Quick Poll

[trendsetta25]

I've been noticing lately that a lot of girls are natural or just BC'd. So i decided to take a quick poll to see if there are any relaxed girls left

1. If you're natural, how long and why did you decide to become natural?
2. If you're relaxed, how long and why did you decide to stay relaxed?
3. If you just BC'd, WHY?

I'll start...
I've been relaxed since i was 12...my mom gave me the BC when i was 11 and i hated it!!!!!! Ever since then i've been relaxed. Now mind you i just learned how to take care of my hair properly. I like being relaxed because i think that it's easier to maintain erplexed and i'm secretly addicted to that freshly relaxed look

 

[Pandora1975]

I'm newly natural. I did a long term transition without meaning to. After a year in braids I realized that had way more natural than relaxed hair and it hit me. It was my bad hair practices and relaxer over-processing that was keeping my hair from growing. I had been seeing more and more natural hair in the media ad irl, and was kinda diggin it. I'm ever so slightly a bit punk/goth and I could finally see how to fit it into my style, but also look professional when called for. I started watching YT vids and doing google searches on natural hair care (which incidentally brought me here more than any other site) and the rest is history. I intend to stay natural. My 2 aunts on my mom's side are natural, and have long, gorgeous heads of hair- I want that. Now to just convince my mom and sis to follow suit!

 

[Curlybeauty]

I'm natural and have been for like 3 or more years. I got my first relaxer in the 6th grade and it was great..BUT my hair can only tolerate LYE perms and she was using what she thought was best for my hair..ughh! So I made the concious decision to go natural b/c I was going to be going to school soon and a poor college kid couldnt keep that up (before I knew about stretching). Plus, I used to dye my hair like crazy, and I said one or the other and I chose Color. But up until like may, i always wore my hair straight from presses and what not..it's only now that i wear my hair in its natural form (even though i've been half wiggin it for the past week)..

I'm still debating if i want to go relaxed and just rollerset and stretch my life away..but i have the funny feeling that those 20 minutes to make my hair permanently straight will cost me way more time to get my precious curlies back..and for the record, my transition was the worst (hate oiling my scalp)..but with what i know now and my 2 year subscription lol I might go for it..

 

[Natural Glow]

I got my first relaxer in 5th grade I believe. I got my last relaxer sometime in 2006. I never BC'd just trims along the way.

I stopped relaxing because: (1) my hair never got STRAIGHT with a relaxer like I thought it should (2) i could never get it to grow past like BSL when relaxed. I think it was because it just wasn't good at taking care of relaxed hair.(3) Lastly, My scalp was always flaking and I thought I had a problem but as soon as I stopped relaxing the flakes went away.

I have to confess I sometimes think about relaxing because I too like the look of freshly relaxed hair. Although my hair never got straight with a relaxer it was so much easier to flatiron while relaxed. I'm not gonna relax though because I know my hair will probably break off with in months of relaxing and I like wearing it curly sometimes.

I've been reading all the BKT threads and I'm considering doing that because hopefully it will be the best of both worlds. Easily straightened hair but still curly once it wears off.

 

[ladysaraii]

I clicked relaxed since you didn't give an option for transitioning, but I'm 95% sure that's where I'm headed with my hair. And if not, then I'm in for a super long stretch. My hair needs time to recuperate from the damage that I and the chemicals inflict on it. I just know I can and need to do better with my hair care.

 

[beauti4dlo]

I have been natural now for 4 years. I went natural because a little over a month after I colored my hair, I decided to give myself a relaxer retouch. Long story short, ALL of the hair at my nape broke off (I should have know because I year prior I got highlights and my whole front broke off, same reason... I had to do like a combover thing because I loved to wear my bangs ) Because I like to color my hair and knew I had to give up something, I decided to give up the relaxer since I knew I could always straighten with a flat iron or press my hair. A couple months later I found Nappturality (I think) and changed my whole outlook in hair!! This site lead me to people's fotki albums, and the rest was history Soo glad I did it!!

