is being natural doing more harm than good?

[tt8]

So, I am still fairly new on this journey but i am natural cause I am not sure my strands can handle chemicals but I am wondering if its doing more harm than good. If you texlaxed or permed because you cause your natural hair was losing most of its growth let me know your story, plz. I am debating texlaxing. This is not out of ease or convenience. This is a matter of my busting my tail for growth and shedding.

 

[dicapr]

I'm not sure of your regimen, but I do know how you feel. I was stalking the isle of Wal-Mart looking for a texturizer up to a month ago. I had so many knots and tangles that I had to cut out of my hair I knew that I would not retain growth like that. I had transitioned and jumped on the no heat on my natural kinks and coils bandwagon. It seemed my no heat regimen was doing more harm than good. I was difficult to detangle my hair and even in shrunken twists I was getting knots at the end of my twists. I am in the process of adding heat back into my regimen. I will do this for a year. I am thinking of alternating between rollersets and blowdrying my hair to keep it stretched out. If at the end of the year I have not retained significant grown, I'll be texturizing!

 

[growth2come]

There is so much information on this forum and you have to try things in order to find what works for you so dont give up so easily. I have been natural since 05 but I have tried to keep things simple with my regi and the products helps a lot....and do what work for you. But I dont think being natural is doing more harm its what you as in people do to treat the hair that causes harm. I think putting a good conditioner and lots of it when detangling can help. So look around and also finding someone with simlar hair type to yours and look at what they do to tackle the detangling....goodluck

 

[thefineprint]

no, i think it depends on how you take care of your hair. when i went natural my relaxed hair was shoulder length and had been that length all my life. within 2 years of bigchopping my natural hair (stretched of course) was back to shoulder length. that's when i finally realized it was the relaxers preventing growth.

my advice is to search the board and look for new ways to get around the hurdles you are experiencing. i'm sure you will find something useful

 

[Ntrlmystik]

Its on a case by case depending on how you take care of your hair. For instance there are many natural women that have amazing growth and there are just as many relaxed ones with the same results. An X factor may be in what you are able to maintain as an individual. For instance, the first year of me being natural my hair became shoulder length. After that my endsjust constantly broke off because of dryness and knots. Many people can remedy that but I wasn't able to. When my hair is relaxed, I retain more length with less effort. You have to try and see what works for you. There is alot to learn here. Don't just throw in the towel while you are fairly new to this.

 

[nappity]

There are pros and cons to every hair decision. I agree that when I see some of the Texlaxed sisters on the board I start thinking about going to Ms. Jessies or what used to be called Curve Salon. Cause i want swanging hair.(lol)
I agree with want the other ladies wrote. Search the board- there are a multitude of options that can do the trick for you. Ultimately,its boils to whatever decision you are going to make regarding your hair - theres good info on how to keep it healthy and strong and growing on this board. (HTH)

 

[firecracker]

no, i think it depends on how you take care of your hair. when i went natural my relaxed hair was shoulder length and had been that length all my life. within 2 years of bigchopping my natural hair (stretched of course) was back to shoulder length. that's when i finally realized it was the relaxers preventing growth.

my advice is to search the board and look for new ways to get around the hurdles you are experiencing. i'm sure you will find something useful

I agree with the bolded.

 

[glamazon386]

no, i think it depends on how you take care of your hair. when i went natural my relaxed hair was shoulder length and had been that length all my life. within 2 years of bigchopping my natural hair (stretched of course) was back to shoulder length. that's when i finally realized it was the relaxers preventing growth.

my advice is to search the board and look for new ways to get around the hurdles you are experiencing. i'm sure you will find something useful

I found the same thing to be true for me. My hair stayed the same length for a long time when I was relaxed because it kept breaking off. No matter what I did to it, it didn't budge. It was pretty much a lost cause. The relaxer made it thin and lifeless. A year later after BCing my hair is back to about the same length. And it's 100% healthier. I truly believe the relaxer was stunting my growth.

