What Was Your Deciding Factor in Going Natural?

[RegaLady]

LD say it isn't sooooo! Your hair has been an inspiration to me. You have done very well with your relaxed hair.

I am currently transitioning from a short relaxer cut. To be honest, my DH REALLY wanted me to go natural...he loves the naps. I have been natural many times and I think I feel best with short relaxed hair. BUT I am willing to give longer natural hair a shot. I am a student and I can't afford the demands of a cut, let alone a relaxer.
From experience, the good is that it is healthier on my hair,at least for me, to be natural. My hair is thin and fine and relaxers don't bring out the best of my hair. Since going natural, instead of getting compliments on how long its getting, or the style, I am getting compliments on how much healthier it is.

The Bad to ME is that I want more straight or curl type styles. Figuring out how to get them without heat damage is the mystery.

The Ugly, there isn't really any for me. I am still growing it out, so I am learning more about my hair. The longer it gets the more I accept my hair.

 

[msmills2U]

sore scap after relaxers and losing all my hair to a hairdresser

 

[LivingDoll]

Lol, completely off topic (I left a comment re:your question in an earlier reply): I think your hair in your siggy looks like my hair here:

http://public.fotki.com/MummysGirl/hair/relaxer-pictures/augrelaxer4.html

I think we're hair twins. Looking at the pics in your fotki was like looking at pics of my own hair. How far are you in your transition?

My hair had gotten to the point (a point it had never been at) where it was completely chewed up and overprocessed and I just could not put anymore chemicals on it. It was a no-brainer. It was just impossible for me to put anymore chemicals on something so damaged that it was nothing but frayed strands.

I can definitely understand that.

 

[Southernbella.]

The bad: I can't braid, I'm learning so sometimes my hair comes out a mess but I still rock it with confidence, also the different texture can be frustrating when you want a uniformed look. HTH

The bolded...that is my ugly! If I tried to wear my washngo or fro without doing anything to it, I'd have a mullet. My nape texture is way looser than the rest of my head, so it just hangs there.

 

[LivingDoll]

I wanted to prove to my stylist that my hair could take a relaxer. I discovered her way after my hair had been abused by unskilled stylists and was breaking like crazy. During my visit for a touch up, she held my hand the way you hold someone's hand when you're about to deliver bad news and kindly said, "Maybe your hair isn't the kind that can take a relaxer." Oooh...did I have news for her! So I transitioned in braids with the plan of going back to her with a good amount of virgin hair so she could see what stuff I'm made of. But I fell in love with my 4B naps and never did go back.

Interesting. I never considered that a person's hair can just not be the relaxing kind but now that you say it...

LD say it isn't sooooo! Your hair has been an inspiration to me. You have done very well with your relaxed hair.

I am currently transitioning from a short relaxer cut. To be honest, my DH REALLY wanted me to go natural...he loves the naps. I have been natural many times and I think I feel best with short relaxed hair. BUT I am willing to give longer natural hair a shot. I am a student and I can't afford the demands of a cut, let alone a relaxer.
From experience, the good is that it is healthier on my hair,at least for me, to be natural. My hair is thin and fine and relaxers don't bring out the best of my hair. Since going natural, instead of getting compliments on how long its getting, or the style, I am getting compliments on how much healthier it is.

The Bad to ME is that I want more straight or curl type styles. Figuring out how to get them without heat damage is the mystery.

The Ugly, there isn't really any for me. I am still growing it out, so I am learning more about my hair. The longer it gets the more I accept my hair.

Awwww thanks Redliz! Yeah, I've contemplated it for a while now...I already texlax with a mild relaxer and my hair (even NG) is really easy to straighten...I don't even remember my hair being coarse when I was young. It was soft, wavy and cottony from what I remember...I think I can do it.

 

[TCatt86]

The bolded...that is my ugly! If I tried to wear my washngo or fro without doing anything to it, I'd have a mullet. My nape texture is way looser than the rest of my head, so it just hangs there.

