Spinny: What's YOUR definition of natural?

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

HIJACK: Mummy'sGirl BCed!!! Look at your puff! Congrats!

ETA: I think "natural" means no permanent chemical straightening to alter texture but "virgin" means no chemical process at ALL (no color, untouched by heat, perms, texturizers, relaxers). Many are natural but few hair virgin hair.

wow!
so i really am a virgin huh!
CLAIMS IT!!!

 

[loulou82]

wow!
so i really am a virgin huh!
CLAIMS IT!!!

CLAIM IT GIRL! So pure and untouched!

 

[fletches]

So now we're making up definitions to make ourselves feel better.

If you're that ok with your decision, then be ok with it. Stop trying to argue something is natural when it clearly is not.

My definition of natural is hair that has not been permanently altered from its natural state

 

[Ivey14]

***Deleted***

 

[fletches]

I view it as anything without chemicals. I don't consider heat damage or straightening unnatural at all. My gram used to put her hot comb in the fireplace and straighten my hair in my opinion that's natural.. No heating tools get hotter that the heat found in nature they are just easier to use. Natural to me is using products that come from nature or in some way duplicate nature without chemicals. If I go to and tanning bed versus laying out in the sun is my skin no longer natural? If I grow my orchids with a light blub instead of a in the window are they some how unnatural?
ETA: No heat, chemicals or color to me is virgin hair. Like the above post pointed out.

If you go to a tanning bed instead of laying in the sun, your tan is not natural.

If you grow orchids with a light bulb instead of in a window, your orchids are not natural.

What about if they grow your food in a lab, instead of growing in soil, is it still natural?

 

[BostonMaria]

wow!
so i really am a virgin huh!
CLAIMS IT!!!

Hey if I can claim virgin and have 3 kids, so can you!

 

[LovelyNaps26]

Hmmmmmmm....

The more I think about this relaxed/natural topic, the more I'm starting to believe that the whole "natural is unchanged" theory is quite flawed.

Anything that is natural can change over time. For example, the skin ages and wrinkles, but does that mean that the skin itself isn't natural because it isn't as youthful as it once was? The terms "Natural" and "Original" are not the same thing. Natural relates to nature, the physical world and life--the absence of artificiality. To say that someone's hair is not natural, is implying that their hair is synthetic, man-made or being grown through and with artificial means.

When a person relaxes their hair, yes the curl pattern is destroyed, but the scalp in which the hair grows from is still natural because it continues to grow and produce hair in its original form. Also, we often forget that once the hair leaves our scalp, it's dead. And anything that alters something that is already dead, doesn't really count as anything, because it's dead.

So, just because something changes, doesn't make it any less natural. As a matter of fact, change in itself is a natural process.

The changing nature of the skin is a result of NATURE. The alternative to wrinkling skin is getting surgery and risk looking like Joan Rivers

So, when the change occurs as a part of the natural cycle of the body then it IS natural, rather than our decision to alter something. Gray hair for example will result for most women but, again this is a result of nature.

If one did not put lye on their hair would it be straight? No. Therefore, it is in an un-natural state. I don't knock relaxed hair. I was relaxed for over a decade. Still, it is what it is.

ETA: i think if you're relaxed your hair obviously isn't synthetic. It is your REAL hair, though not in it's natural state. ex) even if my hair is relaxed, if i marry a white man my kids will likely have curly hair because by nature i have curly texture.

 

[arosieworld]

If you go to a tanning bed instead of laying in the sun, your tan is not natural.

If you grow orchids with a light bulb instead of in a window, your orchids are not natural.

What about if they grow your food in a lab, instead of growing in soil, is it still natural?

They do. All the time. That's why veggies are coming with less seeds and seeds that won't germinate. You will never see a sign at the walmart that says unnatural lab grown veggies this way. Most organic veggies aren't even grown in soil the are grown in a pearlite mix. Volcanic rock is not a tomatoes natural habitat but that's what most are grown in.
ETA: To me if the cellular stucture of the tomato is the same then it is still natural. Tomatoes were created/changed in 1965 to be red in a lab in reynoldsburg ohio. Did you ever eat a red tomato and think how unnatural it is?

 

[imaccami]

I define natural as no relaxer, no texlaxing, no heat training and no BKT. BKT isn't permanent but it lasts a long time, 2 or 3 months I think. IMO natural hair reverts to its natural curl pattern everytime it gets wet.

 

[~Sparklingflame~]

Ummmm. I must have missed something. What is heat training?

