Why does everyone want to "train" natural hair?

[haircare4life***]

I just want to echo what many have said and add my experiences, basically i don't think its a bad thing as my hair was 'trained'/damaged for years and still grew its only because i kept cutting i didn't see its full potential in length.

I started straightening my hair in high school when my mum finally let me do my own hair and i was so happy as i could finally achieve the relaxed look i so desired. (my mum didn't allow me to get a relaxer) Its only last year when i began to worry and linked the constant straightening to the lack of curl in the front of my hair which i used to straighten 10 times a day on dirty hair previously, i thought at the time that it was good that my hair was becoming straighter and straighter over time, i thought it was a blessing.

Now if i could do things over again i would definitely have not 'trained'/damaged my hair as i appreciate my hair and natural curls but it didn't do no harm in the past it worked and i achieved the look i wanted so its just one of those things that what works for some may not work for others etc. Now i am just appreciating my new growth and nurturing it as i intend to grow out the straight hairs that i have left with... too scared to big cut; so its gonna take a long time.

 

[BostonMaria]

Heat trained just means heat damage. I'm not anti-heat, but I take many precautions to avoid heat damage. I guess its easy for people to recommend a set-back, its not their hair. No thanks!

 

[haircare4life***]

Heat trained just means heat damage. I'm not anti-heat, but I take many precautions to avoid heat damage. I guess its easy for people to recommend a set-back, its not their hair. No thanks!

Good post i was considering thanking it but then i realised I'd be contradicting my own post. I would like to make clear that although i enjoyed heat 'training' and it was in my eyes a good decision at the time and don't regret it, it was totally the wrong decision as yes heat 'trained' is essentially damaged hair but thank God that although my hair became straighter it wasn't damaged further than that, a warning to others you may not be so lucky.

Sorry for contradicting but it couldn't be helped

 

[Janet']

OutKast said, "Everyone with dreads ain't down for the cause; everyone with golds ain't down for the fall"...TRUTH...

 

[BostonMaria]

Good post i was considering thanking it but then i realised I'd be contradicting my own post. I would like to make clear that although i enjoyed heat 'training' and it was in my eyes a good decision at the time and don't regret it, it was totally the wrong decision as yes heat 'trained' is essentially damaged hair but thank God that although my hair became straighter it wasn't damaged further than that, a warning to others you may not be so lucky.

Sorry for contradicting but it couldn't be helped

I rollerset my hair and my texture stays the same once a drop of water hits it. My issue is with stylists trying to make you feel bad about your texture and flatiron the heck out of it to make their lives easier. As for anybody who purposely wants to alter their texture by using heat, by all means go ahead but you're taking the chance of damaging your hair. As long as you know that then its all good. I think on this forum we know the consequences.

BTW I absolutely love my straightened natural hair. Its thick, long, so perdy, and I really don't think there is anything wrong with preferring this hairstyle vs using a relaxer. My hair is WSL and straightening cuts down on manipulation, knots, and time. I also love my natural hair and enjoy it as well.

 

[brittanynic16]

I call myself a heat trained natural. That in itself says that I no longer wear my hair in its natural state but I don't use a relaxer to do it. What is so wrong with that discription. I think it's fine. I'm not really interested in being "put in my place." I think I'll define myself as I see fit and let others argue and categorize themselves silly.

 

[brittanynic16]

Oh, wow. Can you please share your regimen with me? I truly want to do the same with my hair!

I plan to make a video on it but i am still trying to get it perfect before I put it out there.

 

[haircare4life***]

but thank God that although my hair became straighter it wasn't damaged further than that, a warning to others you may not be so lucky.

I guess i need to learn to write more clearly... i mean, I'm lucky that i can deal with it, it's not affected my hair growth, my hair didn't just break off; so in that respect I'm lucky

 

[JollyGal]

I think a change can only come when all people with curly hair learn to accept that their hair in it's natural form is beautiful and start describing it as a good thing "kinky" "coarse" "nappy" and the like are not positive words.

There is nothing wrong with straightening your hair... if you want to but don't be dismissive of people who don't want to

 

[pretty_nappy_hair]

Damn y'all, it's just hair.:endworld:
:hippie4: :afro2:

Can't we all just get along. :luv2:

 

[NikkiGirl]

I think it really depends on the person. I am transitioning and have been natural before. I miss the fullness I had when natural. But the first time I was a heat straightened natural and I didn't have any curls where my bangs were. So this time I am deciding to not use heat to transition and those curls have come back.