I know but that's one of my only complaints, even my fro is styled in some way, I can't do a cute wash and go, I will have to shingle or something.

 

[danigurl18]

I went natural because I missed my hair. As a kid, I had long natural hair and I loved it until my Dominican grandma put a relaxer in it when I was really young... Over the years, the relaxer has eaten my hair.. I was looking at my school pictures, it seemed like my hair kept getting shorter and shorter every year.. Finally in college, my friend who is a licensed stylist who was natural for most her life helped me stretch my relaxers and then one day I washed and I loved the texture.. I don't think I'll go back

 

[Fhrizzball]

I 'stayed natural' because I was lazy with my relaxed hair. I'm still pretty lazy now especially styling wise but not as much as before.

Can you share your experience with me?

I didn't go natural by choice. I guess I unconsciously transitioned because I didn't have money to go get my hair relaxed and being away from home I didn't really trust the do it yourself starters on campus. One day I woke up and didn't feel any relaxed ends so I guess I'm natural. Sometimes I believe that I still have relaxed ends though but then I silence that voice quick. I think my second my recent trimmed sped up my bc though. I'm still trying to grow it out. The rest broke off on their own I'm guessing.

Were you scared too?

Not really because I didn't really worry about my hair or anything. More concerned with books than looks so to speak. In fact I still have no clue how long I've been natural so I'm ballparking around 1 and a quarter year to 1.5 years.

Were you pleasantly surprised or did your hair disappoint you?

I saw it as a different hairstyle and nothing more than that. It made me wanna detangle even less that I normally did though. That I really dislike. It's not until I got into hair forums that I felt I have a second romance with my hair now though. <3

 

[SweetlyBlessed]

I am still contemplating.

My last touch up was in October and I put braids in, in January. I stretch for long periods of time anyways so I figured, let me see how far I can go. I love playing in my braids/extensions when I have lots of growth where my braids are almost dangling. The new growth is so soft and wavy. HOWEVER...when I took out the perimeter braids to redo them and comb out my hair, there goes the new growth/natural hair waves/coils. It was just long fuzz. That is NOT the coil look and feel that I want. Not to mention I had knots on the ends of some of the new growth. So what is holding up from my decision is not having the waves/coiled look and the knots. Maybe texlax would be a happy medium for me.

 

[MummysGirl]

I think we're hair twins. Looking at the pics in your fotki was like looking at pics of my own hair. How far are you in your transition?

I saw your hair in your siggy and it felt like someone stole my hair! LOL!

I am just over 11 weeks into my transition... when was your last relaxer?

 

[LivingDoll]

I think we're hair twins. Looking at the pics in your fotki was like looking at pics of my own hair. How far are you in your transition?

I saw your hair in your siggy and it felt like someone stole my hair! LOL!

I am just over 11 weeks into my transition... when was your last relaxer?

Even the hair in your avi looks like my natural hair did when I was a little girl. Seeing that pic brought back memories. I'm gonna go to my mother's tonight and look at some more pics of me as a child.


My last relaxer was January 11th. I'm about 8 weeks post. This is the crossroad for me. About 8 weeks is when I start getting a lot of shedding, dryness and breakage so I always feel forced to relax. I'm gonna tough it out.

 

[MummysGirl]

This is so cool, you're the 1st person who has hair that's so much like mine, it could be mine!

You're only a few weeks behind me...

Ok, if you need any help, I've added you as a friend... I am used to stretching my hair for up to 19 weeks.... when I get to 20 weeks, it will be very interesting to see how it goes from there onwards

I think we're hair twins. Looking at the pics in your fotki was like looking at pics of my own hair. How far are you in your transition?



I can definitely understand that.

Even the hair in your avi looks like my natural hair did when I was a little girl. Seeing that pic brought back memories. I'm gonna go to my mother's tonight and look at some more pics of me as a child.


