Going From Natural To Relaxed

[BadMamaJama]

I'm a year and a half natural. I've learned a lot about being natural and about taking care of my hair but I want to relax. I feel like I can take care of my relaxed hair, but I'd like to hear from ladies who went from natural to relaxed. Do you feel like you know a lot more about taking better care of your hair? Any tips beside not staying natural? I'm just over being natural and want to relax. Thanks in advance.

 

[Kay.Dee]

I've only been relaxed for a week but so far I think I am much more gentle with my relaxed hair.

I think detangling and moisturizing will be a breeze compared to what I was going through when I was natural. I was in twists or some kind of protective style when I was natural so doing it now will not bother me. In general, I tried not to manipulate my natural hair too much and I plan on keeping that strategy while I'm relaxed.

Heat appliances don't even tempt me, I think I used my blow dryer once while I was natural and plan to keep heat to a bare minimum (special occasions).

Overall I think being natural forces you to become a lot more patient with your hair, which will only benefit you if you decide to relax.

The things that I do have to learn about are protein/moisture balance, stretching, and self-relaxing. Self-relaxing sounds very intimidating, but I think it will be my best bet. I don't think stretching will be too much of a problem. Dealing with your natural hair for awhile gives you an idea of what will work.

 

[NappyNelle]

Paging judy4all because she just went back to relaxing and is enjoying her 'new' hair. I believe Napp relaxed several (perhaps six?) months ago, so she may have more advice to give about her positive experiences. Hope that helps!

 

[JudithO]

Well.... I think being on LHCF will help you care for your hair better regrdless of whether you are relaxed or natural.

The only advantage that I'm 'hoping' to have is to have it easier stretching my relaxers cos I know how to deal with with my natural texture....

The basics of every good hair regimen applies whether relaxed or natural.... Wash and condition regularly, protective style, maintain moisture/protein balance, keep it moisturized, be wary of too much heat.

There are tons of threads and ladies to help you so no worries...... Even if you don't like it, you can always go back to natural... hair keeps growing regardless.. Don't think about it too much. If you are tired of your hair, you can relax, color, cut off.... anything... It will grow back... lol

You may have to work harder to retain depending on your hair texture and strand size, but that applies regardless of whether you are relaxed or natural.

The one thing I appreciate is the ease of detangling, and I can't get enof of washing my hair... Washing my hair as a natural meant redoing all my twists so it was always a chore... now... I just wash.... air dry and pull it back. My natural hair also taught me to leave my hair alone, and be comfortable wearing one style... I have been in twists in the last 4 yrs.. so I have learned patience... lol

PM me if you have specific questions.. I can certainly point you to threads that helped me... I'm still in the learning process though, but so far, I'm really liking my decision so far..

 

[Moschino]

After transitioning for 16 months and finding nothing glamorous abt being natural, I am self-relaxing next weekend. I plan to self relax every 6 months and call it a day.

Tired of nappy no fun hair.

 

[Raspberry]

I relaxed last September after 7 years of natural hair and definitely benefitted in bringing a healthy hair care mindset to relaxing.

I have a stylist who is great with the basics of relaxer application and low heat styling so overprocessing and frying isn't an issue for me.

I find that manipulation is the biggest factor in my retention, I rarely used combs or brushes as a natural and mostly finger comb as a relaxed head... brushes are the enemy for me, I used a boar brush and paddle brush a few times and saw breakage each time so I gave them up. How you handle wet hair is a big deal as well, when I was relaxed as an older teen I took a ton of hair out blow drying wet hair with a comb attachment from root to tip. Now I detangle with a wide tooth comb on hair that is 70% dry/damp with leave-ins applied starting from the ends and using fingers if i come across knots.

I wash or cowash every 4-5 days and every 2 weeks I tension blow dry (pull the hair taut, no combs/brushes) alternating between warm and cool settings on hair that has been tshirt dried to 70%. I get a smooth finish with body and swang.. actually the last time I did this a coworker asked if I had a wig on and I don't even flatiron lol. I waited 4 months before experimenting with heat and feel that my method is fairly low impact.. especially since my ends aren't being touched directly.

