage you by what I say, but this is my personal experience.  I have been natural since 2004 and transitioned for 8 months in 2003.  During my transition my hair got longer.  I did my BC in 2004 and my hair only grew a few inches in 4 years from my starting point. My avatar shows me in 2007, which is not much difference than in 2006, 05, 04.  I did not use heat in these years, just wash, conditioned and either wore twistouts or puff.  I have watched other members on this board start their transitioned after me, went natural and has dbled my length.

In January 2008, I was comtiplating getting a texturizer, but decided to go to the salon every 6 weeks and get it press to wear in straighter styles.  I have retained more length now than in my 4 years w/o it being straight. 

I do not think relaxed hair grows any faster, it all comes from the root so I don't see how it can grown faster, but I do think the curl pattern in being natural if the ends are not taken care of can cause breakage.  Also being natural you have to make sure your hair is moistured at all times.

At any rate, my hair has been 10 times thicker as being a natural than it ever was as being relaxed. But I do think my hair thrives on some heat and straighter styles.



seraphim712 said:


> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair?  *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...


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## kandegirl (Jun 25, 2008)

For some reason when my hair gets at least an inch of new growth, it grows faster to me. And I'm relaxed but I've been relaxing every six months. It seems llike after a relaxer it take forever to get new growth but once I get a lot. The growth takes off! But that's just me.


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## Seraphina (Jun 25, 2008)

My hair has grown equally well, but it's harder to notice now natural because of shrinkage.


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## ajoyfuljoy (Jun 25, 2008)

Fine 4s said:


> I agree. When relaxed heads get a touch up we can SEE the growth a lot better, shock effect. And this is why they also talk about their hair looking shorter when they stretch for a long period, all thanks to shrinkage. But when they apply the relaxer *BAMB in ya maouth*!


 
 that's the one thing I like about getting a relaxer...instant visual of the growth! I know I'm itchin' for it right now (3 months post this Saturday)


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## LynnieB (Jun 25, 2008)

It doesn't for me.   I have found that because i've changed some "bad" hair habits (hot-hot curling irons, hot-hot blowdryers, not conditioning or moisturizing the hair regularly, constant combing/brushing, ripping through the hair while styling) that i wasn't retaining everything i grew. 

Now that i'm natural, all that's changed and I'm not really surprised at how fast my hair grows, i am very surprised at how much length is being retained even if that length is harder to see due to shrinkage .


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## Ballerina_Bun (Jun 25, 2008)

LynnieB said:


> It doesn't for me. I have found that because i've changed some "bad" hair habits (hot-hot curling irons, hot-hot blowdryers, not conditioning or moisturizing the hair regularly, constant combing/brushing, ripping through the hair while styling) that i wasn't retaining everything i grew.
> 
> Now that i'm natural, all that's changed and I'm not really surprised at how fast my hair grows, i am very surprised at how much length is being retained even if that length is harder to see due to shrinkage .


 
You must be doing something right, because your hair is thick and beautiful!!!


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## LynnieB (Jun 25, 2008)

Ballerina_Bun said:


> You must be doing something right, because your hair is thick and beautiful!!!



Thank-you Ballerina_Bun.

i'm so behind on my fotki stalking but i gotta see what you've been up to too!!  You're doing so well on your transition lady!!


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## CenteredGirl (Jun 25, 2008)

*Healthy *hair doesn't break = growth.  No matter if it is natural or relaxed or texlaxed for that matter.


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## langston (Jun 25, 2008)

My natural hair seems to be growing faster.  But when I was relaxed my stylist would always cut off my growth.


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## Missjetta (Jun 25, 2008)

When my hair was relaxed, it was long. Even though it was long, it seemed to take forever to grow. In reality, I did not take care of it and it was breaking off oftentimes faster that it could grow in. So, it appeared to stay at a certain length for a loooong time. 
Now that I am over 2 years in transition, my hair appears to be growing like crazy, but that's because I don't have the breakage issues anymore (my natural hair is stronger) and I am taking better care of it. Right now it's longer than when I was relaxed. 

In short, my hair grows the same amount whether relaxed or natural. Sorry for my incoherant babbling


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## Bigghair (Jun 26, 2008)

All new growth is natural so the relaxed hair is not the growing part the natural roots are growing out from the scalp.  So I chose no.


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## iasade (Jun 26, 2008)

When I was relaxed, my hair didn't grow worth spit!   Now maybe if I had known about LHCF back then it would have.  Now, since joining this forum, my hair has actually been growing quite well.


