Would You be Natural if not for...

[Aviah]

This and other hair boards online?
For me the answer is definitely no. Though I liked my texture, I didn't know what to do with it after the first transition. So I used to blow dry it straight all the time and wonder why I had splits 5x in one hair .

My second transition was due to this site giving a lot of style ideas and seeing the many natural heads working it. How about you?

 

[l0vethyself]

I kn0 this is 0ff subject, but Im trying t0 make a p0st, im a newbie..and I can't figure 0ut h0w..i have been fumbling ar0und f0r an h0ur..please tell me h0w t0 make a p0st.

 

[kixcoiled]

Yep, I stopped relaxing to see what would happen, then went online to figure out what to do once I realized I liked it.

 

[melissa-bee]

I would have wanted to, but wouldn't know how to transition with losing all my relaxed hair. But right now i'm doing just fine

 

[Aviah]

I kn0 this is 0ff subject, but Im trying t0 make a p0st, im a newbie..and I can't figure 0ut h0w..i have been fumbling ar0und f0r an h0ur..please tell me h0w t0 make a p0st.

There's a dark blue button on the main forum on the left hand side that says "new thread". Click it to make a new one.

 

[Misshairdiva]

I KNOW I would not be natural because the concept of going "natural" was foreign to me. I didn't know WHY women did it. But, know through LHCF that I can be natural because I can rock straight and wavy hair, my hair retains length better... I can go on and on. But, it stay on topic its also because of LHCF that I was able to go natural and learn about what products to put in my hair to stop reversion.

 

[Foufie]

I say no, because it wasn't until I learned of all the possibities and options I could have that me say I am gonna give it try. It has to go to better thatn trying to straighten this sponge after the gym. Plus I love curly hair and I wanted to see what my hair was/is like. Now that I am natural I can say almost 100% I won't be going back

 

[Radianthealth]

I was a natural before I joined the hair board.

I am natural again and I hardly ever visit the hair board. So yes I would be a natural with or without the board.

 

[Computer Blue]

Emphatically no. What I do/have done with my hair is independent of hairboards.

 

[peachykeen]

No. Everyone has to have a role model. I wouldnt say its the only reason. But, it gave me the courage. There were some things I always thought would help, but I didnt know. So, when I saw so many other women doing it and doing it well. I decided I should try.

In real life women rarely tell you their hair secrets. So, it was hard for me to see what the common denominator was for people with long healthy hair. Not so, online.
In real life you can only ask but so many questions about the process of transitioning. Not so, online.

 

[Ms_CoCo37]

I would still be natural. My journey to going natural had more to do with thinning (something I never thought I'd have to worry about), and a super flakey scalp (something else that never used to to be a problem). I was getting sores on my scalp and didn't know why, because I would stretch my relaxers to 2...maybe 3 times a year.

One day when it came time for me to relax I didn't feel like it so I didn't. And that is how my natural journey began. I now have the healthiest looking scalp...no flakes, now sores, and that thin spot has filled in nicely.

This board has just given me so much more to work with.

No more chemicals for this natural girl!

 

[NikStarrr]

Yep. I transitioned twice before being on the hair boards. Eventually, I relaxed again--but I feel like I would have eventually stuck with it with or without hair boards. I'd never really liked having a relaxer.

 

[neks4u2c]

I am so glad I found this hair board. I started off transitioning and then decided to go natural based on a wealth of information I gathered from various posts. I definitely would still be relaxed without this hairboard because I had no idea that natural hair can be managed and can look beautiful no matter what hair type one has.

 

[Ms Lala]

I had been natural for 6+ years when I found hair boards.

 

[orangepeel]

Yes, but I don't think I was taking care of my hair properly before I found hair boards since no one around me is natural.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Probably not. I was unfamiliar with natural hair before LHCF, since my parents had relaxing, blowdrying and braiding conditioned into me and my sisters and nothing else, so I didn't know there were other options. It's a shame though, because now I know my natural new growth texture is so pretty, so over a year after starting my hair journey, I got fed up of relaxers and decided to transition to natural. Now that I know about conditioning, combing/detangling whilst damp, airdrying in braids and occasionally flat iron, I don't think being natural will be so hard whn I do eventually BC.

 

[Whimsy]

I voted yes. The first time I transitioned and BCed I was not on lhcf.

 

[ms.blue]

I transitioned twice & both times w/o hair boards but the second time I just looking how to grow my hair fast b/c the 2nd time was a forced BC. These boards help me to stay natural.

