WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GO NATURAL?

Irresistible

New Member
The upkeeping of relaxed hair seemed like more work. Which at present holds true.

The BURNING.

I was first relaxed so my mom could "handle" my hair. I was ridiculed when it wasn't kept relaxed by classmates (mainly non-black) and in high school I relaxed to not stick out any more than I already did and avoid as much social persecution as possible.

Only on my way out of high school did I break into "Wash and wear", texlaxed hair.

I was tired of doing something that hurt me and caused a lot of grief just to make other people feel more comfortable around me.

Thus...I stopped relaxing.

I know I will NEVER relax again.

Maybe I'll texturize my ends to have coily ends (which does work so long as you don't texturize to a new hair type. IE, you start a 4a and end a 4a, but with no frizz. Not 4a to 3c).

But relax again? No way. I didn't even relax bone straight half of the time and it was awful.
yeah natural hair is work but I say trying to keep relaxed hair healthy styled and nice is work too!
 

Irresistible

New Member
Seeing women on LHCF who were wearing their hair chemical free made me want to go natural. I thought all Black women relaxed their hair before discovering LHCF in 2004. I didn't care what my hair texture looked like, I was just tired of getting relaxer touch-ups so I went natural. Natural for life! :weird:
and I was there to witness this wonderful event!

I HAD VOTED YOU LEAST LIKELY TOO

u shocked many!

I'm so glad you did it and have stuck with PB!!!!
 

rosie

New Member
With the 'what seems' to be the new natural craze these days

Just wondering what your reasons were to decide to go natural?

no reason too big, too small, or bad, or better


This is just for curiosity sake

'Cause I wanted me and my duaghter to have some hair. I got tired of being bald and my daughter being bald, too.


Really, I went natural for two reasons:
  • I wanted some hair and it would never grow with the relaxer, no matter how well I took care of it. Salon or self-relaxed, it always broke off 4 inches was the max for me. I might get to 6 but it would never stay. I now have 16+ inches of hair.
  • My first daughter was born and I did not know what to do with her hair. Experimenting with my own natural hair helped me to learn what to do with hers. Hers is thriving now.
 

Irresistible

New Member
Well, I relaxed in February 2003 and found out later that month that I was pregnant. So I decided to lay off the relaxers and braid my hair up. I gave birth and started breast feeding. Still didn't want a relaxer. I took my hair down from the braids and realized that my hair was much more thicker and growing much more faster without relaxing it. Well my son was hard to wean so two years went by. I then had 3 years of no relaxer and loved my natural hair so much I decided to leave it natural. I'm so glad I did.
I think its awesome that you stayed away from them while pregnant and breast feeding!

and I agree why go back after that long!?
 

Irresistible

New Member
'Cause I wanted me and my duaghter to have some hair. I got tired of being bald and my daughter being bald, too.


Really, I went natural for two reasons:
  • I wanted some hair and it would never grow with the relaxer, no matter how well I took care of it. Salon or self-relaxed, it always broke off 4 inches was the max for me. I might get to 6 but it would never stay. I now have 16+ inches of hair.
  • My first daughter was born and I did not know what to do with her hair. Experimenting with my own natural hair helped me to learn what to do with hers. Hers is thriving now.

&look at you now!

u know the same happened for me, dealing with my daughter's natural hair helped me alot! even though at the time I had no clue our hair was exactly the same, turned out it was so I had already had some information under my belt when my hair started coming out my head natural
 

bLackButtaFly

Well-Known Member
I didn't have enough money to get a relaxer at the salon, and then I started seeing my natural hair growing, and it was stronger and healthier then my hair had been in a long time. Had my last relaxer in july of 2004 and have never looked back.
 

Bubblingbrownshuga

Well-Known Member
My hair never 'acted' right with a relaxer, so my hair spent most of it's time in a bun. What was the point of having a relaxer if my hair was rarely styled?
 

LadyEuphoria007

New Member
I really just got tired of using hair weave after hair weave. I would change my styles on a weekly basis. Now that i look back I think it was b/c i wasn't happy.

I"ve been rocking WnGs for almost 3 months straight and I love it!

Imagine that :rolleyes:
 

missty1029

New Member
My hair never really took a relaxer so I always liked my curls. But I used it to loosen up the thickness. But I was tired of the straight curly ends I had and was just curious on what my hair was like especially after seeing so many beautiful heads here. I never maintained a regular relaxer schedule so it was not hard to stop. And I dont see myself going back! I have embraced the thickness and I love my curls!
 

hrtbndr21

New Member
Curiosity mostly, I had braids for a couple months and really got a good look at my new growth and just kept going. That and seeing all the natural heads on the web pushed me to do it sooner than rather than later.
 

mscocoface

Well-Known Member
Relaxers and my scalp were not friends. I had two permanent bald spots while using relaxers. Am happy to say those spots are no longer there.

Tired of every 6-8 weeks putting something in my hair to combat NAPS!

Saw my cousin go natural and thought, Why not me?!
 

