Are you still considered natural if you texlax?

[Kay.Dee]

It doesn't bother me how people refer to their hair, it's only misleading if they have a chem and call themselves natural.

I don't think people who texlax consider themselves at all natural, and I think most people on the board know that they aren't either. At least the ones I've seen (on boards, don't know about IRL) acknowledge their use of chems.

 

[*Happily Me*]

It doesn't bother me how people refer to their hair, it's only misleading if they have a chem and call themselves natural.

I don't think people who texlax consider themselves at all natural, and I think most people on the board know that they aren't either. At least the ones I've seen (on boards, son't know IRL) acknowledge their use of chems.

I don't think people should front like that, but i do believe in percentages When describing my hair, I always tell people i'm texlaxed (then i have to explain what that is) but i'm thinking it's half natural as far as texture.

 

[prospurr4]

No, but I love being texlaxed.

 

[Nonie]

I don't think people should front like that, but i do believe in percentages When describing my hair, I always tell people i'm texlaxed (then i have to explain what that is) but i'm thinking it's half natural as far as texture.

Girl that's more confusing than simply saying "My hair is naturally kinky but I have loosened its tightly coiled texture by applying chemicals for less time than is needed to get it fully straight as one does to relax hair fully to straight."

Type 3 hair when natural looks like some type 4 hair texlaxed. So why get so technical talking about being part natural. IMO that looks more like fronting than just admitting, "No, my hair isn't natural (didn't grow out of my head like this) but has been altered chemically by briefly applying a relaxer = texlaxed."

A transitioning head is the only head that comes to mind that might have percentages of natural.

 

[CurliDiva]

NO.......a telax is just a mild relaxer left on for less time to straighten the curl pattern!

Your hair is not still NATURAL after using one.

 

[NikStarrr]

Most of the time when people say they are natural they are referring to their hair and nothing else for the most part. How do you suggest people with hair sans chemicals refer to their hair? If you're a vegetarian/vegan call yourself one and then call it a day.

I agree!

Plus, I hardly think that Big Mac I ate yesterday did anything to the texture of my hair. haha I don't really *get* that way of thinking. Now if someone says they are following a "natural lifestyle" then ok. But whether I'm a vegetarian or eat organice, etc., if my hair has no chemicals to alter the texture, I have "natural hair" in my opinion.

 

[*Happily Me*]

all i know is when looking at and combing this

and this. it's dayum near unprocessed or natural to me. But I am texlaxed. I always tell people i'm texlaxed.

so yeah, percentages apply on my head.

 

[CurliDiva]

I don't think people should front like that, but i do believe in percentages When describing my hair, I always tell people i'm texlaxed (then i have to explain what that is) but i'm thinking it's half natural as far as texture.

But being NATRUAL is not a texture.....someone can be natural and have straight, wavy or curly hair or any combo of textures.

If you are trying to describe the texture of your hair, IMO it is more descriptive to use words such as curly, coily, kinky, nappy, wavy, straight or the number systems (2, 3a, 3c, 4a, 4b or 4z etc.)

Either way, your hair is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[*Happily Me*]

but, the texture of MY hair in it's texlaxed state in some places is not much different than it's unprocessed or natural state. that's what i'm sayin

Eta -- thank you! CD

 

[Nonie]

I agree with CurliDiva. I was going to say that while your texlaxed hair might not appear loosened to someone with Type 3 hair, to one with a texture like your natural hair, your hair is processed from where they stand. So we can't go by texture. We go by whether chemicals were applied to make it have that new permanent texture or not. If chemicals were applied and changed it so it doesn't look the way it looked growing out of your head, then it isn't natural. Just like there aren't percentages of pregnancy, I don't believe you can use percentages to describe degree of naturalness It's either 100% natural or 0%, IMO, unless you're transitioning where your new growth is 100% natural and the old hair is 0% natural....Thus looking at your hair on the whole a percentage of your hair is natural (the base of new growth) and another percentage not (old hair).

 

[*Happily Me*]

let me find a pic of when i was transitioning and did somewhat of a BC...

 

[*Happily Me*]

this was 7 months of new growth after a chop. As you can see, my texture is darn near the same.

 

[MissJ]

I never knew texlaxed was considered natural.

If you put something in your hair that causes a chemical change, like a relaxer, you are no longer natural. You can wash it all you want, but it won't revert back to the natural state.

