How easy or hard is it to take care of natural 4a/b hair?

CherryCherryBoomBoom

CherryCherryBoomBoom

New Member
I ask this because I am considering going natural. I really like the look of Afro hair, and I think my hair might be healthier without chemicals, but the only thing that I am worried about is that it might be hard to look after. After all, isn't that a main reason why many Black women relax their hair? I've never been all natural since I was 4, so I have no idea what it is like, and my parents relaxed for the reason of manageability. So tell me, anyone who has or has had natural 4a/b hair, what is your overall experience in looking after your hair, and how difficult or easy is it? Does it depend on your lifestyle, choice of hairstyles, and how much time you have? Thanks in advance for reading and answering. :)
 
I guess everyone's gonna have a different experience. Mine was super-easy when it was a TWA. Starts getting difficult around NL. I never made it past SL as a natural because I would become frustrated and chop it off every time it got to that point. :ohwell: When I got serious about growing out my hair, I relaxed it.

But that's just *my* experience. I'm sure 500 other folks are about to come in and say it's the easiest thing in the world. But if you haven't been natural since you were 4, you just may want to do it now and end whatever curiosity you may have. The good thing is that it's easier to go from natural to relaxed than it is to go the other way around. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
One of the 500'ers checking in! :grin:

My hair is easy. Easier than when i was relaxed. I keep it in twists 99% of the time. I wash with twists monthly. At night i cover it with a cute pink durag. In the mornings i spritz water on it, sometimes put jojoba oil on it, and im out the door. Takes less than 5 minutes.
 
From my experience it really hasn't been harder than relaxing. Like you I had been relaxed since 5. So I didn't know anything about natural hair really until this board. When I decided to go natural I had done the research to see the problems.

My biggest problem was dryness after my big chop. Thankfully( I guess), my relaxed hair had a dry problem when I came to LHCF. So I knew what to do to get it back to a balance. Since then it's been cool. I KISS most of the time.
 
To me, it is all the same relaxed or natural. I am natural, but I use to relax. My thing with relaxing is that I hate doing them. Trying different relaxers etc. My hair looks relaxed when it is straight so, IDK. I love being natural. I WILL NEVER relax again. Once I found what works for me, then I was good. Plus once I discovered BKT (Brazillian Keratin Treatment) I have no need to relax. And I have a simple reggie.
 
I was relaxed for a while and enjoyed the ease of doing nothing to my hair. Going natural was a journey. For me it was easy as a TWA and hard once it got past 4 inches. The shrinkage baffled me and detangling was a serious process. I would call my friend (that was going natural with me) every month and tell her I was going to relax, and she would keep me from jumping off the cliff. Now, it's easier because it's longer and I finally LEARNED how to deal with it.
 
I find it very easy.
I think part of the reason is I do not try to make it do what it does not want to do and I like natural styles.
My hair is in twists the majority of the time and I style the twists (down, buns, half buns).
If I am not in twists, I wear my hair in a twist-out or braid-out.
My hair does not get tangled/knot up because I do not allow it to (protective and low manipulation styles; I never sleep or lay down with my hair loose and/or not covered; I wash and condition with my hair in braids/twists).
The only thing that can get annoying is wash day (once a week). It is time consuming. It takes 3 to 4.5 hours depending on how big or small I make my twists but that is the only time I am combing/doing/styling (I can't find the right word) my hair. All the other days of the week, the only thing I am doing to it is moisturizing/rewetting and styling the twists which is a few minutes for the twists and 5 to 10 minutes for the twist/braid-out.
 
I think the biggest hurdle people run into is trying to treat/style natural hair like relaxed hair. That's going to lead to frustration, b/c the LAST thing your natural hair wants to do is fall over and lay flat.

Sometimes people focus too much on detangling IMO. Curly, Kinky, Coily Fro hair is Never EVER EVERRRRRR going to be completely "tangle free". In fact, all the detangling just destroys the clumping effect and makes it harder for you to see what your pattern really is. It also makes your hair BIGGER b/c it spreads out - which is cool if you're making it bigger on purpose, but that can be overwhelming for a newbie. 90% of the time I detangle with fingers ONLY. Then about twice a month I go in there section by section and work through it with my fingers, then a shower comb, then a Melbco Comb, and finally a Denman. Detangling is important, but not every day.

What helped me a lot if watching videos on YouTube so I could see how other people handled their hair. You take everything with a grain of salt, of course, but I'm a very visual person, so being able to see an actual example in person really helps.

My natural hair is easier for me than relaxed b/c when I was relaxed I felt like I was always 'waiting for the other shoe to fall'. I felt like the chemicals were unpredictable. I had relatively thick healthy relaxed hair too -- but it never got past CBL, I ALWAYS had dry ugly ends, my scalp was flaky no matter what, and my nape was constantly breaking off. With my natural hair I feel better able to pinpoint what is actually happening when something goes wrong - which means it's easier for me to fix. Hope that makes sense. :perplexed
 
it depends on what u consider hard and easy. i can twist, flat twist, and do bantu knots but to someone who cant style it may be difficult. for me, relaxed hair was too much upkeep with the touch ups and rolling and wrapping and whatnot but to someone else it could be a breeze.
 
