August 13th, 2009 • Posted by Akua Boachie • Permalink
Relaxed or Natural? Which one is better? Which should you choose? I have personally explored both the world of relaxed and natural hair; they both have their pros and cons.
Years ago, I decided to grow my natural hair out due to all the damage I had done to it. Anyway you can think of damaging your hair I did it; too excessive heat, too slathering on gel, spritz, gluing in tracks, yanking out tracks and the worst of all, letting my girlfriends put in my relaxeres in for me. "KEEP AWAY FROM KITCHEN COSMETOLOGISTS!" Many people are probably thinking, "Girl your mom is a stylist, a good one at that, why were you letting others do (damage)your hair?" I know--temporary insanity on my part.
While going natural, I kept my hair in braids and sewn-in styles because I loved having versitile options. I also wasn't too comfortable with the length, I cut all the relaxed hair OFF! I did my conditioning treatments and trims regularly. I did this for about 15 months. The result was a brand new grade of hair on my head. It was beautiful. It was so strong, it was black, shiny, it was healthy! At this point I was ready to begin wearing it out and sport the cute natural styles that I see all of the women nowadays wearing. This was gonna be great.
No one told me how patient you have to be with natural hair. My curl pattern is also very, very tight, not those cute, loose or even wavy tendrils of hair. I tried the presses, but my hair would instantly draw up. Pressed hair in humid-Georgia is a hard look to wear, especially in spring/summer months. I constantly was putting moisturizers, spraying in moisturizers, products to define my curls and it just didn't seem to work for me, my hair would literally suck everything up and still feel kinda dry. I also missed the versatitlity. It's not surprising to see me with a new hairstyle every other month, so I felt very limited. I was so tempted to put the "creamy-crack" a.k.a relaxer back in my head. I felt so conflicted though. I had taken all this time to grow out this beautiful, strong, shiny hair, but at the same time, I couldn't get the versatility and styling I wanted. What was a poor girl to do?
So after talking to all of my girlfriends, doing research and most importantly talking to my hair care profeesionals, I decided to go ahead and relax my hair a little over 3 months ago. Do I regret the decision? No. The difference now is that I had a great head of hair to start with and I went through many tough experiences to appreciate it more. I get it shampooed & conditioned weekly, I do deep conditining treatments every 3 weeks, I limit the heat I put on my hair, I moisturize my hair and scalp daily---I don't play know GAMES with this HEAD! My hair today is healthier than ever and I have the two thing that I've always longed for with my hair; HEALTH & VERSATILITY!
So, I've experienced both and which one is better? I honestly can't answer that for you. It all depends on what works best for you. While going natural, I regained the strength & luster that I longed for and while going relaxed I got the options that I love. Its all about healthy hair maintainance. Make sure that licensed, reputable, professionals are the only ones putting any kind of chemicals in your hair, make sure you deep condition every 2-3 weeks, get your trims regularly and moisturize you scalp and hair. Also, put down the flat-iron! When dealing with weaves and braids, make sur that you go to someone who is also reputable and knows what they are doing because these processes, when not done correctly, can put your hair in a vulnerable state. For more help with your hair, make sure that you visit us here at Impressions Hair Care & Spa Serene. Our stylists are always more than willing to help you through your hair issues and we also do COMPLIMENTARY hair consultations. 'Til next time!
