Relaxed Or Natural Hair In The Summer

[Starronda]

Hi ladies!
I'd like to wear my hair out a little more this Spring/Summer. My hair has been mainly braided under a wig for years. I'd like to enjoy my hair this year, certainly at the beach.

In your opinion is natural hair easier to deal with in the summer or relaxed?

I've been natural for about 5 years but never wear my hair out.

Thanks!

 

[Aggie]

To me they're the same to deal with. Relaxed hair has it's benefits and challenges and so does natural hair.

Relaxed hair is easier to wash and detangle but can't handle the constant washing required if there are daily swimming. Natural hair is harder to detangle everyday but can handle the salt water better.

I believe they both get the same wear and tear though. You have to determine which one you would rather deal with. It is a personal choice from person to person and definitely NOT a one size fit all.

Ask yourself if you really think that swimming in the summer only is enough reason for you to relax your hair before you make a decision. While your hair is still natural, do some swimming and see if you can deal with it before relaxing it. Just a suggestion.

 

[Starronda]

To me they're the same to deal with. Relaxed hair has it's benefits and challenges and so does natural hair.

Relaxed hair is easier to wash and detangle but can't handle the constant washing required if there are daily swimming. Natural hair is harder to detangle everyday but can handle the salt water better.

I believe they both get the same wear and tear though. You have to determine which one you would rather deal with. It is a personal choice from person to person and definitely NOT a one size fit all.

Ask yourself if you really think that swimming in the summer only is enough reason for you to relax your hair before you make a decision. While your hair is still natural, do some swimming and see if you can deal with it before relaxing it. Just a suggestion.

Thank you! I'm not really a swimmer. I'm more of a sit in the sun on the beach person lol, so salt water will be little issue. I guess it's more about heat and humidity and styling.

 

[Aggie]

Thank you! I'm not really a swimmer. I'm more of a sit in the sun on the beach person lol, so salt water will be little issue. I guess it's more about heat and humidity and styling.

Hmmm, in that case, just a little Keratin Brazilian Treatment should work if it's just for the summer. But with this treatment, a lot of heat is required initially. It's a tough decision for me at least. Personally, I would much rather keep my natural hair.

 

[Starronda]

Hmmm, in that case, just a little Keratin Brazilian Treatment should work if it's just for the summer. But with this treatment, a lot of heat is required initially. It's a tough decision for me at least. Personally, I would much rather keep my natural hair.

Thank you. I'll do more research on getting a Keratin treatment.

 

[B_Phlyy]

Keep it natural. Even when I was relaxed, I never got a relaxer in the summer. I'd get a touch up in late May and stretch until September/early October. I am always down for a beach or pool party which meant my hair was getting wet from water or sweat. I didn't have time to worry if it was going to effect my scalp at the next retouch.

 

[Starronda]

Keep it natural. Even when I was relaxed, I never got a relaxer in the summer. I'd get a touch up in late May and stretch until September/early October. I am always down for a beach or pool party which meant my hair was getting wet from water or sweat. I didn't have time to worry if it was going to effect my scalp at the next retouch.

Thanks!

 

[PlanetCybertron]

I wouldn’t say it’s solely dependent on the hair being natural or relaxed, but the physical/chemical state and/or the properties of Afro textured hair in general. And I would say that the individual and their hair care practices (or lacktherof), can also be a factor as to how their hair would be effected during the summer months.

Sometimes hotter months can effect both natural and relaxed hair in the exact same way. Sometimes in completely opposite ways. Sometimes it has to do with hair practices, sometimes it doesn’t.

For example, I’ve seen countless complaints of dryness from natural and relaxed heads of hair as being one of the top issues. Heat in general is a moisture theif. Couple that with the characteristics of chronic dryness that Afro hair is known to have, and I can see how that’s a wide spread issue.

Or if folks go to the beach, swim, sweat, or participate in outdoor sports, work outside, etc. which can add onto possible factors that folks need to look out for which again, is specific to the individual.

I would also say that these factors play a huge role as well:

Scalp health
Density
Porosity
Shed rate
Hair diameter
Diet
Environment (most notably humidity/lacktherof)

Personally, In the summer, the main culprits I have to look out for are my scalp issues, and UV damage. I already sweat quite a bit, I’m also coming to realize my scalp skin acts very similar to my face skin, in that it’s oily as all heck. Any and everything will irritate my scalp to some degree, except basic distilled/filtered water. Which leads to frequent washing, which leads to frequent manipulation, which can be a gateway to uncontrolled breakage. Most of my hair journey has just been me mitigating as much mechanical damage as possible, which starts by constantly assessing my scalp. Not to mention summer time is when I see the biggest growth spurts, but it’s also the time when my seasonal shedding is through the roof which can call for a slew of tangles. But it always circles back to my scalp. Anything I can do to make sure my scalp is as healthy as possible I try to do it.

