Does anyone ever REGRET going natural?

[casey3035]

I am 4b relaxed. 6 months post. I was initially on a 6 month stretch but it's about that time. I noticed some ladies going back to perms-not many but some. Transitioning seems to not only be challenging for ME but-I got a watermelon head so a bc wont do! My hubby is supportive but says" what if you do the BC go natural an not like it!? "
I cant lie-like a lot of you it took a while to get to MBL...my goal is WL. He says conquer one goal 1st then decide what I wanna do. Anyway-those of you that transitioned or did the BC how do you really feel?

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I'm happy with my decision. The only thing I truly regret was not doing it sooner. I was on the fence about going natural for a while but once I made up my mind, I transitioned for about five months, then chopped because I felt that it was time. Girl I have a big head but I still wore my hair out. It felt good (and it gave me excuses to buy more hair candy lol)

 

[nappystorm]

I didn't regret going natural but I sure as heck regretted cutting my hair that short. I looked busted!! I ran and got some twist extensions 2 weeks after my BC. I wish I had transitioned for at least a year.

 

[Roux]

I so need this thread now. detangling my hair is torture right now and i keep eyeing these sisscors but I don't want to regret it. I have a big head, not much of my concern as my fat face and missing my long hair.

 

[keepithealthy]

I didn't regret going natural. I only regret that I didn't really enjoy my hair when it was relaxed. Wasn't on a hhj then. I also regret that I didn't do it sooner. I keep imagining how long my hair would be had I started a year earlier.

 

[casey3035]

I so need this thread now. detangling my hair is torture right now and i keep eyeing these sisscors but I don't want to regret it. I have a big head, not much of my concern as my fat face and missing my long hair.

Ummm yeah I have a fat round face- I need this hair lol but i soooo crave the natural! But uhhh...put down those scissors girl!
Anyway, why is the detangling torture. Is it because you are transitioning? Or have you BC'd?

 

[LongLeggedLife]

One of the best decisions I ever made. Plus I liked myself with short hair so the BC was not a huge deal, I thought my cut was cute. So many options when it comes to hairstyling-none of which have to be permanent. Dont like it, get a weave, wig, braids, cornrows, twists, color, cut---whatever---it'll grow back.

 

[EllePixie]

I love my natural hair but I do wish that I had transitioned for 8 months for real after I stopped relaxing then BC'ed to that length, rather than get my mohawk and have to BC to an inch.

Sometimes I do wonder if I had started a HHJ with my relaxed hair if I would have gone natural...because if I had already decided to grow my hair out and grew it to BSL+ I don't think I would have cut my hair. At the time I decided to stop relaxing I was into myself with short hair though (chin length) so parting with that much hair wasn't too difficult.

 

[Roux]

i'm transitioning, a week shy of one year post. going for an 18 month transition. Ever since getting my Tangle Teezer detangling has been a breeze then last wash I have no idea what happened! My hair was tangled like never ever before causing a few knots with 4-5 strands each that I had to end up cutting off. my hair is saturated with conditioner right now and i've been detangling 30+ minutes when it usually only takes about 15 to detangle.

 

[kittikat24]

I dunno..
When I first started my hair journey I learned how to care for my texlaxed hair, and I went from neck length to APL...now I wonder where I would be (WSL perhaps?)
When I started to transition, my relaxed hair began to break off, so I lost that extra length.

I don't REGRET going natural, I just wonder how much longer I could've grown my relaxed hair, ya know?

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I regret not starting my HHJ with my natural hair sooner. I dont think its a bad idea to hit one goal first before moving on....you should go with what you feel though OP.

 

[casey3035]

I dunno..
When I first started my hair journey I learned how to care for my texlaxed hair, and I went from neck length to APL...now I wonder where I would be (WSL perhaps?)
When I started to transition, my relaxed hair began to break off, so I lost that extra length.

I don't REGRET going natural, I just wonder how much longer I could've grown my relaxed hair, ya know?

Yeah I know what you mean but don't regret it girl... Your natural hair is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[casey3035]

i'm transitioning, a week shy of one year post. going for an 18 month transition. Ever since getting my Tangle Teezer detangling has been a breeze then last wash I have no idea what happened! My hair was tangled like never ever before causing a few knots with 4-5 strands each that I had to end up cutting off. my hair is saturated with conditioner right now and i've been detangling 30+ minutes when it usually only takes about 15 to detangle.

Yeah same problem here-lost tons of hair last time I detangled-TONS! Scared me! And I also used the tangle teaser...I love how thick a lush natural hair looks. I have normal hair meaning it's not fine nor thick. I would love some natural hair but not sure if I am up for the challenge having this 5 head and all... Yeah I know all about the 5 strand knots though-maybe the ladies will chime in with some advice for you!

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

No regrets, other than I wished I would have transitioned to natural sooner than later.
I’m content with my decision and I love my natural hair, there’s no turning back for me.

 

[Roux]

Yeah that definitely took longer than expected. but that's to be expected this far in I suppose.

When I first started my HHJ in 2008 I initially planned on transitioning to natural and then I just couldn't figure it out and relaxed. I decided that I would transition once I hit APL or BSL. I eventually noticed that my hair wasn't as thick as i'd like and wanted a change. I colored my hair and then decided to BKT a few times then decided I would relax because I couldn't figure anything else out.

