What's Your Definition of Natural?

Natural fo r me is no chemicals that do permanent alteration so thats relaxers, texturizers, and some types of color.

If you want to wear a weave, braids, etc. your hair is not changed (hopefully) once you remove the fake hair.

applying most products and styling aids to hair do not permanently alter the hair, so I do not see their use in "violation" of being natural
JMHO
 
naturalgurl said:
People just seemed to be a little edgy, that's all. Then again so am I! LOL! :drunk:
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:lachen: Nah... I just think people (including myself) have different definitions of the same words, that's all. I must admit, I've never heard of a natural-natual, now THAT's a new term to me:spinning:
 
tocktick said:
i don't see colour as the same as relaxing or texlaxing. colour changing your texture is hit and miss; it can change for some and for others it does not. when you relax, your intent is to chemically alter your texture. i don't think people who colour do so in order to get a looser curl pattern but to colour their hair only. if i were to consider those who coloured to not be natural then i'd have to believe those who use clay, coconut & lime, henna etc as not natural either since for some their curls loosens when used over time.

with that said, what i said was a generalisation; not everyone who believes hair colouring means you're no longer natural is elitist. however, it so happens that in my personal experience many of the people who claim this are just what i described. i just think some people want to have these strict definitions in order to feel superior. however, like j.colily said, people can call themselves what they want. if a person i consider to have natural hair doesn't think she is because she added colour and it changed her texture a little then so be it; i'm not about to argue with her. it's just not that deep to me.
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We are :::::::> <:::::::::: Girl:grin:
 
lauren450 said:
It definitely is a hairboard thing. I mean, on most boards, you are either relaxed or natural. We now have texlaxed as an option too. We just don't get into all that other stuff. There is no point, IMO.

I feel the same IRL. If a woman has what looks to me to be a natural texture, then she's natural, even if her hair color is not.

I can agree to disagree, because I don't see any point at all in trying to break it down.

If your hair is the same texture as what grew out of your scalp, then you are Natural. If you color your hair, then you are a Natural with color. Anything further than that, I tune out. Sorry.
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I agree with this whole post! On most hairboards, it's usually just 3 categories most members would fall in. Relaxed, Texlaxed or Natural. So whether you're colored or not, you would be found to fall into one of those categories either way.

In response to the OP's question.......Natural to me is just no altering one's natural TEXTURE by the way of any chemical processes (this doesn't include coloring, highlights, henna.) Although coloring CAN alter a person's texture, but that's like a shot in the dark area, ie, what works for some won't work for EVERYONE.
 
Kurlee said:
WOW!!!!!! I think many are looking far too deep into a simple thing. Braiding your hair and then unloosing it DOES not mean u are not natural. Using products to get smoother hair or temporarily pressing it out to get a different look is NOT changing the fact that your hair is natural. Adding pieces for a week, makes you un natural? :huh: ITS NOT THAT SERIOUS! What is the real reason for these rigged rules? According to this, nobody would be natural EVER!?!:nono::rolleyes:

Let me get a fork and some water to style my hair!:rolleyes:
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:lachen::lachen::lachen::lachen:

That's how I feel
 
Anyone that believes that virgin hair is somehow better than natural colored hair is...

Crazy? :perplexed

lol, on my part, that's not where it's coming from at all.

I've seen those types and I tend to steer clear of them. I went on another site as a natural and I was just like... damn, it's really not THAT serious.

Imo it's a sign of a completely out of control hair obsession and weird hair/racial identity problem. It's the extreme oposite of self hate.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Kurlee
WOW!!!!!! I think many are looking far too deep into a simple thing. Braiding your hair and then unloosing it DOES not mean u are not natural. Using products to get smoother hair or temporarily pressing it out to get a different look is NOT changing the fact that your hair is natural. Adding pieces for a week, makes you un natural? :huh: ITS NOT THAT SERIOUS! What is the real reason for these rigged rules? According to this, nobody would be natural EVER!?!:nono::rolleyes:

Let me get a fork and some water to style my hair!:rolleyes:


:lachen: Now you're a natural-natural!LOL!!!:lachen:
 
