Your reasons for transitioning

[TaraDyan]

• I want healthier hair
• I want thicker hair
• I do not want ANYMORE chemical damage and breakage
• I'm not so sure that it is a good idea to be putting chemicals on my hair or scalp...and you are going to get chemicals on your scalp.
• I do believe I will be more succesful in trying to grow my hair if I stop applying relaxers
• I want my natural texture back and I then have the choice to wear textured hair or straight hair
• I realised that even though relaxing makes my hair more manageable, I was relaxing to 'fit in' with certain stereotypes about what is beautiful hair.
• I am recovering from traction alopecia around my the back of my hair / nape and it would be a to carry on relaxing.
• :realitycheck:, there's nothing wrong with my texture.

I echo this entire post. Every single word of it (except I am recovering from chemical alopecia around my edges). Also, my sclap is running things from now on. Now that I haven't abused it with caustic chemicals in over a year, it won't have it any other way. It even rebels at certain conditioners that are too harsh now.

 

[SohoHair]

1) I finally realized my hair would only grow to it's fullest potential in terms of length and health when I stopped relaxing. I had been lightly texlaxing, stretching my touchups, trying to use the best relaxer money could buy and doing all kinds of things to reduce the damaging effect of my relaxers when I realized that I could just STOP relaxing and be the better for it.

2) I fell in love with my NG during my stretches. I was always playing with the curls and waves and coils and probably looked like a crazy person!

3) I crave simplicity and transparency in all things, my hair routine included. Nothing is easier than co-washing almost daily, adding some leave in and gel and walking out the door feeling beautiful. I no longer need to rollerset frequently or blow it out, or fret about what the elements would do to my hair.

4) I am lucky enough to live in NYC and see beautiful lush, wild, healthy, long natural heads wherever I turn. It's Curlspiration 24/7.

 

[princessnad]

Natural hair is simply BEAUTIFUL!!!
I've seen the natural heads on fotki and I just fell in love

I love my hair the way it grows out of my scalp
That love means that I want to abuse it as little as possible. The chemicals were making my already fine hair even thinner and I had to really battle with breakage.

I want the versatility of natural hair. You can make it straight of curly.

Honestly, the most important reason is because I think it looks really pretty. I guess I'm just different but I truly appreciate the physical appearance of both curly and straight hair.

 

[SEMO]

1. I was tired of relaxing (even though I only did it 3-4 times/year) and being dependent on others to relax it (self-relaxing wasn't for me)
2. Curiousness about my natural texture
3. To save money (relaxers were getting pricey)
4. Inspiration from those already natural

 

[Mom23]

I'm transitioning because I really want to know what my natural hair is like, and I feel like I have learned so much about relaxed and natural hair here, that I could successfully take care of it. 3 months in, so far it's going okay. I plan on big chopping, I just haven't decided when.

 

[Clem98tig]

1. Tired of going to stylists who damaged my hair and encouraged relaxers every 4 weeks like clockwork. Always wondered why my hair never go any longer thank 2 - 3 inches...
2. Wanted to see my natural texture.
3. Wanted to make a choice for me. My mother made the 1st choice to put a relaxer in my hair when I was 8. I just continued doing that because it was expected.
4. Wanted to be conscious of choices I make regarding my hair & body. This means less chemicals and finding alternative ways make me a better me

 

[cupcakes]

Hey ladies! I know that many of us on the forum are transitioning and I was wondering what everyone else's reasons were. For me personally, there are quite a few reasons.

1. I'm curious about my natural hair type. So far I am 6 weeks post and I see more and more curls/spirals developing that I never even knew I had.

2. I'm tired of relaxers. My last touch up burned my scalp. That was the first time I ever experienced scalp irritation like that. I don't want to pay $65 for that anymore.

3. I LOVE washing my hair! I'd wash my hair everyday if I could. However, with relaxed hair, I have to use some type of heat on it afterwards to get it straight. Wash n goes are a no no for me because my hair ends up looking like a mess. If my hair was natural I would be able to wash my hair as much as I wanted.

4. My hair is meant to be 4a. I shouldn't have to straighten just to fit in with American standards of beauty. Every time I turn on the t.v., I see blonde women with corn silk hair. I'm so SICK of it! I want to show the world that black women are beautiful and so is our natural hair!

5. In the future if I have a daughter, I want to be able to take care of her hair and teach her how to care for it. I think the best way to do that, is it acquire some first-hand knowledge.

all of these reasons pus the fact that i LUV big hair, and relaxers make my hair look thin

 

[Lynnerie]

I'm transitioning because....

1. I was relaxing to please others at the work place and basically to fit it with what others see as beautiful.

2. I'm curious about my natural hair. I dont want to live my entire life no knowing.

3. I feel that my scalp and hair will be healthier.I'm just tired of relaxing. I already know I can have pretty relaxed hair. I want something new.

