Natural ladies?

[musiclova]

I'm transitioning in case y'all do not know and I like how my hair swings and has alot of movement. I want the same movement and swing when my hair is all natural because I plan on wearing it straight most of the time. So I'm a little curious...Can natural hair have the same swing and bounce as relaxed hair even after you straighten it? Does it still have that blow in the wind effect and bounce?

 

[unlvgirl]

Mines does /images/graemlins/smile.gif after I get it flat ironed. They key is to not weigh it down with heavy oils. It has worked for me. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[weaveadiva]

you do know that constant heat can damage your hair as bad as or even worse than having a perm right? sounds like maybe u r not ready to go natural yet

 

[PretteePlease]

cosigning the key to swing is to have light hair no thick grease pomade hairspray or other styling products to hold your hair down. last time my hair was pressed i couldn't help but toss it (nubianqueen can attest to that /images/graemlins/lachen70.gif)

 

[mkstar826]

i agree with weaveadiva...you're really not going to be better off going natural if you're going to constantly press it. eventually you will damage your natural texture and it will become less and less apparent, so what is the point?

(just curious - what are your reasons for wanting to go natural)

 

[musiclova]

[ QUOTE ]
weaveadiva said:
you do know that constant heat can damage your hair as bad as or even worse than having a perm right? sounds like maybe u r not ready to go natural yet

[/ QUOTE ]

I do know that heat can damage hair just as well as a relaxer but I have had a relaxer and applied heat to it regularly (once a week) and have not had any problems. The key is moderation. As long as heat is not applied on a daily basis it is okay for me. I don't know about anybody else. It sometimes depends on the person and how you treat your hair (deep conditioning treatments,etc.) to prepare it for what ever it is you are going to do to it. I have maintained full healthy thick hair regardless and I have had a relaxer and used heat but I don't think that does not mean I am not ready to go natural /images/graemlins/confused.gif. There are plenty of natural ladies who straighten their hair and it remains healthy and vibrant. I may not straighten it on a regular. I don't know how I will wear it most of the time. That's just what I say now. Who knows...I may like wearing it naturally curly better /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

 

[sweetpineapple]

when i first started my transition I would flatiron my hair every two weeks, then as it grew I used the flatiron less. Now I just cornrow my hair. As you get further into your transition you might find that you will wear your nautural curl more often than wearing it straight.

 

[musiclova]

[ QUOTE ]
mkstar826 said:
i agree with weaveadiva...you're really not going to be better off going natural if you're going to constantly press it. eventually you will damage your natural texture and it will become less and less apparent, so what is the point?

(just curious - what are your reasons for wanting to go natural)

[/ QUOTE ]

I am going natural to give up the chemical not necessarily the straight style. I do love my natural texture so I would like to have the versatility of wearing it natural or straight. I don't want to eventually have thin sides and breakage from people underprocessing my hair and putting different relaxers in my hair. I had a bad experience with breakage/shedding from somebody underprocessing my hair and it just made me fed up. The only stylist I trust is 4 hours from where I live and I just don't see myself having to travel up to DC everytime I want my hair done because I can do it myself minus the relaxer application and trimming.

 

[musiclova]

[ QUOTE ]
Ar010 said:
when i first started my transition I would flatiron my hair every two weeks, then as it grew I used the flatiron less. Now I just cornrow my hair. As you get further into your transition you might find that you will wear your nautural curl more often than wearing it straight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks ladies for all of your feedback. I agree Ar010. I really have a feeling that I will like wearing my hair natural moreso than straight. I've just been used to wearing it straight for so long that I have become complacent(spelling?).

 

[alibi]

I used to flat iron my hair when I first started my transition and it didn't do any damage, as long you use heat in moderation. I also don't think it's fair to say that someone might not be ready to go natural b/c they plan to constantly use heat b/c everyone's reasons for going natural are different. Some people still want straight hair w/o chemicals, and if that's the case, pressing might work just fine for them. My best friend grew out her perm and gets hers pressed at the salon every week, and she has one of the healthiest, most beautiful, swinging heads of hair I've ever seen! So you can have swinging straight hair w/o a perm, and the heat doesn't have to do damage if done right! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[musiclova]

Ayanapooh said: Some people still want straight hair w/o chemicals, and if that's the case, pressing might work just fine for them.