My last relaxer was January 11th. I'm about 8 weeks post. This is the crossroad for me. About 8 weeks is when I start getting a lot of shedding, dryness and breakage so I always feel forced to relax. I'm gonna tough it out.

 

[glam-]

My hair was damaged from the combo of color & relaxer. I liked having color and I always stretched my relaxers anyway (even though I didn't know that's what I was doing). So, I decided I would give up relaxers since my hair couldn't take both. Plus at that time I was wearing half wigs a lot anyway, so after about a year I just cut off the relaxed ends and gave it a go.

The good is that I don't have to worry about the rain or getting my hair wet, I can wash on a whim without a big production of rollersetting, blowdrying, etc. My hair is also healthier now than it has ever been (so healthy that I'm scared to use color anymore ) I also like that I don't have to pay for relaxers anymore and that I don't have to worry each time I get a relaxer, i.e., will the solution be too strong, will some super be mixed in that will mess me up, etc.

The bad is that I have to take the time to detangle and that sometimes I wish it were easier to get my hair straight. I don;t have the patience to do it myself so if I want to go straight then I head to the salon. Another bad part was the awkward phases when my hair seemed too short (for me) with shrinkage. And sometimes I get tired of my hair being soooo big and poufy.But then other days, like today, it is behaving beautifully and I feel crazy for occasionally thinking about relaxing again.

Another bad thing is that I hardly ever get to see my hair's true length, but all things considered I am quite happy being natural. I think I would get bored if my hair was always straight.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Carrie A]

The initial reason was questioning my "consciousness". Why as a Black woman I would permanently straighten my hair and wanting to debunk the Eurocentric beauty ideal. I had good intentions but couldn't follow through to the BC. Honestly what really pushed me to complete the transition was recognizing how damaged my hair was. My hair just can't take the relaxer. My sisters and cousins, though older than me were natural and had been for years. I was like the last of the bunch to transition.

 

[Cheleigh]

Can you share your experience with me?
It was a combination of things. Basically I saw a girl's natural hair that intrigued me (my family said my natural hair looked liked hers--it doesn't BTW). I had a friend who thought I should go natural. And I was REALLY tired of going into the hair salon and sitting there for hours.

Were you scared too?
I was nervous. I had already started my transition by the time I found the hair boards, and there was so much information about transitioning, and natural hair, etc. that I got really overwhelmed. I never wore a wig/got braids after my BC, but it took me about a month to be really comfortable with my natural hair.


Were you pleasantly surprised or did your hair disappoint you?
I was surprised how much I really enjoyed managing my own hair--I've been to a salon three times since I started my transition--once to get my hair braided 16 weeks into my transition--once for my BC, and once to Aveda for color (I will be keeping that salon visit though, LOL).

I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.
Good: I love having control of my own good hair days (they're not always good). It's not necessarily "easier" or "faster" to do my hair as a natural, but it's easier for my hair to look great when it's natural than when it was relaxed.

Bad: I have very fine strands, and they tangle and split like crazy. I loose a bunch of hair from knots.

Ugly: When I don't detangle ideally once a week, it really goes ALL UGLY.

 

[LivingDoll]

The initial reason was questioning my "consciousness". Why as a Black woman I would permanently straighten my hair and wanting to debunk the Eurocentric beauty ideal. I had good intentions but couldn't follow through to the BC. Honestly what really pushed me to complete the transition was recognizing how damaged my hair was. My hair just can't take the relaxer. My sisters and cousins, though older than me were natural and had been for years. I was like the last of the bunch to transition.

Your hair is gorgeous!

 

[Carrie A]

Can you share your experience with me? Were you scared too? Were you pleasantly surprised or did your hair disappoint you?

My first experience was rough. I didn't have hair boards and didn't know what I was doing. My hair looked a hot mess. I think I relaxed after 6 or 8 months.

My second experience was with hair boards. I wanted a long transition, grew for almost two years, and then (I was starting a new job) fell off the wagon and relaxed.

