Naturals: will you EVER go back to a relaxer?

Are you natural forever?

  • Yes. I will never relax my hair again, ever.

    Votes: 373 84.4%

  • No. I will relax at some point in the future.

    Votes: 69 15.6%
  • Total voters
    442
  • Poll closed .
mischka

mischka

shrinkage.
As kind of a spin off to the movement thread, it occurred to me that the difference in going natural or not will lie in whether people choose to go back to relaxing their hair down the line.

Me personally, I will never relax my hair again since, despite the practical implications of natural hair (healthier, less difficulty growing long) it is also a philosophical choice for me. My hard line on the natural vs relaxed debate is that I am not a white woman, and my hair is not naturally straight; therefore, I will not chemically alter my hair's appearance so that it appears naturally straight. I had a friend tell me she already looks ethnic enough - why did she need "ethnic" hair on top of that? And the sad thing was she didn't even realize what she was saying - that she wants to look "less ethnic." Toning down the blackness, if you will. (Maybe people won't notice if you have straight hair.) Well I'm "ethnic." I will look "ethnic." (Ironically, this friend was dating a white man... :look::ohwell:)

Anyway, once my sister saw how my hair was growing out, or due to some of the things she'd seen on the internet or the whole "growing hair long" movement from sites like these she decided to go natural too. The difference is, once her hair is a length she decides is acceptable, she plans to relax her hair again.

So, what say you? Is going natural only a means to an end to reach length goals or does it go a little deeper?
 
Never will I relax again. I just do not see the point in putting such harsh chemicals on my scalp when I could easily take a flat iron and get the same results, but even more thick, lush, and bouncy. When I started transitioning I said goodbye to the relaxer forever. JMHO
 
No, chemicals will not touch my hair again.
When I get older, if I have arthritis or other debilitating issues then someone else will have to do my hair.

I have already let all the children know this.
Really :look:

They already know that I expect to be taken care of and that includes my hair if necessary.
 
I'm tempted to relax but I stopped relaxing before learning about hair boards, fotkis, etc. I had scalp issues and stopped because of that. I burned too quick whenever I got a touch up. My scalp around my hairline started lightening up. Now that I'm natural my skin stays one color, brown.
 
I love my natural hair, it 's healthier, thicker and I love my hair texture, therefore I will never go back to a relaxer.
 
Im not fully natural yet but I will NEVER EVER eeevvveerrrr relax my hair again.* throws fist up*
 
mischka said:
As kind of a spin off to the movement thread, it occurred to me that the difference in going natural or not will lie in whether people choose to go back to relaxing their hair down the line.

Me personally, I will never relax my hair again since, despite the practical implications of natural hair (healthier, less difficulty growing long) it is also a philosophical choice for me. My hard line on the natural vs relaxed debate is that I am not a white woman, and my hair is not naturally straight; therefore, I will not chemically alter my hair's appearance so that it appears naturally straight. I had a friend tell me she already looks ethnic enough - why did she need "ethnic" hair on top of that? And the sad thing was she didn't even realize what she was saying - that she wants to look "less ethnic." Toning down the blackness, if you will. (Maybe people won't notice if you have straight hair.) Well I'm "ethnic." I will look "ethnic." (Ironically, this friend was dating a white man... :look::ohwell:)

Anyway, once my sister saw how my hair was growing out, or due to some of the things she'd seen on the internet or the whole "growing hair long" movement from sites like these she decided to go natural too. The difference is, once her hair is a length she decides is acceptable, she plans to relax her hair again.

So, what say you? Is going natural only a means to an end to reach length goals or does it go a little deeper?
Click to expand...

Your friend may not have meant it the way you interpreted it. I had a similar conversation with a friend. He is half black and half Puerto Rican with long dreads. He has them for many reasons, but one is to show that he's proud of his black roots.

I told him that I am not light or mixed-race. I am very clearly of African descent. It doesn't matter if my hair is dyed, fried, weaved-up or fro'd out, no one will ever mistake me for anything other than black. On top of my skin color, I go to a black church, live in a black neighborhood, have two degrees from an HBCU, I date black men, hang out at black spots, and I'm an Obama Democrat.

I don't need natural hair to prove my ties to my ethnicity. No one will mistake my relaxed hair for naturally straight, type-1 hair. That's not even what I'm trying to do- just wearing my hair in a way that fits my lifestyle and current preference.

Not trying to look less ethnic, which is virtually impossible.
 
nope. if i miss having straight hair, i will flat iron or wig/weave it up.

natural hair is who i am now. :D
 
I voted incorrectly by accident :( But no, I don't feel that I will ever relax again. If I am ever unable to style my hair either due to age or other reasons, then I will have it cut down to a twa.
 
I voted never! I'm very happy right now with my hair. If you saw pictures of me with relaxed hair you'd probably agree with me. I looked a HAM.
 
