Natural to relaxed

[9MillaNina]

Did any of you go natural to turn right back around and go back relaxed? I went completely natural 3yrs ago and in the beginning my hair was very manageable with moisture. Then it began to become a war between moisturizing it and actually detangling it. I knew it would be very curly, I just didn't know the actual depth of taking care of really curly hair. So, now 3 yrs later I've texlax back in sept 2012 and still find it a nag to deal with curly hair. I know it's mostly because of the thickness almost side of the curls. Now majority of the time I flatiron it just to be able to manage and avoid tangle.

 

[BranwenRosewood]

I just went from natural to relaxed after three years. I stayed with split ends and ssk's. I also got tired of not being able to access my scalp due to the thickness of my hair. I never retained any length either.

Here's the thread I made. I did have a setback but I don't regret relaxing.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=665893

I've noticed a lot of threads like this lately.

 

[9MillaNina]

I just went from natural to relaxed after three years. I stayed with split ends and ssk's. I also got tired of not being able to access my scalp due to the thickness of my hair. I never retained any length either.

Here's the thread I made. I did have a setback but I don't regret relaxing.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=665893

I've noticed a lot of threads like this lately.

Exactly, you just brought up a major point I forgot to mention. Access to scalp omg, I can not deal lol. But when a lot of people go natural and they speak of their experience, you don't get to hear the bad all the time. I mean yes I knew it would be work but being unable to work with your hair is another story. Going check your thread out . That's a lot

 

[Channy31]

I was considering going natural once im at like hip length, should be around 2 years from now, but im so scared of the damage!

 

[Aviah]

I did it the first time I went natural. I didn't know what to do with it at that point a re-relaxed it a few months/ a year later.

 

[9MillaNina]

I was considering going natural once im at like hip length, should be around 2 years from now, but im so scared of the damage!

Wait, why would you grow all that beautiful hair and then go natural? You obviously know hoe to manage great relaxed hair. I mean to each is own, but your hair beautiful

 

[9MillaNina]

I did it the first time I went natural. I didn't know what to do with it at that point a re-relaxed it a few months/ a year later.

Its like your torn between the two.if I could have managed it I wouldn't be texlax .

 

[longhairdreaming]

I've been natural for a decade and I'm about to take the leap into relaxed hair in the next few weeks. My hair hasn't been an issue for me but I'm just ready for a change.

 

[Aviah]

Its like your torn between the two.if I could have managed it I wouldn't be texlax .

KarenGleason

I've been natural for 5 years now, thanks to the boards. The first time I went natural after relaxing I was a teen and had no clue what I was doing. So I blow dried it straight until it was so damaged, I thought why not just relax?

There's so much out there for naturals including BKT, you could definitely go without relaxers and still have straight/curly/wavy hair.

 

[Mystic]

Girl, tell me about it. I know what you mean.

I have been on this board for so long and can never show any true progress length wise because I have impulsively cut off all my relaxed hair at least 3 times, grow out my natural hair to APL (my hair grows much faster natural than it does relaxed) and then end up relaxing it again because the grass always seems greener on the other side. If my natural hair had any curl pattern to it, and was soft and easy to handle like so many naturals I see on here and on youtube, I could stay natural forever. Unfortunately, as soon as my hair starts growing long and require more time than I can give, I end up relaxing it, regret it and cut if off again. Relaxed hair is too soft for me when wet, and breaks easier. I LOVE how my natural hair feels when wet and how big it gets when dry but I cannot handle the in between. The bottom line though..., if I want to see length pretty quick, my option is to stay natural because based on the past, too many setbacks happen when relaxed. I am pretty close to BSL in 18 months natural and before, it took me years to get to BSL (only once, lol) when I relax.

BKT is not an option for me. I did it once and my hair was so damaged from the process. I also do not like my hair too straight (it has no body), and the whole flat ironing process is too long for me. I never flatiron my hair when relax. I just want a very easy hair routine that I can keep up with. Texlaxing might be an option but then again, applying relaxer to the root for touch ups, might lead to setbacks. I guess I am just gonna have to stay in my wigs for now and leave my hair alone. I wash once a week, braid it up and that's it.

Its like your torn between the two.if I could have managed it I wouldn't be texlax .

 

[9MillaNina]

KarenGleason

I've been natural for 5 years now, thanks to the boards. The first time I went natural after relaxing I was a teen and had no clue what I was doing. So I blow dried it straight until it was so damaged, I thought why not just relax?

There's so much out there for naturals including BKT, you could definitely go without relaxers and still have straight/curly/wavy hair.

