Is it easier to stay natural if you have curls vs. napps?

[LivingInPeace]

Black women are so pressed to not admit they hate their hair that they project their own ill feelings of their hair on everyone else that seemingly has their hair type lmao it's extremely pathetic. Poor things

What does this mean? And who are you talking to?

 

[larry3344]

To be honest...I was hoping for kinks like the rest of my family when I went natural. I thought I was finally going to fit in.

But my great grandma caught up with me and said "NOPE!"

I love kinky coily hair and I feel sad when ppl who have it say they don't like it bc it's so beautiful and different to me.

I have my own patch of kinks at my nape and I love playing in it...but nobody ever really sees it bc it's underneath my curls and it's not super kinky...it's like 3c/4a

I feel you I love afro hair...but I found that people conflate hair type with strand texture which to me are different. You can have the tiniest coils with smooth hair strands or medium coils with kinky hair strands (I choose the former). I also don't get into debate of Type 3 vs. Type 4 because people assume that all type 4 hair is made equal and vice versa which is not the case.

Many the comparisons I make remain in Type 4 hair category (I am not a big fan of the Andre system TBH) where I differentiate, strand texture/hair shaft from curl size/pattern. Based on observation, people that I discuss this with don't necessarily crave type 3/2 or Bocelli (shout out to Curly Girl)curls but want a smoother hair texture , which they tend to associate to these hair types.

Some for aesthetic reason of course (more shine/sheen, wet-n-wavy effect, etc...) but many for genuine issues such as detangling/breakage/etc...especially along the edges. Those with the kinkiest hair have usually trouble with maintaining edges the most. What do some do, they go as far relaxing/texturize/etc... those edges.

I bet that if a product was created to help these women edges grow smoother, millions will be made on that alone. I think what I am suggesting is better in the long run than the options that people resort to now. There are different needs in the market and it is high time that black women have products formulated for them and their beauty needs. This is like the debate between cream to even skin tone and cream to bleach skin, I am sure most rational people can detect the difference.

I guess my point is...I do not attach all the baggage that is commonly associated with this topic that some people do. I look at it from a very objective/clinical standpoint and based my conclusions on what people do and not what they say. This is no different to me than people who have different skin types, some people have normal/perfect skin with little maintenance and others have oily/acne proned skin with other ailments which demands more care.

In the same vein, some people have trouble free hair where they can do almost anything to it and it will flourish and others have to do much more. That's the way I look at it and as long as people attach all this baggage to these conversations, they will always be hard to navigate.

 

[Bette Davis Eyes]

My hair is 98% 4a and the rest above each ear is 4b. I like the andre walker system because it fits my hair exactly.

If I didnt know how to maintain my hair, I would keep it covered 100% of the time.(It can be exhausting)
If I wear a Washngo and dont detangle well, my hair starts to loc together. Its so coily, that I do not detangle because I lose more hair that way when I washngo. I try and use my fingers.

My hair would thrive more if I kept it stretched because it wraps around itself. If I detangle really ,well there isnt a curl in sight.Funny thing is, since I've went natural, I cant get my hair to past APL. When relaxed, I was mid back length.

honestly, my hair would thrive better in a non curly state.

my mom is Dominican and my dad is Jamaican . I kept my hair straight because my hair wasnt considered acceptable in the family. Ive been natural 11 years now.

 

[nothidden]

@larry3344, have you tried Bamboo tea? It is rich in silica which is good for hair, skin, nails. There's a thread about it. I've seen stated that some are experiencing a softer texture from daily use and haven't been using it for very long (@Noelle01).

 

[tru4reele]

My hair is very hard to deal with because it is dense but fine. The curls look like the spring in a ink pen.

I have had stylists almost give up trying to blow dry it but they have no problem doing others that have very course hair or curly silky hair. I don't even know my hair type but If I had big curls I guess I never would have relaxed in the first place. I relaxed in high school.

 

[NaturalShe94]

Look, those women who say "I love my hair" because they have curls, I guarantee they once hated their hair... I've never relaxed, but I am a 3b natural with some 3c at the side by my ears.... I once HATED my hair even when people said "I love your hair" .... My biggest battle was frizz... I could rock the life out of a wash n go for ONE DAY, but that frizz the next day and every other day after that wasn't pretty to me, NOT TO MENTION i have to use loads of coconut oil to get the volume I want (or big hair), my avatar pic is the work of coconut oil!... Twist out and braids out, became "frizz outs" ..... Us "curly girls" seem to be prone to damage ends.... We could take care of our hair, but split ends will always find its' way in..
Now, my half sister in contrast has more 4a/4b hair.... She could go two years without a trim, she didn't need EXTRA frizz control products like I did for her braid outs and twist outs.... Her wash n go's lasted days and she had a lot of volume... She hardly did wash n' go's because she always said she hated the shrinkage.... But, I believe that's about it...

