Convenience.
I like to wear my hair straight without the worry of reversion and if I want it curly I can do that too.
Same here.
I tried being natural, and while i really loved it, I returned to relaxing because it was alot easier to deal with. And now i know i can have healthy hair and still relax thanks to this site.
1. Straight hair styles are prettier/ sexier on me
2. Easy/low/no maintenance. Today I worked out and co-washed/conditioned/ and bunned my hair - that took about 3 minutes in the shower.
3. Versatility - can easily create curly styles with roller-sets
4. Takes 0 minutes for me to de-tangle in the shower
5. Combing out my naps hurts (no offense to anyone, I'm talking about ME)
6. I relax bone straight and have been relaxed for over half of my life -(thankfully) I have never suffered any ill effects from relaxers. I never saw them as the "devil" until joining this board & learning more about healthy hair care....I experimented with long stretches & researched transitioning. I definitely see the benefits of being natural, but it's not for me.
It's all about convenience for me. I remember my natural days
very well. I remember the thick and nappy roots after my hair reverted after sweating. My hair would be cute, but I wouldn't be able to comb through it because of my roots reverting.
I remember how hard it was the detangle and comb my hair. I don't plan on going back there anytime soon.
Relaxed hair is also more versatile. No one can convince me otherwise. I can flat iron my hair and wear it straight. Or I can do a bantu set and wear my hair wavy. I can do pin curls, straw sets, flat twist outs, roller sets, braid outs, etc. All with little or no effort. Natural hair is hard work!
I've thought about going natural again, but all I have to do is think about my memories as a natural and I quickly change my mind...
Easy manageability and I want to be able to show length and not deal with shrinkage.
ITA with the above posters. I've been natural, texlaxed and bone straight. I am the latter now and love it.
I've been blessed with thick, dense hair that handles it well, flourishes and has a body, bounce and movement to it that looks better than many of my friends with naturally straight hair.
It's SO much less work. I spend 1 HOUR every 4 days on my hair -That's wash, DC, detangling, blow dry (to speed up drying not to straighten, thats' why I'm bone straight to begin with).
Daily styling (I time it b/c I want to focus on my skin not my hair in my daily morning routine) takes 5-7 minutes. That's from NIGHT SCARF OFF to READY TO SHINE.
It asks so little and yet looks so good. Every day I know EXACTLY what it will look like and making changes is a breeze. A bobby pin here a twist there the night before and voila! New look.
At this point in my life my hair is no longer my top hobby. Writing, school work (in college) and crafting my future is. It was fun, but now I want to focus on other things. Being bone straight allows for that and I love it.
I have THREE products in my arsenal now: A DC, shine serum and shampoo. That's IT. I didn't have much more than that as a natural, tis true, but I use far less now than I did as a natural and interestingly a lesser quality DC can do more for my hair as it retains moisture better relaxed.
LOVE IT.