 

[Solitude]

Not trying to knock anyone (I too have a response on the other thread) but how can you argue with what the word 'natural' means? This subject shouldn't be subjective at all. It should be fact. Base your "opinion" off of fact and look up the word natural. After doing that, this subject should no longer be subjective. It should be fact. Got it? Good.


Now for my "opinion" (that is based off of what the word 'natural' means): I "think" natural hair is hair that has not had its bonds broken and permanently rearranged. That's it.

um..............................first, I haven't read the other thread you referred to, but people can easily argue with what word "natural" because almost nobody's hair is unaltered. Sometimes, people ask me if my hair is "natural" and what they really mean is, do I wear extensions?

When it comes to all the talk about chemicals, my main beef is with hair dye. Dyed/bleached hair is certainly not natural. For example, no one would say Hugh Hefner's girlfriends are wearing their hair "natural." lol Yet, I've seen African-American people with bleach-blonde hair preaching about relaxers.

I'm on the fence about henna, BKT, and rinses, but I know that rinses and dyes do slightly relax my hair's curl pattern.

 

[Ivey14]

***Deleted***

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

No chemicals to alter texture... I don't think dyeing means hair's not natural anymore.

 

[ThePerfectScore]

I say chemicals that straighten or loosen the curl pattern of the hair. Also no heat damage. I agree with both Miryoku and Beautyu2u's definitions. Also color to me still equals natural hair because it doesnt really affect the curl.

 

[MOTHEROF3NATURALLY]

NATURAL HAIR IS HAIR THAT HAS NOT BEEN RELAXED. TEXURIZING YOUR HAIR IS DIFFERENT, BECAUSE IT IS BRINGING OUT YOUR CURLS, SOMETIME IT IS HARD FOR PEOPLE TO DO THAT WITH CERTAIN PRODUCTS. BUT IF YOU ARE NOT DOING A TEXURIZER OR NO CHEMICALS AT ALL THEN I WOULD CONSIDER THAT NATURAL!!

 

[Renovating]

Cosigning on hair that has not been chemically treated to alter the texture

 

[Solitude]

NATURAL HAIR IS HAIR THAT HAS NOT BEEN RELAXED. TEXURIZING YOUR HAIR IS DIFFERENT, BECAUSE IT IS BRINGING OUT YOUR CURLS, SOMETIME IT IS HARD FOR PEOPLE TO DO THAT WITH CERTAIN PRODUCTS. BUT IF YOU ARE NOT DOING A TEXURIZER OR NO CHEMICALS AT ALL THEN I WOULD CONSIDER THAT NATURAL!!

But a texturizer is just a mild relaxer . It doesn't bring out your curls; it relaxers your curls. Same exact chemical components. Just pointing that out.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

natural hair = non relaxed/texlaxed/jerri curled/nouveau waved/ bkt'd hair♥

 

[AwesomelyNappy]

unaltered natural curl pattern... hair that goes back to natural curl pattern when moisture is applied...

 

[preciouslove0x]

It is subjective. No one is arguing the technical definition of 'natural', but in Black hair care/mindsets, the term 'natural' is subjective, taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias; because it IS full of personal views.

I didn't say it WAS NOT subjective. I said it should not be. Based on the definition of the word natural, that would include anything that permanently altered the curl pattern of your hair.

um..............................first, I haven't read the other thread you referred to, but people can easily argue with what word "natural" because almost nobody's hair is unaltered. Sometimes, people ask me if my hair is "natural" and what they really mean is, do I wear extensions?

When it comes to all the talk about chemicals, my main beef is with hair dye. Dyed/bleached hair is certainly not natural. For example, no one would say Hugh Hefner's girlfriends are wearing their hair "natural." lol Yet, I've seen African-American people with bleach-blonde hair preaching about relaxers.

I'm on the fence about henna, BKT, and rinses, but I know that rinses and dyes do slightly relax my hair's curl pattern.

But you and I both know that OP is not referring to extensions so that is irrelevant.



ETA: I'm just going to copy and paste what I wrote in the other thread for clarification.


...it is OKAY if you want to heat "train" your hair and it works for you. GO RIGHT AHEAD. Some people have the skill to fire breath, some people have the skill to walk on hot coals, some people have the skill to put the leg around their body and in to their mouth lol. I am saying all of that because some things work for some and some of those same things don't work for others. However your hair is no longer NATURAL (look up that word for clarification, not natural hair but just NATURAL) when you do those things. But it's okay NOT to be natural. Do YOUR thing.

