so... why did you relax your hair in the first place?

[Everything Zen]

I went away to college and couldn't find anyone to press my hair while I was away. She was the old school press n' curl type.

 

[hairdrama:{]

When I was a little’ girl (mom’s decision), but I’ve never dealt with my hair in its natural state.

 

[Chromia]

My mom decided for me. I was about 12. I wanted to wear my hair straight anyway and I hated sitting there getting my hair pressed after every wash. Not that the burning sensation from the relaxer was much better.

 

[Lanea87]

I dont really remember being ASKED if I wanted to relax, but I am cool with the decision that my mom made cause I dont wanna deal with my natural hair either.

 

[brucebettye]

I had no choice. My mother got tired of doing my hair and the lady that was doing my hair got tired of dealing with my long thick hair and I got a perm.
Big mistake!!!

 

[Imani]

Everyone else I went to school with had relaxers and were able to wear the latest styles. I had the old school press and curl every two weeks for as long as I could remember but it never really kept my hair straight. My hair was always bushy, shrunk up, and super greasy. My grandmother told me I had to wait til the 9th grade. So I begged and begged every year and finally got one in the 8th grade.

I had to shave the back off after overuse of heat and spritz after about one year. But then after that, it grew out into a pretty thick, shoulder length bob and I just wore flat wraps and barely used heat most of high school. Then I started up the heat again, and also started get micros and ended up having to cut it in layers around senior year from breakage. It was still pretty full though when i went off to college.

My hair has never been past shoulder length before or after being relaxed.

 

[loved]

Because I wanted to. I wanted to wear more adult hairstyles. My mom and I were tired of the kitchen pressing sessions and I was so active that after the long sessions, my styles would bush up.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

Natural 2004-2009, relaxed because I was sick of shrinkage and a wet head

And this is the reason for my hesitation to transition, my hair is dry in general due to my thyroid and if my daughters hair is any indication of my hair(which i think is similar to hers) then shrinkage would mean i'd have to grow my hair to knee length to see any length without straightening it.

Relaxed first when I was a kid, no choice.

Went natural as soon as I learned I could do it.

Relaxed briefly because I was frustrated.

Went natural again.

Relaxed again because of super-shrinkage, styling time, knots causing breakage, headaches & loss of edges due to puffs.

I relaxed for similar reasons. I was getting too old for the braided styles my mom put in my hair and my hair was suffering and being damaged. so we switched to a new form of damage. lol. and then on to another form of damage in the form of a curl. then

 

[HeChangedMyName]

sorry. double post

 

[MangaManiac]

I had it done by my mother when I was young, but she taught me how to properly take care of it. But usually she kept me natural. My hair grew with the relaxer, but she would always have it cut at SL/APL like hers. Once I was in 6th grade she let me put it in braids. I HATED having to do my hair everyday. Since then I've only relaxed once (a stylist who didn't listen) and have since BC'd and gone back to being natural/in braids.

I have nothing wrong with relaxed hair, but it's not right for me since I wear braids so often with a short turn-around.

 

[jamaraa]

When I was 14, I was cornered in the school bathroom by some girls (yes, Black ones). They hassled me for a long time, but getting cornered scared me a bit. So I did it (against my family's wishes) to "fit in" and I hated it once I got it. I hated how it looked/felt, but even more resented why I did it. Then immediately afterwards, as fate would have it, I ran into a girl (Black again) who hassled me for NOT being natural.

From that point on, I realized that pleasing everybody is useless. I got it at 14 and got rid of it at 14.