Are Naturals out numbering Relaxed Heads on LHCF?

[ThePerfectScore]

Idk when the last time we had a roll call, so forgive me, but in light of all the recent BCs...filthyfresh's, L.Brown1114's, Iluvsmuhgrass's, vainღ♥♡jane, mine... I wonder how many people on this site are either natural or transitioning to natural.

One of my guy friends was saying every black woman he knows is going natural , but seriously is this now a fad due to an increase of self-awareness? I know the only reason I stayed relaxed for so long is because I was not aware of what my natural texture was like and I was totally oblivious to how to take care of it....

Heck is it because it's black history month? We're trying to get back to our roots... literally? But seriously I love this website not only for the beautiful relaxed people, but also the wonderful naturals. I find myself drooling over both ...

but how are the scales balanced on LHCF is it mostly natural, relaxed, or about even?

 

[song_of_serenity]

I think it seems like more natural on the board with so many BC announcements within the past year into now (mine included LOL) And with more new choppers come new questions.

However, I have been seeing more naturals lately! Mum said it could be people just wanting to go back natural, choosing to no longer relax because of the constant cost, etc, etc...who knows.

It seems there is a large amount of women going natural.

 

[ThePerfectScore]

I think it seems like more natural on the board with so many BC announcements within the past year into now (mine included LOL) And with more new choppers come new questions.

However, I have been seeing more naturals lately! Mum said it could be people just wanting to go back natural, choosing to no longer relax because of the constant cost, etc, etc...who knows.

It seems there is a large amount of women going natural.

yeah the cost of relaxers is ridiculous...especially in salons in Atlanta..and I swear stylist are like drug pushers claiming you need a fix at least every 6 weeks...(or like my mom and my old stylist used to love to do a "edge up" at the slightest sign of new growth). For like 2 years my mom and I were doing at home relaxers to save, then once my mom moved outta state I was damned if I was going to pay someone to relax my hair or self-relaxed... so that's when I really started getting into stretching relaxers and then eventually transition... lol...

 

[jamaica68]

I've been natural for almost 5 years and wish I had done it sooner.

I don't think being natural is a fad considering all the members on natural hair boards and blogs that have also been natural for a long period of time.

 

[Ltown]

I don't think you'll ever know, there are so many ladies here that don't participate in polls or post at all. Some lurk for information. I'm natural and was relax and look for good hair advice from everyone.

 

[Pooks]

I think the balance is tipping

 

[Mook's hair]

I don't think the scales have tipped on LHCF but I do notice that many people I know are making the journey to natural and I'm bombarded with transitioning questions.

I think that many ladies get inspired when they run across someone who has done it or who is currently doing it.

 

[Aviah]

In the last poll or so last year it was more naturals that voted. Like another poster said, many lurk.

 

[Poohbear]

Idk when the last time we had a roll call, so forgive me, but in light of all the recent BCs...filthyfresh's, L.Brown1114's, Iluvsmuhgrass's, vainღ♥♡jane, mine... I wonder how many people on this site are either natural or transitioning to natural.

One of my guy friends was saying every black woman he knows is going natural , but seriously is this now a fad due to an increase of self-awareness? I know the only reason I stayed relaxed for so long is because I was not aware of what my natural texture was like and I was totally oblivious to how to take care of it....

Heck is it because it's black history month? We're trying to get back to our roots... literally? But seriously I love this website not only for the beautiful relaxed people, but also the wonderful naturals. I find myself drooling over both ...

but how are the scales balanced on LHCF is it mostly natural, relaxed, or about even?

Same here at the bolded statement above. When I discovered LHCF back in 2004, that's when I immediately wanted to go natural. I thought ALL Black women relaxed their hair. Then when I saw women on here who didn't use relaxers, I thought to myself "I can do that too!" I was someone who just hated getting relaxer touch-ups so going natural in 2005 was a freeing experience for me. I don't think black women going natural is a fad... I believe it's clearly an awareness.

