To be or not to be...

[Amber_moon]

Natural that is...

I'm having a very hard time making the choice.


I see all these ladies with these beautiful heads of curly natural hair. And it makes me want to be natural so badly.

But I am holding back for a few reasons:

1. I have length that I want to keep. I would be so sad if I lost all my hair!

2. I have no idea WHAT my hair type is. I have no guarantee that its going to come out all curly and bouncy and stuff.

3. I simply do not know how to style natural hair.

I need to figure this out soon ladies. I'm getting to the point where my head is starting to itch for a relaxer, and if I don't make the decision soon I'm going to end up relaxing and loosing all my unrelaxed progress.

Somebody give me some advice, words of encouragement, etc. Please.

 

[hopeful]

I don't really know what to say other than it really is wonderful to be natural. I know I love it. I'm 16 months natural and my hair is healthier now than it has been in years. But don't feel bad if you relax, you can go natural at any time in your life, at any moment, when you are ready and when you are ready it won't be so hard either because you will want to be natural MORE than you want to be relaxed. Be patient with yourself and your hair. Good luck.

 

[wheezy807]

You should also visit some natural hair sites. I was on youtube watching a lady talking about her expiences being natural, i think she had been natural for 10yrs and finally found the answer to stop her breakage! That was very interesting. You can also go to peoples fotki/album to learn things such as hair styles. They get that wash n go, so luuck! So you are not alone, we have wonderful laies here that will hold your hand down that path. It all depends on you and your preference.

 

[Tenejita10473]

Going natural is a freeing expereince and a wonderful and sometimes frustrating jurney. But once you find what works for you...its all good .

I love it. But like the previous posters stated1. you can go natural at anytime and 2. if you decide to go natural, here (LHCF) you will have all the support and advice you need to guide you on your journey.

GOOD LUCK....hope you join the club...its fun.

 

[Robin41]

Natural that is...

I'm having a very hard time making the choice.


I see all these ladies with these beautiful heads of curly natural hair. And it makes me want to be natural so badly.

But I am holding back for a few reasons:

1. I have length that I want to keep. I would be so sad if I lost all my hair!

2. I have no idea WHAT my hair type is. I have no guarantee that its going to come out all curly and bouncy and stuff.

3. I simply do not know how to style natural hair.

I need to figure this out soon ladies. I'm getting to the point where my head is starting to itch for a relaxer, and if I don't make the decision soon I'm going to end up relaxing and loosing all my unrelaxed progress.

Somebody give me some advice, words of encouragement, etc. Please.

I can kinda relate to your situation because I had a lot of questions about transitioning to natural as well but I knew it was something I needed to do. To answer your questions as best I can:

1. You can transition and keep your length. You don't have to cut off all your hair. For me, after over a year of transitioning, I just got sick of the two textures and knew it was time to cut the relaxer off. I had to get over the need for long hair and realized I could look just fine with short hair. Besides, it really does grow back.

2. We all forgot what our hair looked like natural. Most of us have been relaxing since we were kids and could not remember what our hair looked like before. If you don't like it, you can always go back to relaxing. Going natural doesn't have to be a permanent choice.

3. This board is a wealth of information on caring for natural hair so please take advantage of all the brilliant ladies here. I've seen very few questions go unanswered here to ask away! Besides, practice makes perfect. The more you work with your hair, you'll come to know what it can do and what it can't do, what products work best, etc.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

 

[BroadstreetBully]

I wouldn't go natural unless I REALLY knew that it was a step I wanted to take. I had to make sure that transitioning was worth the effort because it is A LOT of work. Be prepared to start all over again while many of the other members are hitting length milestone after milestone. Be prepared for the amount of time it'll take to reach your ultimate goal when starting from the very beginning. I mean, you are growing a whole new head of hair, we're talking up to 5 more years to reach some goals lengths. I don't want to discourage you, but if you are unsure now, that might not change with time. You have to go into this with full force. It's a heck of a journey, people are going to talk you out of it, call you crazy, you won't be swangin' your hair with the other girls, but if you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, like the rest of us do...it will be the greatest experience of your life. I'm still falling more in love with my natural hair everyday.

 

[bLackButtaFly]

It's a tough decision. ITA with what the other ladies have said. It's a commitment, and I guess more importantly an adjustment, to whatever you're used to with relaxed hair. The good news is that it's more adjustment then anything, and you do adjust, and there are aaaaaaaallllllloooottttt of other ladies who can offer help, advice and support. I love being natural, but it's not for everyone. Whatever your choice lots of hair blessings!!

 

[frankie]

Hi Amber Moon

I think your concerns are legitimate and at some point you'll be ready to go natural when it's right for you. For me it just happened...I knew that I'd stop relaxing one day, but I never dreamed that I'd decdie to transition at this point in my life. I'm almost 8 months into my transition. I have found that it's easier if I only deal with my hair on wash days. If I were to try styling it daily then I probably would have given up by now, but protective styles/updoes, and most recently cornrowing my own hair, have been my saving grace.