Mmmh depends on what your goals are....if you plan to be a straight hair natch or a curly hair natch....I am a curly head and it is EASY PEASY.

I wash once or twice a week, twist, wear the twists for a few days, wear a twist out for a few days, afro...repeat.

It was hard the first 2 months, waiting for growth but wigs/weaves helped with that process.

Now I wear my hair out 90% of the time and it is fabulous...but so am I so hey :-)


Good luck and don't let the stereotype of not having "GOOD" hair deter you from loving the locks GOD gave u--unadulterated and raw.
 
I don't think it's hard to take care of natural hair. I do more to my relaxed hair than my family members who are natural do to their hair.

They laugh at me.:spinning:

My aunts who range from SL to waist length are all natural and they really don't do much at all.

It will be hard if you tell yourself it's hard, it'll be easy if you make it easy.
 
I am also 4a/b natural. I don't find it difficult but I think some of it depends on how good you are with your own hair and what styles you intend to wear.

Do you plan to wear it straight most of the time?
Do you want to do wash n go's?
Do you like twists & braids?

Personally I find wash n go's the most annoying and have cut them out of my routine..
Twists are my main go to style and I do straighten when the mood hits me.
 
Shorter natural hair was hard for me. Once it got some length the ease factor really picked up. The only difficulty I find is detangling and the ammount of time it takes to put in a long lasting style. That's only a one day out of so and so weeks so it's not so bad. Once I'm in a PS i can just forget about it for a good 2 weeks or so and then being natural becomes the easiest thing ever.
 
i think it will only be as hard as you want to make it..PS styles keep dealing down on alot..my hair styles in braids,under a wig,sew ins,buns or twist.i personally only wear my hair out(puff) for a couple of weeks throughout the whole year(& to take hair pics) because dealing with it on a daily basis all year doesn't fit my lifestyle right now..i go to school,workout,etc and don't wanna be worried about my hair..the weekends/hot weather are when i mainly wear it out in a puff to let it breath from PS styles and to nurture it.

the only thing i dread is detangling days..its very time consuming
 
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I find taking care of my hair easy enough (can't compare to relax, since I never took proper care of it then :ohwell:). As I'm not a stylist, I live in wash and go's and twist/braid outs.

Detangling goes quickly because I don't try to undo the coils. I wet my hair and lightly rake and pull with my fingers to get the shed hair, find knots and splits and encourage separation. This is done at least once a week.

The only thing I find difficult is my shrinkage. My hair in its shrunken state refuses to get any longer/bigger. Plus, the back is looser and longer than the hair right above it, so I have this mullet going on which has to be pinned up, because I'm not cutting.
 
In my experience, natural hair is soooo much easier to deal with then relaxed hair. You don't have to worry about rain, wrapping it, using curling irons, etc. And for me, it was easier figuring out if my hair was too dry, too moisturized, etc. Personally, I've learned that without the chemical damage, my natural hair doesn't need as much conditioner as my relaxed hair did.

The only thing I "struggle" with is because of a lot of hair that's thick and kinky, I have to be really thorough to make sure no shampoo or conditioner is left over. Buying a handheld showerhead helped out a lot.
 
Of course, YMMV, but for me it became easy once I stop depending on heat so much. I wash and twist my hair twice a week, and wear a twist out most days. I do a roller set or blow out every blue moon.
 
Lady Speedstick said:
In my experience, natural hair is soooo much easier to deal with then relaxed hair. You don't have to worry about rain, wrapping it, using curling irons, etc. And for me, it was easier figuring out if my hair was too dry, too moisturized, etc. Personally, I've learned that without the chemical damage, my natural hair doesn't need as much conditioner as my relaxed hair did.

The only thing I "struggle" with is because of a lot of hair that's thick and kinky, I have to be really thorough to make sure no shampoo or conditioner is left over. Buying a handheld showerhead helped out a lot.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting thread.

Speedstick, could you clarify soemthing for me?

What do you mean when you say you don't have to worry about rain? Wouldn't rain shrink up the hair or ruin the style?

I thought relaxed ladies would be the ones who would not worry about rain or swimming as the hair would dry more or less straight and not need too much to get back a style.
 
depends on what you mean by easy. natural hair is easy when you figure out a way not to touch it a lot. you either need to keep it in twists or braids or wear it straight for two week intervals or longer imo

my hair is hidden under wigs and weaves so i mean it doesnt really matter.
 