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## Candy_C (Jun 26, 2008)

no...why would it grow any faster its natural hair growin out your head whether relaxed or natural


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## Social.Buttahfly (Jun 26, 2008)

Exactly. Length was _never_ a problem when I was relaxed. I had to BC last month after being natural since 2003. erplexed 

Honestly I feel as though I have the right tools to have healthy relaxed hair. Not feeling this BC at all, more than likely I will relax soon.  I am not willing to spend the next years once again going through a natural journey. 



tishee said:


> I am beginning to think this, as well. *My hair was much longer when I was relaxed than what it is now. If it had not been for the damage* from the hard presses *I would not have had to b*c my hair.


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## Lucky's Mom (Jul 8, 2008)

Lawd Lawd.

Healthy hair grows. Period.


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## tocktick (Jul 8, 2008)

AlexB7 said:


> I don't think the hair grows faster. It's all natural when it grows out of your scalp. I'm sure shrinkage with natural hair makes it appear that it isn't growing as much. Also, there's no new growth so you can't actually see where the new hair has come in.



co-sign. also, when you're relaxed, seeing the ng come through and increase every month or whatever, reassures you that your hair is getting longer even if there is no real apparent difference in length. when you are natural, this doesn't happen any more. you only really notice every few months when you know see an obvious difference in length (unless you measure monthly). 

i don't think the rate at which someone's hair grows has anything to do with hair type. i do think it's down to the individual person though.


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## AvaSpeaks (Jul 8, 2008)

LynnieB said:


> It doesn't for me. I have found that because i've changed some "bad" hair habits (hot-hot curling irons, hot-hot blowdryers, not conditioning or moisturizing the hair regularly, constant combing/brushing, ripping through the hair while styling) that i wasn't retaining everything i grew.
> 
> Now that i'm natural, all that's changed and I'm not really surprised at how fast my hair grows, i am very surprised at how much length is being retained even if that length is harder to see due to shrinkage .


 

Co-signing with this. It's all about retention


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## flyjump00 (Jul 8, 2008)

I would say it all depends on the person, genetics, and diet.  Just my thoughts....erplexed

Ohhhh, and how well you protect and care for your locks too.


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## StrongNGlossy (Jul 9, 2008)

I've been thinking alot about this. I BC'd two years ago with no transition. It's been two year, and my hair is close to being where it was when I chopped it all off, except now its natural. I handle my hair MUCH more now than then. But my hair is growing MUCH faster. Could be changes to diet, environment, and perhaps I am handling my hair differently...But I tend to lean in the direction that my natural hair grows and retains much faster/better than my relaxed hair....lol. That was a long explanation.


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## beautifulisaunderstatment (Jul 9, 2008)

so1913 said:


> A relaxer does not change the growth rate of your hair.


 ITA Some people may have various issues retaining hair with either method but I dont think chemicals affect growth rate unless you burn your scalp or something...


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## Arcadian (Sep 2, 2008)

No.  Its not growth but retention that most have problems with.

-A


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## BostonMaria (Sep 2, 2008)

AlexB7 said:


> I don't think the hair grows faster. It's all natural when it grows out of your scalp. I'm sure shrinkage with natural hair makes it appear that it isn't growing as much. Also, there's no new growth so you can't actually see where the new hair has come in.



I agree with this post. It all grows in natural so it has nothing to do with relaxers or being natural. My hair shrinks up to my neck natural, but straight its APL. For me not having a relaxer let's me retain length. For others its hard to retain length being natural because their hair tangles up really badly. I voted it depends on the person.


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## Aggie (Sep 2, 2008)

It doesn't matter to me if relaxed or natural hair grows faster, as long as it grows I am very happy. I love the look of both but at the moment I only have the patience for one.


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## Saida (Sep 2, 2008)

kandegirl said:


> For some reason when my hair gets at least an inch of new growth, it grows faster to me. And I'm relaxed but I've been relaxing every six months. It seems llike after a relaxer it take forever to get new growth but once I get a lot. The growth takes off! But that's just me.



 Thats exactly how I am too, after a relaxer my hair takes forever to grow, but once I have a lot of new growth it grows faster


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## Casarela (Sep 3, 2008)

I think thats the same question as asking if the person with dyed hair will grow faster hair than the person with hair that have never been dyed. IMHO...the answer varies from one person to another why??? Because its really an issue of how you retain lenght and thats in straight correlation with your technique and skills and regimen as well. The state of the hair wether its natural or relaxed doesnt matter. I think on LHCF we have living proofs of that beautiful relaxed and natural heads. However , lets not deny that some people find it easier to deal with relaxed hair and others find it easier with natural hair .  

Hope I helped,

Casarela


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## *Muffin* (Sep 3, 2008)

No, relaxed hair doesn't grow faster, and I'm not sure if it's right to say natural hair grows faster either.  It really has more to do with length retention and keeping your hair from breaking.  You could have a relaxed head that stretches their relaxers, doesn't manipulate their hair much, and almost never heat straightens and it seems as if their hair grows like a weed (when really it's because their hair isn't breaking much) and you can have a natural head who heat straightens her hair to the hilt and over manipulates it and it seems not to grow very fast (when really it may just be breaking), and vice versa.  As long as you take care of your hair and focus not only on growth but also on length retention, you should be able to grow your hair whether relaxed or natural.