This time I cut my hair into a Halle style and transitioned with rollersts and that worked for me. I chopped off the relaxed ends after 13 months. I had gotten to work with my hair during transitioning so I knew what it looked like- no surprise there. I was however, surprised because I didn't remember my hair looking like this as a girl, but then again my hair was always pressed. I'm just now seeing my actual hair texture. Isn't that weird.

I am still getting to know my hair and experimenting with products and techniques. Eventually I would like to use only natural products.

ETA: The only thing I wish I did was BC my hair into a style because It's growing out in a mullet and some days I feel like "Darryl the Soul Glow Guy".

 

[JustKiya]

I was tired - sick and tired - of making an appt. at 1pm, walking in the salon at 12:30, and sitting there until 3 before my head was even looked at.
I was sick - and tired - of leaving with sore spots in my head, and hair so lifeless that a good breeze ripped out all of the curls.
I was tired of having to go back every 4 weeks, because otherwise I couldn't style, comb, do anything to my hair.
I was tired of fighting my hair, tired of trying to pretend to something I didn't have, tired of dealing with relaxed hair, period.
Maintenance, styling, curling, heat, washing, drying, the whole shindig made me tired. And all the products stunk - esp. relaxer. The smell still makes me wanna gag.
I wasn't happy with how my hair looked, how it felt, how it looked on me. So, I stopped getting a relaxer. Didn't really plan on going natural - I mean, yeah, that's the logical end result of no longer having a relaxer, but it wasn't a big 'Transition' for me - it was going back to what I knew, what I was used to, and what I liked on me.

The good/bad/ugly - the good is that even when I'm not happy with my hair style, I'm happy with my hair.
The bad is that it takes time to style - one of the reasons I'm growing my hair longer is so that I'll have the option of a 'quick' style - but the good side of that is that one style can last an easy week.
The ugly - it's all on me. I can't rely on anything that is 'commonly' known about taking care of black hair - my entire regimen is customized for me, and that's taken some time, too.

 

[PaperClip]

Wanted more freedom with my hair and reduce the overdependence on my hairdresser (who I loved dearly and was faithful to my weekly appointments).

Then she on very short notice moved out of the state and that prompted my transition.

She moved back to the state maybe 9 months later but I was well into my transition. I thought I would be a straight natural but by then money became a factor as I was now a full-time student so cost was another reason to become a self-sufficient natural head.

Also I didn't want to keep putting chemicals on my head for the rest of my life. I had been relaxed for close to 30 years (first relaxer under 10 years of age...not my choice). That's not ok. I felt like a prisoner of someone else's standard of beauty.

 

[glam-]

Also I didn't want to keep putting chemicals on my head for the rest of my life. I had been relaxed for close to 30 years (first relaxer under 10 years of age...not my choice). That's not ok. I felt like a prisoner of someone else's standard of beauty.

This probably sounds corny, but sometimes I look at myself in my natural hair and think, yeah, this is how God designed me to be/look. It just works.

 

[Ramya]

This probably sounds corny, but sometimes I look at myself in my natural hair and think, yeah, this is how God designed me to be/look. It just works.

I feel the same way.

 

[Renewed1]

When I first started to learn about haircare I decided to transition about two years ago. My hair in 6 months time went from NL to SL, the only thing was I hated my natural curly texture. It was hard to maintain, plus I was trying to avoid heat, gel, touching it and etc.

NOW that I'm a little more wiser and my hair texture has totally changed. I'm on the road to becoming a natural. About two weeks ago, I went from full SL to CL (I have a bob style) to jumpstart my transition. I have to admit though, I love my CL hair; it is so much easier to take care of it. I might keep it a while since I'm transitioning.

I made the decision to transition because I'm tired of my relaxed hair and the extra care it involves.

 

[shininnebear]

Because I don't have to run from the rain
Beacause relaxers stink
Beacause, like a few ladies mentioned already, relaxers never got my hair completely straight anyway
Because having my natural hair has made me more confident!