Concerning UV damage, I have extremely fine hair. To paint a picture, I can fit about 24-26 individual hairs side by side into 1mm. The sun is unforgiving if I find myself outdoors for prolonged periods of time. I still enjoy having fun, swimming, playing sports, etc., but if I prolong protecting my hair after a while my hair will turn blonde. It’s usually where my bangs are, and around my ears, but I’ve noticed fine hair or hair with a very small diameter, is more suspectible to UV damage (AKA sun bleaching). As a result, it becomes weaker, much like how chemical processes such as color lifting/bleaching weakens hair as well. The hair that is sun damaged rarely makes it on my head, and almost always breaks off, but I find that fine hair in general is susceptible to instances like this. My husbands hair is rather different from mine, and despite the physical differences in our hair we both have the same issue with UV damage since our hair is baby fine.

Sorry for the long post, but that’s just my opinion on the whole thing. I think it’s completely up to you to figure out how you wish to have your hair in the summer, and my biggest tip would just be to observe your hair. Sometimes you expect it to behave one way and it does the complete opposite, but the things I mentioned above are just a few tips I’d recommend looking out for, and I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Starronda]

I wouldn’t say it’s solely dependent on the hair being natural or relaxed, but the physical/chemical state and/or the properties of Afro textured hair in general. And I would say that the individual and their hair care practices (or lacktherof), can also be a factor as to how their hair would be effected during the summer months.

Sometimes hotter months can effect both natural and relaxed hair in the exact same way. Sometimes in completely opposite ways. Sometimes it has to do with hair practices, sometimes it doesn’t.

For example, I’ve seen countless complaints of dryness from natural and relaxed heads of hair as being one of the top issues. Heat in general is a moisture theif. Couple that with the characteristics of chronic dryness that Afro hair is known to have, and I can see how that’s a wide spread issue.

Or if folks go to the beach, swim, sweat, or participate in outdoor sports, work outside, etc. which can add onto possible factors that folks need to look out for which again, is specific to the individual.

I would also say that these factors play a huge role as well:

Scalp health
Density
Porosity
Shed rate
Hair diameter
Diet
Environment (most notably humidity/lacktherof)

Personally, In the summer, the main culprits I have to look out for are my scalp issues, and UV damage. I already sweat quite a bit, I’m also coming to realize my scalp skin acts very similar to my face skin, in that it’s oily as all heck. Any and everything will irritate my scalp to some degree, except basic distilled/filtered water. Which leads to frequent washing, which leads to frequent manipulation, which can be a gateway to uncontrolled breakage. Most of my hair journey has just been me mitigating as much mechanical damage as possible, which starts by constantly assessing my scalp. Not to mention summer time is when I see the biggest growth spurts, but it’s also the time when my seasonal shedding is through the roof which can call for a slew of tangles. But it always circles back to my scalp. Anything I can do to make sure my scalp is as healthy as possible I try to do it.

Concerning UV damage, I have extremely fine hair. To paint a picture, I can fit about 24-26 individual hairs side by side into 1mm. The sun is unforgiving if I find myself outdoors for prolonged periods of time. I still enjoy having fun, swimming, playing sports, etc., but if I prolong protecting my hair after a while my hair will turn blonde. It’s usually where my bangs are, and around my ears, but I’ve noticed fine hair or hair with a very small diameter, is more suspectible to UV damage (AKA sun bleaching). As a result, it becomes weaker, much like how chemical processes such as color lifting/bleaching weakens hair as well. The hair that is sun damaged rarely makes it on my head, and almost always breaks off, but I find that fine hair in general is susceptible to instances like this. My husbands hair is rather different from mine, and despite the physical differences in our hair we both have the same issue with UV damage since our hair is baby fine.

Sorry for the long post, but that’s just my opinion on the whole thing. I think it’s completely up to you to figure out how you wish to have your hair in the summer, and my biggest tip would just be to observe your hair. Sometimes you expect it to behave one way and it does the complete opposite, but the things I mentioned above are just a few tips I’d recommend looking out for, and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you so very much for this useful information! Things I didn't even think about. This is greatly appreciated and will consider everything you have said.