I was thinking of the BKT but so many bad reviews. I love to flat iron my hair so that part wouldn't be a problem, but it's the stickiness and coated hair talk that concerns me. I was thinking of finding a mixture of my own and trying it out, because the BKT mixture still sounds a bit much, especially since I have very fine hairs packed together which is why my hair is so thick in the middle. I'm going to do more research on it though. Because I wouldn't want to try it and it completely ruin everything and I have to big hop again

 

[koolkittychick]

I was natural for about 4 years before a coloring mishap at a so-called natural hair care salon left my APL hair so damaged and unruly that I went and relaxed it 3 and a half years ago. I have often thought about transitioning again whenever I get deep into a stretch (I transitioned for 6 months the last time before I BC'd to a TWA), but I couldn't take the 18 months or so after that it took for my hair to get long enough to suit my round face, nor could I stand all the extra steps to stretch, twist or braid my hair so that I could avoid the SSKs that plagued my hair the whole time I was natural.

Who knows, I still may transition after all. While I prefer relaxed hair, the salon I use is getting too expensive, and my first attempt at self-relaxing in six years did not have the kind of results I wanted. We'll see how the next touch up goes in March, and I will decide then.

 

[9MillaNina]

Girl, tell me about it. I know what you mean.

I have been on this board for so long and can never show any true progress length wise because I have impulsively cut off all my relaxed hair at least 3 times, grow out my natural hair to APL (my hair grows much faster natural than it does relaxed) and then end up relaxing it again because the grass always seems greener on the other side. If my natural hair had any curl pattern to it, and was soft and easy to handle like so many naturals I see on here and on youtube, I could stay natural forever. Unfortunately, as soon as my hair starts growing long and require more time than I can give, I end up relaxing it, regret it and cut if off again. Relaxed hair is too soft for me when wet, and breaks easier. I LOVE how my natural hair feels when wet and how big it gets when dry but I cannot handle the in between. The bottom line though..., if I want to see length pretty quick, my option is to stay natural because based on the past, too many setbacks happen when relaxed. I am pretty close to BSL in 18 months natural and before, it took me years to get to BSL (only once, lol) when I relax.

BKT is not an option for me. I did it once and my hair was so damaged from the process. I also do not like my hair too straight (it has no body), and the whole flat ironing process is too long for me. I never flatiron my hair when relax. I just want a very easy hair routine that I can keep up with. Texlaxing might be an option but then again, applying relaxer to the root for touch ups, might lead to setbacks. I guess I am just gonna have to stay in my wigs for now and leave my hair alone. I wash once a week, braid it up and that's it.

Yes, my hair grew fast while completely natural, but I'm texlax so I really don't notice a difference it's still growing fast. But when I was relaxed all those years before, I couldn't get my hair past 12in or Apl now I'm in between Apl and BSL. My goal for the end of 2013 is mbl . But I can't deny it, the grass do seem greener on the relax side, that's why I'm debating going all the way over there. But to a lot of people curly hair seems like it's easy to manage and it seemly looks soft and easy to take care of. Well, that's the impression I was under lol, until I have it now. Don't get me wrong it's nice to be curly again, I was always curly as a child but once mama gave me a inch I took a mile, and went relax crazy. But like you said, not I realize its more work than I can put in as an adult now. And I notice the less I do the better off I am, but I have to watch that also, because it only take two days for my hair to tangle...

 

[9MillaNina]

I was natural for about 4 years before a coloring mishap at a so-called natural hair care salon left my APL hair so damaged and unruly that I went and relaxed it 3 and a half years ago. I have often thought about transitioning again whenever I get deep into a stretch (I transitioned for 6 months the last time before I BC'd to a TWA), but I couldn't take the 18 months or so after that it took for my hair to get long enough to suit my round face, nor could I stand all the extra steps to stretch, twist or braid my hair so that I could avoid the SSKs that plagued my hair the whole time I was natural.

Who knows, I still may transition after all. While I prefer relaxed hair, the salon I use is getting too expensive, and my first attempt at self-relaxing in six years did not have the kind of results I wanted. We'll see how the next touch up goes in March, and I will decide then.

I've always relaxed my hair since I was 15 I've never been to a salon for that part, but let me tell you lol. When I did relax for the first time after these three years it took me 2 weeks before decided, I had atleast 4 panic attacks I kid you not, clammy hands heart racing. And the round face and hair length is exactly why I couldn't wait to be away from the twa which seemed to have taken years lol. I'm thinking of beginning a long stretch since I'm almost 7 weeks post, maybe even going 12 weeks thats long for me since I'm new to stretching I'm the girl who went every month.