Like the other ladies have said, this board contains a wealth of info and you can find all the help you need to either transition or keep your relaxed hair healthy. gOOD LUCK ON YOUR DECISION.

 

[PinkSkates]

For me, I knew I wanted to be natural when I no longer had any questions. I didn't seek anyone's advice, I was not looking for any friends to try and talk me out of it; or for any one to praise me for wanting to wear my natural hair. I had just had enough of being super dependent on chemicals to make my hair straight. And I went cold turkey. So maybe one day when you no longer have so much anxiety about the decision to go natural, then you'll know you're ready. It's just hair, and it really does grow back. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Amber_moon]

For me, I knew I wanted to be natural when I no longer had any questions. I didn't seek anyone's advice, I was not looking for any friends to try and talk me out of it; or for any one to praise me for wanting to wear my natural hair. I had just had enough of being super dependent on chemicals to make my hair straight. And I went cold turkey. So maybe one day when you no longer have so much anxiety about the decision to go natural, then you'll know you're ready. It's just hair, and it really does grow back. Good luck with your decision.

I think you are right about this one.

 

[schipperchow1]

Hi AmberMoon:

Why do you want to be natural? You give more reasons for not going natural than for. How many weeks/months post relaxer are you? Have you read the transitioners support thread? You can read others reasons, struggles, victories etc @going natural.

Good luck

 

[LynnieB]

For me, I knew I wanted to be natural when I no longer had any questions. I didn't seek anyone's advice, I was not looking for any friends to try and talk me out of it; or for any one to praise me for wanting to wear my natural hair. I had just had enough of being super dependent on chemicals to make my hair straight. And I went cold turkey. So maybe one day when you no longer have so much anxiety about the decision to go natural, then you'll know you're ready. It's just hair, and it really does grow back. Good luck with your decision.

I so agree with you so much!

Natural that is...

I'm having a very hard time making the choice.


I see all these ladies with these beautiful heads of curly natural hair. And it makes me want to be natural so badly.

But I am holding back for a few reasons:

1. I have length that I want to keep. I would be so sad if I lost all my hair!
Then do NOT BC.

2. I have no idea WHAT my hair type is. I have no guarantee that its going to come out all curly and bouncy and stuff.

Girl it'll be a surprise sometimes but that is ok. even if you have a slight idea of what your hair type is, 9 out of 10 your head will have several different types up there that will leave most hair typing systems in the dust LOL.

the important thing to remember is; that hair, YOUR hair, no matter the type or texture, needs to be accepted and loved by you. if it's not, you will not be happy being natural and will get frustrated and disheartened.

3. I simply do not know how to style natural hair.
this is an easy one. girl, there's tons, i mean literally tons of hair styles available to natural women. never ever let anyone tell you that natural hair is not acceptable. take a walk over onto nappturality and you will see a myriad of hair styles for casual, formal and workplace environments.

with time, patience and the right tools, you will be able to recreate any of them at any given time and, come up with plenty of your own!

I need to figure this out soon ladies. I'm getting to the point where my head is starting to itch for a relaxer, and if I don't make the decision soon I'm going to end up relaxing and loosing all my unrelaxed progress.

this worries me. why? because you're putting undue pressure on yourself to make a decision that you're not really sure you want to make at this time. if you're really ready then getting that relaxer would be the farthest thing from your mind. you have to be sure in yourself. 95% of a transition is mental.

Somebody give me some advice, words of encouragement, etc. Please.

Amber, the ladies really were so on point with their advice.

Going natural definitely isn't for everyone. If you are unsure now and like you said "itching for a relaxer" then now is not the right time for you to make this kind of decision.

You shouldn't feel rushed or anxious at all. If have really mentally made the transition, getting another relaxer wouldn't even be a factor in your mind.

Going natural is not a contest where you must hurry up and finish or you win/lose, there's no prize given, there's no megamillions to be won if you do a BC nor a purple heart if you decide to do a leisurely transition.............

if i were you, i'd nixie the idea of going natural for now and instead just concentrate on managing your new growth. basically continue stretching your relaxer and it will give you more time to examine the reasons why you want to go natural. give it another 2-4 months then see how you feel, that way you haven't made any concrete decisions either way.

in the meantime, try doing some natural hair styles and get an idea of what a long transition entails, maybe experiment with some different products and techniques, and give yourself time to relax and enjoy your hair and your journey.

no hurry, no pressure, no hassles = no regrets

 

[Amber_moon]

Hi AmberMoon:

Why do you want to be natural? You give more reasons for not going natural than for. How many weeks/months post relaxer are you? Have you read the transitioners support thread? You can read others reasons, struggles, victories etc @going natural.

Good luck

Im about 2 months post relaxer.

I want to go natural because mostly I'm sick of relaxing. Its not healthy and I REALLY REALLY love the look of those little tight corkscrew curls that a lot of the natural ladies here have.

(However its not guaranteed that Im going to have that so...)

 

[schipperchow1]

LynnieB: You summed up my thoughts exactly. I especially agree with "relax and enjoy your hair and your journey".