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## Qetesh (Sep 17, 2008)

i think regardless of chemicals hair growth remains about the same. 

retention can vary depending on what each individual is doing to her hair. 

my growth rate is not slower than any relaxed chick. if i take care of my ends i retain growth quite well also. thats a IF because my ends will tangle on itself easily if i am not careful... and when blown out i have to resist using heat too often.


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## locabouthair (Sep 17, 2008)

I dont think so at all.

I've many naturals on this site get more growth than I've ever gotten.

But I dont think one grows faster than the other.

You have to consider different things and look at it on an individual basis.

How much shrinkage does the person have?

Their diet, exercise, lifestyle, even the climate all affect growth.

Less manipulation, less heat, more moisture can allow you to keep what it coming out of your scalp.


----------



## locabouthair (Sep 17, 2008)

Also I should say I'm relaxed and I was natural when I came to the board and my hair grows the same rate no matter what.


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## Hot40 (Sep 17, 2008)

seraphim712 said:


> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair? *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...


 

Great Question


----------



## sweetcocoa (Nov 24, 2008)

For me personally, I would have to say no. I went from relaxed to natural back to relaxed and I have to say my hair grew much faster when I was natural.


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## seraphim712 (Nov 25, 2008)

Wow, I can't believe this thread is still going stong 

I asked this question when I first joined LHCF; but I do hope that the answers here do help many people with their hair journey decision.


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## luckiestdestiny (Nov 25, 2008)

MizzEsq said:


> I believe that the growth rate is the same for healthy relaxed and natural heads. The difference that you are talking about may be in the retention of hair. I dont know, but if I were to theorize, maybe the looser curl pattern of relaxed hair facilitates (for some people) better retention because there is less manipulation?
> 
> Hmmmm.


 The reason I've flat ironed lately (when I'm not in braids). I noticed less tangling (from 4a kinks/curlies) equal more retention. Even with slow detangling, there's just more manipulation. so by flat ironing, on a daily basis there is less manipulation. Now yes there's heat but I covered that w/ Moisture Block and I'm darn near close if not hitting Midback now, and in March I was kissing brastra

Re edit, I wanted to clarify. flat ironing once every two weeks leaves , on a daily basis less manipulation.


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## luckiestdestiny (Nov 25, 2008)

Cichelle said:


> I could not retain growth beyond BSL with relaxers. Now that I am natural, I am able to retain the growth and my hair is longer than it ever was relaxed. If the growth rate is better now, it has to do with other factors, like nutrition, rather than the relaxed/natural difference. IMO.


 I'm wondering if this has to do with who is applying relaxer, and overprocessing more than the relaxer treatment.  However, that's what's keeping me on the fence and staying natural!


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## luckiestdestiny (Nov 25, 2008)

seraphim712 said:


> Wow, I can't believe this thread is still going stong
> 
> I asked this question when I first joined LHCF; but I do hope that the answers here do help many people with their hair journey decision.


 

Funny. I thought this was a new thread


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## moonglowdiva (Nov 25, 2008)

I don't think relaxed hair grows any faster than natural hair it's just that with relaxed hair you can see the progress because it is straight. If natural hair seems not to be  growing it is because the hair is breaking faster than the results are being seen. The same thing goes for relaxed hair. Natural hair shrinks with any little moisture so you won't recognize growth because the strands are coiled up. I think that natural hair is a little more difficult to take care of because it is fragile but it can be done an example of this would be zzirvingj (btw I just love her hair). I'm not natural but that child in my siggy is. You cannot manipulate natural hair daily. Shucks, you can't manipulate relaxed hair daily. You have to be on top of the moisture game and protect those ends. This is just my 2 pennies.


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## Country gal (Nov 25, 2008)

My hair thrives without the perm. It is really thick and is growing nicely.


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## msdeevee (Nov 25, 2008)

No, relaxed hair does not grow faster.

I have been natural for 5 years and my hair care has been hit or miss.

My hair is longer now than it's ever been relaxed.


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## BeautifulNameX (Nov 26, 2008)

To me it seems like My natural hair grows faster. Because its already the length it was befor I BC but it just like draws up and seems short.


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## seraphim712 (Nov 26, 2008)

luckiestdestiny said:


> Funny. I thought this was a new thread



No it isn't lol if you go back you can see that it was started back in 2006


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## Naturelle (Nov 26, 2008)

The growth rate of your hair does not change because you decide to change the texture of it.  It still grows at the same rate albeit, not considering growth aids.