The other major thing I carried over from being natural was seeing water as a moisturizer. My relaxed hair gets weighed down and dull if i rely only on oil based moisturizers..but once I balance them with water based moisturizers I get the silkiness and shine without the greasy look typically embraced by old school relaxed practices.

Overall you'll need to experiment and figure out what works for you. I'm not 100% solid yet but LHCF def sped up my learning curve. I continually monitor breakage and shed hair so I know to stop using a certain method or product if unusual breakage/shedding happens.

Good luck, and most importantly, have fun with your hair!

 

[alive]

The one thing I appreciate is the ease of detangling, and I can't get enof of washing my hair... Washing my hair as a natural meant redoing all my twists so it was always a chore... now... I just wash.... air dry and pull it back. My natural hair also taught me to leave my hair alone, and be comfortable wearing one style... I have been in twists in the last 4 yrs.. so I have learned patience... lol

judy4all hey sis! i had no idea you'd relaxed! i need to catch up on your videos Lol looking forward to following your relaxed journey

 

[JudithO]

alive Hey girl!!! Even I look forward to my relaxed journey... lol...

 

[JudithO]

After transitioning for 16 months and finding nothing glamorous abt being natural, I am self-relaxing next weekend. I plan to self relax every 6 months and call it a day.

Tired of nappy no fun hair.

Why are you self relaxing all that hair?? You risk overprocessing/underprocessing with all that new growth... Please see a professional for your first relaxer and you can self relax after??

Nappy no fun hair?? lol... Girl you must have been hanging with the wrong crowd.... Just breathe.... I'm sure your hair is not so bad.... If I with my 4zzzzz baby fine strands could enjoy my journey (My first 2 years was a blast).. I'm sure you can girl... Good luck...

 

[Your Cheeziness]

OP, I went from natural to relaxed last April. I know you don't want to hear it, but I have to say it... . Be sure. There are other options to get your hair straight while natural. Have you explored them? It'll take practice and maybe even the help of a trusted stylist.

But, in my experience, it's not harder, no easier. It's just different. The same frustrations of longer wash days and detangling resurface when I get deep into my stretches. It seemed that only just weeks after relaxing, I ran across some Youtube videos with techniques and styling that probably would have made me not relax.

I wanted shorter styling, well it wasn't necessarily that. The same time I spent twisting my natural hair, is the same amount of time I spend rollersetting or blowdrying and flat ironing my hair now.

I'd hate for you to be one of many who come back on the board after being relaxed for a few months talking about transitioning again and feeling some kind of way about it.

Now that I've given you the advice you didn't want to hear , I'll answer your question. How "easy" it is to take care of your newly relaxed hair will depend on two things, imo:

1. Did you already know how to take care of it prior to be natural?
2. Consider that you have an entirely new head of hair. If you've taken care of it while it was natural, it may not respond to your old products the way you're used to.

Example: I hated Keracare prior to being natural. After I relaxed, all my hair wanted was Keracare. None of the products I liked prior to relaxing worked and I had to experiment all over again until I found what I liked. My hair was also texlaxed because my stylist couldn't get my hair straight in time and had to rinse the relaxer.

Now, that I've overloaded you with info , I'll say best wishes. Regardless of our opinions, do what's best for you. You'll be fine.

After transitioning for 16 months and finding nothing glamorous abt being natural, I am self-relaxing next weekend. I plan to self relax every 6 months and call it a day.

Tired of nappy no fun hair.

Moschino - You're self relaxing with 16 months new growth! Chile, bless you!

 

[hothair]

Just posted in the relaxed reggie thread.

I've mostly been natural my entire life. I relaxed last year after almost 4 years and I don't regret it. Within that time I've had the most retention than at any time being natural.

Being natural helped me deal with my relaxed hair. I'm in week 18 of an unintentional stretch with no problems. I prefer stretched styles which is one of my reasons for relaxing. I wash and style most times with a flat iron once a week.

I'm thinking of relaxing twice a year.