 

[FineChyna]

i was in your shoes and opted not to texturize my hair.

being diligent and consistent in how i care for my hair has helped drasitically.

 

[cutiebe2]

I believe that hair can never be worse in its natural state. I agree with the ladies that its all in how you take care of your hair. Reevaluate your regimen and then try something new.
good luck

 

[hopeful]

I know relaxers were stunting my growth, I gave them a whirl for nearly 30 years, tried every kind of relaxer, many different stylists and always ended up at about the same length and with the same problems. Almost two years natural now and my hair has surpassed it's relaxed length, it's back to my childhood length, and a year from now should be longer than it's ever been in my life, so I have to stick to the natural route. That said, some people do better with relaxers. Just make sure you've given yourself and your hair enough time to figure things out. You just might not have your routine down yet, or your hair may just still need time to get into it's groove. Also, when I first bc'd I ended up texturizing and my hair shed like nobody's business. Bc'd again and the shedding pretty much completely stopped. Whatever you decide, remember this is a journey, many of us have gone natural, relaxed, gone natural again, we're all just trying to figure out what's best for us and our hair.

 

[tt8]

Thanks for the advice. Here is my regimen so you all can hopefully help me rule out the problem. From what it looks like, I need heat. Anyways, this is what I do during the week

•keep my hair in 6 conrows and take down and re-do only on Sundays (so my entire routine is done with the cornrows in my head)
•co-wash atleast 3x a week with Kenra or Aveda DR
•dc 3-4x a week (to combat winter dryness/ my hair loves this)... and I oil my scalp with BT or Vatika Oil when I do this
•leave-in conditioner with Giovanni Direct Leave-in
•seal with ORS carrot oil and a dab of castor oil
•moisturize and seal 2x a day with ORS and JBC
• religiously tie up hair at night or just around the house
• sometimes baggy ends with oil only

 

[hopeful]

Well your routine sounds great. Does the Aveda DR have protein it it? Also, you may be doing too much, it sounds like every day of the week it is either deep con'd or con washed, if I did that my hair would be very dry. I don't think your hair is getting a chance to rest and be left alone.

 

[tt8]

Well your routine sounds great. Does the Aveda DR have protein it it? Also, you may be doing too much, it sounds like every day of the week it is either deep con'd or con washed, if I did that my hair would be very dry. I don't think your hair is getting a chance to rest and be left alone.

I am not sure if the Aveda DR has protien, I doubt it cause my hair does nto like protein and feels wierd if I use it and I dont experience this with the ADR...For the second half of your comment all I can think of is, Hmmm...erplexed

 

[Crackers Phinn]

Thanks for the advice. Here is my regimen so you all can hopefully help me rule out the problem. From what it looks like, I need heat. Anyways, this is what I do during the week

•keep my hair in 6 conrows and take down and re-do only on Sundays (so my entire routine is done with the cornrows in my head)
•co-wash atleast 3x a week with Kenra or Aveda DR
•dc 3-4x a week (to combat winter dryness/ my hair loves this)... and I oil my scalp with BT or Vatika Oil when I do this
•leave-in conditioner with Giovanni Direct Leave-in
•seal with ORS carrot oil and a dab of castor oil
•moisturize and seal 2x a day with ORS and JBC
• religiously tie up hair at night or just around the house
• sometimes baggy ends with oil only

Do you ever use a clarifying shampoo? You are using a lot of products and the build up could be contributing to your breakage/shedding issues.

co-washing is a great theory, but over time you do have have to wash your hair with shampoo to get rid of some of the coating that the products including conditioner leave behind on the hair.

 

[tt8]

Do you ever use a clarifying shampoo? You are using a lot of products and the build up could be contributing to your breakage/shedding issues.

co-washing is a great theory, but over time you do have have to wash your hair with shampoo to get rid of some of the coating that the products including conditioner leave behind on the hair.