 

[coolsista-paris]

i also know friends that are going natural. I went natural cause i wanted to see if i can get back the long thick hair i had as a child. It was long and healthy.Also at my last relaxer i got burnt of the forhead so that was it!
wanted to get an afro instead of wearing afake one on some partys lol

 

[Renewed1]

I think its the fact that more black woman are realizing that you can have healthy, long, NATURAL hair. That our "nappy" hair isn't anymore difficult to deal with than being a relaxed head.

 

[nikki2229]

Same here at the bolded statement above. When I discovered LHCF back in 2004, that's when I immediately wanted to go natural. I thought ALL Black women relaxed their hair. Then when I saw women on here who didn't use relaxers, I thought to myself "I can do that too!" I was someone who just hated getting relaxer touch-ups so going natural in 2005 was a freeing experience for me. I don't think black women going natural is a fad... I believe it's clearly an awareness.

This is my experience exactly Poohbear. When I first joined, I just wanted to grow my hair quickly. I began to see naturals who had beautiful straight and curly hair,I thought to myself "why can't I do that too." I tried to transition, but it only turned into a 12 week stretch because I didn't know how to handle the new growth. I was disappointed in myself and promised that after 12 weeks post I would take this journey day by day and listen to what my hair needed. Luckily, I saw it through and am now 15 months post, will soon BC. I hated getting a relaxer and so did DD, so she decided to transition with me. I always gave her the option to change her mind but she's even more determined than me to BC soon, she's 14.5 months post.

 

[mariofmagdal]

Natural and loving it!

 

[TemiLnd]

Im natural and loving it. Im learning so much. And its great to have so many ladies that think so. I know two of my friends that started their transition after they saw my BC. I can't wait for summer cos this COLD is not much fun for styling!!

 

[NikStarrr]

I think there are more naturals on the board. Include me in that count!

 

[CaliDiamond]

I have been both but I am in between now (texlaxed). I DO think that there are more naturals on this board. I know when I joined I wanted to learn how to manage my texlaxed hair better...but as I see all these gorgeous natural heads on here it makes me want to go RIGHT BACK to natural..WHY? Because I want my "fluffy" back..lol...and there is so much positive support from natural sistas when you want to go natural again. Thank you LHCF!

 

[BostonMaria]

PerfectScore, I didn't know you had BC'd! Heck I didn't even know you were transitioning! Congratulations!!!!

I don't know about other people, but for me this isn't a fad. I am not interested in ever relaxing my hair ever again. Whether its a fad for others, I don't know and I hope not. Like I've said before, there are so many more options for us than there were even 15 years ago. There's BKT, flatirons, gels, mousse, blogs, websites such as this one, etc... that will help you with styling options. I think people are more informed now.

 

[Lucie]

I don't think it's a fad. I think it has to do more with self-awareness, more confidence, more women BCing giving others the courage to do so, coupled with the loss of desire to spend so much time on their hair. Last Friday at work I got the worst anxiety about all I had to do to more hair. I prepoo Friday night with castor oil. Wash it out. Condition. Rollerset. Sit under the dryer to dry. Mind you I was BSL getting very close to MBL (my goal for the summer). I became manic at work and if I had scissors at my desk I would have started chopping like a madwoman. 3 hours laters, I was getting my hair shaved off. If you had asked me two/three years ago this same question, I would have said no but it seems so many woman are running from the relaxer to the clippers. By no means am I am relaxer-basher but it does make me happy.

 

[LoveisYou]

Natural and loving it

 

[biancaelyse]

I don't think it's a fad. I think it has to do more with self-awareness, more confidence, more women BCing giving others the courage to do so, coupled with the loss of desire to spend so much time on their hair. Last Friday at work I got the worst anxiety about all I had to do to more hair. I prepoo Friday night with castor oil. Wash it out. Condition. Rollerset. Sit under the dryer to dry. Mind you I was BSL getting very close to MBL (my goal for the summer). I became manic at work and if I had scissors at my desk I would have started chopping like a madwoman. 3 hours laters, I was getting my hair shaved off. If you had asked me two/three years ago this same question, I would have said no but it seems so many woman are running from the relaxer to the clippers. By no means am I am relaxer-basher but it does make me happy.