 

[fyb87]

I am natural. I received my first relaxer when I was either 13 or 14. I would get them at the most 3 times a year. My hair never was completely straight. When it got wet it would be curly so I would go between straight and curly. Sometime in the mid 90's I started relaxing with PCJ for Kids around the front top of my hairline. Then in 2000 (I think) I stopped even doing that. It wasn't ever really a concsious decision to go natural. I just stopped. Never did a BC. Wouldn't have made sense being I was only relaxing that small portion of my hair and the rest had probably been natural since the mid 90's!! So all in all I think I have been natural 9 years. Maybe 10.

 

[Ronnieaj]

I've been fully natural since March 2008. I decided to go natural because I, and everyone else, loved the way my hair looked curly, and I was tired of doing the same routine every 3 months. I'd learned to stretch my relaxers to 12 weeks from 4-5 growing up, but I was losing hair at my temples, and every time I'd get it going, I'd relax and it'd be gone again. Foolishness. When my beautician cut most of my relaxed ends (all except 2 inches, so it was a 10 inch cut), she noticed a nickel sized bald patch in my hair. It has fully grown in now, and my hair in one year, with 3 cuts, is as long as it was when I stopped relaxing (CBL currently). I'm still working out a perfect routine, but the thickness is back and my hair is thriving . And when I want, I can still pull off a pretty nice straight look too.

 

[MummysGirl]

I'm transitioning so I guess I am still relaxed.

I've been relaxed for 6 years... (I was natural for only a year before that) and relaxed about 10/11 years before that.

I've decided to go natural because I'm bored and tired of relaxers and what they do to my hairline. I like volume in my hair which I had to achieve with rollersets, braidouts, etc. My natural hair is naturally big (volume!).

I had always procrastinated about when I'd go natural...

In February, this year, I decided I'd go natural now.

 

[Lovestyr]

Im a relaxer and I think I always will be. I just utilize the information I have gathered from this lovely sight. Prior to LHCF I use to stretch my relaxers...but that was more of neglect than to growing my hair. However, now I stretch my relaxers at least 17 weeks and am shooting for 24 weeks this time around.....

Anyway, everyone has their own prefernece whether it be natural or relaxed. I think either way your hair is beautiful.

I can recall a few times I thought I went natural my hair was so full of new growth.........

 

[Ramya]

I'm natural. I BC'd to 1/4 an inch November 2008. I did it because I've been natural the majority of my life and even when relaxed didn't wear my hair totally straight. It always had to have some wave or curl to it. I like the versatility of natural hair better than relaxed hair.

 

[trendsetta25]

I clicked relaxed since you didn't give an option for transitioning, but I'm 95% sure that's where I'm headed with my hair. And if not, then I'm in for a super long stretch. My hair needs time to recuperate from the damage that I and the chemicals inflict on it. I just know I can and need to do better with my hair care.

I was thinking about adding transitioning and texlaxed to the poll...or maybe other erplexed

 

[msa]

I'm natural and have been since birth and will stay that way.

 

[Highly Favored8]

I am relaxed now for about 6 years. I was a natural since birth. Intresting journey to say the least.

 

[yaya24]

I BC'd on June 20-09. I have about 2 inches of natural hair TWA.. and cut off my relaxed hair (I was APL). I've wanted to go natural for a while I love the versatility and decided that after seeing how many naturals there are on the boards why not just do it. Plus I have fine strands, and the thickness I wanted was just not there.

 

[DecemberBaby]

I'm relaxed and currently 10 weeks post. Seriously thinking about transitioning but I probably won't right now.

 

[MsBoinglicious]

I always thought there were more relaxed ladies than naturals on LHCF?

1. If you're natural, how long and why did you decide to become natural?

I have been growing my hair out since may 07. So it will be three years next year may. I went natural so that i could have healthy long hair. While relaxed i was blond and APL. and now I am natural and hopefully under BSL by December 09.