 

[mscocoface]

Can you share your experience with me?
There were many different reasons. Sore spots after relaxers, if I stressed for any reason my nape line would break off, trying to find someone who would do my hair I always had to drive or at least 25-30 miles one way. I noticed my cousin had really nice natural hair so I thought why not me? Also, what the heck did my hair look like long and natural? Had never seen it before

Were you scared too?
Absolutely, but I was pretty good with styling so I knew I could do it via transitioning.

Were you pleasantly surprised or did your hair disappoint you?
I am going to be real real honest. I was not happy to learn that I could have been the poster chile for what many considered "Bad Hair!" But I was determined to stick it out for the long haul and thought okay let's see what this stuff looks like really long.

I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.

Good - No more sore scalps, chemicals and rat tail combs . If it takes a whole day to do my head I am in the confines of my own home and not driving back home at 11:00 pm at night from leaving the house dark thirty in the morning to get to the stylist to do my hair sitting in her salon all day long.

I have learned so much about hair care and have taught others how to care for their hair also.

I have a sisterhood I can go to anytime of the day or night to get help, assistance, or a shoulder to cry on.

The Bad - Shrinkage I am still trying to deal with it. Being very very very protective of my length. I miss sometimes having to do my hair myself ALL the time.

The Ugly - Tangles, knots and slow growing, tempermental, I don't want to cooperate edges. I was always tenderheaded, it seems to be even worse as a natural, maybe because it is no longer straight so I have to comb it in order to get a style I want.

 

[LivingDoll]

Thanks ladies! I've finally decided to embark on the journey. I'm happy because this is something that I'm doing for myself and I don't have to answer to anyone but me. I appreciate everyone sharing your stories...please continue to add. I'm sure this thread is helping someone besides me make up her mind.

 

[KEWLKAT103]

This probably sounds corny, but sometimes I look at myself in my natural hair and think, yeah, this is how God designed me to be/look. It just works.

Love it and agree completey!

 

[LivingDoll]

I'm going home and throwing out the last bit of relaxer I have!

 

[Junebug D]

I went natural as soon as I learned that it was an option, as weird as that sounds. I was soooo ignorant, because everyone in my family & around me were hair ignorant. I had never seen a "natural" person until I went to college, and even then I thought they had to have some special process done to get it to look like that.

All I knew was that my hair was never a walk in the park, I didn't know anything about maintenance, I was too scared to slather on a relaxer by myself, I was a broke college student in a farm town, other girls had this big thick nappy-looking hair that they wore beautifully... and my stringy, breaking hair wasn't cute.

So that's when I went from unkempt relaxed to texturized, to get that 'natural look'. After a few more bad-to-worse experiences with texturizers, I just broke down and started Googling on the internet for hair care information. I discovered Nappturality and it was a whole new world. I did the BC a month later.

Were you scared too?
No! I was excited! I was so anxious to do it, even though I barely had any new growth at the time I did it.

Were you pleasantly surprised or did your hair disappoint you?
I wasn't suprised or disappointed. It was what I was expecting. I would unintentionally "stretch" relaxers so I knew what to expect.

Good: I don't have to worry about my scalp burning up anymore! No more salon visits unless I just want to go for a "treat". Salon visits are actually thought of as "treats" now, lol. I look better, it's caused me to learn a great deal about my hair and caring for it properly. No more everyday ponytails, more styling options. One style can last a week or more. No fear of rain, water, snow, etc.

Bad: Long twisting sessions . It takes a lot of time, pre-planning, preparation, and patience to do any style other than a wash'n'go.

Ugly: Tangles, knots, super-shrinkage, strands with minds of their own...

 

[Southernbella.]

This probably sounds corny, but sometimes I look at myself in my natural hair and think, yeah, this is how God designed me to be/look. It just works.

This is EXACTLY how I feel.

 

[Hairsofab]

My relaxed hair was never nice looking. Heck my natural hair doesn't even look that great. Ultimately, I was sick of relaxing my hair and dealing with "new growth"