This is a very personal question, and your reason may not be the same as the next young lady! I was absolutely captivated by the responses to this question in the vintage comb giveaway.
Here’s why some of our readers went natural!
Keisha wrote
My last relaxer was sometime in college in the year 2000 or 2001. I had tried several relaxers and several beauticians, and I had so much damage, that I asked my mom to cut my hair to my shoulders. My scalp was sore. The ends were just fried. This was the shortest my hair has ever been, and I was scared to cut it, but the damage was so bad, I had no choice. I wore press and curls up until last year, 2009, right before I had my baby girl. I liked my waves and curls that I saw when I washed my hair, but I didn’t know how to maintain them. I found youtube, and believe it or not, I was looking for an easier way to straighten my hair. That’s when I found a few ladies with natural hair tutorials. I haven’t been the same since! I bought a few products and worked with my hair during my maternity leave. I am in love with my natural texture! My husband likes it, too. I rarely flat iron now, and that’s only if I want a certain style. I wear my natural texture most of the time. I don’t have to be nervous about my hair when it rains, or getting in a swimming pool! Now that I have a daughter, I’m glad I’m natural so that I can teach her to love and care for her hair, too! So, in a nutshell, I’d say I stopped relaxing in 2000/2001, but I really began to love my hair in 2009. I just got tired of all the damage on my hair.
Amanda shared:
I went natural 2 years and 2 weeks ago!
At first, it was 1)out of curiosity, 2)to spite my mother who was against it without even hearing me out and 3) because relaxers were not budget friendly. It then became 1) a learning experience, 2) a challenge to myself to have MY best, MY healthiest hair and 3) a way for me to use my hard earned money to support people and products that care about more than a dollar. I am so proud because I have had three friends tell me that I have inspired them to go natural and they are doing such a great job at transitioning!
Marnette
I officially went natural on February 20, 2010. I did a 15 month transition. My last relaxer was October 31, 2008.
Why because I realized you can have healthy hair without a chemical straightner. I started reading forums and learned about hair care and the do’s and don’ts of maintaining healthy hair. Then I started reading about natural hair. I found so many beautiful women who had natural and how they took care of it. They had kinky, straight, coily hair and I fell in love with the versatility of it. I had first decided to do a long stretch then as the months went on and I learned more and more – I decided not to relax again. I learned how to take care of my two textures and it’s smooth sailing from that point on. I keep a hair diary to help me with how a product works with my hair and how it makes my hair feel. I’m a product junkie – I love trying new things. Since becoming a natural I only use and buy natural hair products. I stay away from silicones, sulfates and mineral oil. I carefully read all ingredients before I purchase anything. My journey has been amazing and I love my natural hair. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve learned to love and accept my natural curl.