Yep, I clarify once a month

 

[LynnieB]

hard water perhaps?

 

[tt8]

hard water perhaps?

I am not sure. How can you tell? I live in Los Angeles...

 

[sweetwhispers]

Aveda Dr does have protein.

 

[glamazon386]

Well your routine sounds great. Does the Aveda DR have protein it it? Also, you may be doing too much, it sounds like every day of the week it is either deep con'd or con washed, if I did that my hair would be very dry. I don't think your hair is getting a chance to rest and be left alone.

I agree. Less is more.

 

[phyl73]

I am transitioning from permed to natural. My hair is so much thicker on the top and sooo thin on the bottom (take a look at my fokti). It has grown alot since I first started my regi, but it is still so fragile. I know I will end up cutting it off, but I might pass out if I did it right now. I use carefree curl moisturizer and that has helped alot with the dryness. I want my entire head of hair to be as thick and healthy as my newgrowth from the past 2 or so months.

 

[sonce]

So, I am still fairly new on this journey but i am natural cause I am not sure my strands can handle chemicals but I am wondering if its doing more harm than good. If you texlaxed or permed because you cause your natural hair was losing most of its growth let me know your story, plz. I am debating texlaxing. This is not out of ease or convenience. This is a matter of my busting my tail for growth and shedding.

If you know how to manage your hair, there's no reason being natural should do more harm than good. It should actually do more good than harm because you are not risking the health of your hair with chemicals. However, if you do not know how to manage your hair, then of course your hair will suffer--not because it is natural but because you don't know how to do it. Any kind of hair--relaxed, texlaxed, whatever--will suffer when it is not treated in an optimal fashion.

My hair has grown MUCH longer MUCH faster as a natural than it ever did when I was using chemicals. But that is because I took the time to learn what worked for my hair and did not try to adapt techniques that work for chemically processed hair to natural hair. To be quite frank, knots, tangles, breakage, and matting are the result of doing something wrong, not of natural hair in itself. I have more hair than most naturals I know and my hair only ever suffered knotting and breaking back when I was doing a poor job of managing it and whenever I get lazy.

 

[sonce]

Thanks for the advice. Here is my regimen so you all can hopefully help me rule out the problem. From what it looks like, I need heat. Anyways, this is what I do during the week

•keep my hair in 6 conrows and take down and re-do only on Sundays (so my entire routine is done with the cornrows in my head)
•co-wash atleast 3x a week with Kenra or Aveda DR
•dc 3-4x a week (to combat winter dryness/ my hair loves this)... and I oil my scalp with BT or Vatika Oil when I do this
•leave-in conditioner with Giovanni Direct Leave-in
•seal with ORS carrot oil and a dab of castor oil
•moisturize and seal 2x a day with ORS and JBC
• religiously tie up hair at night or just around the house
• sometimes baggy ends with oil only

All the several times weekly co-washing and deep conditioning, and daily moisturizing you are doing would be entirely too much manipulation for my hair, even if it is in cornrows. Your hair shrinks and expands and shrinks and expands as you wet it and let it dry and wet it and let it dry. That can lead to massive tangling when you remove the cornrows. And then you have the brittleness that results from daily washing out of products--even if your hair feels good immediately after deep conditioning, the frequency with which you do it can compromise the hair's structure and lead to wear and tear over time. If you are having difficulty, you might want to look into leaving your hair alone more. Also, I have not worn cornrows in a couple of years now because they pull out more hair than they help me retain, and the process of cornrowing my hair is very traumatic and results in breakage sooner or later, even when the breaking is not immediately obvious.

 

[PinkSkates]

Originally posted by sonce
If you know how to manage your hair, there's no reason being natural should do more harm than good. It should actually do more good than harm because you are not risking the health of your hair with chemicals. However, if you do not know how to manage your hair, then of course your hair will suffer--not because it is natural but because you don't know how to do it. Any kind of hair--relaxed, texlaxed, whatever--will suffer when it is not treated in an optimal fashion.