Each hair type has its' strengths and weaknesses... Compared to me, my wash n' go's were longer, it was easier to style my hair and easier to retain moisture vs. hers... I had less breakage than her and while my sister had to blow dry then straighten, my hair was completely straightened just from a blow dry.... And my hair didn't take that long to wash vs. hers...

No hair type is "better than the other." My mother has 1b hair (she's indian) and she doesn't have to do her hair, it's an easy day for her everyday, but guess what? Her hair as NO VOLUME and she hates it, she has to use all these products just for volume and spritz her head with all these holding sprays and use rollers just for some curl. I'D DIE if I had hair like that!

So that goes back to my saying, no hair type is better than any other... Kinky, Coily, Curly, Straight... They all have their ups and downs.

 

[SmilingElephant]

Out of curiosity, how long does it take you to do your hair if you do it every 3 days? Meaning detangling and styling? When you were a kid, did someone do you hair every 3 days?

It takes me about an hour to do my hair. I cowash and detangle at the same time to cut down on time.

It's not hours upon hours but I would love to be able to hold a style for 2 weeks and not worry about dreads and knots.

Also I was relaxed as a child. I didn't know I had curly hair until I turned 23.

 

[Damaris.Elle]

@larry3344, have you tried Bamboo tea? It is rich in silica which is good for hair, skin, nails. There's a thread about it. I've seen stated that some are experiencing a softer texture from daily use and haven't been using it for very long (@Noelle01).

@larry3344 Yeah, I've been using Beautifully Bamboo (both the tea and supplement) for only 3 weeks now and my hair is softer and less prone to tangles. Because of this, I'm not losing as much hair when I detangle. My curls also seem to be looser. I'm not sure if this is something that generally happens when taking silica (or BB tea and supplements), but I did a search and I have seen other people also say that they experienced the same thing while taking BB.

 

[SmilingElephant]

I feel you I love afro hair...but I found that people conflate hair type with strand texture which to me are different. You can have the tiniest coils with smooth hair strands or medium coils with kinky hair strands (I choose the former). I also don't get into debate of Type 3 vs. Type 4 because people assume that all type 4 hair is made equal and vice versa which is not the case.

Many the comparisons I make remain in Type 4 hair category (I am not a big fan of the Andre system TBH) where I differentiate, strand texture/hair shaft from curl size/pattern. Based on observation, people that I discuss this with don't necessarily crave type 3/2 or Bocelli (shout out to Curly Girl)curls but want a smoother hair texture , which they tend to associate to these hair types.

Some for aesthetic reason of course (more shine/sheen, wet-n-wavy effect, etc...) but many for genuine issues such as detangling/breakage/etc...especially along the edges. Those with the kinkiest hair have usually trouble with maintaining edges the most. What do some do, they go as far relaxing/texturize/etc... those edges.

I bet that if a product was created to help these women edges grow smoother, millions will be made on that alone. I think what I am suggesting is better in the long run than the options that people resort to now. There are different needs in the market and it is high time that black women have products formulated for them and their beauty needs. This is like the debate between cream to even skin tone and cream to bleach skin, I am sure most rational people can detect the difference.

I guess my point is...I do not attach all the baggage that is commonly associated with this topic that some people do. I look at it from a very objective/clinical standpoint and based my conclusions on what people do and not what they say. This is no different to me than people who have different skin types, some people have normal/perfect skin with little maintenance and others have oily/acne proned skin with other ailments which demands more care.

In the same vein, some people have trouble free hair where they can do almost anything to it and it will flourish and others have to do much more. That's the way I look at it and as long as people attach all this baggage to these conversations, they will always be hard to navigate.

Yeah...I'd just love to have all type 4 hair. Just bc its so pretty and interesting to me. But even though the majority of my hair is a loose curl pattern...my edges in the front are actually 4b. I have the tiniest amount of 4b hair on the sides of my edges and they don't blend end and slick down easily at all but I still adore them. they shrink up about 85% and are so shiny when they coil up after a wash n go.

My friends daughter has 4b hair and she loves when I do her hair bc it's so precious to me. It's like gold! Her mom calls it nappy and her cousins say she's bald headed bc of the shrinkage but I let her know all the time I love her hair and it's very beautiful and she should know how magical she is to hide all that length like she can! (She's 4 yrs old)

Like they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.