Quote:
Originally posted by neicy81
My question to everyone here is why do you feel you NEED a relaxer?Is vanity worth putting burning chemicals next to your brain, and losing tons of hair?
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The other day, I went to the beauty shop to have the front of my braids re-done. There was a lady there hoping that my stylist could squeeze her in because hers stood her up. All she wanted was a wrap, so the stylist worked her in. Anyway, as the stylist was wrapping her hair, it was a shame. Hair was shedding from her head so bad, the wrap would not lay down, and her hair looked mushy. I thought that the stylist hadn't washed all the curls out of her head (the lady had a straw set) I was shocked at the amount of hair she lost. It was almost as much hair that comes out when you take down braids. The lady said that her hair had been shedding like that for over a week! She had just had a relaxer two weeks ago. The stylist told her that she would have to get a haircut and that her hair was too weak to wear braids to grow it out. IMO,At the rate she was losing hair, she'd be bald in a month.
This lady was almost in tears...watching her just reaffirmed my decision to grow out this relaxer and go natural.
IMO, Black women feel they need a relaxer because it's been drilled into our heads for so long that natural hair is nappy, it's not beautiful, it can't be controlled, it's hard to maintain. We go through great lengths to straighten hair that was not meant to be straightened because of what society thinks beautiful; "good hair" is, and then some of us don't know how to take care of it. We go and color it and relax it (a double whammy) without thinking about the consequences.
I had a relaxer since I was 11 and a year later, hair that had been past my shoulders was barely scaping my neck. I've been trying to get it back to that length ever since (I fell into a cycle of it growing down then breaking off) and it just dawned on me that having this relaxer causes me more trouble than it's worth. Like, I didn't want to wear hats and mess up my hair, I screamed and cursed Mother nature every time I left the shop and the wind was blowing, working out regularly was nonexistent (I'd sweat my 'do out, can't have that), swimming preparation was a chore (a scarf, shower cap, two swimming caps, and it still got wet
), if I got caught in the rain, it was over, and on top of that, I started having a hard time keeping up a style when I didn't have to worry about the other factors. I'd had enough and I don't care if people think my hair is nappy, I'll be free.
For those with relaxed hair, keep on doing what you're doing if you're comfortable. Just remember that it requires a lot of maintenance on your part and on your stylist. Make sure he/she isn't overprocessing you (combing the relaxer all the way through at touch-up or retouch time), washing it out completely, and using neutralizing shampoo when it's rinsed out. That's just a few things I've learned b/c some stylist just don't know any better, and I don't even want to go down the road of trifling stylists here, that's a different thread.
