So you want to relax your natural hair...

A few weeks ago, I talked about my Hairstory and why/how I decided to go natural. Like a lot of people, my relaxed hair being weak with stunted growth (mostly due to improper or lack of hair care), caused me to make the decision to go natural. It's been 8 years since I stopped relaxing my hair. In these 8 years, I have seriously thought about relaxing my hair maybe once or twice.

Source

The main reason why I chose not to go through with it was because it felt like it would be such a permanent decision. Of course, it really wouldn't be permanent as some people have gone back and forth between relaxed and natural hair. However for me, it's been such a long time since I had relaxed hair, that I feel that going back there would be a very drastic and huge change. That's just not a decision that I would feel comfortable with at this time.

A friend of mine who started going natural last year usually complained about having difficulty with styling her hair, and that it wasn't growing as quickly as she would hope. She recently decided to go back to relaxing her hair though (and for some reason, was worried that I would chastise her). Because I knew that she had experienced more difficulty with her hair in its natural state, I completely understood her decision. But when I asked her how she felt, she said she felt weird and naked.

Her answer prompted me to write this post. If you have been having difficulty or been bored or less than enthused with your natural hair, and are considering relaxing, be sure to question your motives and really understand the reason for the decision you're trying to make. It's very important to be sure that you're deciding for yourself, and that it's not something you will regret. I would suggest trying one of the temporary hair straightening systems to test it out for a week or two. If you still feel strongly about relaxing your hair, then you can go through with it.

Have you thought about going back to relaxers since you went natural?