Relaxed vs. Natural Hair: Pros & Cons

So is it just me, or does there seem to be a battle between the naturals and the relaxed chicks? With the natural hair community growing ever so rapidly, there seems to be an uproar of opinions on how people should be wearing and not wearing their hair. I have seen commentary about natural vs. relaxed, curly vs. straight, good hair vs. bad hair, and even untrue stereotypes. As black women our hair is a sensitive, and sometimes overly discussed topic. It is JUST hair, ladies. Why do we put so much emphasis on our tresses? It’s quite vain how important hair has become in our community.

As a girl who has worn her hair both natural and chemically treated, I see no reason to fight about which is better or worse. All hair has its negatives and positives. How you choose to care for your hair will determine its health and beauty.

Let’s look at some common PROs and CONs.

Thickness: Natural hair does tend to be thicker. This is because your hair follicles are textured. The natural hair follicles have lots of disulfide bonds which create the curls in the hair and give it texture. Chemically relaxed hair has been altered. The follicles have been broken down so that they don’t curl. This decreases the amount of texture, therefore leaving your head of hair to feel and appear thinner.

•  Natural hair is easier to achieve a full and big hair’d look
• Relaxed hair is easier to flat iron, and achieve a straight, “silky” look

Tangles: Natural hair is definitely a challenge to detangle. Though there are several methods that can help reduce the detangling process, it’s still a process. Relaxed hair is straight, and therefore can in some ways be easier to manage on a daily basis, and even on wash days.

• Relaxed hair is especially great for air drying before styling. You can easily air dry and then straighten for less damage
• Natural hair is great if you enjoy the “wash n’ go” look, but if your intending to style hair detangling, and possibly blow-drying will be necessary

Growth Rate: It is a myth that natural or relaxed hair grows faster than the other. Your hair growth rate depends on two things: your internal health and how you care/maintain your hair. Natural hair is just as susceptible to damage as chemically treated hair. Often, those who go natural feel like their hair is growing faster because they aren’t styling their hair as much, and therefore, aren’t damaging it. What is really happening here is your hair’s retention rate has increased.

• Natural hair that is worn natural and isn’t messed with a lot has the potential to retain more length.
• Chemically treated hair has been weakened, and therefore, extra care is necessary to retain length. With the proper care you are able to grow long, healthy and beautiful relaxed hair.
• Neither style guarantees faster growth.

Natural Hair Mistakes

Marcus Garvey once challenged black people to get the kinks out of our minds and not out of our hair. Never has this statement been more true than with the natural hair movement. Don't get me wrong. The modern natural hair movement is an amazing cross-cultural coalition of women with kinks and curls giving emotional support and hair advice to one another.

It is great in many respects! But, the movement often fails to challenge the very paradigm that encouraged women to chemically process their hair and thereby prevented them from remaining natural, in the first place. In my view, the following five natural hair mistakes are the biggest mistakes that most naturals don't even realize that they are making.

*  Complaining About "Shrinkage"
Magical afro-textured hair has a helix or ziggly formation that allows it to defy gravity by growing toward the sun. By definition, a helix or ziggly formation is not straight and therefore appears shorter than if those same hair strands were straight. It's the amazing reality of our hair! But instead of accepting and embracing this, many naturalistas are complaining about it. I have seen comments on facebook pages such as "I hate shrinkage" and "shrinkage is evil."

What the cuss? Where did this word even come from? Do straight haired people complain about their hair being "stretched"? Not that I know of! Your hair is amazing no matter how long or high it appears due to the weather or your styling methods.

*Complaining That Your Hair is "Hard" To Manage

Yes, kinky hair is hard to manage if you want it to look straight or look like loose curls. I agree 100%. But it is not hard to manage when you are engaging in styles that were created by people with kinky hair for kinky hair such as twists, braids, thread wrap or locs. If your hair is hard to comb then only comb it when wet with water and conditioner. Trust me, it will be easier. Also, put it in styles that won't require you to comb it for long periods (braids, coils, etc.) or forever (locs). I will never forget the first time that I got rat tail coils. The male loctician was fawning over my hair because he said it was the "perfect" hair for locing. I thought to myself 'I'm glad my hair is good for something". It's actually good for many things. When people with looser curl patterns complain about braids and twists unraveling consistently, I can't relate. All hair textures have advantages - embrace the advantages of your texture.