It seems like there is more progress cause with us naturelle heads, our new growth *is* our hair...there is no obvious difference between what has newly gorwn out of our scalp and the hair that has already been growned (yeah I said it, growned )

It appears longer with relaxed heads because the hair is straight, so when new hair pushes you are able to see it and say "oh yay, my hair is growing look at all the new growth I have, well time to get a relaxer"

There _appears_ to be more progress, but that's just an illusion.  If you were to straighten your hair more frequently you might notice the growth a bit more.  What you also might notice however is that you're not retaining the length if you're not careful with your straightening habits. I can vouch for that .


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## jendazzler (Nov 26, 2008)

It depends on several factors. In winter, I was cowashing and stretching a perm. In summer, I straightened it every week and it grew faster. I think it was the warm weather and my morning jogs that made the difference. If I was completely natural, I believe my hair would grow fast. I relax my hair 2-3 times a year.


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## czyfaith77 (Nov 27, 2008)

I voted wrong.  I said yes because I read the question wrong (was on the phone).  Anywho, from my personal experience going natural last year natural hair grows faster.  Again, this is my personal experience.  Last year my hair was about an inch from bra strap.  I stretched for a while and when my hair was long enough to cornrow which was about 2-3 inches.  I then wore a sew in from then until now.  My hair is about 2-3 inches shy of where I was before I cut my hair.  And I easily could have been there now but I did have a couple of trims that now I know I could have done without (that whole dry ends things and simply not knowing what to do.)


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## Duchesse (Nov 28, 2008)

My natural hair just stays on my head longer, thus appearing to grow faster.


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## Lucky's Mom (Nov 29, 2008)

seraphim712 said:


> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair? *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...


 


ALL hair Grows at the SAME rate.


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## SlantedEyezMiss2003 (Dec 7, 2008)

seraphim712 said:


> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair? *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...


 

IMO, it depends on how YOU take care of your hair after the relaxer and when it's natural......my cousin is 100% relax (no texlaxing, no growth aids, no LHCF, ETC...) and her hair is down her waist, probably pass now......so it's not the relaxer or it being in it's natural state, it's how you take care of it......


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## loulou82 (Dec 7, 2008)

I think they grow at the same rate. But whether you retain the length depends on your hair care practices. Some people don't know how to retain the length they get either way. Since I've joined hair boards I think I could retain the same amount as a relaxed head or as a natural.


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## femalegold (Dec 7, 2008)

For my hair I'm getting greater results being natural.  There is a big difference the way that my relaxed hair grew and the way my natural hair is growing now.  My hair is alot thicker and growing very healthy. I'm really interested in trying out the henna. I've only been natural for 10 months so I'm still learning about my natural hair.


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## shae101s (Dec 7, 2008)

seraphim712 said:


> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair?  *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...




This might be why it ends up feeling really drying even after moisturizing....You need to apply some form of moisturizing product after washing, like a leave in conditioner, a hair milk, (Cantu-Shea Butter, Happy Nappy, Elucence just to name a few options). Then apply the oil to seal! Hope this helps and you see some differences I know I did. I used to just wash, then apply some moisturizer, but never sealed it in, and I got the same problem, then I did what u did, wash, no moisturizer but oiled, and same problem, then finally I realized I needed both. 

And oh, as far as hair growth. I'd say your hair grows the same rate, relaxed or natural, it's your maintenance that will make it seem slower or faster (trust I proved this to myself, was lazy for a few months, did nothing to my hair, it seemed like it wasnt growing but it did just really slowly, then I got back on my grind and voila, my hair was loving the moisture) So it's all in the retention and maintenance. HHG!


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## blue_flower (Dec 7, 2008)

I noticed with myself that my hair grows longer when I don't apply chemicals to it as much. Back in the day I used to relax my hair every 3 months and I never noticed a change in length. But when I don't touch up as much or even if I decide to just straighten it with heat, I notice growth.


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## yellow08 (Jan 7, 2009)

I voted no...I think its about retention


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## Quest4healthyhair (Jan 19, 2009)

I think relaxed and natural hair grow at the same rate. It's just easier to see growth ( and new growth ) on relaxed hair.


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## twinkletoes17 (Mar 26, 2009)

A natural's hair grows out natural. A relaxed person's hair grows out natural prior to relaxer. They should grow the same.


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## msa (Mar 26, 2009)

Some of y'all really think relaxed hair grows faster? or natural hair grows faster?

interesting.


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## msMicaela (Mar 27, 2009)

Originally Posted by seraphim712 
After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair? 

I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it. 

