relaxed or natural

[bonedacious99]

i'm so torn on what to do! I kind of want to go natural because I'm tired of the whole relaxer process. But at the same time, I like the look and versatility of styles that a relaxer gives me. Right now I'm 9 weeks post relaxer. I love the way my new growth feels but I miss wearing my hair down! Can anyone list the pros and cons of being relaxed or being natural??? I just need some advice!

 

[navsegda]

i'm so torn on what to do! I kind of want to go natural because I'm tired of the whole relaxer process. But at the same time, I like the look and versatility of styles that a relaxer gives me. Right now I'm 9 weeks post relaxer. I love the way my new growth feels but I miss wearing my hair down! Can anyone list the pros and cons of being relaxed or being natural??? I just need some advice!

There is still a lot of style versatility with natural hair. Relaxed hair may be easier for some people to manage than natural, but with natural hair you would no longer have to worry about chemicals.

Pros of relaxers:
--Straight hair
--Many different styles
--Easier to manage than natural for SOME people

Cons of relaxers:
--Chemicals
--You have to do touchups
--Bonds of the hair are weakened or broken (depending on amount of time on hair), but the good thing about it is that if you use a protein reconstructor, then those atoms will bond back into their respective molecules with the same strength (to not do so would go against the laws of nature and organic chemistry because when an atom comes into contact with another atom that will make it more stable and that it has an affinity for, a bond WILL be made, previous breaking of bonds will have no bearing on nature taking its course); they will just bond back together in their new straightened conformation (the conformation is permanent, but that is the ONLY THING, and it refers to a molecule's position in space based on how the atoms are arranged around their molecular bonds; relaxing PERMANENTLY changes how the atoms are arranged stereochemically in space, but the bonds can be reformed with no problems because only bonds were damaged, not the individual atoms)

Pros of natural:
--Many different styles, you can have straight hair one day and an afro the next
--Wash and go
--No chemicals

Cons of natural:
--If you have spent years growing out long hair, if you transition to natural, kiss it all bye bye with the big chop.
--You may not be able to comb hair without a lot of breakage when dry unless it is flat ironed; I think someone on here who is natural said that if you comb your hair dry all the time and you are natural, you'll end up with a bald head haha
--For some people, natural hair may be harder to manage than relaxed, but it's all about the amount of time, effort, and correct combination of products you put into it

In the end you have to decide what will be most comfortable and convenient for you, though. Relaxed hair is not for everyone.

 

[Jaizee]

I like having pro and con lists, also. I'm transitioning to natural hair. I didn't make a huge list or anything. One day I realized that I wanted natural hair because it's what I was born with. I'm loving my natural hair.

Also, pro's and con's lists are subjective. For example, IMO, straight hair isn't a pro to me.

Good luck!

 

[dimpalz]

I'm going with Jaizee and I'm gonna add that you can't go natural until you're ready. I wanted to go natural in 2005 but I didn't because I wasn't ready. In 2006 I was (I'd had enough of the trials and tribulations of the salon, the products, the lack of control over my own hair etc) and so I went natural. Even if you like the list of pros for natural hair you can't force or coerce this decision on yourself. You have to wait til it's time.

Now having said that here's the pros and cons

Relaxed
PROS
Your hair hangs and swangs lol
You can always see the true length
You can run your fingers through it

CONS
(perhaps) You always gotta go to the salon to get it styled/cut/relaxed etc
After 2 weeks of fun you gotta start battling with the new growth to prevent breakage
Your hair is weakened by the process so you gotta spend all day (air dry or no air dry) atleast once a week giving it good love so it stays strong

Natural
PROS
You can style your hair yourself, and even if you can't be bothered you can throw water on it and leave (white girl style)
You can cut your own hair and it don't have to be even cos no one can tell anyway
IMO Everyone can look good with shorter natural hair (maybe is because it's sposed to be like that)
You get to smile and nod/wink/shake hands with other naturals you see cos u representin
You can lox your hair for a couple of years, take them down and actually still have hair
Your hair is stronger and you dont' really need protein anymore
You can straighten your hair if you feel like a change
You can wash your hair everyday and not really worry about drying it or drying it straight
You can be more daring with hair colour without worrying about double processing
You don't have to cry and drop down to your knees to pray to God to stop the madness just cos it's raining outside lol

CONS
It takes time to get to know your natural hair
It takes time to detangle your natural hair
You can't run your fingers through it
It can get smooshed whilst undertaking various activities (but then you can throw water on it and it's all okay)
The true length doesn't show unless it's straightened
It REALLY REALLY needs moisture
It may not "turn out" to be the natural hair you wanted/thought you had

There are a million more but those are the ones that come to mind =)

 

[sunnybunny]

My hair is all natural no relaxer what so ever!!!!!!! I wear my hair in curls right now and the texture of my hair is also bone straight and very silky..... You have to use the right kind of products for your hair type and just take good care of it but no one needs a relaxer in there hair, just good conditioning and care!!!!!!!

 

[navsegda]

Your hair is stronger and you dont' really need protein anymore
You don't have to cry and drop down to your knees to pray to God to stop the madness just cos it's raining outside lol

CONS
It may not "turn out" to be the natural hair you wanted/thought you had

Hahaha, the bolded ones are funny.

Actually, everyone needs protein, relaxed or natural, white, black, Indian, Asian, etc. Everyone's hair is made of the same protein and some bonds are going to eventually break down with age and/or manipulation. It does NOT take heat or relaxing to break those bonds. Hair is not some super material. Think of the cells in your body. Just like old cells in your body reach apoptosis (programmed cell death), even though hair is already dead, old bonds succumb more to the wear and tear of like I said, age and manipulation, and become fragile. Also, you go from DNA-->RNA-->PROTEIN, so your body pretty much is one big walking protein machine, yet our bodies STILL need extra protein to keep up our body structure and stay healthy.

Also, natural hair is much more fragile dry because of the way the strands bend at several different angles. Hair breaks when it reaches a specific threshold angle and if your hair is already closer to this state by the way the strands are bent, it can easily snap off more with manipulation than if the strands are straight. So one wrong move of your hand, someone else's hand, or a comb or brush really could be disastrous. That's really the reason why you shouldn't try to comb or run your fingers through natural hair when dry. All the beautiful natural heads I see stay that way because of very low manipulation, esp. when dry.