Relax: Don't Do It!

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How many times have you heard people say natural hair is difficult to manage? or “other people’s hair may grow, but mine won’t.” I’m tired of natural hair so I’ve decided to relax it."  "What’s the best way to permanently straighten my hair?"

There are so many questions about curly hair that need answers, but do not despair; thankfully, there is a wealth of information online, in books and on you tube to assist.

If you are on a journey to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair I want you to understand that growth will not happen overnight, but it will come. Furthermore, your hair will not reach its full potential until products full of petroleum, waxes and silicones are no longer clinging to your strands. Keeping hair in optimum condition during the growing-out phase is paramount, because you want your new growth to be healthy.(5) Coconut oil, Shea butter, Olive oil, Castor oil, Grape seed oil, Jojoba oil & Patience are key moisturizers during this phase.

I could give you a trillion reasons to go natural, but lets begin with ten!

• According to Dr Oz & Cheryl Kramer Kaye hair Relaxers can be dangerous.  The active ingredient in most Drugstore Relaxers is Sodium Hydroxide; also know as Lye, and also the active ingredient in Drain Cleaners.  There are some No-Lye Relaxers, but these are similarly bad for you.  It is a marketing technique companies have been using to say their product is organic and uses “natural ingredients”, but Dr Oz says this makes him mad because there is no way to produce Lye that is organic. (3) Furthermore, a new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology has linked hair relaxers to uterine fibroids, as well as early puberty in young girls. (4)

• Going curly means going green. The detergents (sulfates) in shampoo pollute our water; so living a sulfate-free life helps keep the earth’s water supply clean. Not using blow dryers and flat irons means you’re saving electricity. (5)

• Your life no longer revolves around the weather. Curly hair loves moisture. (5)

• The food and drug administration says, "Hair relaxers and hair dyes are among its top consumer complaint areas. Complaints range from hair breakage to symptoms warranting an emergency room visit". Also in February 1994, the FDA and American Cancer Society released an epidemiologic study involving 573,000 women. Researchers found that women who had never used permanent hair dyes showed decreased risk of all fatal cancers combined and of urinary system cancers. (2)

• Once you learn how to care for your hair, it’ll be healthier than you ever imagined! (1)

• Curls make you look younger! (5)

• You’ll save the time and money you spent on hair appointments.

• You never know when it might go wrong. Just like food, allergies show up over time, so do hair chemical allergies. What worked fine two years ago might cause a bald spot in two years. (2)

• If it went wrong before, it will very likely happen again. If you had a bad reaction to a perm, do not do it again. Nine times out of 10, the chemicals are just as much to blame as the stylist. (2)

• Learning to accept and love your curls means learning to accept and love yourself! (5)

At the outset natural curly hair may seem difficult to manage, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easy.

For me the biggest challenge was finding a routine that worked! Once I did, I continued with it. 

Good luck!!! Feel free to share your experience(s) below.

Reference:

Ten Great Reasons to Go Natural. NappyMe. nappyme.wordpress.com. 11 August. 2011. Web. 11 April. 2012.

Hermitt, Andrea. M.A. Reasons for Black Women to Wear their natural hair. Voices.Yahoo.com.  21 June. 2006. Web. 11 April. 2012.

Dr Oz Fans. Dr Oz: Brazilian Blowout, Relaxers, & Hair Straighteners: What's Safe?. Drozfans.com. 8 December. 2010. Web. 30 March 2012.

Evans, Charlotte. New Study links Relaxers to Fibroids. Bet.com. 23 February. 2012. Web. 30 March 2012.
Massey, Lorraine and Bender, Michele. curly girl The Handbook. New York, 2010. Print.