Anyway, long story short. I don't think it is bad to be natural and straighten, but recognize that it does have consequences for some. For me it was a loss of the texture I really wanted my hair to be. So it is definitely a personal thing.

 

[dancinstallion]

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).
:

I always equate damage to Broken off, split ends, unhealthy hair. When I was natural my hair was still splitting and braking. So I can't really say a Heat Trained natural that hair doesn't brake or have split ends has Damaged hair. I really can't compare the two because my hair was unprocessed and no heat(so not damaged) and still looked worse than a heat trained natural.

What if your hair was a 4c and you heat trained it. When water hits it then you are a 3c now. Would you still be considered a natural? You hair did curl back up but not to your original curl pattern but you made a new curl pattern 3c. It still isn't straight.

 

[dancinstallion]

Damn y'all, it's just hair.:endworld:
:hippie4: :afro2:

Can't we all just get along. :luv2:

I guess not. We all need catergories to be put in. Relaxed, texlaxed, natural and now heat trained. Apl, bsl, mbl, etc. It is how we define ourselves and you can't go and change tradition by adding yourself in a catergory you don't belong in cuz you are not welcome.. LOL.


Leaves to go and wash my Kinky, relaxed, natural looking hair.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

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Leaves to go and wash my Kinky, relaxed, natural looking hair.<--roflmao!

 

[dicapr]

I plan to make a video on it but i am still trying to get it perfect before I put it out there.

I will be waiting on this. My natural hair is full of SSK and retention is getting to be a problem againg. I plan to lightly heat train my hair to reduce these. I will just go from coils to curls.

 

[Crackers Phinn]

I have looser curls in the front of my hair from pulling back into buns so much.

When I was transitioning/natural, I wore my hair in a bun/puff for 2+ years. This caused the coils around the perimeter of my head to be stretched permanently into waves. It never coiled up, it had a ramen noodled texture at the stretched parts and coils everywhere else. According to the "unaltered" definitions of natural, I was no longer natural by way of puff.

If it's possible to permanently alter the texture of ones loose hair by repitition of process, then my next question is are locs natural based on the same principle that heat trained hair is not considered natural?

 

[Mz.MoMo5235]

when i started going natural i wore my hair straight all the time. i just personally didnt like how my hair looked curly (well back then i didnt have the right prods or reggie either so that could have something to do with it too lol).

i heat damaged my hair a little over a yr ago and went to my hair dresser freaking out (by then i wore my hair curly except for special occasions) and she told me that my hair was starting to "be trained" and that if i kept using my new flat iron at the high heat i could train my whole head. i freaked out cause i didnt want my hair trained. but had i knew about this lets say from the age of 14 up to about 4yrs ago, i would have preferred it over the relaxers.

i dont see it as a bad thing though. its a preference thing. if you wear your hair straight most of the time then heat training would probably be a benefit. i like to wear my hair curly most of the time so heat training makes me sad lol

 

[drappedup]

Not everyone is natural for the same reasons.

I know my reasoning is NOT to have curly hair. While I love wavy/curly/kinky hair on some women, I don't think it flatters me. I think I look better with straight hair. I'm not relaxing anymore not because I don't want straight hair, but because it was a major deterrent in why my hair rarely grew past shoulder length, why I was struggling to have genuinely healthy locks, and inability to properly care for my hair's needs. That's why I stopped getting relaxers. THAT'S ME. I can't speak for anyone else, but my prime goal here is healthier and longer hair. That's my goal. My goal is not to have curlier hair. In fact, I'm sure once I get to the point where my natural strands outweigh the old chemical ones, I will probably start using flat irons. I just like my hair straight. I wish I had the face for curlier hair, but I really don't believe it suits me. Just like short hair does not suit me whatsoever. So yeah, that's MY reasoning for not relaxing. Not everyone is the same.

Just as you say there's nothing wrong with not "training" your hair to be straight, what's so wrong with having your hair straight? Nothing.

 

[frida1980]

ok....

As a person that does both the natural/straight thing since 2002, let me tell you why training is not equal to heat damage.

During the fall/winter I wear my hair straightened. Then in April I start twisting. There's a transition period for both styles. When I start straightening, my hair will not hold the press well at all. It takes around three weeks for it to hold. I put up with it looking puffy and frizzy for a while.

When I start twisting, it lacks body and life. It's still puffy, but not as puffy as it gets in around three or four weeks.