 

[GreenD]

I was transitioning for 9 months before I joined, and I may have even chopped before joining (same month, can't remember). I definitely needed this site and others because I had no idea of how to care for my soon to be natural hair.

 

[Hair2Here]

I've been a natural for over 10 years and I like the thickness I have since leaving the relaxers alone. I enjoyed wearing my hair straight and couldn't during the humid summer months but go over it by wearing a half wig. But that became annoying. After a year or two of wearing a wig in the summers, I like the hairstyles other naturals where wearing and tried them. Since finding this forum, I now wear a plain-jane wash-n-go hair style. Partly because I work out so much.

 

[shinyblackhair]

If not for the hairboards and YouTube, I would not have even considered it. Since childhood I've been told that I have "good hair" but, due to the thickness, relaxer was a must...I saw the light and BC'd in October with no transition. It's been an interesting journey so far, but I'm so glad that I've done it.

 

[LoveLongLocks]

I was natural & WL before this board, but I love hair chat.
So, although knew how to take care of my hair before, it is nice to have lots of other women to talk "hair care" with.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Definitely. I was already natural 4.5 yrs when I got here last summer. I've been natural most of my life. Joining this site got me more inspired to do various natural styles now I'm obsesssed with natural hair.

 

[Foxglove]

Probably not. I was unfamiliar with natural hair before LHCF, since my parents had relaxing, blowdrying and braiding conditioned into me and my sisters and nothing else, so I didn't know there were other options. It's a shame though, because now I know my natural new growth texture is so pretty, so over a year after starting my hair journey, I got fed up of relaxers and decided to transition to natural. Now that I know about conditioning, combing/detangling whilst damp, airdrying in braids and occasionally flat iron, I don't think being natural will be so hard whn I do eventually BC.

^^^ Took the words right out of my mouth

 

[Lola Laughs]

I've been natural for the majority of my life, but LHCF has inspired me to refine my practices and improve my products.

 

[likewtr4chklit]

That would be a resounding hayle naw LOL!

I had no clue about what my natural hair would need, or how to style it. With LHCF nothing can stop me. I have 100% confidence in how to care for hair relaxed and natural. I just prefer natural.

 

[EMJazzy]

I went natural long before I discovered hair boards but only because my hair was thinning/balding at the crown and going natural made it less noticeable...had that not happened I'd still be relaxing knowing me. I'm very happy that I went natural (despite the reasons) because I found that I really love my texture and it's more flattering to my face than straight hair.

 

[BostonMaria]

I tried transitioning for years and was not successful. Back in 07 I found the naturally curly weB site and I found the support I needed to keep going. I guess for me I needed morale support not just transitioning tips. I'm glad that there are so many people here with natural hair. When I tried to join 3 yrs ago and this site wasn't like that and I didn't join until mid 08 because of that.

 

[omachine]

yes. i have been natural for several years. i always had positive reinforcement from my mother and relatives regarding keeping my hair natural...my mother always disconstructed the images i saw on tv and even limited my access because she wanted my sister and i to defined our own sense of beautify...i thought she was a control freak at the time but i'm very grateful that she was so emphatic about this issue...the only thing i feel uncomfortable about regarding being natural has been the questions i receive regarding my ethnicity...having naturally curly hair i found, can carry with it a certain level of racial ambiguity at least in some people's eyes...even when i get a dominican blow out (my hair falls below bra strap level when straighten) i'm confronted with this issue... needless to say, i am always puzzled by the frequency of these questions...

 

[LynnieB]

I was too through with relaxing before I ever found the hairboards. Totally done with it so finding LHCF, NP, Cnappymenow, HC, BHM or any other hair board or blog did not influence my decision in any way but they certainly made the journey easier to find tons of information on natural hair by reading AND learning about other natural's experiences.

I began to understand that learning my natural hair would not be automatic and there would be no magic wand that would make it so (BOO!!!). Good to know and better if you're prepared for that fact .

I also learned to read the advice of women of all hair types and all textures and not shortchange myself. I never placed limits on the amount of knowledge available to me, some of which came in mighty handy on numerous occasions. There's some wonderful information out there from every one to every one, all I had to do was keep my mind open.

So yea, I'd still be natural but I'd probably never have been able to reach the length (amazing to me anyway) I have now and wouldn't be even half as enjoyable.

Much appreciation and love going out to hair boards and the women who were kind enough to share their knowledge with people they will probably never know IRL.