Is Shrinkage the cause of alot of Naturals wanting to Relax?

[bLackButtaFly]

neezmj love the shrinkage album. Your hair is gorgeous.

I love my natural hair, but until it got to about this length I would want nothing to do with it. It was uneven, and I didn't want to cut it shorter. I would keep it braids adn twists and I made a deal with myself to try it for a year and then I'd see. Overtime the shrinkage has gotten alot better, and my curl has become more weighed down which makes it much more manageble. I think the shrinkage was my main reason though. My hair doesn't really knot, but I only brush or comb it when it has conditioner in it, or if it has been straightened,s o I wouldn't really notice

 

[antoine]

It's the main reason I first relaxed my hair. I don't like the way I look w/short hair. I am natural now but like to wear stretched styles to show length and sometimes it gets time consuming. My hair is about BSL and it shrinks all the way to right below my ear.

Same here! I am BSL, but once my hair dries i shrink to above ear length. I am seriously thinking about texturizing soon.

 

[morehairplease]

For me it's really not the shrinkage. It's not my favorite thing, but I can live with it.

The knots wreak havoc on my ends and the constant need to trim feels like I'm slicing away all my progress. One of the main reasons I went natural was that I figured I would be able to retain my length better, but thats not turning out to be the case.

JCoily this was the case for me. I just did not have the patience at the time. My hair was the healthiest and longest it had ever been when I was natural, this past time it was apl. I have being natural 3 times and I wish I had the patience to handle the knots each time.

 

[neenzmj]

For me it's really not the shrinkage. It's not my favorite thing, but I can live with it.

The knots wreak havoc on my ends and the constant need to trim feels like I'm slicing away all my progress. One of the main reasons I went natural was that I figured I would be able to retain my length better, but thats not turning out to be the case.

I was also having a huge problem with knots. I still get them occasionally, but since I began slathering conditioner on my ends prior to detangling in addition to using an actual detangling comb instead of using a shower comb, the knots have definitely been reduced. I still have to wet/detangle every couple of days or else I'll be in real trouble! There have been times that I've stayed in the shower so long trying to comb out my hair that I've run all the hot water out!

 

[Ms Lala]

Not for me. I can accept my shrinkage because that is how God made my hair. I am not concerned about length I am more concerned about the health of my hair.Lately I have been itching to get a relaxer. I have been pressing my hair to curve that desiree.
Natural Hair can be beautiful with shirnkage.
I still got knots and tangle when I was relaxed. Getting a relaxer does not solve all your hair woes. Its how you take care of your hair.

I agree. I was quite disappointed when I relaxed and found that I still had to blow dry or flat iron my hair to get it straight. It still would shrink up in the humidity,rain etc.., it had less thickness and body and it was more fragile so I had more breakge. I think overall you have to do what works best for your hair. I have found that using heat every now and then really helps with knots. As far as tangles. Keeping my hair conditioned has made detangling a breeze. I can detangle my hair in 15 minutes.