Naturals - got a bone to pick w/ you....

[Missi]

now that I have ur attention...I need ur help.

I just read a "Natural Living but I still relax" thread and it has me thinking

Can I still straighten my hair once a week if i'm natural and not get heat damage?

-I straighten my hair once a week (rollerset & flat iron)...can't that be worst for chemically treated hair as to natural hair?

Does your profession care if you are natural?
- I getting into law enforcement....is natural hair appropriate for this profession?

 

[Triniwegian]

I don't think you can. It might not be apparent at first, but eventually your hair will become damaged. IMO.

I don't think natural hair is unsuitable for any profession. As long as your hair is neatly done and not out in a bushy afro, I don't see why it would be unprofessional.

 

[Nappy_in_the_City]

I don't think you can. It might not be apparent at first, but eventually your hair will become damaged. IMO.

I don't think natural hair is unsuitable for any profession. As long as your hair is neatly done and not out in a bushy afro, I don't see why it would be unprofessional.

I agree! Its about presentation.

CONTERRIA>>> please spill the beans about those nails hunny!!

 

[SUPER SWEET]

I don't know about heat damage for others but for me..... NONE YET!
I straighten my hair weekly and have no damage yet. 2 months in of keepin it straight too....
I deep condition over night
I use Aproghee green tea reconstructor,Chi (real) silk infusion for blowdrying and lastly cheap Hollywood Olive oil heat protectant

 

[aicramphoto]

In answer to the last question: I do not believe there is a single profession where you cannot wear natural hair; however, I know there are people within the profession who have strong feelings about natural hair and are not shy about their prejudices.

They sometimes make it uncomfortable for natural ladies. Unfortunately, many of them are women of color and that is a shame because it is up to us to educate the mainstream to let them know there is nothing wrong with our hair.

People attribute straightening (in any form) to the fact that the mainstream society forced it upon us because of our self-esteem issues and our desire to assimilate when in reality that is only part of the picture. Our ethnicity did not have enough knowledge and pride to prefer being natural during that crucial time right after the Civil War.

Coming down off my soapbox, however, I see the good in this: we have more options than ever before in doing our hair and I say to each her own. I love being natural because I like having the options of styles but I do not look down on the relaxed ladies because I can truly understand the convenience of it. Professional ladies who are weaved or relaxed hopefully will not look down on the rest of us, but sad to say, I speak from experience in at least 4 times in my career, and it came from "supervisors."

 

[alishadawnelle]

When I was transitioning all I did was straighten my hair every week for 2 years straight (unless I had a see-in).
I regret it now because I had to cut off a lot of ends that were bone straight and would not curl at all! My hair also started to break off.

I was very careful when I straightened my hair too. I used protector and Shea butter, but the heat was just too much

 

[classychic1908]

What difference would it make if you had a loosened texture from regular heat use, if you wear your hair straight all the time? Consider it a natural texlax.

I also don't see why weekly roller setting would heat train your hair.

 

[naturalpride]

I'm transitioning at the moment and I would say no that much heat will damage your natural hair. Now some ladies do have success as heat trained naturals, but I not sure how often they actually apply heat to the hair.

Natural in the workforce is acceptable, I use to be natural and I worked as a counselor and I never had any problems, most of the women who worked in the office was also natural.

 

[mzteaze]

I think the straightening issue depends on your hair and how you care for it. Some seem to report that straightening once a week works ok for them where as others have a hard time with straightening once a quarter.

If you are more comfortable with relaxed hair and your look for work, relax it and take GREAT care of your hair. you have all the tools here.

 

[Missi]

Thank you ladies for your input...guess I'll do long stretches

Sent from my HERO200 using Long Hair Care Forum App

 

[lovenharmony]

It all depends on what your hair can take. some ladies can take constant heat in their hair and not obtain any heat damage, then there are others who can't use heat on a regular basis without damage.

As for natural hair being "appropriate" Whether it's natural or relaxed shouldn't be the issue when it comes to the appropiateness of hair - the hairstyle is! Just as long as it's neat and a natural hair color ( no bright, nuclear colors) you should be fine. That whole "natural hair isn't proffesional" myth is just that...a myth.

 

[Roux]

depends on your hair

 

[labellenoire]

When I was transitioning all I did was straighten my hair every week for 2 years straight (unless I had a see-in).
I regret it now because I had to cut off a lot of ends that were bone straight and would not curl at all! My hair also started to break off.

I was very careful when I straightened my hair too. I used protector and Shea butter, but the heat was just too much

May I just add that perhaps using shea butter to straighten your hair was the cause of your damage? Bad idea, really . Shea butter exposed to high heat becomes liquid (oil) so in essence, what you were doing to your hair was frying your hair.

To the OP, there are a significant number of naturals who regularly straighten their hair/use direct heat and have success with growth and 'health'. You might want to search the trend on naturals who straighten frequently (or something along the lines). Personally, I find that my hair thrives better with regular heat usage (I say regular but with no particular frequency such as once a week or once a fortnight, etc). The key for me has been developing a 'heat usage regimen' which works for MY HAIR in light of heat usage. What I never do is 'touch up' with heat between washes and other 'straightening session'

However, I should add that THERE IS A GREAT RISK of damage with frequent heat usage therefore, I strongly urge that you research regimens that suit heat usage and more importantly YOUR HAIR's needs.

As for the questions of professionalism and natural hair, I agree with the ladies. The texture (genetic make-up of your hair) has nothing to do with professionalism. I'm a sucker for up-dos so I like doing a lot of up-dos for work when my hair is not straightend and 'down'. I work in a very corporate environment too and it's never been an issue. But maybe because I live in the UK things may be different in terms of how employers view these things? I have also met a lot of Black women in The City (London's financial district) who rock natural hair and look very professional and are damn good at their jobs too!

ETA: If you are wondering, regular heat usage has NOT loosened my curl pattern and I am grateful for this because my intention is not to loosen my texture.