4. I hate the way my relaxed hair looks fresh out the shower after washing. I look like something that washed up from the sea until I blowdry and flat iron.

5. My relaxed hair only looks good after getting it done. And I need to go to the salon to really make it look good.

I realize I need to do this for me. I have attempted to transition so many times and I feel bad after I get a relaxer. I dont want to have that feeling.

 

[lovinmylocs]

I have many of the same reasons as all of you.

1) The biggest one for me is I was tired of waiting all day in the salon to get scalp burns. I first got a relaxer when I was 15 and I've never gotten a touchup without scabs and weeping sores on my head. I could stop scratching for three days and slather my scalp in vaseline and it would still burn. I...just...got...tired...

2) The time involved. I could never just wash it and wrap it. It was always an all day process even when I washed at home. I had to wash dry, curl and flatiron to get it straight. I got a promotion at work that requires me to travel and dealing with all of that on the road is a nightmare. I also had a short hair cut at the time and I wouldn't have to get up an extra hour to curl my hair. When you have a 7:00 am meeting getting up at 4:30 so you can do your hurr isn't cute.

3) I was in love with my new growth. I loved to run my fingers across it. Actually I couldn't wait until that first wave came out after a touch up.

4) I have a lot of natural friends. And to be perfectly honest it wasn't until I saw how they were natural, true to themselves and taking the corporate world by storm did I realize that I could do it to. My biggest worry was how would I deal with it at work. What would people say? What would people think? Will this prevent me from advancing my career....?

I'm glad that I did this, it was the best decision I ever made about my hair.

 

[BrownEyez22]

I haven't had a relaxer since the first week of March, I am trying to transistion...I think

My reasons are for my scalp, me a relaxers have never gotten along. I have always had breakage problems, slight scalp burns ect., I would like to treat my scalp better before it really turns on me.

I am also curious to what my hair can do on its own, if I stop chemically altering it every 8-10weeks.

My hair is so much fuller natural, I have seen it after 6-9 months of micro braids and it looked so much healther and fuller than any time my hair has been relaxed. Of course I relaxed shortly after taking out those braids

It will save me money! LOL

 

[loulou82]

My reasons are like most of yours, I came to this forum to grow my hair long but I have fine hair; loads of strands but fine strands. But I was cool with that and I started to grow my hair long. Then one day I saw a picture of a lady with hair passed APL that was fine like mine. It looked awful. I'm not even being mean and I'm not going to say where I saw it but it just made me realise that my hair will never be like DLewis' or Sareca's or Lauren's because I just don't have hair that thick or even that many strands. So I figured I could grown it long and afro and it's be big a beautiful and thick and luscious and it'd be great. So that's what I'm doing.

That coupled with the fact I found myself sweating and running down a long arse road to my salon to get my hair relaxed at 9 on a Saturday morning for my goddaughters christening and I suddenly realised it just wasn't worth it any more. Who wants to wake up at like 7:30 on saturday to get to the salon early so you don't have to spend all day there? Then next time you wash your hair you gotta do it on Sunday cos it takes the whole day. It wasn't worth it any more.

Great point! I, too, will never hair thicky thick hair but as a natural at least I won't lose the volume that I do have.

 

[Allandra]

Because I no longer want to use any chemicals on my hair.

 

[homegirljiggy]

Right now, I'm tired of conforming to some image of beauty that someone else has created for me... my hair was fine big and curly, and i would straighten when i wanted... being relaxed actually stole away that diversity of my afro kinky hair... the very thing that makes it beautiful and different!!!!

 

[coconow2007]

I wanted to try something new. When I streched I liked the feel of my ng and this month I did the BC. Struggeling a bit with styles but this forum really helps. I would not have had the courage to do this with lhcf.

 

[audacity.]

I am transitioning really for one reason and one reason only...well maybe two.

1. I want to lead by example.
I never want my DDs to relax their beautiful hair. I figured if they are seeing me relax my hair at the same time telling them not to, it will send conflicting messages. So I decided to stop relaxing so that I can serve as someone who practices what they preach in regards to my kids.

2. I don't want to be a 70 year old woman running to the store or to the shop getting a "perm."

3. I love the texure of my kids hair.

I know that they had to get that "good" stuff from someone So, that also motivated me to transition.

I know I said 2 but you get that last one for free

 

[ResultsMayVary]

No matter how much I learn about the proper way to care for relaxed hair .. I can't do it.

My natural hair will probably not be easy to maintain but I've never tried, so hopefully I'll succeed at caring for it because I can't care for relaxed !!!

 

[prettypuff1]

1. My hair is very thin when relaxed, so i would like to see it thicker
2. I want to see and work with my texture
3. I don't want to keep using chemicals
4. I want more versitility with my hair.

