Is Shrinkage the cause of alot of Naturals wanting to Relax?

SignatureBeauty

SignatureBeauty

New Member
I keep seeing so many Threads of Naturals getting discouraged and are just plain tired of Tangles & Puffs etc. But I am wondering if Shrinkage is the Number one Cause? I see alot are thinking of Texturizing or Relaxing, I sometimes feel that way but I know I will miss my Natural hair, But most of you have Nice Long Natural hair that I would Love to have and show off LOL!! But I guess if shrinkage wasn't so bad and maybe the Tangles things would be okay. But this seems to be the Season for Naturals wanting to crossover to Relaxed. There is nothing wrong with that at all. If that is what you want then Go for it, I am sure your hair will be just as Beautiful!!

I do understand because this Twa is Really getting on my Nerves I mean I am just sick of it already!! My wash n go's don't look good anymore, my hair has to be picked out and shaped or it will have lumps & humps & dents that seperate and look a mess. LOL!!!!

Thanks Ladies!!
 
For me it's really not the shrinkage. It's not my favorite thing, but I can live with it.

The knots wreak havoc on my ends and the constant need to trim feels like I'm slicing away all my progress. One of the main reasons I went natural was that I figured I would be able to retain my length better, but thats not turning out to be the case.
 
First off I Love your Hair!!!! But I understand about that trimming and how you feel, I guess some think that just because you go natural you will automactically have long hair and retain length and that it will be healthier, maybe I am wrong, But sometimes I miss my Girlie Rollersets and my hair blowing in the Wind LOL!!! But I am wanting to give my Natural hair a Try,I want to see what it can do LOL!!! But I am being Patient.

Good Luck to you JCoily and again you have Beautiful Hair!!!
 
Shrinkage is a Mutha! I read some people have 6 inches of Natural hair but when they wash it, It shrinks to like 2 inches, That is alot of shrinkage. But if I can make it to unstretched shoulder length I will be so happy, It is like I am so desperate for some length, I have now just said F-it I am doing the BT,BAGGY etc. LOL!!!! I mean a Twa for 6 months is pretty damn boring, But I fixed up my wig Today and had it on and it looked really nice but it wasn't me, but it helped me to leave my hair alone and to get it off my mind LOL!!!
 
For me it def the main reason I am seriously thinking of relaxing my hair once it gets past armpit length. The idea of having this long healthy hair that shrinks up to not even shoulder length when dry is frustrating especially since I have a long face and short hair makes it look even longer. Like you NP I do really want to give my natural hair a chance and I hope as it gets longer it looks better on my face.
 
I think we are seeing so many naturals wanting to relax right now is because it's summer and the weather is hot and humid:( I personally don't have a problem with knots; but I am not a fan of the shrinkage. We just have to encourage each other to remember why you wanted to be natural in the first place. When ever my natural hair is getting on my nerves, I go to my PMs and read all messages from the relaxed ladies who want my advice on transitioning and maintaining natural hair. And then I remember that my natural, healthy hair is a commodity and not a burden.
 
It's why I texturize then stretch for a year. I love and miss my natural texture when it's gone, but I want long hair.

ETA: I also want to jump in the shower, towel dry, apply a little product and leave for work with long hair.
 
For me it's the knots...I love my hair but I hate the knots. I may have had breakage with my relaxer...but no knots...I'm to chicken to relax/texturize because I would miss my curls and I'm afraid that Imight loose them.
 
It's the main reason I first relaxed my hair. I don't like the way I look w/short hair. I am natural now but like to wear stretched styles to show length and sometimes it gets time consuming. My hair is about BSL and it shrinks all the way to right below my ear.
 
I don't have any plans to relax my hair, I love my natural hair. If I were to go back to a relaxer it would be simply for a change. I accept my shrinkage and don't really have a problem with knots.
 
no the longer my hair gets the heavier and stretched it gets....it still shrinks A LOT but not as much as it gets longer
 
Shrinkage is not that big of a problem for me. I just hate that my hair dries so HUGE! Short is ok, but the huge hair is really not a good look for me. I've been reading texturizer and silkerer threads today. It's funny that all these threads are up today. I have really been thinking about doing something new. I really might get some color. Maybe this will pass. I seem to only wear my hair straight (flat ironed) because that's the only way I can make it look good.
 