This is my second time natural.
A few months after my first BC, I ran to the salon while on vacation to relax bc I just wasn't comfortable with my short hair. I LOVED LOVED LOVED my natural texture but I did not like the short 'do.
Decided to BC a second time because I knew I was ready to embrace the BC and just have patience for it to grow longer. All was going well until I decided to get it straightened by a black hair dresser who "specializes in natural hair care". Well, I got severe heat damage. Damn near lost all my kink and coil pattern. I was tres pissed. On top of that, she cut instead of trimmed my hair.
Now, I'm getting married in June. Either I keep on flat ironing my hair at this point and for my wedding (will most likely be adding a few pieces for volume, etc) or I relax for my wedding and call it a day. No more battle of the textures and less stress FOR ME, especially since I'm about to wed.
Another reason for me wanting to relax again at this point in MYYYY life, is because, compared to MYYY natural hair care regime/styling, dealing with my relaxed hair took WAYYYY less time for me and my demanding life and responsibilities. 3 hours for twists= a 5 minute bun, cooking dinner, painting with my toddler, homework, piano and voice practice, brushing up on french grammar, walking my dog and brushing my teeth.
Again, what's conducive to MY life.
Will I ever go natural again? Hell ya!

ps- yes, I stalked youtube tutorials, fotkis, lhcf threads and yes, I bought damn near every product there is on the shelf and online.
 
Last edited:
I will never in my life choose to relax again.

Personally for me, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like looking at my hair and knowing all those beautiful kinks and coils are from my own head!
 
mischka said:
As kind of a spin off to the movement thread, it occurred to me that the difference in going natural or not will lie in whether people choose to go back to relaxing their hair down the line.

Me personally, I will never relax my hair again since, despite the practical implications of natural hair (healthier, less difficulty growing long) it is also a philosophical choice for me. My hard line on the natural vs relaxed debate is that I am not a white woman, and my hair is not naturally straight; therefore, I will not chemically alter my hair's appearance so that it appears naturally straight. I had a friend tell me she already looks ethnic enough - why did she need "ethnic" hair on top of that? And the sad thing was she didn't even realize what she was saying - that she wants to look "less ethnic." Toning down the blackness, if you will. (Maybe people won't notice if you have straight hair.) Well I'm "ethnic." I will look "ethnic." (Ironically, this friend was dating a white man... :look::ohwell:)

Anyway, once my sister saw how my hair was growing out, or due to some of the things she'd seen on the internet or the whole "growing hair long" movement from sites like these she decided to go natural too. The difference is, once her hair is a length she decides is acceptable, she plans to relax her hair again.

So, what say you? Is going natural only a means to an end to reach length goals or does it go a little deeper?
Click to expand...

All I have to say is never say never. Keep in mind it's just hair - really. We can all have fun playing with it and have our preferences. But preferences change and evolve. And we all know that neither texture will put better food on our table or entitle us to better seats in the after life.
 
That's true but if it's just hair I don't see a reason to alter it chemically in such a way that is permanent unless the hair is cut off.
 
^^^i hear u, but some people color their hair with permanent color. yea u can always go back to ur color but you'd either have to grow it out , cut it off or put more chemicals on it to get it back to ur natural color. and i'm talking about permanent color.
 
Yes i prefer natural to any of the current relaxers on the market. Even before i went to a relax i would thermalax
 
Im NEVER relaxing my hair again.....im enjoying my natural hair...the community and the freedom that comes with it. I'm loving that i no longer need to slick my edges back every single day...unless the style/occasion calls for it...bc the edges blend with my natural hair! Im having fun with it:yep: And i love my texture....idk what it is but i like it....i feel like it fits me perfectly...bc it is....Me.:)
 
I mean, at the end of the day it IS just hair. Most of us were relaxed at some point before becoming natural. We were relaxed by choice or by our parents and as we got older, for WHATEVER reason we decided that we wanted a change...to go natural! You know wha tI mean? We were at one point with our hair and at some point for whatever reason, we desired a change. For many, this change may be it. In other words, noooo more relaxers!! But for others, such as myself, I can't say "noooo more" because my life demands for something more easy going...like eating a microwaved meal versus a cooked meal lol
i think u get my point. i'll stop rambling! Lol!
 
Nope. My hair is healthier, shinier, fuller, and the longest its been as an adult. Also alot stronger- since I have been natural, I can say 100% that I LOVE my hair. When I was relaxed there was always something I was trying to fix:

-couldn't understand why my hair frizzed although I had a perm;
-once my hair hit APL (relaxed), inevitably I had to trim due to split or thinning ends....3 months after the trim, repeat.
-dying my hair dark to get rid of the reddish hue the combo of the relaxer and the sun gave my hair
-dry scalp

When I think back to having scalp burns and my scalp weeping after a fresh relaxer, I can't believe I did that to myself in the name of straight hair. Like PP said- if I want my hair straight I flat iron it. I'm usually over my straight look after a week or so, and miss my curls.
 
adf23 said:
Nope. My hair is healthier, shinier, fuller, and the longest its been as an adult. Also alot stronger- since I have been natural, I can say 100% that I LOVE my hair. When I was relaxed there was always something I was trying to fix:

-couldn't understand why my hair frizzed although I had a perm;
-once my hair hit APL (relaxed), inevitably I had to trim due to split or thinning ends....3 months after the trim, repeat.
-dying my hair dark to get rid of the reddish hue the combo of the relaxer and the sun gave my hair
-dry scalp

When I think back to having scalp burns and my scalp weeping after a fresh relaxer, I can't believe I did that to myself in the name of straight hair. Like PP said- if I want my hair straight I flat iron it. I'm usually over my straight look after a week or so, and miss my curls.
Click to expand...

i'll never forget that...
 
transitioning and i'd like to think I wouldn't but...you never know. I know a girl that went natural, to locs, back to natural after removing her locs, to relaxed.
 
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