I've been natural for three years after transitioning from relaxed hair. I didn't realize however how much thicker and coarser my hair is. It also seems to grow much slower in comparison when I had relaxed hair. Does it have something to do with my curl pattern being much looser allowing moisture to sink in? I ask this because now that I'm natural, every time I add moisture, my hair seems to drink it up and dry out like a desert. I only wash twice a week and add light oils such as grapeseed and jojoba. *But the only time I seem to be getting anywhere is when my hair flat ironed and not tightly coiled in natural curls.* I hope to use caruso steam rollers to do the trick in making my hair a bit more manageable. 

I apologize, I just had to vent out my frustration at that moment. But I am still curious for your answers and opinions.


I so feel this comment!! i am a natural growing out a perm...but even when i was totally natural, my hair was dry and didnt seem to thrive as much as when i was getting my hair pressed every two weeks...and it was the low manipulation and moisture retention with keeping it straight that helped...all i had to do was lightly oil it and pin curl it each night. but for some reason perms are the devil to me...three times in my life ive gotten a  perm and had to cut if off cause of breakage...arrrr!!!!


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## mscocoface (Mar 27, 2009)

It's not the growth, we all grow hair it is the maintenance and care of the hair particularly the ends.  If you can't keep you ends you can't keep the length.

If the ends aren't healthy and happy then none of the hair will be happy.


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## ycj (Mar 29, 2009)

seraphim712 said:


> After reading the thread wanna go natural, it reminded me to ask the question I keep forgetting to ask every time I come to LHCF. *Does relaxed hair grow much faster than natural hair? *
> 
> I just happen to wonder because it seems that most ladies on here who are relaxed seem to have better hair growth progress in having relaxed hair and stretching in between touch ups. Believe me, I've seen some beautiful heads of hair on this forum that's natural, but it just seems so much easier to have relaxed hair and watch for the new growth, and care for it.
> 
> ...


 
Great point am I am so happy that you started this thread!  I do beleive for me that when my hair was relaxed it seemed to have grown at an excelerated rate. Opposed to now being natural it's at a much slower rate.  It's funny you started this thread because I honestly was thinking the same question you asked just last week. Although I am a bit frutstrated with my hair growth being natural I will hang in there at least for another yr to see my progression. Thanks for adding this important question I am sure alot of us wanted to know.


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## Rei (Mar 29, 2009)

ycj said:


> Great point am I am so happy that you started this thread!  I do beleive for me that when my hair was relaxed it seemed to have grown at an excelerated rate. Opposed to now being natural it's at a much slower rate.  It's funny you started this thread because I honestly was thinking the same question you asked just last week. Although I am a bit frutstrated with my hair growth being natural I will hang in there at least for another yr to see my progression. Thanks for adding this important question I am sure alot of us wanted to know.



You mean retain at an accelerated rate, perhaps. Even when you were relaxed, you still had natural hair growing out of your scalp. Your growth rate has nothing to do with relaxers. If you've found that your hair grew faster in the past, it is probably to do with stress, nutrition or other factors. If you find of course that you're at the same length for a long time, then what is happening is that your hair is breaking off as fast as it grows. It is absolutely essential to baby your ends so that they don't break off, whether relaxed or natural. It might have been that you found it easier to retain length while relaxed, and it could be because you are a new natural I think you should give it some more time. If not, then relax, its no biggie


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## ycj (Mar 30, 2009)

Rei said:


> You mean retain at an accelerated rate, perhaps. Even when you were relaxed, you still had natural hair growing out of your scalp. Your growth rate has nothing to do with relaxers. If you've found that your hair grew faster in the past, it is probably to do with stress, nutrition or other factors. If you find of course that you're at the same length for a long time, then what is happening is that your hair is breaking off as fast as it grows. It is absolutely essential to baby your ends so that they don't break off, whether relaxed or natural. It might have been that you found it easier to retain length while relaxed, and it could be because you are a new natural I think you should give it some more time. If not, then relax, its no biggie


 
I get your point but at the moment it is a bit impossible for me to think about cutting my ends because of the twa I am sporting! And I never said that relaxers made my hair grow. All I was saying was for my hair not speaking for anyone eles because we all have different hair types I noticed that it was growing more at an accelerated rate opposed to being natural. I also know about stress factors and diet and exercise in one's life is a huge contribution to the health and growth of one's hair. But like I said earlier I will give it some time to see and be more attentive to my ends. And at my 1 yr anniversary which is Nov 19 09 I will make a determination then. But really I want to stay natural is my ultimate goal here with healthy hair of course!


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## d-rock (Mar 30, 2009)

Lucky's Mom said:


> ALL hair Grows at the SAME rate.



That statement is false. All people are different and thus no two people being the same, rate of hair growth is not the same for all hair. Growth rate is a combination of factors including ancestry/DNA and overall general health. The current season can play a role too. My hair grows noticeably faster doing the summer, but that could also be attributed to the fact that I cowash more during the summer and air dry a lot. 