The stylist refused since I had color and asked me if I ever thought of transitioning so that solidified it for me and here I am close to one year post. I really wish I would have stuck with transitioning when I first began but glad I learned so much about my hair and know that healthy relaxed hair is possible too.

 

[SmileyNY]

Ok, I'll bite lol. I'll be the first commenter that went natural and then back to relaxed. I don't regret going natural because my bone-straight, permed and over-processed hair was not the business.

However, my natural hair had a mind of it's own. It was afro-puff or nothing (nothing's wrong with sporting an afro-puff, but I need diversity). I tried twist sets, braid sets, roller sets, set sets, conditioners, creams & dreams... no matter what, by eod my hair reverted. I resorted to hiding my hair under weaves most of the time. I missed wearing my own hair out.

Last december, I texlaxed and it turned out to be the best decision... for me. It made my hair more manageable, allowed me to wear my own hair & yet still have some thickness. I love it and i'm excited about working towards reaching my next goal, BSL

 

[brownstallion]

I'm about 2 months post and I don't regret cutting my hair, I just wish I had done it years ago because the front of my hair is so straight. When I was transitioning I just knew I would wear my natural hair straightened but I haven't yet. I'm trying to get that definition all around! I must say when comparing relaxed to natural it's about the same. I use to go to the salon for 4 hrs and at home it was a long process just once every two weeks. Natural I do my hair more often but it's about the same when it comes to hours. I'm hoping that when I get that kkcc I can get at least a week without rewetting my hair.

 

[casey3035]

Ok, I'll bite lol. I'll be the first commenter that went natural and then back to relaxed. I don't regret going natural because my bone-straight, permed and over-processed hair was not the business.

However, my natural hair had a mind of it's own. It was afro-puff or nothing (nothing's wrong with sporting an afro-puff, but I need diversity.) I tried twist sets, braid sets, roller sets, set sets, conditioners, creams & dreams... no matter what, by eod my hair reverted. I resorted to hiding my hair under weaves most of the time. I missed wearing my own hair out.

Last december, I texlaxed and it turned out to be the best decision... for me. It made my hair more manageable, allowed me to wear my own hair & yet still have some thickness. I love it and i'm exited about working towards reaching my next goal, BSL

Wow-Thanks for the honesty! As long as you are happy with your decision-thats all that matters! I love texlaxed hair too!

 

[*CherryPie*]

I've only been fully natural slightly more than a month, but I LOVE it!
I've always loved natural hair, and hairstyles. I used to try to create natural styles with my relaxed hair, but that didn't work.

I should've done it many years ago when my dermatologist advised me to stop relaxing my hair because of thinning edges. Well, better late than never! lol

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

NEVER!!!!!​

 

[iri9109]

i dont regret going natural. i wish i would've done it sooner (just thinking of how long my hair could be if i never got a relaxer, or if i went natural in HS)...when i decided to transition, i already had a short angled cut that was tapered in the back (chin length-SL in front), so it wasnt much to part with but i did want to transition longer than 4 months ...i originally planned on transitioning for over a year, but as my hair started to grow out, it was hard dealing with the 2 textures and b/c of the length i couldnt just put it in a ponytail or bun on a bad hair day...one good think about transitioning short term though is you get to learn your hair from the beginning and see its different stages and progress instead of chopping and having a full head of natural hair that you have to learn all at once...

 

[Irresistible]

I only regret that I didnt know anything about 'heat trained' hair and pressed my hair a lot during the first ten years of being natural-no internet-even when I came on here there was not much information around about all that

Just ladies reporting occasional total heat damage or there hair was just fine with heat. As far as I knew my hair was fine, since I had been pressing since the beginning of going natural I never knew a difference, my hair has totally changed since transitioning it out of heat trained status-also unkowingly

wow my hair is thick and has grown so much since dropping heat usage. I'm even shocked

 

[Aviah]

Personally I love being natural. It has some drawbacks like everything else but for me the pros outweigh the cons and I would encourage everyone to explore their natural hair at some point in their lives. Your natural hair only grows in a little at a time and if at any point you feel its definitely not what you want, you know what to do!

 

[Aviah]

And you do NOT have to BC. A little at a time is how I did it.

 

[Lylddlebit]

Not at all....but if I change my mind...perm is still on every black hair isle in america.

 

[Computer Blue]

No regrets.

I would regret bcing before now if I had because time has proven that I dion't have to

 

[FebeeSigns]

I went natural and I regret not transitioning. The process seemed hard and too much work workin' with 2 textures and i didn't do my research at all on transitioning. I wish i would had. The truth is I hate bc'ing. Big chops ain't for me. Because i go through the awkward stages of having absolutely nothing to do with my hair and it's painful.

 

[mzteaze]

I am happy that I am natural. My hair straightens easily with a little heat and light tension, so relaxers are extremely unnecessary. Sometimes I miss that "instant" straight hair until I see that flat, bone-straight style that makes my fine hair look sickly.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

I'm very satisfied with my choice, and will never go back to chem services. If I decide I wanna wear my hair straight on a regular basis, I'll heat-train my hair. Either way, I'm good.
Sent from my Zio using Long Hair Care Forum App

 

[LoveCraze]

I'm very satisfied with my choice, and will never go back to chem services. If I decide I wanna wear my hair straight on a regular basis, I'll heat-train my hair. Either way, I'm good.
Sent from my Zio using Long Hair Care Forum App

^Me too in regards to the bolded. I'm also glad I went natural. I just wish I would have learned there were other options to relaxers a lot sooner.