Irresistible

New Member
Relaxers and my scalp were not friends. I had two permanent bald spots while using relaxers. Am happy to say those spots are no longer there.

Tired of every 6-8 weeks putting something in my hair to combat NAPS!

Saw my cousin go natural and thought, Why not me?!
Geesh the things we did to ourselves!

I'm really glad your baldspots grew back

my crown used to ache, tingle and feel numb and strange when I relaxed

I always had to rub it , rub it rub it and it required so much moisture there it was soooo dry!

none of that goes on today, my crown is as long and as healthy as the rest of my hair
 

naturalgurl

New Member
I think its awesome that you stayed away from them while pregnant and breast feeding!

and I agree why go back after that long!?

Thank goodness I found this place though. The more my hair grew the bigger and more unruly it got. I loved it but was afraid of it...KWIM?
 

gradygirl

New Member
My hair was breaking and thinning really bad. I got tired of the touchups burning my sensitive scalp. I wanted length and thickness and I could not obtain both with a relaxer. Stopping the use of chemicals was the best thing for my hair .
 

Irresistible

New Member
My hair was breaking and thinning really bad. I got tired of the touchups burning my sensitive scalp. I wanted length and thickness and I could not obtain both with a relaxer. Stopping the use of chemicals was the best thing for my hair .

length and thickness definitely go hand in hand with natural hair!
 

TCatt86

Well-Known Member
I had an insane amount of scalp damage. Everytime I relax my scalp would be on fire and I was using Mild or Sensitive Scalp formulas!!!
 

joyandfaith

Active Member
I decided to go natural because I started to notice how much more manageable my natural hair was over my permed hair. My permed hair was very kinky and dry. I now do wash and go's with my natural hair...which was never possible with my permed hair.
 

vlucious

New Member
too straight, too flat, too boring.

28 years old, and had no CLUE how to take care of the hair actually growing out of my head - damn shame, is what it was.

agreed.

theres alot of ladies here who dont know how to take care of their natural hair, and i think its a shame.


anywho. i hated relaxers, i still do. they did nothing for me but hide my true self. crazy as it sounds.. its true!! :weird:
 

SouthernTease

New Member
1. Amel Larrieux
2. Relaxed hair was getting boring for me
3. Thought I would retain more length
4. I look better with curly hair
5. No more hair stylists
6. Wash & Gos
 

silvergirl

Well-Known Member
didnt see the point in getting a relaxer.....
wanted to know my natural texture......
wanted to be different.......
 

saved06

New Member
1) Hair was breaking
2) Hair was falling out
3) Hated taking down weave
4) Hated buying weave
5) Hated relaxers
6) Felt lilke I was hiding the real me
7) I look better natural
8) Wanted to be free from the social pressure of straight hair
9) I can maintain natural hair better than relaxed;
10) I just want healthy hair
 

Irresistible

New Member
1) Hair was breaking
2) Hair was falling out
3) Hated taking down weave
4) Hated buying weave
5) Hated relaxers
6) Felt lilke I was hiding the real me
7) I look better natural
8) Wanted to be free from the social pressure of straight hair
9) I can maintain natural hair better than relaxed;
10) I just want healthy hair

really good reasons!
 

Afro-Indi

New Member
My initial reason for going natural was for more length.

The longest my hair had ever been relaxed was BSL.
At the time I decided to grow out my relaxer and go natural, I was wearing a pixie cut and decided to try to grow it out as long as possible.
My reasons for staying natural are deeper now.
 

BklynHeart

Well-Known Member
When my mom passed away last year I put my hair in braids because I was in mourning. By then it was almost a year since I was in braids. I decided to go natural to remove all of the relaxed hair that was part of the pain and hurt watching her suffer.
 

ALWAYZL8

Member
Tired of spending money on what I thought I needed to be accepted. My hair was shedding and thinning. I figured in about five more years I will look a hot mess anyway because I was trying to please other folks.

Rockin' my confidence as a natural with a TWA!
 

naturalgurl

New Member
When my mom passed away last year I put my hair in braids because I was in mourning. By then it was almost a year since I was in braids. I decided to go natural to remove all of the relaxed hair that was part of the pain and hurt watching her suffer.

I feel you my sister. I lost my mother to breast cancer and my best friend. Here's a ((((HUG)))).
 

CharUK

"Honestly, Truly"
I decided to go natural after my permed hair started to thin out for the 100th time. I was truly sick of it and also sick of having people in my hair. I've always had thick hair and after a few year it would thin out and it was distressing, so I decided to just go with natural hair. The last time I had natural hair was when I was 12 years old (I'm 27 now) so it was a learning curve and it's not easy, but I won't ever go back now.
 

TCatt86

Well-Known Member
I still cannot believe the amount of burning I went through at times

to have scabs later

sheer madness!

I could guarantee that my hair would be stuck to my scalp for days!! And my scalp would be raw and tender. My hairdresser would try to get me to go more often and I was like heck no this burns too much. I used to dread going to get a relaxer. Now my only issue is tender scalp after my flexi-rod sets, but I can handle that.
 
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