The training is fact that the hair gets used to being in one state. It not necessarily damage. While the hair does get straighter, most times leaving it in it's natural state with protein treatments will allow it to revert back.

That's not to say that my hair doesn't get heat damaged. It's the main reason I have to trim each summer. But training =/= heat damage. It's more like temporary alteration of the hair strained, rather than the permanent heat damage.

Personally I detest the kinky/pressed wars. It's a personal option for people, rather than a religious choice. I've lost more hair natural than I have straight, so I don't believe that one is "healthier" or "better" over the other. They both simply need lots of specific attention and care to ensure that the hair is healthy. Because with any type of AA hair breakage and damage is likely.

Experience and knowledge helps both styles from losing their hair. Which is the whole reason why we're in this forum, isn't it?

 

[Trini_Chutney]

Who cares? If it's not growing out of my scalp I could really care less.

 

[BostonMaria]

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Leaves to go and wash my Kinky, relaxed, natural looking hair.<--roflmao!

You relaxed heads have it so easy. You don't have bonelaxed vs texlaxed e-fights

 

[Artemis]

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of going natural? LOL! And good grief...a persons hair would NE-VER grow if they got a trim once a month...

*tiptoes in* Hey y'all...

From the stylist's standpoint, that would be the easiest way for her to help OP go natural. Trimming the hair gets rid of the relaxed faster (and keeps the hair looking good), and keeping it straight will be easier for OP to manage in between visits until the relaxed hair is gone, so that's why she said "training". The stylists I'm friends with don't really see how you can grow out a relaxer and grow long hair at the same time--with them it's like you have to choose. This stylist just wants to her to come regularly, but saying it like that is a turn-off IMO. Most of them think we have that mentality where if we come to them once then it's because we need them and they have to "save us", but really they just need to stop trying to hard to get and keep clients.

*steps of soapbox and goes back to my wash day rituals...*

 

[Artemis]

Most people on the hairboards that heat train, do so to cut down on SSK's. Not everyone is ashamed of their natural texture. Sure, some people are and this hairdresser seems like she has something against thick, kinky hair but it isn't fair to group everyone together.

Heat training hair and straightening hair are two different concepts, albeit related. Heat training is at the extreme of the 'straightened natural hair" spectrum, just like limp, overprocessed hair is at the end of the 'chemically treated' spectrum.

Straightening the hair and keeping it straight should not have to damage the hair to the point where it does not ever curl back up. If that happens, you have to grow it out, cut it out and start over with smarter hairstyling methods/techniques. PERIOD.

(hope this helps ASUbeauty)

 

[Solitude]

I would like to propose a new category: Relaxed heads who wear textured styles . My hair is relaxed, but I've worn textured styles almost every day to my summer internship and everyone thought my hair was natural. lol






j/k

 

[Solitude]

*tiptoes in* Hey y'all...

From the stylist's standpoint, that would be the easiest way for her to help OP go natural. Trimming the hair gets rid of the relaxed faster (and keeps the hair looking good), and keeping it straight will be easier for OP to manage in between visits until the relaxed hair is gone, so that's why she said "training". The stylists I'm friends with don't really see how you can grow out a relaxer and grow long hair at the same time--with them it's like you have to choose. This stylist just wants to her to come regularly, but saying it like that is a turn-off IMO. Most of them think we have that mentality where if we come to them once then it's because we need them and they have to "save us", but really they just need to stop trying to hard to get and keep clients.

*steps of soapbox and goes back to my wash day rituals...*

Artemis!!!!! I thought you had left LHCF!

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

I would like to propose a new category: Relaxed heads who wear textured styles . My hair is relaxed, but I've worn textured styles almost every day to my summer internship and everyone thought my hair was natural. lol






j/k

U MAY BE RIGHT SIS! my hair would neeeeeeeeeeever ever complete straighten out during my relaxer life! In college, i just wore it curly/frizzy/poofy rods 90% of time, and I didn't realize til later people my own friends admitted they thought I had a natural!
NOOOOOOOOO, that there is a relaxa'

 

[Artemis]

Artemis!!!!! I thought you had left LHCF!

Hi hon, I had to take a break. You know how it is . I's back now

 

[lexiwiththecurls]

OMG I literally have this conversation everyday. I dont get it either..this obsession with stylists and training. Basically it makes their job easier because its less detangling time, less time to straighten...but if Im paying, I want my hair to revert...not make her job easier.