Question for naturals... Do you ever want to relax...?

[discodumpling]

Nope. I love the various textures that my natural hair can achieve. My styling options as a natural far exceed what one can do with relaxed hair.
I've noticed also that many naturals who relax yearn to return to their natural hair soon after relaxing! It's not worth it IMO...

 

[SheenaVee]

Nope. I love my natural hair, in fact I've always loved curly hair and wanted it but I didn't know my hair was curly because my mum always used to do it and she would always blowdry it so I didn't see the curl pattern. Plus if i want straight hair my hair straightens easily and doesnt revert too easily when straight either so im good!

 

[aa9746]

I think about it but right now its not something I want to do because I burn easily and my scalp gets really irritated. Also, I don't like dealing with the two textures. I do love straight hair but I'm content with my hair being natural right now.

 

[Junebug D]

I get what you're saying. I didn't know anything about caring for hair before I found the hair boards, so my relaxed hair was indeed jacked. And although i joined here after going natural, I was never really *here* and spent all my time on a natural hair board learning to care for my natural hair. So this is really my first time being exposed to healthy relaxed hair. I didn't think relaxed hair could be long and healthy unless you had type 3 Chili hair or something. I do wonder if I could do it with fantabulous results now that I'm more knowledgeable about it. Would it be harder for me? Easier? the same? Would I have as many issues with breakage and tangles? It would be something totally new & different for me, and I like new & different.

As far as actually going there anytime soon... no. There are other things I want to achieve with my natural hair. And if I have another change of heart; that would mean back to the shears and starting over again for the 6th time in the last 6 years.

 

[brandy]

I never have the urge to relax. I had one bad relaxer experience and that was enough to scare me away forever. Actually, I didn't like relaxing my hair, the process made me nervous. Just knowing that one mistake could leave me bald and burnt up, looking like Fire Marshall Bill stressed me out on touch-up day.

I love being natural and I will not be getting a relaxer in the future.

What she said in bold.

 

[2themax]

I know exactly how you feel. However, I've had my hair relaxed at least 5 times and each time my hair would look lovely at first, but then only after a few days later, it would revert back to the same natural look and sometimes it would look worse When I used to reside in a really humid area, I was in trouble with my hair relaxed or not. Like a lot of the ladies have said I don't want a relaxer, but I would like to have straighter, more bouncier hair

 

[that_1_grrrl]

No, I don't miss relaxers at all. I love the independence of doing my own hair and don't think I could ever trust myself to touch up my own hair w/o overlapping so badly that a sections gets over-processed. And the way I love my hair, I can't imagine letting anyone else do it for me. Plus my relaxed hair didn't give me the many styling options that my natural hair does. If I wanted a relaxed look, I could get it with a press. I mean, when I look at my relaxed hair and my pressed hair, I don't see any difference. But with my natural hair, I can also get an afro puff. Twists can last for weeks. I love my spirals and only developed HIH (hand-in-hair) disease after going natural coz my relaxed hair wasn't as much fun. Nah, I don't even think about it. What I do want is big hair that gets caught in the door like Que, that hef***! giggle: Y'know I love ya, Sis!)

I agree 100%. I do not even remember playing with my relaxed hair as much as I do now. I think I only thought and touched it on wash days.

Plus, I never really liked straight hair. I used to hate how my hair looked after a fresh perm (it would be stick straight). Straight hair can be pretty, but I always thought curls were to die for. I spent so much of my life in awe of curly hair, and it never entered my mind that if I went natural, I would have "curly" hair.

 

[SEMO]

Honestly? No. I don't get tempted to relax my hair. I may get tempted to flat iron it and wear it straight more often, but not relax it straight permanently.

 

[LongCurlz]

Never....I just think of all the problems I had with my relaxed hair, sorry but dont have any desire to be relaxed, I love touching my curls, if i wanna go straight then I would just flat iron

 

[sydwrites]

Honestly, the thought crosses my mind every now and then but it doesnt stay too long. I totally understand where you are coming from because I too have a similiar story. I never had problems with the actual relaxer, just my hair practices which means that I would be able to grow a healthy relaxed head of hair too with all that I have learned from the boards. I really love the versatility of natural hair so I probably wont ever go back but I do wonder sometimes. I think once I get to BSL I wont have as many urges because the shrinkage wont be such a factor then, I just want my twists to look longer than 2 or three inches!