No regrets.

 

[BadMamaJama]

Moschino LOL! Nappy no fun hair! I feel you!

 

[LifeafterLHCF]

I will be keeping my eye on this thread since I'm in process of transistioning from natural to relaxed. I am now trying to make sure I get all issues correct with my natural and hopefully to gain a inch or something. Natural isn't for everyone and at least you can say you tried it but didn't like it. Everyone doesn't have the same luck of the straw in dealing with natural hair. It doesn't make you any less of a woman or anything to not have natural hair or thinking of relaxed. I have seen some militant types who go all hard when one decides to do something they want with their head. Do you OP.

 

[BadMamaJama]

Thanks guys. I'm still debating but I really wanted to see what natural to relaxed ladies felt. Raspberry your post was really helpful. I know so much more about my hair from being natural and I feel like it will carry over to being relaxed.

 

[Raspberry]

Thanks BadMamaJama, I'm sure you can find plenty of knowledge and support here for whatever you decide

 

[lustrous]

I'm a year and a half natural. I've learned a lot about being natural and about taking care of my hair but I want to relax. I feel like I can take care of my relaxed hair, but I'd like to hear from ladies who went from natural to relaxed. Do you feel like you know a lot more about taking better care of your hair? Any tips beside not staying natural? I'm just over being natural and want to relax. Thanks in advance.

Hey BadMamaJama


I relaxed because I was a college student who didn't have time for 4 hr twist sessions that only lasted 2 weeks. Also, ssk's and wash days were no joke.

Like you, I was just over my natural hair. I don't regret it. I love how I can wash my hair on the go and have it dry quickly. Hair styles are also less work. All my shampoos and conditioners take forever to run out since I only need a little. I do however, really miss my twists. They were just lovely. I traded them in for sleek flat ironed hair though so I can accept that.

A tip for you is relaxed hair may take less time to maintain but it still needs upkeep. When my wash "days" became only 15 min ordeals and I was retaining length, i thought I was on easy street and started severely neglecting my hair. This came back to bite me in the bum. Also, I used to ONLY comb my natural hair when it was coated or wet, I wouldn't dream of combing my wet relaxed hair- breakage city!

There are great youtube vids on relaxed hair care. Also, One big thing to watch out for is thinning. there are alot of lush relaxed heads that have slain that dragon. starting your relaxer in different places, not overlapping and stretching go a long way. Good luck! In the end, your hair will grow no matter what.

 

[BadMamaJama]

Hey BadMamaJama


I relaxed because I was a college student who didn't have time for 4 hr twist sessions that only lasted 2 weeks. Also, ssk's and wash days were no joke.

Like you, I was just over my natural hair. I don't regret it. I love how I can wash my hair on the go and have it dry quickly. Hair styles are also less work. All my shampoos and conditioners take forever to run out since I only need a little. I do however, really miss my twists. They were just lovely. I traded them in for sleek flat ironed hair though so I can accept that.

A tip for you is relaxed hair may take less time to maintain but it still needs upkeep. When my wash "days" became only 15 min ordeals and I was retaining length, i thought I was on easy street and started severely neglecting my hair. This came back to bite me in the bum. Also, I used to ONLY comb my natural hair when it was coated or wet, I wouldn't dream of combing my wet relaxed hair- breakage city!

There are great youtube vids on relaxed hair care. Also, One big thing to watch out for is thinning. there are alot of lush relaxed heads that have slain that dragon. starting your relaxer in different places, not overlapping and stretching go a long way. Good luck! In the end, your hair will grow no matter what.

OMG! The twisting is killing me! I know relaxed hair isn't all rainbows and butterflies but natural hair is too much work for my lifestyle right now.

 

[Loving]

OMG! The twisting is killing me! I know relaxed hair isn't all rainbows and butterflies but natural hair is too much work for my lifestyle right now.

BadMamaJama..which is why after 30 years of being natural, I relaxed. It got too much. I work out 5 days a week and I was over the frizzy hair by Tuesday or Wednesday morning! I have NO REGRETS about relaxing my hair.