My hair has uber shrinkage. I always thought that i could fight my shrinkage w. light texlaxing. It helps a little, but I always end up losing my curls.:ohwell: My main concern is to focus on caring for my natural hair with a goal to keep it natural. I think I will get better as time goes along.:)
 
NappyParadise said:
First off I Love your Hair!!!! But I understand about that trimming and how you feel, I guess some think that just because you go natural you will automactically have long hair and retain length and that it will be healthier, maybe I am wrong, But sometimes I miss my Girlie Rollersets and my hair blowing in the Wind LOL!!! But I am wanting to give my Natural hair a Try,I want to see what it can do LOL!!! But I am being Patient.

Good Luck to you JCoily and again you have Beautiful Hair!!!
Click to expand...

aww thanks puddin! :kiss:
 
JCoily said:
For me it's really not the shrinkage. It's not my favorite thing, but I can live with it.

The knots wreak havoc on my ends and the constant need to trim feels like I'm slicing away all my progress. One of the main reasons I went natural was that I figured I would be able to retain my length better, but thats not turning out to be the case.
Click to expand...

This was what happened to me too.:perplexed
 
Ayeshia said:
no the longer my hair gets the heavier and stretched it gets....it still shrinks A LOT but not as much as it gets longer
Click to expand...

That's me right here, its a stage I don't have a choice my scalp can't take relaxers perms texturizers all those chemicals and me don't agree, so I don't even consider it, I don't even blow out my hair I accessorize when you want a change spice it up with chains and earring and whateevr go shopping lol,

Nappyparadise have patience chica, you know I love you! try a weave some curly braids whatever it takes a while trust me I felt my hair never grew for a year it looked the same to me but its the shrinkage, it gets heavier as it gets longer and its less shrinkage... As a matter of fact I want to try a weave I'm gonna look into it..
 
guesswho said:
That's me right here, its a stage I don't have a choice my scalp can't take relaxers perms texturizers all those chemicals and me don't agree, so I don't even consider it, I don't even blow out my hair I accessorize when you want a change spice it up with chains and earring and whateevr go shopping lol,

Nappyparadise have patience chica, you know I love you! try a weave some curly braids whatever it takes a while trust me I felt my hair never grew for a year it looked the same to me but its the shrinkage, it gets heavier as it gets longer and its less shrinkage... As a matter of fact I want to try a weave I'm gonna look into it..
Click to expand...

Girl you know I love you too! I am just talking crazy, My scalp can't handle it either my sides and crown will go bald, I know length is coming I see it growing, I just need to leave my hair alone, I just see everyone else with all this fast growth and I want it too, but in my mind I know my growth will come if I treat my hair right like I have been doing, Sometimes I get desperate because I am at home all day looking at my hair, so Far since I cut my Wig it is doing fine, I just put it on and add a headband and some earrings and go, I can finally cornrow my hair but in about another month they should be long enough to stay and I might try to sew in me a curly weave LOL!!!
 
cmw45 said:
For me it's the knots...I love my hair but I hate the knots. I may have had breakage with my relaxer...but no knots...I'm to chicken to relax/texturize because I would miss my curls and I'm afraid that Imight loose them.
Click to expand...
Same here. I don't really mind the shrinkage enough to relax. I do have to contend with the knots though, still not bad enough to relax.:ohwell: Even though I love my natural hair, I still think about relaxing or tex-laxing from time to time. But the more I learn about dealing with my natural texture and the more styles I learn how to do with my hair, the more encouraged and excited I feel about being natural.

I also have a pretty good support system. Aside from LHCF, I have two other girlfriends that both have BSL natural 4/b texture. We lean on each other. Plus, like Pinkskates said, getting compliments from relaxed ladies and inspiring them to go natural makes me appreciate my natural hair even more.;)
 
Nothing about my natural hair has wanted me to relax...I truly do not want to relax my hair anymore...that's one of the main reasons I returned to wearing my hair naturally. I do not want to go through the pain of getting a relaxer touch-up that could potentially burn my scalp, so it makes no sense to me to relax my natural hair. I just deal with the shrinkage and everything else that comes with natural hair. Our hair is beautiful and doesn't need a "fix". Looking at natural hair albums keeps me inspired as well.
 
JCoily said:
For me it's really not the shrinkage. It's not my favorite thing, but I can live with it.

The knots wreak havoc on my ends and the constant need to trim feels like I'm slicing away all my progress. One of the main reasons I went natural was that I figured I would be able to retain my length better, but thats not turning out to be the case.
Click to expand...

That's it for me, these dang knots are destroying my progress. Although I have retained more length since going natural I'm not at my goal of waistlength. Getting those last few inches are a mutha and I'm due for a good trim further delaying the progress. Also when I was relaxed before I didn't know about this forum, stretching, and how to care for my hair. So who knows I'm on the fence right now.
 
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