Naturals in the Rain and Pool

[laurend085]

I've seen alot of posts with ppl talking about basically not having to worry or care about getting their hair wet whether it be in the pool or rain. This is something that has ALWAYS worried me and I jump and run at the sight of water touching my hair which I know is a learned behavior or avoid swimming cause I don't wanna get my hair wet (and i can't swim but the hair bothers me more) Anyway since I've decided to go on this long term transition I'm wondering what DOES happen when your hair gets wet when natural? Does your hair not mess up? Why the sudden carefreeness about letting your hair get wet?

 

[Ronnieaj]

Well, I wet twist my hair, so getting it wet doesn't do anything to it. It looks exactly the same. Especially in the rain, man I could care less about my hair in the rain. I'm more worried about getting chlorine out of my hair, which is why I'd probably wear a swim cap in the pool (but I can't swim either, so...).

When I was relaxed, or if I'd straightened my natural hair, I'd be trying to avoid the rain to prevent reversion, having to use the flat iron to soon, etc., but for the style I do, it's just a nonissue .

 

[testimony777]

I think the carefree feeling comes from the fact that you are no longer worried about reversion. When my hair is flat ironed I avoid water like the plague. However, when I wear it natural water is my friend. If it rains and my hair gets wet it will dry. It may be more frizzy but that is it and I don't really mind a little frizz. When I go swimming I just pull it back when I am done. I don't have to fear that the straight style I jumped into the pool with will dry as an afro, it is already a fro .

 

[pookaloo83]

I don't know why folks say that because when I was natural I still ran. I like my puff nice and big, not shrunken. And that's what rain did. I hate shrinkage.

 

[Diva_Esq]

Great post, OP! I wondered about this too... Thanks!

 

[oooop2]

I've seen alot of posts with ppl talking about basically not having to worry or care about getting their hair wet whether it be in the pool or rain. This is something that has ALWAYS worried me and I jump and run at the sight of water touching my hair which I know is a learned behavior or avoid swimming cause I don't wanna get my hair wet (and i can't swim but the hair bothers me more) Anyway since I've decided to go on this long term transition I'm wondering what DOES happen when your hair gets wet when natural? Does your hair not mess up? Why the sudden carefreeness about letting your hair get wet?

Depends on your length and how you wear your hair. If in twist, water does nothing to my hair but provide additional moisture. If in twistouts, water/humidity makes my hair go from this:

To this:

SO I prefer not to get my twistouts wet....LOL

 

[SelahOco]

Depends on your length and how you wear your hair. If in twist, water does nothing to my hair but provide additional moisture. If in twistouts, water/humidity makes my hair go from this:

To this:

SO I prefer not to get my twistouts wet....LOL

Thats when I tie something around it any it becomes one big puff. I have like a life cycle for my hair. From wash day to wash day, there's a definite metamorphosis that takes place as I sleep and encounter water.

But it's not a disaster because you can just switch up the style. Unless my hair is pressed...in which case I'll use a Walmart bag as a hat if it rains. Even if Im on business and my hair is pressed - if it rains expectantly , I'm putting a bag on my hair.

 

[PPGbubbles]

When it DOES rains cuz "it never rains in southern California"(tony toni tone playin in my ear)

I do feel carefree. I hardly wear my hair straight so when the rain comes Im really whatever about it. I let the drops hit my hair and I walk at a normal pace. Now that I think about it I dont even own and umbrella anymore....:scratchch maybe I should get one lol

Now the pool is another story.... My natural hair forms this weird non defined sideshow bob/Don king thing when I wet and air dry loose so I never get in the pool and dunk my hair if it is loose

but I love swimming so ofthen I will flat twist or cornrow when I know im gonna get in the water. I swim like a fish then I get out wash or co wash in the braids or twist... I let my hair air dry and I have a nice braid out or twistout to look forward too.

 

[melissa-bee]

Exactly i wonder what some naturals and long term transitioners are talking about when they don't have to run from the rain. When i was natural i had to because if my hair got wet it would shrivel up in to nothing. I don't mind the rain when i'm relaxed because it only goes wavy.

 

[I Am So Blessed]

rain doesnt bother me at all.

 

[Lola Laughs]

...when I wear it natural water is my friend.

:bouncegre Nuff said.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

For most styles, I'm not bothered. If it's pressed or sometimes a twist out can be, um, enlarged by the rain

For swimming, relaxed or natural, it can ruin your hair because of the chlorine. But I do swim regularly with no problem (but a lot of preparation)

 

[Lola Laughs]

For swimming, relaxed or natural, it can ruin your hair because of the chlorine. But I do swim regularly with no problem (but a lot of preparation)

Good point. If you saturate hair prior to getting in the pool, it will absorb less chlorinated water.

 

[lilsparkle825]

i love water now that i am natural...whether it is the shower, rain or a pool, my hair is usually the first thing to get wet. i will jump in a pool or dunk my head underwater with the quickness, especially if i am rocking a WNG (my usual summer style). if it starts to shrink, i just pull out a bra strap headband or ouchless hair tie and rock a puff or wet bun. another favorite style of mine is something involving kanekalon (either box braids or senegalese twists) and those don't shrink up when they get wet and don't get frizzy enough for me to mind. this is definitely in my top 5 on my list of reasons i am glad i went natural...no fear of water!

