Who went natural and....

[Odd One]

Ended up not liking it at all

How long did you stay natural?

What is your hair type?

Why hasnt it work for you?

I keep hearing "Going natural is the best thing ive ever done for my hair" And Im thinking about doing it too... So now Im just looking out for what could go wrong.

 

[Ozma]

Well, it's a complex issue... Once I was fully natural and realized that it came with its own set of issues I was discouraged. After the twa phase, I realized that it was not going to be all wash-n-go until I was WL. I had to get to understand MY texture and everything that meant for me.

There were certainly times that the grass looked greener over on the relaxed side of the fence. I have gone back to relaxing in the past because the natural reality was not the dream curly hair I wished for. There are knots, breakage, more fragility, etc. I thought natural meant I could abuse my hair more and it would just bounce back.

That being said of the 3 times I've gone natural as an adult, this is the last time and I am going to stick it out. I know what I can and can't do now and I work within those parameters.

I wish you luck and I know that you will find much encouragement here, no matter which path you take.

Sorry, to directly answer your question: my type is 3b/3c/4a

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Hey Kitten

I certainly can't contribute to your question as the only thing I regret about going natural is not doing it sooner. I wanted to address your motivation for asking this question.....I understand why you may want to see different sides of things before you make this decision but one persons experience isn't the same as the next persons experience.

Someone who had a horrible experience going natural may have very fine hair and you may have coarse or vice versa, they may have a different hair texture than you and they might not have put as much effort as you might. Maybe they went natural and didn't search for styling options and as a result felt limited when in actuality they weren't. I think if you're strong in your determination to stay natural and finding the best ways to manage your hair you will achieve all your goals and look fabulous while you're doing it.

I believe success being natural or relaxed has to do with in what state you are willing to put the most effort into making it work. I believe that if your hair is unmanageable, its because you haven't learned to manage it yet. Ask yourself if you truly want to go natural, and at the end of the day I think that opinion should weigh heavier then all the rest.

 

[taz007]

How long did you stay natural? 9 years with a 3 month relaxed stint. I relaxed in 2008. I thought that I would go natural so that my hair would grow longer and minimize the breakage.

What is your hair type? 4BZ

Why hasn't it work for you? I was not prepared for the knots and marathon detangling sessions (hours!). My shrinkage was outta this world but it did not really bother me. I had lots breakage as well.

The thing that really got me was not being able to just "go" and look presentable. When I pressed my hair, I had to dodge the rain and humidity.

Now that I am relaxed, I do not fear water. Detangling takes 10 minutes max.

This was just my experience, yours may be much better. Other 4Bs have had great success going natural .

 

[PeanutButterandHoney]

Ended up not liking it at all
ZeeOl'lady
How long did you stay natural?
I am still natural. It's been two months

What is your hair type?
4a/b

Why hasnt it work for you?
I felt it was too short.
I wish I had transitioned longer.
I also researched textures I desired vs. textures I have
I keep hearing "Going natural is the best thing ive ever done for my hair" And Im thinking about doing it too... So now Im just looking out for what could go wrong.

Just know your texture and really research how to work with it.
Don't expect products to give you "curls".
Only God can do that.

I am learning to work WIT my hair instead of against it.
Will I relax later? probably, but it won't be soon
I transitioned for 14 months and I didn't realize how much length I acquired.
I decided (out of frustration) to go ahead and flat iron it and to my suprise I am NL.
My cousins all thought i had relaxed but i hadn't; Im just that good at flat ironing.
Y relax when I can flat iron just as well?

HTH

 

[GabbanaGirl]

Look at it from a positive perspective, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with relaxing, telaxing, or going natural.

I am natural, and honestly there are times I am completely frustrated (but who is 100% happy with themselves 100% of the time), most of the time though, I love my hair, specifically because of the versatility being natural brings.

 

[chebaby]

the only thing i hate is that during my transition i used heat weekly so my front bang area is heat damaged. other than that i love love love my natural hair and have never thought about going back to relaxed hair.

 

[crazydaze911]

I was relaxed from age 12 to 19, then i was natural for two years (with no idea how to style my hair and too scared to use gel, i looked A HOT MESS - OMG). Then i tried a naturalaxer which was worse than a regular relaxer and had my hair falling out in the shower. Seeing as i was fooled by advertising, i just went back to relaxing. Then when i was 25, almost 26, i decided to go natural again. im still transitioning.
Its weird cuz i kinda HATE the knottyness and 'uncombability' (made that word up) of my natural hair and it IS frustrating but theres NO WAY in a million years i would EVER go back to relaxing EVER... my hair is too fragile and i have too many bad memories of the creamy crack, so if i have to wear a bun everyday or use heat - then so be it, cuz i just CANT, CANT go back - its hard to explain....
i see beautiful relaxed heads on this site but im just not willing to risk it.....

 

[Crackers Phinn]

How long did you stay natural? 3 years

What is your hair type? 4a/b

Why hasnt it work for you? I wanted long hair more than I wanted natural hair. I ran into an issue with single strand knots that required me to keep chopping off my progress. My problem seems to be a minority among naturals so maybe you won't have the same issue.

Although, I can't say that I didn't like being natural at all. I never had a problem with my texture or detangling, regimen, etc. Hell, every 16 weeks when I go pay for my touchup I'm reminded of a major benefit of being natural.

In my not so humble opinion every black woman should go natural at least once.

 

[ClassicBeauty]

I'll bite!
I don't really like my natural hair, but I love that my hair is natural. Sounds crazy huh? I wear my hair straight most of the time because I have 3 VERY different textures of hair, adn they don't blend well AT ALL. BUT I really like my healthy, natural hair. It's longer than it's ever been, stronger than ever, and definitely healthier than ever.

If you're really trying to grow LONG hair, you have to really think about your hair texture and what you will do with it when it's long. As for me, my texture is a mix and some parts have much more shrinkage than others. It looks....I guess wild is the best word to describe it when I attempt a wash 'n go. It may have been cute in a TWA or a short cut, but I'll never know because I transitioned for a very long time before cutting the relaxed ends off. Now that it's getting longer, I wear it pressed most of the time because I don't have many choices.

I still love it!

Definitely believe what Zee'Ol Lady said! Only God (and rollers/rods) can really give you curls. I've tried almost every product to help with my more textured areas, and nothing makes it curlier, silkier, etc. It's just not going to look like the rest of my hair.

You may have my problem with the multiple textures, or your whole head may not be the texture you want it to be. Who knows?