Training Hair

[aloof one]

Does this work for anyone? Has anyone here ever done this before?

Story: When I was younger and my mom still did my relaxers and I was in between braids, my hair was this huge messy frizz ball that made a fuzzy brown halo around my head (I was ear length, so I couldnt even wear a bun to hide my junk). It was chlorine/sun damaged to the point where it turned orange, and because I was underprocessed in some parts and overprocessed in others, I couldn't manage it at all. It was BIG like an afro, but the texture was damaged and looked llike a tumbleweed.

Well for the next 6 years or so I would style my hair the same way parting it and brushing it the same direction everyday so that it would lay down and grow downward instead of straight up. Ive pretty much parted my hair down the middle 95% of the time to keep it growing that direction because when it was brushed back I had a mowhawk up top. After brushing/ combing/ washing/ conditioning/ styling my relaxed hair the same way everyday, it eventually hanged down and was easier to straighten when I started flat-ironing my hair as well. I know it worked, because after a while when I tried to brush my hair back it didnt even agree with me anymore and stayed parted. It was like my hair got used to it.

So here I am now almost APL and and transitioning with about 3 inches or so of newgrowth and I want to know if I can do to my natural hair what I did to my relaxed hair. My newgrowth has somewhat accepted the part in my hair and conformed at the crown a little, but my kitchen is growing straight OUT of my head, like some 2 inch long coils sticking straight out of my head. I had to repeat myself because its just that dramatic right now. I want it to go down, not out, but Im not sure how since its so short

My question is,... Can you train your natural hair to go a certain direction overtime? Can I make it go down after a while like I did my permed hair? Or am I going to have to look like Krusty the Clown? (Im not even playin it was that bad..)

 

[cmw45]

Although it could happen...I don't think so. I think that one of the things that happens with relaxed hair and not natural hair is the breaking down of the cortex (and then rebuiliding with proteins) while hanging...kind of like when they would put those Jerhi curl perm rods in and you'd come out with hair that mimiced the perm rod. This breaking down/rebuilding never really happens with natural hair (unless you used a very harsh color treatment and needed to do a protein treatment.)

JMHO. HTH.

C

 

[LoveLiLi]

I was wondering the same thing. Sorry, I don't have a definite answer for you, but I notice that there are sections of my hair that will lay down and have much looser, shinier curls. I was wondering if these sections are naturally like that or if they are like that because they are the sections I happen to brush/scarf.

 

[Starr1]

I've always had natural hair and for years I parted my hair in the middle and brushed it down on either side. So when I finally decided to part it on the side or brush it straight back without a part it behaved like a cowlick and wouldn't lay in any other directions so yes it's possible but if you do it too long be prepared to have a part that behaves like a cowlick should you want to change it, just like it did when your hair was relaxed.