CherryCherryBoomBoom said:
I ask this because I am considering going natural. I really like the look of Afro hair, and I think my hair might be healthier without chemicals, but the only thing that I am worried about is that it might be hard to look after.
Click to expand...
It wont be hard to handle, you just have to learn what your hair likes and responds to and it'll be easy going:yep:

The easiest stage is the twa stage then when your hair gets longer you have to adjust in how you care for your hair by doing things such as washing in sections and dabbling in long term protective styles.

After all, isn't that a main reason why many Black women relax their hair? I've never been all natural since I was 4, so I have no idea what it is like, and my parents relaxed for the reason of manageability.
Click to expand...
I think people relax their children not because of manageability but because of social norms and the fact that they were never educated on how to properly care for natural hair and allow it to thrive, they dont know that it can be easy and grow as long as you want it to.

So tell me, anyone who has or has had natural 4a/b hair, what is your overall experience in looking after your hair, and how difficult or easy is it? Does it depend on your lifestyle, choice of hairstyles, and how much time you have? Thanks in advance for reading and answering. :)
Click to expand...
Natural hair can be very easy you can find your staple styles and keep it simple and manageable for yourself, if you want to switch your styles up all the time and you have long 4a/b natural hair it will most likely be more time consuming.

I try to keep things very simple for myself right now my hair is away in crochet braids and I wont have to deal with styling it for a month which is great....do what works for you and allows your hair to thrive.....natural hair simply requires different techniques and products then relaxed hair but other then that its not any more difficult.

Do the research, when you encounter issues and problems, don't blame your hair or your texture, recognize that if your hair seems unmanageable it means yu haven't learned to properly manage it. Keep that in mind....always be solutions oriented and you'll reach all your goals and have an exciting journey:yep:
 
angenoir said:
This is an interesting thread.

Speedstick, could you clarify soemthing for me?

What do you mean when you say you don't have to worry about rain? Wouldn't rain shrink up the hair or ruin the style?

I thought relaxed ladies would be the ones who would not worry about rain or swimming as the hair would dry more or less straight and not need too much to get back a style.
Click to expand...

I don't worry about rain relaxed or natural. It's when you have straightened natural hair that rain & water becomes an issue. I think that's a myth about straight hair that was handed down to us from the days when press & curls were more prevalent than permanent relaxers.

My relaxed hair loves water just as much as my natural hair did. I can't stop spritzing either way. :grin:
 
As someone who had more hands-on experience with my natural hair than I ever had with relaxed hair (my mom & sister managed my hair up until I went to college, and I went natural within that first year), it's not always true that your hair becomes "difficult" just because you're trying to handle it like relaxed hair or do something to it that's abnormal.

I have more to say on this issue, but I'll leave it at that. :sekret:
 
CherryCherryBoomBoom said:
I ask this because I am considering going natural. I really like the look of Afro hair, and I think my hair might be healthier without chemicals, but the only thing that I am worried about is that it might be hard to look after. After all, isn't that a main reason why many Black women relax their hair? I've never been all natural since I was 4, so I have no idea what it is like, and my parents relaxed for the reason of manageability. So tell me, anyone who has or has had natural 4a/b hair, what is your overall experience in looking after your hair, and how difficult or easy is it? Does it depend on your lifestyle, choice of hairstyles, and how much time you have? Thanks in advance for reading and answering. :)
Click to expand...

I find it easier than relaxed hair. When I was relaxed, there would be a cap over my head when I didn't feel like doing it or a ponytail. For the past seven years natural I have NEVER covered my hair for anything. If I don't feel like fussing with it I throw it in a puff and call it a day.

I also don't do a ton of styles like many other naturals do, because I'm LAZY! I don't feel like donating that kind of time to the styling process.

Also, just because you're natural doesn't mean you do NOTHING to your hair. It still takes the same amount of effort in keeping it well groomed, healthy and neat like you do with relaxed hair.
 
Mook's hair said:
I am also 4a/b natural. I don't find it difficult but I think some of it depends on how good you are with your own hair and what styles you intend to wear.

Do you plan to wear it straight most of the time?
I like to do a variety of styles, and I do love straight hair so I would probably do it some of the time, not sure how often, not too much to cause heat damage though. I love natural styles too so I would be doing them a lot also.

Do you want to do wash n go's?
Yes, I will probably do wash and gos if they work with my hair and look good.

Do you like twists & braids?
Yes, I've been wearing braids on and off pretty much all my life, so I guess I will be continuing with them.

Personally I find wash n go's the most annoying and have cut them out of my routine..
Twists are my main go to style and I do straighten when the mood hits me.
Click to expand...

My answers in bold. Thanks for your post :D
 
You know what, I think I will just go ahead with this transition to natural hair. I need good change in my life and this might be it. My journey in growing long relaxed hair hasn't worked out so far, so I'm gonna go ahead and just turn in this new direction. I've ordered a half wig which will help me kill two birds with one stone, by satisfying my long hair desire whilst protecting my hair and waiting for it to grow. Thank you all so much for your responses, you've given me more confidence that I can do this. Yay :D
 
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