Personally, I have been natural for 7 years and at my longest my hair was almost at my waist.  Seemed like my hair would stall between SL and APL when relaxed even when doing 6 or 8 week stretches.


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## MummysGirl (Apr 9, 2009)

Nope.... because relaxed hair does not grow out of the scalp.


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## caribeandiva (Apr 9, 2009)

No. why would it grow faster? A relaxer only changes the texture of your hair not your growth rate. It's still the same hair you were born with.


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## LaLaa (Apr 9, 2009)

Grows at the same rate whether relaxed or natural.


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## peony (Jun 16, 2009)

Sorry for repeating if someone already said this, but in addition to loosening the shrinkage, bone straight relaxers often stretch the strand itself, if that makes sense. It makes the hair weaker when the strands are stretched out, and so can lead to breakage. So retention probably isn't better, but it could lead to people seeing more growth (after a touch up) than even a straightened natural in the same period of time.


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## Truth (Jun 16, 2009)

I think it's just the fact that you dont really see the growth when it's natural cause it all looks the same.... with a relaxer u can visibly see the growth, thus thinking "oh it's growing fast".. but in all actuallity it grows at the same rate, it's just what u can "see" ...


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## SweetSpirit86 (Jun 18, 2009)

I put that I don't know, lol. My hair grew at a decent rate when it was relaxed (I cut my hair to an ear length bob in march last year and it was down past my shoulders again by January this year), but I think my hair is growing faster now...I'm really not sure yet.


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## letitgrow0702 (Jun 18, 2009)

My experience is that my relaxed hair grew faster.


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## pringe (Jun 30, 2009)

ok here's my experience with this. Of course all hair grows out of the head. Like everyone says, its about retention. 

With me, my hair has never been down to my behind. But when i had a perm, it seemed like my hair only grew to a certain point and that was it. I had no split ends back then but my hair didn't really grow past a point. To be honest, i really didn't take care of my hair and put the amount of time into it like i do now. I was younger & didn't really understand my hair.

Now that i'm natural, my hair is the longest its ever been in its life! But i have split ends and my hairline is receeding. (just noticed that this morning lol). My hair as it gets longer is becoming more of a chore for me to detangle & i feel like im pulling and tugging all of the time. 

In my opinion, everyone's hair is different. I think im beginning to see that sometimes natural may not always be better if ur creating so much tension on ur scalp that its pulling your hair out. lol


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## AtlantaJJ (Sep 5, 2009)

Personally I am having much better retention since I have textlaxed. I am not getting the single strand knots anymore and my ends are really healthy!


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## lcherilu (Sep 5, 2009)

the growth is the same because if you think about it, it is natural hair growing not your relaxed hair. so the growth if you were natural hair or relaxed hair would be the same if that makes sense lol


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## Vintageglam (Sep 5, 2009)

I think the hair growth question is a bit of a subjective issue...

I personally do not think that there is a difference in the growth rate of natural v relaxed hair textures.  To assume this ignores the fact that your hair grows from the roots and as such the biggest factor for healthy hair growth is a healthy scalp and a healthy body.  Trauma to the scalp (caused by relaxer burns etc ) and or health problems or even hormone fluctuations all affect the rate at which we grow and shed our hair.  As such if you want more hair growth you have to control these variables.

However external factors can and do affect the rate at which hair grows and that is why I voted that it depends on the person.  I have fine 4a / 4b hair and was natural for the best part of 16 years.  However I also had the resulting damage pointed out by another poster of a receding hairline because of the techniques I was using to tame my hair and from the result of the manipulation used (which is NECESSARY unless you want locs).  And this is what brings me onto my next point.

I do think it is easier for some hair types i.e. type 3 hair to retain length when natural as opposed to type 4 types purely on the basis of their curl pattern, type 4 hair tends to be more frizzy and therefore is more susceptible to tangling, reflects less light, retains less moisture and tends to give less slip even with the slippiest of conditioners.  It is by far the most fragile of any hair type due to the fewer layers covering and protecting the cortex and requires extra TLC compared to any hair type.   Because of the challenges facing type 4 hair there is often teh temptation to tame with heat which is just about the worst thing you can do because you gradually just wear down the few layers you do have in the same way that a relaxer breaks down the hair.  When I was getting ready to make the transition to relaxing my hair dresser made me steam and deep condition for the best part of 6 weeks every week (with 1 hour under the steamer) before she even considered putting a relaxer into my hair because of porosity concerns.  Because of the curl pattern of type 4 hair is just soaks up moisture and then loses it at the same rate.  You therefore have to be on your guard.

