Do I need to relax?

[My Friend]

After seeing so many updates of relaxed women with outstanding results, I'm starting to wonder. It appears so much easier to retain hair with a relaxer or heat trained hair than for a natural.

I know, I know, the decision is mine and I'm not looking for advice on relaxing or staying natural but why it appears so much easier for relaxed heads. Yes. The ssk's and tangles are a bear to deal with but in the end I love my natural hair. I thought about BKT but have since ruled it out of my equation.

Ok, pity party over.

 

[Embyra]

hmmm I wouldnt say its easier to retain hair being relaxed as relaxed hair is weakened to some degree i think alot of it comes down to knowing what your hair needs and when

most of the long relaxed head on here i would say prob took a long time to get to know what their hair needed and went through a lot of trial and error to get there i think its the same for the long haired naturals

 

[kblc06]

I just posted my progress pics, and to be frankly honest, my relaxed has never retained length like my natural hair does, even though it was quite healthy. The only times my hair has been very long (MBL +) is when I have been natural. I feel as though I can do a lot less for my natural hair and still retain considerably well. Although I do suffer from SE & SKKs, they aren't a huge problem. Take the time to learn more about your hair

 

[lilsparkle825]

I think it's all about learning what styles work well for your hair. If you are one of those people who constantly wears WNGs and they don't work for your hair type (Note: I don't know what styles you wear OR your hair type....speaking in generalizations) then it's no wonder you are not retaining length. Like kblc06 said, I am natural and my hair was NEVER this long when I had a relaxer.

 

[Nonie]

I will chime in with the naturals and say it just takes finding out what your hair needs/likes for this journey to be a breeze, and being natural makes it easier to be in charge of your own hair and its upkeep. No need for another pair of eyes to help with touchups and avoid overlap and no concern about over processing or under processing, but you work with the same texture and treat it all the same, which is how it gets to be second nature the more you get familiar with your hair.

I must have the simplest regimen. My hair stays braided or twisted and I redo one at a time as I feel like it, sliding out the shed hair and then rebraiding/retwisting. I don't apply products, seal or PS. And today when I stretched the section above my ear, it went past my collarbone. Who knew. My hair too is longer than it ever was when I was relaxed.

That said, if you feel well-armed to deal with different textures should you decide to stretch, have a good stylist who doesn't under or over process...and know how to care for our hair when relaxed or heat-trained, then you can have a blast with straight hair too.

But to stay natural, especially if you're 4B, you cannot keep manipulating your hair and expect to see progress or have a fun experience.

 

[Lovelylife]

It depends on the person and what they are willing to do and their hair. I have extremely thick hair. I've overlapped my hair 3 times and some people still think I'm natural. For me, my hair has retained extremely well since I relaxed. I just choose a nice balance for me. I relax my hair 2-4 times a year. When I was natural, I moisturized my hair everyday and it just stayed extremely dry. My hair also gets dry as a relaxed hair, but it is much easier for me to maintain. Now, I don't have to spend an hour a day doing my hair. I kept my hair in braidouts or braids.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I am going to tell you that no one NEEDS to relax. I am looking towards maybe leaning towards heat styled natural hair. I just have to research on how to do it without hurting my hair.