I want to see

I am natural and have ben natural for a long time - 10+ years.

Not a fad for me either - a lifestyle change.

 

[yaya24]

I BC'd in 2009 and now I have 3 close friends (1 is my sister) who are transitioning.

Au Natural FTW

 

[sunnieb]

I'm fully relaxed and I absolutely LOVE it! I'm so glad I found this site. I've never had problems with getting relaxed, I just didn't know how to take proper care of my hair.

I love natural hair too! I just love healthy hair! I don't care if I become the last relaxed head on LHCF. I'm not going anywhere and it's not like all of the relaxed haircare info is going to be deleted.

 

[NikStarrr]

I also wanted to add that to some degree going natural is a fad. Anything that has a sudden surge in popularity is "fad". But fads stick. I mean, in the 70's the popular thing was afros. When ppl started trading in their 'fros for relaxers and jheri curls--that was seen as a fad back then. Now look, relaxers did stick and became the status quo for a long time. Hopefully, this natural "fad" sticks and becomes the new status quo, which I think it will as black ppl have become more empowered over the years, not to mention society as a whole has become more aware of health, things we put in/on our bodies, etc.

 

[mEmYSELFaNDj]

Natural, although sometimes I see these relaxed heads on LHCF and get really tempted to cross over to that creamy crack.

 

[Barbie83]

*raises hand*

still relaxed


but I do love drooling over beautiful thick natural hair!!

 

[buddhas_mom]

I'm fully relaxed and I absolutely LOVE it! I'm so glad I found this site. I've never had problems with getting relaxed, I just didn't know how to take proper care of my hair.

I love natural hair too! I just love healthy hair! I don't care if I become the last relaxed head on LHCF. I'm not going anywhere and it's not like all of the relaxed haircare info is going to be deleted.

I completely agree. We'll be the last two relaxed heads on LHCF lol. There are alot of beautiful heads on LHCF with relaxed and natural hair. Some naturals have me very tempted to transition then I spend 2 hours combing out my son's MBL(if it was straight) natural curls and completely change my mind. But I love his natural hair just as much as my relaxed hair.

 

[Lola Laughs]

I don't know if natural is a fad, but based on this (link below that I stumbled upon), relaxer sales are trending down. They attribute it in part to forums like this that celebrate black hair. There's some other interesting stuff in their about black women and how we apparently feel about our hair. Food for thought.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/14693180/The-African-American-Mindset

 

[peachykeen]

Natural is becoming all the rage among the informed. And, if a relaxed and breaking hair woman ever sees a healthy head of afro textured hair down someones back, that usually makes them a believer and they switch right over.

 

[Misshairdiva]

I think it has alot to do with a few factors.
One: if you look at commercial ads in magazines as well as on tv most Black people are rocking natural styles.
Two: A BIG factor in woman switching from relaxing to natural is awareness and education such as the net and LHCF!!
I know for ME personally, I too thought ALL Black woman HAD to relax their hair if they wanted it straight. That is what my mother and family had taught me. It wasn't until coming to this board that I realized that I could wear my hair curly when I wanted to, and achieve straight hair by rollersetting and blowing out my roots(thanks LHCF for hipping me to Dominican salons). Until LHCF I had no clue about rollersetting and then blowing out the roots. That little bit of info has helped me to stay away from relaxers, blow dryers and curling irons resulting in my hair growing in two years from shoulder length to bra strap length! Before that it stayed at shoulder length.

 

[bludaydreamr]

I don't think the scales have tipped on LHCF but I do notice that many people I know are making the journey to natural and I'm bombarded with transitioning questions.

I think that many ladies get inspired when they run across someone who has done it or who is currently doing it.

This is what I have noticed, there are about 6 women I work with in the past 3 years who are either transistioning, have BC'd, or the women who are curious and would like too go natural. I've noticed I get questions from relaxed heads about having healthier hair.