I feel like now we ALL need to stop throwing words around and start looking up the meaning before we use them. Besides natural, the term "heat training". Some of you need to refer back to Biology 101 from college (no offense if you didn't go) but when your hair is permanently altered and/or THE BONDS IN YOUR HAIR ARE PERMANENTLY BROKEN AND REARRANGED, your hair is DAMAGED. No need to sugar coat it. The word "damaged" doesn't have to hold a negative connotation either though. The fact that our hair is technically dead makes it possible for us to have damaged hair and US (the person and not the hair) take care of it in a way to retain it (the hair).

Anyway back to people wanting to sugar coat things. Be proud of what you do with your damaged or none damage hair. If it works for you then go ahead! I bite my nails from time to time. SO! NO need for me to term it "an alternative way to file my nails". I BITE MY NAILS DANGON IT!!

Do what you do with pride! I think at the end of the day some naturals are giving "heat trained" naturals (judgmental or not) the side eye because they can no longer throw water on their hair and it (the curls/coils/napps etc) don't draw back up to its original state but still call themselves NATURAL.

In my opinion, the term "natural hair" should not mean "without chemicals" but mean "hair that has the ability to return to its original state when water is used" How about using the term "heat trained" only? You are neither natural or relaxed. (AND THAT IS OKAY!!!!!!!!)


And yes I realize this thread (PLUS my comment) did not answer OPs question. That happens a lot here but I find it becoming the norm. :kanye shrug:

 

[arosieworld]

Wow! I think we shouldn't take this stuff all seriously! I call myself a black person but I actually more of a caramel color. Whatever you want to call yourself is cool I'm not going to tell you your wrong. Natural, Texlaxed, Color Treated its all beautiful and if you tell me your name is sue and your a white chick from mars but your license says amy from Michigan and your darker than me. I'm still gonna call you sue. My sister-in law tells people the aren't christian because they don't believe the exact same as her, when they label themselves such. People have their own world view. This is a discussion we aren't congress voting on laws. For me natural means one thing in my hair and when I see it, for you it may mean something else. Just show me some pretty hair.

 

[aileendq]

No chemicals that change the texture of hair. Color is not included in my definition. "Heat training" doesn't count, imo.

 

[classychic1908]

What about henna? Are you still natual if hennaed hair has to grow out? I'm just curious about what the board thinks about this?

Disclaimer: Classychic1908 is not saying that hennaed hair is unnatural... I just saw that statement in a few posts and it made me curious about what people on the board think.

 

[MizAvalon]

No chemical processing.(Relaxers, color)

 

[BostonMaria]

Ummmm. I must have missed something. What is heat training?

I say start a poll! That way you can get 1,000 definitions of what heat trained means erplexed

 

[~Sparklingflame~]

I swear ya'll go HARD!!!

Poll: What color is the sky on a clear day?
a) blue
b) sky blue
c) cerulean blue
d) it aint blue at all

Then 50-11 posts will follow talmbout it aint really blue at all.

 

[Aviah]

In reference to texture, no bkt, texturizer, relaxer.
Hair color is another thing.

 

[Creatividual]

I dont think you will get one, correct answer to this question, OP. It's subjective.


In my opinion, it's hair that has not been altered with a relaxer/texturizer. I consider heat use, braiding, weaving, rollersetting, twisting, non from-the-scalp alterations as 'styles'.

ITA with everything you just said. I share the same opinions.

 

[Creatividual]

What about henna? Are you still natual if hennaed hair has to grow out? I'm just curious about what the board thinks about this?

Disclaimer: Classychic1908 is not saying that hennaed hair is unnatural... I just saw that statement in a few posts and it made me curious about what people on the board think.

I've been using henna for about a year now and it has NOT altered my curl patten one bit. Henna is not permanent. The color is but all the other effects wear off.

 

[Junebug D]

While discussing black hair: hair that is not relaxed/texlaxed/texturized, etc.

Heat trained is just damaged natural hair... y'all need to just go ahead and claim those folks. Damage is damage. Is a natural with split ends from too much manipulation no longer natural?

While discussing hair in general: No chemicals whatsoever. A white person would not consider colored hair to be natural.

In purest terms: No chemicals, no fake hair either. There's nothing natural about parading around in a blond wig 7 days out of the week, 52 weeks out of the year.


So... yeah... take your pick.