Thanks Ayanapooh /images/graemlins/clap.gif. My point exactly /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

 

[Country gal]

[ QUOTE ]
musiclova said:
[ QUOTE ]
weaveadiva said:
you do know that constant heat can damage your hair as bad as or even worse than having a perm right? sounds like maybe u r not ready to go natural yet

[/ QUOTE ]

I do know that heat can damage hair just as well as a relaxer but I have had a relaxer and applied heat to it regularly (once a week) and have not had any problems. The key is moderation. As long as heat is not applied on a daily basis it is okay for me. I don't know about anybody else. It sometimes depends on the person and how you treat your hair (deep conditioning treatments,etc.) to prepare it for what ever it is you are going to do to it. I have maintained full healthy thick hair regardless and I have had a relaxer and used heat but I don't think that does not mean I am not ready to go natural /images/graemlins/confused.gif. There are plenty of natural ladies who straighten their hair and it remains healthy and vibrant. I may not straighten it on a regular. I don't know how I will wear it most of the time. That's just what I say now. Who knows...I may like wearing it naturally curly better /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

[/ QUOTE ]

Co-signing. I don't plan on pressing it every day or heating it every day but I do want to wear it pressed sometimes.

 

[Country gal]

[ QUOTE ]
musiclova said:
[ QUOTE ]
mkstar826 said:
i agree with weaveadiva...you're really not going to be better off going natural if you're going to constantly press it. eventually you will damage your natural texture and it will become less and less apparent, so what is the point?

(just curious - what are your reasons for wanting to go natural)

[/ QUOTE ]

I am going natural to give up the chemical not necessarily the straight style. I do love my natural texture so I would like to have the versatility of wearing it natural or straight. I don't want to eventually have thin sides and breakage from people underprocessing my hair and putting different relaxers in my hair. I had a bad experience with breakage/shedding from somebody underprocessing my hair and it just made me fed up. The only stylist I trust is 4 hours from where I live and I just don't see myself having to travel up to DC everytime I want my hair done because I can do it myself minus the relaxer application and trimming.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good Points. I don't know how I will wear my natural hair all the time either but I want a choice.

 

[Country gal]

I want to wear my natural hair like Queen Latifah. She wears a lot of different styles with her natural hair.

 

[ThickHair]

I think if you are going to wear your hair straight most of the time you should keep a relaxer. The heat it takes to keep natural hair straight compared to relaxed hair is a big difference. Since you didn't mention the BC, you are going to have to use heat to keep your hair straight.

 

[SVT]

[ QUOTE ]
musiclova said:
I'm transitioning in case y'all do not know and I like how my hair swings and has alot of movement. I want the same movement and swing when my hair is all natural because I plan on wearing it straight most of the time. So I'm a little curious...Can natural hair have the same swing and bounce as relaxed hair even after you straighten it? Does it still have that blow in the wind effect and bounce?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes! My pressed hair has more movement than my relaxed hair ever did!

I straighten mine every few months and my hair hasn't complained. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Keeping it healthy so it CAN grow is a top priority for me.

 

[TigerLily]

Yeah, when I was natural before, I would have my hair pressed every two weeks and trust me, those napps didn't go nowhere! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif It was very thick and healthy. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I think it depends on the person and their hair.

 

[Carefree]

I wear straight styles ever so often and haven't had any problems. In moderation heat shouldn't be a problem - it's nice to have the option of wearing straight styles once in a while.

 

[getmoore]

I went natural KNOWING that I would press my hair and keep it straight sometimes. But once I got used to my naps I don't think I've pressed my hair twice in three years!! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Divastate]

Yes my pressed natural hair has much more movement and shine than my relaxed hair ever did.

