2c/3a hair type equates to being lucky? I'm sorry you feel that way.
It is more than likely the case that limited education on "rock" hair with limited access to products than can best pamper "rock" strands resulted in your need to turn to relaxers to "manage" your hair type.
No offense to you, but I am certain the hair products you can get here designed to cater for 4a/4b/4c hair types is far more in abundance in the USA than in Scotland/UK. This also includes hair stylists that can handle the "rock" hair type.
What i feel about my hair is different to yours. My mum is part native american, part asian indian, part Arawak (indigenous people of Jamaica before the white man arrived and wiped them out) part scottish, part african part irish any time she bothered to go to a hairdresser they could not understand how her hair is so soft they thought it was some kind of relaxer, they don't understand it.
She never had to do anything to her hair as its is only very slightly wavy. by the way you are chatting to someone in their 40's its not about education from my individual story i know all about my hair. I would never put braids in my hair as it pulls at the roots and scalp and stresses it out its about understanding how difficult my hair is to deal with naturally, i don't wear plaited styles never have them for over 30 years dont like them and they do not suit me or the office i work in. There is plenty of hair products in UK to choose from, so don't know where you are getting that notion from?
My mother at age 79 doesn't have to deal with relaxers, hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, twist outs, braids, cornrows, hair treatments, breakage, steaming, split ends she never cut her hair, detangling or worry about protective styles she simply puts in her rollers and bit of scalp oil that is all she has to do. That is trouble free hair to me she is lucky because my hair is the complete opposite to hers i wish i had hers i wouldn't have to do a thing to it or worry about it.