I am not a big relaxer fan (hence being natural for soooo long), however I have realised that my hair thrives most when relaxed to between 60 - 80%.  Bone straight (which I would NEVER advocate and was left with after a Phyto relaxer) leaves me with a limp mess and completely natural hair means I have to put in the extra work which I do not have the time or patience for given the other parts of my life which I would like to enjoy.  That is not to say that relaxed hair does not present challenges - I currently have challenges with Porosity at the ends of my hair (thanks again to the remnants of the Phyto relaxer).  

As such this is why I think it is down to the person.  In making a decision you ultimately have to look at a number of factors including your hair type, the amount of TLC you can devote, how much time you have, your lifestyle, your health etc.    Relaxing already damaged hair is a NO NO and transitioning because you think you will have an easier life is also a NO NO.

Anyway black hair looks beautiful in all its guises and I feel you should just do what is best for you.  I have learned soooo much from this board and am actually looking forward to beginning my hair journey..


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## ebonylocs (Sep 5, 2009)

Lawd have mercy. This question, and some of the responses are really bizarre.

Your growth rate is your growth rate (as varied by nutrition, stress, hormones etc). How could putting a relaxer on your strands AFTER they have already come out of your scalp affect your growth rate one way or another?????????????????????????????

RETENTION is another matter. It depends on what poses a greater problem for you personally - weak hair when relaxed, or tangles when natural. If relaxing makes your hair too weak, then it will break off and you will see less progress. If your natural hair tangles too much so that you rip it out when detanging/styling or have to trim off knots, then you will see less progress.

(I'm beginning to think that for me the best thing strengthwise is to have natural hair, but tangle wise is to keep it smoothed out - best of both worlds)


SHRINKAGE might also mean that you don't see the length while natural, but it's still there. After having natural hair, low manipulation for 3 years, I had mid-back length hair. Didn't *see* that length until I relaxed though, because I never straightened. But once I relaxed, my length hasn't increased much, because my relaxed hair apparently is weaker and retains less.


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## seraphim712 (Sep 5, 2009)

ebonylocs said:


> Lawd have mercy. This question, and some of the responses are really bizarre.
> 
> Your growth rate is your growth rate (as varied by nutrition, stress, hormones etc). How could putting a relaxer on your strands AFTER they have already come out of your scalp affect your growth rate one way or another?????????????????????????????
> 
> ...



Thank you for your response I really like it, however. 

I myself can't believe this question has been bumped AGAIN and it will be almost three years since I've asked it. I know better now after learning so much from you ladies and that question was asked when I first joined and knew little to nothing about haircare.

Never thought this thread would be so popular over one stupid question on my behalf...  

I guess it's a useful for newcomers to read it so that the same question won't be asked I suppose...


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## delray712000 (Sep 28, 2009)

*Michelle* said:


> Generally this is true because (in short) the hairs are not causing friction amongst them selves.
> 
> IMO...what you do to your hair (relax, natural) has nothing to do with the growth.  It is all about RETENTION.  Hair grows from the INSIDE, what we do or don't do on the outside will make a difference in retention.
> 
> ...



i totally agree with this


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## jazii (Jan 1, 2010)

ella said:


> Isn't ng natural hair...
> 
> We don't have relaxed hair growing OUT of our head
> 
> ok....sawry again,I just GOT the threaderplexed






hahhah. true


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## southerncitygirl (Jan 1, 2010)

nope its straight so ya can see the growth whereas curly, kinky, coily hair is shrunken up. I complain to my stylist when I go for my dustings 2-3 times a year that my hair doesn't seem to grow much or its growing slow. Then she blows me out and I'm in shock over how much hair I have and she reminds me of this. I use wigs as a protective style and wash and condish once a week so I don't pay it much attention.


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## Jewell (Jan 26, 2010)

I voted for, "don't know," because I just go based on my personal experience, not what I think is the norm.  Therefore, in my experience, my transitioning and subsequently natural hair grew significantly faster than my relaxed hair.  As *Michelle* stated, it's more about retention and how well you care for hair in various states than which type of hair (how its maintained-relaxed vs natural) "grows faster."

And, since all the hair growing out is NG, I think the OP meant that to ask does relaxed hair that's consistently TU'd grow faster, or does natural hair?

I BC'd late (few days before end of month) June 08, and only had about 4 inches stretched.  Basically, I went from medium-sized TWA to SL by November 08 (approx. 4 mos later) .  I was astonished at how fast it grew once I BC'd.

*ETA: I wonder if OP or others are asking because they are curious as to whether the repeated applications of a relaxer can affect growth rate, (hair does emerge from the scalp, which can receive lots of sodium/calcium hydroxide during the TU process) vs. transitioning or being all natural.  ???  It's actually a good question, just needs to be rephrased and clarified so others don't think it's a stupid question/unnecessary.*


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## Miss AJ (Jan 26, 2010)

I'm not sure how one could grow faster than the other when they both come out of the scalp the same hair type...