 

[Poohbear]

I think the longer your natural hair is, the more "swing" potential it will have. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Tru_Mind]

[ QUOTE ]
ayanapooh said:
I used to flat iron my hair when I first started my transition and it didn't do any damage, as long you use heat in moderation. I also don't think it's fair to say that someone might not be ready to go natural b/c they plan to constantly use heat b/c everyone's reasons for going natural are different. Some people still want straight hair w/o chemicals, and if that's the case, pressing might work just fine for them. My best friend grew out her perm and gets hers pressed at the salon every week, and she has one of the healthiest, most beautiful, swinging heads of hair I've ever seen! So you can have swinging straight hair w/o a perm, and the heat doesn't have to do damage if done right! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]RIGHT!! /images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[mkstar826]

[ QUOTE ]
ayanapooh said:
So you can have swinging straight hair w/o a perm, and the heat doesn't have to do damage if done right! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

if done "right" is the operative phrase here.

i still just don't get the point. if someone is going to press their hair once a week, why not just get a relaxer and call it a day. /images/graemlins/confused.gif i understand not wanting to use chemicals but CONSTANT heat is not that much better, IMO. Damage is damage, isn't it?

 

[unlvgirl]

[ QUOTE ]
mkstar826 said:
[ QUOTE ]
ayanapooh said:
So you can have swinging straight hair w/o a perm, and the heat doesn't have to do damage if done right! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

if done "right" is the operative phrase here.

i still just don't get the point. if someone is going to press their hair once a week, why not just get a relaxer and call it a day. /images/graemlins/confused.gif i understand not wanting to use chemicals but CONSTANT heat is not that much better, IMO. Damage is damage, isn't it?

[/ QUOTE ]

I get my hair pressed every two weekas and have been doing so for six years. I love my hair straight, but I stopped getting my hair relaxed because the chemicals did not agree with my hair and it was difficult to keep it moisturized properly so It was always breaking, and my stylist was not applying the relaxer correctly, and I couldn't apply it myself. I get my hair lightly pressed not fried straight with heavy oils. I think it just depends on what your hair can tolerate best. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[nappykat32]

My natural hair has lots of swing, but I never straighten it. The strange this is my hair didn't have much swing when it was relaxed. I think the key is to have well moisturized hair.

 

[Country gal]

I think it depends on what your purpose for going natural is. For me, I have a nice grain of hair so I didn't understand why my mother permed my hair. Well I actually do, she just got tired of dealing with it. When I was natural I would get my hair pressed as a little girl and it was always healthy. When I do perm my hair it is always a mild perm. I fiqure why get a mild perm when it appears I really don't need a relaxer that bad. I want to also be able to color my hair. My hair can't handle two chemicals.

 

[sillygurl18]

I never understood what a nice grade of hair meant can anybody explain it to me, what makes one grade better than the other? Better yet what is a grade?

 

[Country gal]

[ QUOTE ]
sillygurl18 said:
I never understood what a nice grade of hair meant can anybody explain it to me, what makes one grade better than the other? Better yet what is a grade?

[/ QUOTE ]

To me my hair is nice without chemicals and it really never should have had chemicals added to it. So when I use the term, it a word of empowerment. I have very manageable hair. There is a difference. I havew 4a hair which sometimes is not viewed as being "good hair". To me my hair doesn't have to be silky straight for it to be good hair. It's good to me. It soft, thick and healthy. It's a good grade of hair.

 

[sillygurl18]

Ok so wouldn't all her be a "good grade" then? No hair SHOULD have chemicals added to it.

 

[Country gal]

[ QUOTE ]
sillygurl18 said:
Ok so wouldn't all her be a "good grade" then? No hair SHOULD have chemicals added to it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can only speak for myself and what I deem nice hair. Some people feel that their hair is too unmanageable without a perm so that's their right to feel that way. I have a right to define my hair in the terms I feel comfortable with. I can't speak for all types of hair. I only know I enjoy my type.