Very well stated! Educate yourself on your hair type; then properly care for it! It's all about how you care for your hair!

 

[santwon]

May I ask what you think the usage of heat will do for you? In my experience, I've found that the only heat I NEED is when I'm deep conditioning. And even that isn't any more than my regular body heat.

Oh, I'm going to add some more...When you do all of deep conditioning and co-washing, is it because your hair feels dry? Because maybe you need to find some different products to help you keep the moisture. You're using a lot of good stuff, but too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. I don't think you're giving your hair much of a chance to calm down and do it's thing. The level of manipulation may be contributing to your breakage. I learned that there is a such thing as hair that is TOO soft.

 

[hopeful]

I am transitioning from permed to natural. My hair is so much thicker on the top and sooo thin on the bottom (take a look at my fokti). It has grown alot since I first started my regi, but it is still so fragile. I know I will end up cutting it off, but I might pass out if I did it right now. I use carefree curl moisturizer and that has helped alot with the dryness. I want my entire head of hair to be as thick and healthy as my newgrowth from the past 2 or so months.

Hang in there Phyl, if you keep babying all of your hair (especially your newgrowth/natural hair) and gradually keep trimming off your relaxed hair, you will end up with a lush head of beautiful natural hair before you know it. Just be patient.

 

[LynnieB]

I am not sure. How can you tell? I live in Los Angeles...

here's some pretty good info tt8 but the only sure fire way to know is to have your water tested:

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm

 

[tt8]

May I ask what you think the usage of heat will do for you? In my experience, I've found that the only heat I NEED is when I'm deep conditioning. And even that isn't any more than my regular body heat.

Oh, I'm going to add some more...When you do all of deep conditioning and co-washing, is it because your hair feels dry? Because maybe you need to find some different products to help you keep the moisture. You're using a lot of good stuff, but too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. I don't think you're giving your hair much of a chance to calm down and do it's thing. The level of manipulation may be contributing to your breakage. I learned that there is a such thing as hair that is TOO soft.

I think heat will help smooth out my cuticle and help with eliminating a majority of the tangles. I co-wash and dc because my hair is naturally super dry. It seems to like it. I am doing the dc often just through the winter months because if this heat thats on in my house is drying out my skin I know it is doing the same for my hair. As far as too soft hair, i make sure I balance my protein and moisture.

I think what happened earlier today is that I panicked and had a mini-melt down about my hair. It has been doing wonderful but I fear screwing it up and going back to where I was. I blew it out ( I never do this) to see it straight and give me a different perspective and all it is IMO is that since I don't comb during the week, it seems overwhelming when I do

 

[tt8]

here's some pretty good info tt8 but the only sure fire way to know is to have your water tested:

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm

Thanks Lynnie... Im just trying to figure it all out...

 

[Gryphyn]

I'm not sure of your regimen, but I do know how you feel. I was stalking the isle of Wal-Mart looking for a texturizer up to a month ago. I had so many knots and tangles that I had to cut out of my hair I knew that I would not retain growth like that. I had transitioned and jumped on the no heat on my natural kinks and coils bandwagon. It seemed my no heat regimen was doing more harm than good. I was difficult to detangle my hair and even in shrunken twists I was getting knots at the end of my twists. I am in the process of adding heat back into my regimen. I will do this for a year. I am thinking of alternating between rollersets and blowdrying my hair to keep it stretched out. If at the end of the year I have not retained significant grown, I'll be texturizing!

This is exactly what I'm going through right now! I only gained about 2 inches of length in the past year, and my hair has been in protective styles for most of the year. I was roller setting all year, but what I found was that within a couple days after my rollerset, my ends would start shrinking back up and that led to knots and breakage. Now I'm experimenting with flat ironing after every wash.