If you could go back in time, would you still relax your hair

[Evazhair]

If I had known about this board and that people with my hair type had ways of keeping their hair straight with decent flat irons, heck nah I would still be natural. I still love my hair, but at times I miss my texture.Natural maintainance is sooo much simpler. Good thing to know when I get sick of being relaxed I can transition.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

It was not my choice (I was 10 years old). If had a choice in the matter (and knowing what I know now) I would not have relaxed.

 

[Sunshine0801]

Absolutely not.

I can only imagine how long my hair would be if I had never relaxed my hair. Oh well. You live and you learn...

 

[queen_t]

It was not my choice (I was 10 years old). If had a choice in the matter (and knowing what I know now) I would not have relaxed.

Same here, I was like 8 or 9 and didn't have a choice. Mama's wrists were hurtin combing all my hurr! erplexed

No way in h*ll would I have relaxed!!!!!!!

 

[freshlikemoi]

I would,...i happen to really like silky straight hair (not bone straight) but I love the feeling.

 

[Nubian.Queen]

It was my choice. I got my first relaxer when I was 18 just out of high school. My mom would not relax my sister's or my hair...she always said it was our decision. I have BC several times due to not knowing how to take care of my natural hair. Most recently I relaxed my hair and shortly after discovered LCHF. I feel so much regret and am now seriously thinking of transitioning....If only I knew y'all were here before I put the relaxer in....

 

[OneInAMillion]

Hmmm I'm not sure. It was my choice at 19 to do it. All my teenage life I wore my hair pressed and it was shoulder length forever. I got it relaxed and started retaining length with every touch up. It wasn't until I had an overprocessing experience that I hesitated about relaxers. It's definitely a process, and I think that if I hadn't ever relaxed, I wouldn't have known my hair's potential (the good and the bad).

As for now...I'm at a point where I just don't want to risk putting the chemical in my hair. I like to wear it straight, I'm just worried because I finally have my thick head of hair back and I don't want to risk it. So, I'm contemplating a transition, with pressing combs of course . I'm at 6 months, and this is when I usually make a decision, but I'm going to try to get through the summer and see how I feel.

To each her own.

ETA: My best guide for how my hair will turn out is by looking at the ladies in my family. We all have fine hair, medium thickness, around APL. I'm the only one that relaxes, so I'm not trying to continue much longer. I think my mom had relaxed hair for about 10 yrs or so, I'm at 7...

 

[prospurr4]

Definately! My hair is about 50% relaxed (texlaxed), so I still enjoy my natural texture but with more "manageability."

 

[SilentRuby]

Nope

Considering I'm 17 weeks post and have learned how to make it look like I'm freshly relaxed (even though my hair is hard as hell to detangle), I believe in time that my mom could've found a better way to detangle my hair and conquer shrinkage. But, no mother likes to see their child cry, sooo... I'm not mad, but I'm loving my texture and would love to see how it looks all over.

 

[MonPetite]

NO WAY! I'd have 3c/4a TAILBONE length hair. Why did my relatives urge my mother to relax me at 9?

 

[momi]

Absolutely not.

 

[Duchesse]

I would have never ever ever relaxed my hair when I was a child (more like cried bloody murder for one). It's not that I'm so against relaxers, I recently texlaxed my hair and that would be hypocritical, but if I could have never had such chemicals touch my hair, I wouldn't. I'm enjoying my chemicals now however.

 

[vestaluv1]

You see, if I knew my hair would be weakened so much after relaxing, I would have never done it. It was also so much thicker when I was natural, or even pressed. There' not much point having managable hair if there's not much there . I don't know.
I guess it's a bit like the fake acrylic nail extenions ...my nails had to recover after doing them for a while.
Oh well, you live 'n' learn.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Knowing what I know today I wouldn't have ever relaxed or worn micro-braids for an extended period of time (if ever) totally not worth the trouble.

 

[KweenBeeDiva]

H3ll to da NO I would notperm hair again! I believe I'v said in another post that I get mad at myself for doing it, because I could have been at APL or BSL by now, heck, even longer!

My hair can't handle a perm. I just can't. I even tried Texturizing and it broke off worse than when I had a perm! And to add, my hair can't handle stylist that decide to do whatever to my hair with chemicals, which is why I'm in the spot I'm in now.

 

[lovinmylocs]

Nope!!! What is sad that I begged my mom for a relaxer at 15 cause I wanted to be cute and grown and fly all at the same time. I wish I only knew...

 

[BeetleBug]

Nope,

 

[Spongie Bloom]

no i wouldnt, i would keep it natural then loc it

 

[nuwoman02]

I would sill relax. Everything happens for a reason

 

[anon123]

I'd rather be natural now, obviously, but I'm not upset that I permed for a few years. It let me know what it was like to be relaxed, so it's an experience that contributed to my overall knowledge and to me. But I'm not doing it again!

 

[divya]

No way! I should have let my hair be...

Thank God I'm transitioning now...

 

[BioChemBabe]

I would not have relaxed my hair. I don't want to transition again.

 

[TaraDyan]

No ... I never would have relaxed my hair had I known that I could acheive a straight look with a flat iron instead of succumbing to relaxers that thinned my hair and damaged my scalp.

 

[temfash]

No ... I never would have relaxed my hair had I known that I could acheive a straight look with a flat iron instead of succumbing to relaxers that thinned my hair and damaged my scalp.

I agree I also have 2 small bald patches on my hairline which is attributed to chemical burns.

 

[dany06]

If I knew what I knew now I would have just cut my hair all off back in the eleventh grade so my mom couldnt do anything about it. I would have the length I wanted and never relaxed again. Im to impatient and I need to learn how to wait. I hate that I didnt catch on to the fact that my hair only seemed to grow during months of not relaxing. Will I ever relax again? I cant say for sure but not anytime soon. At the most I may one day texturize(same damn thing) but I want curls.

 

[FemmeCreole]

I had no choice in the matter then ( was only 9)

If I did have the choice I would not have relaxed until I was old enough to take proper care of my hair....maybe then I would have retained length cause I was apl when I got my first relaxer.

 

[vestaluv1]

No ... I never would have relaxed my hair had I known that I could acheive a straight look with a flat iron instead of succumbing to relaxers that thinned my hair and damaged my scalp.

I agree with this too

 

[vestaluv1]

I'd rather be natural now, obviously, but I'm not upset that I permed for a few years. It let me know what it was like to be relaxed, so it's an experience that contributed to my overall knowledge and to me. But I'm not doing it again!

Just like to say you have lovely thick hair Mwedzi!

 

[silvergirl]

im actually glad my hair was relaxed, because usually people who've been natural all their lives at some point decided there are going to test the waters. and end of ruining years of work.

at least now i know about both my relaxed and natural hair and can make an educated decision based on my past experience.

 

[The Girl]

nope sure wouldn't. I know my texture will change when all the relaxed ends are gone. However, seeing my texture now I wonder what I was thinking...oh yeah humidity but nope still wouldn't