 

[adf23]

Nope.........

 

[Lucky's Mom]

no - not really. I am glad that relaxers are behind me forever...

 

[brownsugarflyygirl]

Yep

My original plan was to grow my hair to APL and then go back to relaxing but then I learned how to get my natural hair relaxer straight through press so I was satisfied for the moment but I dont know how my hair will hold up with that over the long term. I like straight styles more than natural styles so I think I may go back. I think relaxed hair may be a bit less time consuming when I start law school so for now I am natural but over the next 6 months to a year, I may yield to the creamy crack...my hair liked it

 

[empressri]

hell no. i love my hair the way it is. i've had nightmares about my hair being relaxed more than once lol. my hair has thrived so much without a relaxer i could never go back.

 

[mscocoface]

I don't think so. For now I am just focusing on health and length and when I reach my goal I may treat myself to a few times a year pressing, but even that right now brings nightmares because of the time, effort and the number of tools used to get it to look pressed.

We shall see. But for the long haul I am happy being nappy.

 

[*~*Afrolicious*~*]

NEVER. My fine strands would break off in an instant.

 

[chocolate01]

Nope not at all.

 

[PhoenixRose360]

Lately, I've been thinking about it. I've been a natural for almost a year. I was relaxing my hair for 20 yrs, and I'm only 35, lol.

But I do like the freedom that I have with my natural hair, not worrying about the humidity hitting my straight hair making it frizzy and poufy. I don't think I'll relax, I actually just need to find more hairstyles for my hair.

 

[Cheleigh]

Okay, see. This made me pause, because I totally agree; this was why I went natural (before the forum) too. My hair was relatively healthy, I just never looked forward to having my hair relaxed. I didn't dread it, but I saw it as a "process".

To answer the OP: Nah. But you're not the only one who feels this way. There's been at least 3 different threads this week, more or less expressing the same idea.

Me too Minny. My relaxed hair was pretty healthy, but I just didn't look forward to relaxing my hair. I was relaxed for over 20 years.

 

[niva]

Well, I do. I am sick of these knots and my straight hair styles not lasting. I have been natural for 3 1/2 years. I have been thinking of texlaxing very soon. Picking a relaxer in why I haven't relaxed yet. I am searching for a mild relaxer.

 

[Leesh]

Nope, not now.
I don't think I ever will. My hair is very frail and my strands are too thin to handle chemicals very well.

Now, that is a very Good reason, very sensible!

 

[BrandNew]

Nope, not at all. Sometimes I do miss being able to just unwrap my hair and go, now I have to wet my hair before I can do anything to it. But relaxing is not even an option for me at this point.

 

[RedVelvet310]

Thanks for all the input ladies... I thought about it and I decided to PROMISE myself that I would have to reach my hair goal (BSL-WSL) before I decided to relax my hair, because if I relax now and reach my goal relaxed I'm always going to wonder what that length would've looked like NaTuRaL. This is a BIG maybe though, I *LOVE* my natural hair and it gives me absolutely NO problems, I guess curiosity has just been hitting me lately.. I just want to KNOW if I ever DID decide to relax... could my hair be as healthy as the ladies on this board? *Bangs thoughts out of my mind*

 

[Sugar Brown]

I think about relaxing from time to time when I miss my straight shorter hair.

I don't think I would actually do it because I'm sure I would miss my natural hair more.

 

[GoldenBreeze]

I guess I really am the only one LOL

Nope, you're not the only one. There will always be natural ladies who want to relax, and relaxed ladies who want to be natural.

As for me, no, I never want to relax. I've been natural almost all of my life, and I'm very happy with my hair. There was a brief period (about 15 months) that I was relaxed. My hair was healthy, but it just didn't feel like my hair to me. I knew that I would never relax again once that one grew out.

 

[TheQueenBeeMaya]

nope, never have had a relaxer and i never will ! i like the versatility my natural hair has