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## seraphim712 (Jan 31, 2010)

Jewell said:


> I voted for, "don't know," because I just go based on my personal experience, not what I think is the norm.  Therefore, in my experience, my transitioning and subsequently natural hair grew significantly faster than my relaxed hair.  As *Michelle* stated, it's more about retention and how well you care for hair in various states than which type of hair (how its maintained-relaxed vs natural) "grows faster."
> 
> And, since all the hair growing out is NG, I think the OP meant that to ask does relaxed hair that's consistently TU'd grow faster, or does natural hair?
> 
> ...




I admit the thread title question was the incorrect way to pose the question or maybe it's just silly to bring up such a question overall... by me of course.This question was conjured up around the time when I knew little to nothing about hair care and had just joined LHCF. The question was based off of seeing Macherieamour's beautiful hair at the time ( I believe she uses relaxers) and through my naiveté I made the assumption that the chemicals from the relaxer helped accelerate hair growth and preserve the length in comparison of what I perceived at the time to be 'slow growth period' of natural hair. Back then, I didn't know anything about hair types, hair life cycle, retention, growth rate, terminal hair length, hair regimens, essential oils, natural hair products, how to comb your hair the correct way (starting from the ends then up), or how dieting and exercise can effect your hair (something I'm still working on). 

When I first started my hair looked like this :












and now based off the knowledge and help that I've gained from you ladies my hair has made a complete turnaround : 











Thank you for all the knowledge and advice you've given me here, if it weren't for you ladies I would still be at ear length status.


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## sharifeh (Jan 31, 2010)

^^^ wow!! beautiful shiny hair!! what's your regimen?


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## seraphim712 (Jan 31, 2010)

sharifeh said:


> ^^^ wow!! beautiful shiny hair!! what's your regimen?



Thank you! This was taken at Salon Balisi where I get my hair styled. Sharon does a wonderful job 

My regimen isn't full proof solid as of yet, but what I usually do is lightly apply a rosemary-peppermint-virgin coconut oil  mixture to my scalp twice a week and CHI Silk Infusion to my ends every night. I bun frequently to keep my ends from rubbing against my clothes. When it's time for me to wash my hair, I put them into about 12 twists and soak/wash them individually with diluted shampoo. Finally I finish with a ACV rinse and let my hair air dry. 

I really need to return to DCing my hair since it helped so much but the knob on my poor Pibbs Dryer is broken and I need to have it replaced 

I would also like to acquire Avocado butter so that I can incorporate it to my hair air drying session.


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## SheaButterBaby (Jan 31, 2010)

I understand that relaxed hair when taken care of just like natural hair will grow. IMO, it depends on genetics and so on for BOTH to grow so one doesn't necessarily grow faster than the other. 

My hair was full shoulder length and I took care of it relaxed, but I can never say my hair never broke alot. But when my new growth grows in it's 1. blacker not a shady black color, stronger because it wasn't chemically broken down, and its thinker and doesn't break like my relaxed hair so it most likely will grow longer than it's ever been relaxed. It's harder to prevent breakage and retain length with relaxed hair. I think relaxed hair 'looks' like it grows faster but that's because curls shrink so is doesn't look like it's growing but it most likely is.  BTW, i just saw your pictures, keep up the great work!!!


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## Ms. Feliz (Feb 5, 2010)

When hair grows out of your scalp it's natural. It's not about natural vs. relaxed it's about retention.


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## Jas123 (Feb 5, 2010)

this has probably been said already but when all hair grows it's natural, as in it comes out of your scalp unprocessed by any chemical whether color or permanent or relaxer

eta:
^^^ms feliz i did not see your post... i just saw this thread and posted a quick reply


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## I Am So Blessed (Mar 23, 2010)

Ms. Feliz said:


> When hair grows out of your scalp it's natural. It's not about natural vs. relaxed it's about retention.


 
"whooot thur it izzz"^^^^^^^, all about the retenccionnnnn . and i know and the Good Lord knows i was tired of them single strand knots taking away some of my retenccionnn!!!!!!! i cants beess having that


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## silenttullip (Mar 23, 2010)

For me personally I think it's the same long as it's healthy as someone else said. I say this because as a teen I had perms and my hair was not quite apl and now it's back to being natural and not quite apl and both took about 7 years "my hair may grow slow" to get there but I also like scissors so lol. Anyway I think it just really depends on how much breakage and care the person has.


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## arosieworld (Mar 23, 2010)

For me my hair grows faster when straight but not necessarily relaxed. I get a lot of knots and my curls are very tight, it seems like my scalp doesn't get enough air to grow unless I straighten or braid it but I just use heat no chemicals. I'm not sure if its really growing faster or I just retain more.


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