 

[BostonMaria]

Basically if my hair is curly and it starts to rain I don't have to worry about my hair. Of course I'm not going to walk to my destination all slow and let myself catch the flu LOL but I don't have to worry about my ponytail or wash n go to be ruined. If anything the humidity and rain makes my curls look nicer.

When I go to a pool I just put some conditioner in my hair and jump in the water. What I like is that I can hop out of the pool, let my hair dry and not have to worry about how my hair is ruined.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

I never ran from the rain or dodged a pool when my hair was relaxed and that hasn't changed since my hair is natural. My hair loves water, it's a good thing!

 

[tada1]

I never ran from the rain or dodged a pool when my hair was relaxed and that hasn't changed since my hair is natural. My hair loves water, it's a good thing!

me neither. I didn't know that you had to blow dry your hair before flat ironing to get the smooth sleek looks i see on here and on the streets. I just assumed that my hair was too stubborn to be straight, so i never really bothered to flat iron my hair. lol...I was used to having bulky textured relaxed hair. rain didn't really bother me or my hair when i was relaxed.

now that im natural though, i think this might be an issue. i dont want my hair shriveling up and tangling on itself

 

[danigurl18]

i love when it rains and watching all my relaxed friends run for cover--my own personal enjoyment lol

 

[NaturalKMichelle]

Well, when I was permed, if water touched my hair it would revert. I hated that. I usually wore my hair in light curls so, once the rain hit, those where gone. Now that I am natural, it doesn't matter. Even if I have twist out because there are still cute ways to where your hair even if it shrinks from the rain.

As far as the pool, I was really anal about that when I was permed because of the chemicals in my hair and the chlorine. I didn't want any breakage so I was really careful about swimming. Even though chlorine isn't all that great now on natural hair, I know that I won't have an type of reaction from the chemicals being used to straighten the hair.

But all in all, I hate when rain touches my skin and it dries. It makes me itch. I know it is crazy but hey!

 

[classychic1908]

My curls get an extra boost if I get caught in the rain or humidity, so I don't shy away from it at all. It's so liberating!! Now if my hair is straight, I'm running and ducking like crazy!

 

[chebaby]

i wear my hair in puffs 95% of the time and rain does nothing but moisturize my hair.
over the summer i went to kingsdominion and swam in the pool for hours and my hair stayed curly and just looked like i had gotten out of the shower. i barely ran from the rain when i was relaxed cause i just didnt care most of the time so i know i aint running now.
for instance, its snowing now, i aint hardly worried about what im gonna wrap my hair in.

 

[Mz.MoMo5235]

I think the carefree feeling comes from the fact that you are no longer worried about reversion. When my hair is flat ironed I avoid water like the plague. However, when I wear it natural water is my friend. If it rains and my hair gets wet it will dry. It may be more frizzy but that is it and I don't really mind a little frizz. When I go swimming I just pull it back when I am done. I don't have to fear that the straight style I jumped into the pool with will dry as an afro, it is already a fro .

this 100%

 

[Oasis]

I'm the same as I was when I was relaxed. I don't like water on my hair unless I've made a plan to wash it.

water > shrinkage > knots > tangling > breakage > > >

The only exception is braids.

 

[Mook's hair]

As a natural, my hair loves water and humidity. It just gets bigger and fuller and fluffier.
The only time it's an issue is if I'm wearing a straight style that I want to stay straight. (I don't do that much...not at all during the summer/humid months

 

[PerplexingComplex]

The only difference for me is that it's much easier for me to just wash my hair after the water messes it up. With relaxed hair, I'd have to wash it then straighten it.

 

[Truth]

I let it go... if it rains I just chill.. if i'm in the pool.. I just chill.. all it's gonna do is puff up and shrink... I can live with that ..*shrugs*

 

[Crackers Phinn]

Anyway since I've decided to go on this long term transition I'm wondering what DOES happen when your hair gets wet when natural? Does your hair not mess up? Why the sudden carefreeness about letting your hair get wet?

Good question

I always thought that was the most retarded sentiment ever.

Forget my hair, I'm not trying to catch a damn cold to make a point.

I didn't traipse through the rain when natural and I don't do it now that i'm relaxed again.

 

[Rei]

rain is awesome. For some reason, my hair curls up when it gets rained on, and I get a very cute curly fro. I have been unable to duplicate this in the bathtub :/ But it is very freeing. Depending on your hairtype the most rain will do is make it shrink. then you just wash it again and twist it to stretch it out, no big deal. its not like you have to flat iron afterwards or anything. Plus you dont get that gross smell that some relaxers give off when they're wet (at least the ones that I used to use did)

 

[Fhrizzball]

I guess I'm opposite because I don't care to get my hair wet when I wear it loose or in a wng because It'll shrink up and develop more knots and then I get breakage. If it's in a PS or whatnot I really don't care. I didn't mind it when I was relaxed either but then again my hair had texture in it even then.

 

[MummysGirl]

I'm still transitioning and my hair is usually in my middle siggy style so I don't have to worry about rain or snow falling on my hair. If my hair's in a twistout or braidout, I keep my hair from water to maintain the style.