MSHONEY said:
Natural hair denotes hair texture. The texture of my hair which is curly and the COLOR and STYLE of my hair are completely separate things. My natural hair color is jet black but it has nothing to do with my texture which is curly. If I dyed it blonde it would still be curly it's just not my natural hair COLOR. If I added hair extensions it would still be curly. If I flat ironed or pressed it it would still be curly the moment moisture hit it again, it's just not my natural HAIRSTYLE. Neither would picking out my curls into a fro which is a HAIRSTYLE but not my natural HAIRSTYLE. If I relaxed it it would no longer be curly because I have permanently changed it. The relaxed part of my hair can never be changed back to naturally curly. THEN my hair would not be natural.
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That's how I feel, Coloring my hair has not changed it's texture, maybe b/c I only color three times a year...every 4 months. Anyhoo, my texture always bounces back. I haven't straightened my hair, but if I do, I'm still natural b/c when I wash it, or if I get caught in the rain, it will nap back up...just my opinion:look:
 
laurend said:
Girly, :grin:I know you are relaxed and I respect your opinion. So I just want to know if I'm not natural then I'm relaxed? This question is not really directed at just you but others who are so called natural.
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Good spinoff question...If one's hair isn't natural, then, if you had to create a term for it, what would it be? I believe someone mentioned napptural:rolleyes:
 
LadyKaypnyc said:
Good spinoff question...If one's hair isn't natural, then, if you had to create a term for it, what would it be? I believe someone mentioned napptural:rolleyes:
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Nappy - or at least, that's how I refer to my kinky, naturally colored, non-chemically texture shifted hair.

:lachen:
 
I totally agree with u!!!!

Val said:
If you're wearing your hair the way it naturally comes out of your scalp then you're natural......simple

If you have not CHEMICALLY altered your hair texture then you are natural. If you constantly straigten your hair with heat you are still natural, if you use conditioner to make your curls pop you are still natural. If you wearing wigs or weaves you still natural......the wig or weave does not alter your hair....your hair is still in it's natural state underneath

I think some people just like to get too technical with certain things.
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LynnieB said:
If your hair's texture has not been treated with texture altering chemicals (lye, no-lye, thermals, jheri's) and is not colored, your hair is considered to be: <fill in the blank>?

If your hair's texture has not been treated with texture altering chemicals (lye, no-lye, thermal's, jheri's) but you do color your hair, your hair is considered to be: <fill in the blank>?

and finally,

If your hair's texture has not been treated with texture altering chemicals (lye, no-lye, thermal's, jheri's) and you have bleached/pressed your hair to the point where you have permanently damaged it, your hair is considered to be: <fill in the blank>?

let me answer my own questions:

1. natural w/no color (or virgin hair)
2. natural w/color
3. natural w/damaged hair

why are we going around and around?
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Thanks!! I'm perfectly ok with your answers. So I'm natural w/ color...that suits me just fine:grin:
 
If you aren't relaxed and you color your hair...

You have colored hair.

Meaning that the color isn't your naural color, which means... you're not exactly natural anymore. Because, you permanently changed your hair with chemicals...

That's how I thought it worked before. lol It was all so simple in my head. So logical, so rational...
 
If you have a relaxer, texturizer, silkner, curl, or your hair has been thermally straightened then you do not have natural hair because it has been chemically altered.

If your hair has not been chemically altered then I consider your hair to be natural.

I am on the fence about color because it is a chemical process, but in reality I don't think of color on a person that says they are natural to be a problem.
 
Neith said:
If she colored her hair to be light brown, then isn't she? If she has light brown hair naurally, then no.

Plenty people color their hair. I would just say it's colored.
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Colored only refers to the altered color of her hair (does that makes sense:sad:) But what about the texture? Would you be okay with said person being called a colored natural?:rolleyes:
 
lauren450 said:
I think we all understand that. But for all intents and purposes, texture is way more important than color.

I notice that almost all of the people who say it doesn't matter are natural themselves. I wonder if that makes a difference in why we feel the way we do?
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OT, LAUREN, I love your siggy! Your fro is beautiful:grin:
 
:lachen::lachen::lachen::lachen:


Nonie said:
:lachen:

Uh oh, wait...a fork? <--unnatural maintenance.
Runfast-vi.gif
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Neith said:
If you aren't relaxed and you color your hair...

You have colored hair.

Meaning that the color isn't your naural color, which means... you're not exactly natural anymore. Because, you permanently changed your hair with chemicals...

That's how I thought it worked before. lol It was all so simple in my head. So logical, so rational...
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So what if you are relaxed with colored hair. What are you called then?

Again, for the purposes of hair board definitions

Natural: no relaxer
Relaxed: relaxer
Texlaxed: Relaxed with texture

The rest is a non-issue for the vast majority of people on hairboards AND in real life.
 
Colored hair doesn't address the TEXTURE of one's hair...it just means that one has colored hair.

How would you classify the nature/texture of the colored hair?
 
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