If you put something in your hair that causes a physical change, like gel or moderate heat, then you are still natural. You wash, and it's the same hair that you were born with.

It has nothing to do with whether the products are natural or not.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

I agree with CurliDiva. I was going to say that while your texlaxed hair might not appear loosened to someone with Type 3 hair, to one with a texture like your natural hair, your hair is processed from where they stand. So we can't go by texture. We go by whether chemicals were applied to make it have that new permanent texture or not. If chemicals were applied and changed it so it doesn't look the way it looked growing out of your head, then it isn't natural. Just like there aren't percentages of pregnancy, I don't believe you can use percentages to describe degree of naturalness It's either 100% natural or 0%, IMO, unless you're transitioning where your new growth is 100% natural and the old hair is 0% natural....Thus looking at your hair on the whole a percentage of your hair is natural (the base of new growth) and another percentage not (old hair).

I like that analogy, nonie!

this was 7 months of new growth after a chop. As you can see, my texture is darn near the same.

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a smart alec, but if it were darn near the same, why do you texturize? It must make some difference in the texture if you're still doing it.

Your hair is lovely, btw

 

[CenteredGirl]

I guess I'm not natural because I use many products that have something in them that make my hair more manageable because they change the curl pattern of my hair: LBB, Baking Soda/Vinegar, Sabino Moisture Block.

Most things have chemicals in them (LBB doesn't). Without DC and Cheapie condish's my hair is too natural to control.

I would never know that Happily Me had a Texturizer!

 

[*Happily Me*]

I like that analogy, nonie!



I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a smart alec, but if it were darn near the same, why do you texturize? It must make some difference in the texture if you're still doing it.

Your hair is lovely, btw

because darn near the same is not the same as. but it's close.

i texlax because after I transitioned for 7 months, I figured unless I wanted to be confined to twists and fro's, (which i like on other people) I would need something to elongate my hair but I didn't want it bone straight. My hair was next to impossible to comb.

A texlax is the best of both worlds, in my opinion


ETA -- thank you for the nice compliment. sorry for my lack of manners

 

[lovenharmony]

Natural is just that...FROM NATURE. If your hair is chemically altered, it's no longer natural.

 

[MissJ]

I guess I'm not natural because I use many products that have something in them that make my hair more manageable because they change the curl pattern of my hair: LBB, Baking Soda/Vinegar, Sabino Moisture Block.

Most things have chemicals in them (LBB doesn't). Without DC and Cheapie condish's my hair is too natural to control.

When you wash the products out and don't reapply them, does your hair go back to being its normal "unmanageable" self?

 

[Junebug D]

I personally don't like the use of the term natural to describe hair that's not relaxed. People walking round claiming natural because they don't put chems in their head, but eating chems everydays. I've been on hair board for many years and i'll never understand...

When i think natural, I think of someone who follows a vegan/vegetarian organic lifestyle.

eh... just my 2 cents

I don't think any & everyone who has natural hair would also be claiming to live a natural lifestyle. At least on hair boards, natural is talking about the state of the hair. Food has nothing to do with it. I don't think on hairboards, anyone would be trying to conflate the two.

Texlaxing isn't the same as natural, no, but it is useful to have the separate term from relaxer. The hair is in a totally different state.

P.S. I've been all 3-- natural, relaxed, texlaxed (underprocessed) though not on purpose, and texturized too. the tips for relaxed hair would have been useless for my texlaxed hair, and pretty much everything about being natural was useless for it too; like my twists were not the same when my hair was texlaxed.

 

[CenteredGirl]

From a Purist standpoint natural is you put nothing on your hair but water or anything else one can forage in nature in it's natural state. Those are far and few. Actually I can think of Aloe Vera Juice but that's about it! None of us wake up, roll out of bed, and go. We all put something on our hair. Many of these things allow us to manipulate our natural hair. For those of us with KANKY hair, we need more help to uncoil the barbed wire. For those with 3 hair or above, it's a different yet equally challenging journey to manipulate and retain growth.

Just playing devil's advocate. I was on the debate team in high school. Just trying to add another point of view.

 

[Nightingale]

Texlaxing/Texturizing = Relaxing

But, I believe that one should differentiate between the two because the needs a textured relaxed head has is different from that of someone that relaxes bone straight.

My hair though relaxed, behaves like a natural head, so I look to naturals and other tightly curled texlaxed heads for tips and product advice about daily maintenance and styling. But I make sure to pay attention to the hair treatments relaxed heads use to deal with our weaker, processed strands.