 

[JenBenCal]

I am relaxed and, for now, am planning to remain that way. I've been relaxed for about 6 years and, so far, my hair has held up better than expected. I don't believe that there's been so much damage done that my hair is less healthy. My hair is still thick upon drying (I LOVE it ) and I don't lose terribly large amounts unless I improperly care for it. Now that I have found this site, I am excited because I now know that there is healthy hair of all kinds so long as you take care of it. I'm planning on stretching my relaxers and I do like the ease that comes with styling my hair when its relaxed, however I can't deny that I don't miss my natural hair texture sometimes! I may transition to texlaxed or maybe even natural one day, but I'm learning to love my hair as is for now.

 

[Mercie]

I have been natural for pretty much my whole life. (I'm 14) I got my first official 'relaxer' in April.

I'm going to stay relaxed because, with natural hair I didn't get to play with my hair as much. It was always in twists or extension braids. I didn't feel confident with a short nappy fro. I'm going to keep my hair relaxed or maybe even texlaxed when my hair gets longer because, I feel like it looks more appealing on me.

 

[Simply_Kelz]

Relaxed but transitioning. Been relaxed since....3rd grade, pretty much. Was natural for ONE year in 7th grade. Stayed relaxed out of convenience. Going natural for versatility.

 

[trendsetta25]

I'm relaxed and currently 10 weeks post. Seriously thinking about transitioning but I probably won't right now.

i'm 8 weeks post and i'm dying right now.....my next touch up/corrective relaxer is Oct 2nd....i dont know how i can make it
on a brighter side...i guess it means my hair is growing...fast!!!! hopefully erplexed

 

[zenith]

Was natural till i was 16 when i got my 1st relaxer. I went back to natural after college.
Grew my hair to past sl then against my better judgement texlaxed, (because i soo wanted to wear human hair micro-braid). Once i took them out, my hair was chewed beyond repair so i BC'd down to 1 inch.
I stopped going to barbershop in December and started taking care of my hair in March.

 

[poookie]

relaxed head here!

but my new growth feels so yummy. i love playing with it. pulling it & watching it sproing back
i don't see me getting another relaxer for at least the next 4- 6 weeks (which will mean a stretch of 12 - 14 weeks; a record for me!)

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

I am relaxed and have been since I was 15 (I'll turn 33 this year). I like the manageability of having relaxed hair. I do like the look and feel of natural hair; but, I already know my limitations. For me, natural hair is one of them.

To each their own. As long as the hair is healthy, it doesn't matter.

 

[isawstars]

I'm sad there's no option for texlaxed Sometimes I feel like we're the hair minority lol. So I didn't vote.

 

[nikki2229]

I'm transitioning right now. I am 9 months post.
I can't remember how long I have had a relaxer but I do remember relaxing my hair very often as a teenager. I hated getting a relaxer as an adult because I could not tolerate it but at the same time, I felt like I needed one.

After joining here, I saw all of the beautiful heads of natural hair from the 3's to the 4b/c's and saw that they could get relaxer results with a flat iron and I thought why couldn't I do the same. I started stretching and then I thought I would transition but gave in a little shy of 12 weeks and relaxed. I always liked my hair big and full of volume.

Afterwards, I felt like such a quitter. So the next time I just strived to make to 12 weeks and once I did, I promised to take it one day at a time and now it has been 9 months and I fully committed to giving my natural hair a chance.

 

[tailormade84]

i had my last perm in winter 06. I stopped because I liked the way my hair looked in braidouts and was curious about my natural hair.

 

[learningandgrowing]

I'm relaxed and have been since last year April. Before that, I was natural all my life. I like it but I think I'm going to go back to natural once I get bored.

 

[Miss Monae]

Relaxed - Been relaxed for 20 years (I'm only 29) and i have stuck with it because I like straight styles...I like other styles too but when it comes to my hair, I want it straight, bouncy and versatile.

 

[Miss Monae]

i'm 8 weeks post and i'm dying right now.....my next touch up/corrective relaxer is Oct 2nd....i dont know how i can make it
on a brighter side...i guess it means my hair is growing...fast!!!! hopefully erplexed

You should check some of the posts that talk about stretching. I am almost 6 months post and this site helped me big time. Before LHCF, I could go no more than 8 weeks.