Just a Poll, no serious discussion needed lol--Y are you natural or relaxed?

[Ms Red]

I'm natural because my hair hated chemicals. I was natural until I was 19, then started relaxing because I wanted straight hair. But my hair always rebelled anyway erplexed No relaxer or strength was mild enough and my hair needed to get relaxed, blow dried and flat ironed to get the curls out.

My hair was begging to go natural so I did.

 

[Kalani]

I voted it's easier and a time saver for me. I was never big on the latest hair styles/trends, so whatever was the easiest that's the route for me.

This is me. I voted the same way. I've never followed any hair trends I just go for whats most convenient (I'm a big fan of the "wash 'n' go). My hair is still pretty darn curly even though I relax so its cool I still get to have the curls, they just come in a more convenient package so to speak.

 

[carib_n_curly]

i've been natural my whole life and i like it this way.
relaxing your hair isn't complusary so why do it
i get and understand my hair and for me relaxing my hair wouldn't help me so i'm keeping it natural.

 

[tocktick]

as a relaxed head, there were only two periods in my life where my hair was "healthy" and long. when i was a child and my hair was mostly kept it braids. and when i transitioned for the first time but didn't like my natural hair. so i put a relaxer in but then braided up for a long time. when i took the braids out i was about shoulder length and my hair was thick . it didn't take long for the health and condition of my hair to deteriorate. in about a year, my hair looked a hot mess and was thin with scraggly ends and just broken. the crown was virtually all broken off. i have a pic in my fotki of my see-through hair here.

people were applying my relaxers wrong and my edges were chewed up beyond belief! i had been trying to go natural since age 15 but i wasn't mentally there yet. in august 06, i decided that would be my last relaxer.

now that i'm natural my hair is retaining length, looks good when i style it, the thickness is now a blessing and not a curse (as it was when my relaxed hair was "healthy") and i just love my hair. when i was transitioning and after my bc, i was a bit "militant" but i think a lot of newly nappies and transitioning women go through this. but i cooled off and so do many women. some of the views i developed during that time as to why hair relaxing is so big in the black community are still with me...i'm just not too vocal about it any more.

being natural is just celebrating something that is so unique to black people and i love it. i love being the only one in the room with a fro sometimes yet when i see naturals on campus i'm still so happy to see them . at a point during my journey (month 7) i was tempted to relax but it would have been such a wrong decision. i wish i had stayed natural when i first bc'ed at 15 but i didn't know better then.

 

[bellebebe]

I'm relaxed because my mother didn't give me much of a choice. When I was younger, I used to watch my older sister (caribeandiva) get relaxers alongside my cousin. I was young and had a scalp issue so I wasn't allowed to get relaxers. When all of that resolved, I could not wait to get my first relaxer.... Was it worth it? no... I was young and naive (I thought my hair would look just like the little girl on the box) and boy were my expectations wrong. Thanks to my sister for taking the initiative of doing some much needed black hair care research, my hair is now forming into long beautiful lochs.

 

[tocktick]

I just like straight hair better. If I were to be natural I would never wear my hair natural. I would keep it flat ironed or pressed so why not just get a relaxer?

even if i preferred straight hair on me, i would still not relax given my awful history of them. i would just get my hair pressed or flat-ironed. at least with this, there is no need to endure getting a touch-up and risking scalp burns/scabs. natural women like chicoro and pinkskates have long, beautiful hair that is natural but they press often so i know it is achievable to have healthy natural hair that is worn straight a lot.

i also believe that relaxing will no doubt weaken your hair because you have applied a chemical. i'm sure a person with healthy relaxed hair can have strong hair but i think their healthy natural hair will always be stronger.

 

[LunadeMiel]

I'm natural because I've never really like getting a relaxer. I begged my mom for a relaxer because the kids used to make fun of me because of my hair. Also, I love the versatility of natural hair. Relaxing was too much of a commitment for me...

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I never gave natural hair a fair chance. I am trying to see if i can be successful as a natural. I'm going to see where this natural journey takes me. I will be relaxer free for at least a year. if things do not work out my way, I will lightly texlax my hair.

 

[NYAmicas]

I'm relaxed because I've experienced my natural hair and it's not something I want to deal with. My hair is very, very thick relaxed and my NG alone gives me troubles. Plus my hair is doing fine relaxed and with help from this board Im keeping it healthy.

 

[naijamerican]

I've been natural for about 8 years. I've done it all - braids, twists, presses, etc. I have no qualms with getting a relaxer and even though I've gone back and forth about it for almost 2 years lol I am pretty sure I will be sporting relaxed hair no later than the end of this year. I'm not at all wedded to having natural hair and I have no problems with my 4B coils. I just want a change.

 

[msa]

I'm natural because I have been my whole life. My mother scared my sister and I so much about relaxers as children that I would never consider getting one (we weren't even allowed to put gel in our hair and were told that if someone, family member or not, ever tried to put anything on our hair we better throw a fit). And, if we stayed for an extended period of time with anyone my mother would make it absolutely clear that they shouldn't even touch our hair, let alone put a chemical in it, or else they'd have to deal with her. So, there will be no chemicals coming near my head EVER.

 

[Bigghair]

No more burns, and my hair is now my responsibility, variety of styles. I love natural hair!

 

[Serenity K]

Versatility and for the purpose of imitating styles/cuts I see and like in mags.
I don't think I ever received so many hair compliments from random strangers than when my hair was natural and in tight twists or puffs. I'd twist them very tightly so they curled onto themselves. Every one said I looked like some exotic model. I think relaxed hair makes me look a bit more ordinary and I really miss my kinks and my trademark afro puff
The only thing stopping me from going natural is that I think I really like the styling options with relaxed hair. Rocking a fantastic cut with natural hair isn't the same.

My dream would be to switch back and fourth between natural and straight (w/o frizz).

I voted been natural my entire life, but feel exactly like this right now. I think about texlaxing EVERY other day.

 

[Wildchild453]

I'm natural because its the easiest thing for me and although I make is complicated..its really simple

 

[Sweetgirl08]

I decided to go natural for several reasons:

1. immediately after/ during the perming process, I got really bad headaches
2. always got chemical burns whether I scratched or not and sometimes
in places the perm wasn't suppose to be
3. my grandmother was bald and even though she never had a perm, I'm
scared of the possibility of loosing my hair due to too many chemical
burns.

Since I stopped getting a perm, my hair has grown longer than it ever had with it. It would never get past my shoulder blades.
Its hard work keeping it up but thats only because I'm still learning

 

[mj11051]

I'm natural because it my choice to wear my GOD given hair. The hair that grows outta my head. I love making natural things to keep it healthy.

 

[vestaluv1]

Over 5 months into transitioning!