 

[adf23]

My only real reasons are:

no longer want to use chemicals on my hair

want to have the option to wear my natural hair texture. I still plan to straighten at random.

 

[justsimply]

My reasons are:

I missed the feel/styles of my natural hair (lasted 10 mths on the relaxer side).

Natural is just more simple for me

I know I want to return to locs one day....gotta be natural for that. (Well you can do the sister locs but the relaxed ends will never loc and will eventually have to be cut off).

 

[Christa438]

Tired of self-relaxing/texlaxing--have extra sensitive scalp anyhow

I will not let a stylist come near me any more

I want hair as healthy as can be

I want to be a example to my little girl. I dont want to be a few years down the line telling her that her natural hair is beautiful and she doesn't need to put a chemical in it to make it straight but she watches me put the relaxer on my hair time and time again and is still getting the message that there's something wrong with her hair type that needs to be fixed/changed. My mama, my sisters , aunts & female cousins have relaxed hair--I dont want her seeing that the women in the family all have relaxed hair so she'll want relaxed hair to fit in with the family and probably with friends. She needs to see me taking care of my natural hair, wearing it proudly & confidently and just loving my natural curly hair type. i hope she'll never touch a relaxer until she's grown and not even then lol...

 

[Qt girl]

one word

FREEDOM!

I'm graduating from college and I've always wanted to work abroad. When I was studying abroad it was just impossible to maintain relaxed hair. All of the moisture protein balance, the fact that there weren't any salons that could properly care for my hair, the fact that relaxed hair needs so many extra tools to "look right" (hooded dryer, flat irons, magnetic rollers, etc.). The list goes on and on. I mean, how would I look trying to do Peace Corps or something and having to bring along a relaxer, and then trying to relax my hair in some hut somewhere with no running water? Sometimes when you think about all of the things we do to our hair.... It's so...I can't think of any other word...UNNATURAL.

Sorry I'm rambling. Basic point, I'm young and who knows what opportunities lie in my future. I don't want to be tied down by a relaxer.

 

[oooop2]

1. I have a son, 9 years, and a daughter, 19 mos, and I want them both to appreciate a different standard of beauty. Natural kinks and coils should be considered beautiful in our society.
2. I've had my hair natural for over 2 years before, but had NO IDEA how to take care of it. I tried to treat it like I did when my hair was relaxed and now I think that was just plain silly. My hair had different needs. With the help from this site and others, I am now confident I can make my natural hair glorious. DH has no objections, so I'm set...
3. I am moving to a more earth friendly approach to living. I am becoming more green. I'd like to eventually find more natural ways of taking care of my hair, skin and body and use those in my whole household.
4. I would love to be able to master a wash and go, so that I can work out and come home and wash my hair. I sweat a lot, so my hair gets stinky after 2 days when I work out. To do a roller set every other day is not practical for me. I'd like to get back in shape.

This is the very reason why I probably WON'T change from natural nor cut my hair. We live in Japan where my girls RARELY sees another woman of color. They go to schools where they are the only blacks. My oldest (age 5) is already starting to have issues w/ her skin color and hair. Often gets upset that it doesn't SWING like her Japanese and White classmates. Since I've been growing my hair, she has made some (-) comments about it looking crazy/etc. I'd be lying if I didn't say some of her comments HURT me tremedously. I had to quickly realize that kids tend to mimic their environment and what they perceive to be the "NORM". However in the same breathe as calling my hair CRAZY, she is captivated by my length and the fact that I can wear and afro or have twist that shake when I more my head.

So now when I do her/my hair it's a process were we talk about our hair. Why it is the way that it is. Why although not straight, it is still beautiful. Why our hair allows us to wear various styles and is versatile.

I've been also jazzing up her hair w/ cornrows and beads. And of course everyone at her school thinks she is "SO COOL" b/c their Moms don't do that to their hair...

Man, parenting is hard....

 

[Eisani]

Lately I've been seriously considering transitioning especially since I texlax about every 6 months anyway. I just don't know if I can commit... for me and my hair it seems like it w/b more work

 

[MD_Lady]

I would have never even considered transitioning before coming to the LHCF. A few months ago, my stylist suggested “giving relaxers a break” because of my breakage and thinning around my temples. At the time, I looked at him like erplexed but now, I’m seriously considering (at the very least) taking a break. I’m tired of having thin, fragile hair. It’s not like I had super long, thick hair when I was a child, but I’m sure I didn’t have the problems (which, in the grand scheme of things, aren’t terrible) I have now. Besides, I haven’t had a full head of natural hair in almost 20 years (I got a curl when I was 10 and had a relaxer put in 4 years later) and judging from the texture of my new growth, I think I could make it work .