No one on this board claims that being texlaxed is natural so the vehemence coming from some of you is completely uncalled for and irrational. It's definently not worth getting upset or annoyed about. SOME of you need to relax (no pun intended)!

 

[MizzBrown]

Now we getting technical?

You aint Natural if you don't put anything but water and fruits and berries in your hair?

 

[prospurr4]

A texlax is the best of both worlds, in my opinion

OT: I just stepped in to say that I TOTALLY agree with this statement. Your hair is so thick and gorgeous!

 

[Nonie]

Texlaxing/Texturizing = Relaxing

But, I believe that one should differentiate between the two because the needs a textured relaxed head has is different from that of someone that relaxes bone straight.

My hair though relaxed, behaves like a natural head, so I look to naturals and other tightly curled texlaxed heads for tips and product advice about daily maintenance and styling. But I make sure to pay attention to the hair treatments relaxed heads use to deal with are weaker, processed strands.

No one on this board claims that being texlaxed is natural so the vehemence coming from some of you is completely uncalled for and irrational. It's definently not worth getting upset or annoyed about. SOME of you need to relax (no pun intended)!

That's my favorite line in this whole discussion. I LOVE PUNS--even when not intended.

 

[CenteredGirl]

Of late no. I have been DC'ing without a plastic cap underneath warm dryer. My hair has been super manageable because of this. It's really a miracle. I am in to my second week, and my hair is super easy to comb, twist before during and after my wash day. I really love it. I also apply leave in condish during the week with a warm diffuser blow dryer. My hair just melts into manageability. I was SERIOUSLY at a breaking point before I found this technique and was a smidge close to textlaxing.

My hair is finer yet really really coily. One bad move and snippy snap breakage.

When you wash the products out and don't reapply them, does your hair go back to being its normal "unmanageable" self?

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Now we getting technical?

You aint Natural if you don't put anything but water and fruits and berries in your hair?

Sorry, no fruits and berries, just water and air.

From a Purist standpoint natural is you put nothing on your hair but water or anything else one can forage in nature in it's natural state. Those are far and few. Actually I can think of Aloe Vera Juice but that's about it! None of us wake up, roll out of bed, and go. We all put something on our hair. Many of these things allow us to manipulate our natural hair. For those of us with KANKY hair, we need more help to uncoil the barbed wire. For those with 3 hair or above, it's a different yet equally challenging journey to manipulate and retain growth.

Just playing devil's advocate. I was on the debate team in high school. Just trying to add another point of view.

So only people who have freeform dreads would be really natural by this definition?

 

[LivingDoll]

No. Texlaxing is still relaxing...just intentionally underprocessing. There's no way you can be a texlaxer and consider yourself natural....and btw, I texlax.

 

[Junebug D]

Come on, let's just be real simple: have you put a chemical relaxer (the stuff in the box or jar, also known as 'texturizer', 'jheri curl', 'wave nuveau') on your hair? if yes, you do not have natural hair. It really is that simple.

 

[Lynnerie]

this was 7 months of new growth after a chop. As you can see, my texture is darn near the same.

Beautiful hair! But it doesn't matter if it looks natural or feels natural. If it has a relaxer/texurizer/or texlaxed then its not natural. Your texlaxed hair may have a tighter pattern than some naturals but they are still natural and you are texlaxed.

I don't mind people using the term texlaxed but if folks are fronting like their natural and they are not then thats just misleading and plain wrong.

And all that 50% natural and like natural is some bull. Cause 4a hair texlaxed is not 3c natural. It may look like it but its not. People just need to be honest and proud about their hair. When I was relaxed I enjoyed my bone straight hair for what it was. I wasn't ashamed of it. Now that I'm natural I enjoy it too and I worked hard to get to the point of letting go of my relaxed ends.

 

[Nonie]

OT: I just stepped in to say that I TOTALLY agree with this statement. [*Happily Me*'s] hair is so thick and gorgeous!

It really is. I think it's so cool that it is texlaxed but not obviously so. I like the idea of telling people the truth "I'm texlaxed" and having them look at you like "Yeah right!"

Or like when naturals with major shrinkage tell their stretched length to folks while sporting a shrunken puff--once again a truthful statement--but then leave the listener thinking "Yeah right!"

I like the surprise factor.