I may be late for this train and I thought I saw it discussed here once before (but can't seem to find the thread), but I have a theory about natural hair and color.
I declared myself completely natural in October 2009 after a 2 year and 9 month transition. I had been getting it snipped every 45 days and at the most, I got 4-5 inches cut at one time. My siggy is my hair flat ironed in October 2009. The last time I had my hair highlighted was March 2009.
I have been wearing wash n' go's and also doing braidouts. I noticed that some parts of my hair were straighter and/or wavier than other parts, especially in the very back. I knew the very back couldn't still be relaxed ends b/c I hadn't had a relaxer in 3 years. After letting a friend take a look at it, we came to the conclusion that the very nape was probably still relaxed. After all, I never really got a "hair cut" when I declared myself natural, I just judged by most of my relaxed ends being gone when wet (and the nape curled up, although wavy, when wet. If I brushed/combed it all the way out, it would be straight. For a minute, I just thought the back had a looser curl pattern than the rest of my hair). Well I cut about 7 inches off the nape because I figure that when I was getting snipped, he never bothered to lift the hair up and really cut the nape.
Although I am convinced that the portion of hair I cut still had relaxer on it, I wonder about the portions of my hair that are colored. In the last pic, I have my hair pinned on the top of my head but you can see the ends of the highlighted portions. (I am preparing to deep condition)
If you are colored/highlighted, do you find that this hair is much straighter and has a looser curl pattern than the hair that's not highlighted? Or for those ladies that get their hair colored all over, do you find that it loosens your entire curl pattern? Do you like it?
I think that's one of the cool things about fake hair. Now when I get the itching for red hair or blonde highlights, I just slap on a wig. But I have to admit, every so often when I'm in the drugstore and pass a box of Softsheen-Carson Hi Rez Hair Dye in "Scarlet Splash," I get a little itchy and have to repeat to myself "rinses are my friend, rinses are my friend."
when I think about you calling it the "good curly stuff"!
). Here's what happened, about this time last year I made the mistake of dying my hair black with a demi-permanent dye. I was wearing half wigs at the time and knew that it would be easier to match jet black hair then my natural hair color. When you dye your hair jet black, it sticks to the strands. You may as well call it permanent dye because it ain't going anywhere. If you try to put a different color rinse, it really won't show except on the roots that aren't black. 
