"nappy" vs. straight hair??

[Strawberrymold]

I go back and fourth. I love the way my hair looks when it is natural but getting it to look that way is such a battle. Unless I am getting dolled up I tend to be a very low maintanance girl. I don't like to spend a ton of time getting ready or fussing with my hair. I won't lie, when I flat iron it, it cuts my time getting ready in the morning nearly in half and I do enjoy that. Funny thing is though is that I never feel quite like myself when my hair is straight. All my friends and my BF love it and comment on it quite frequently (I very rarely ever straighten it so to them it is a big deal) but my mom never put relaxers in it when I was young and I have spent most of my life wearing it natural. When it's straight I just feel different, I can't stop messing with it and it never feels quite like my own. I remember when I was little and my mom used to brush it out (which took hours mind you, because my hair has always been pretty long) my scalp used to burn and be so sore and I used to wish it was just straight and I didn't have to go through all the pain of having it brushed out or braided. Sometimes on those days when I have a nasty tangle or my hair just won't do as it's told I think back to being that little girl. But I have grown up and now realize that it's just the way I was made. I could wish for straight "good" hair but then I would be wishing to give away a piece of myself and where I come from, and this would only ever happen over my dead body. I dunno. I suppose no one is ever happy with their own hair, it's just the way God makes us.

 

[blazeno.8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJsJesusjuice I had a perm (not a relaxer) from 7th grade to 12th grade and from Sept 2007 to present, I have been loving having my natural hair back.

1) A "perm" is justs a chemical tretment that alters the hair permenantly. A relaxer is a type of perm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJsJesusjuice For me, if I may add, I have an issue with people relaxing their hair and calling it more manageable. My sister wrote a paper on this. She said, "What gauges maneability?" I think that black women need to understand that manageable for a white, asian, or hispanic woman is NOT the same for a black woman.

2) Yeah, I relax my hair and say it's more managable. Especially for my lifestyle (constantly doing research, barely time to keep up the way I look). It takes a whole lot more time for me deal with my hair when it's natural than when it's relaxed. I'm not going to say that I don't like the result of relaxed hair because that's not true. I like it, but I will also do things like put my hair in pincurls and braid it when it's wet to get curls back if I want.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJsJesusjuice Also, can someone explain to me why you would give a relaxer to a young girl still in single digits? I had a friend whose mother put a relaxer on her hair when she was little girl; we were in the 7th grade and she could hardly put her hair in a ponytail with a THIN RUBBER BAND!

3) My hair was straightened when I was little (with a hot comb, not relaxer). Still a form of altering the appearance of it. Sometimes it was for presentation, most of the times it was so that we could do our own hair without needing assistance from my mom (god forbid my uncle get to a head of hair, it was a survival skill to be able to do it ourselves).

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJsJesusjuice I'm of the opinion that it is a woman's choice to do what she wants with her own follicles but don't lie about the reasons. I truly believe that black women get relaxers, weaves, etc. because they believe that black hair is not as pretty as "silkier" hair, since we are all inundated with images of what is beautiful from the mass media. Tit is unlikely to see our own faces in the mags, on TV, in movies, the way we are NATURALLY...

4) If you're of the opinion that it's a woman's own choice, why do you care about why she does it? It's ok, to help someone make an informed decision about what they're going to do with their hair if they ask for help, but it seems that there are a whole lot of assumptions that come with it that are unfair to the other side. No one in my community who influenced my decision to take care of my hair a certain way talks about "good hair" vs "bad hair", so I don't even know where that's coming from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJsJesusjuice Am I wrong?

5) Yes. I think that natural hair is as pretty as if not more interesting than straight hair. I have for years been fascinated with ways of representing the texture in visual art and have come somewhat close to a stylized version of it, but never been able to replicate it. I tend to find things that I can't replicate very beautiful in their complexity. If anything I am more concerned about concealing the natural color of my hair moreso than the natural texture.

 

[lafemmenoir]

I tried to not respond to this thread, but this has to be said. I feel that more women are concerned about what's on my head than what's happening in mine and theirs. I truly thought good hair/bad hair days were over and we learned textures (i.e. 3a, 4b) etc. We make a bit of progress getting beyond light skin v. dark skin and now it's natural or relaxed, weaved, etc. Why is what I wonder? I am the same person with or without hair, and why do we feel we have to authenticate our Afrocentricity by how we wear our hair? Notice it's not other cultures defining "us" but our own. Why? Do other cultures identify their love of self by their hair? There are too many variables to try to say relaxed hair = brainwashed. I have been black with natural, relaxed, texlaxed, braids, etc. and have not lost sight of who looks back at me and who I am in my eyes each day. SMH @ this never ending debate. I guess wearing makeup is brainwashing since it's not "natural"?

 

[HeavenLeiBlu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YesicaElana Sometimes natural doesn't mean convenient. It's a lot of work keeping natural hair maintained and sometimes its just easy to braid it all up and throw a weave on it. It's not about natural v. processed, it's about what looks good on an individual and what works. But keep in mind, scalp burns and balding are never stylish.

I think the issue of convenience is relative. I spent exponentially more time, effort and money trying to maintain relaxed hair, to no avail.

 

[HeavenLeiBlu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lapis For some relaxer is more manageable, many black women have NO idea how to handle and style their natural hair, my mom, aunt and grandma have very soft thin hair, thanks to g-gma's mixed parentage, they didn't have a clue as to how to deal with their own hair further more mine (super thick, afro hair), my mom is 60+ and pays someone to braid her hair because she can't plait, braid, cornrow anything! Relaxing was the easy way out. Hell I've had dreads 9 years, been natural 10+ and I STILL am learning my own hair, plus my dd's who's hair is thick like mine but TOTALLY different as to what it needs, I think lots of women really don't get what their hair needs, I mean I'm washing my dd's hair twice a week sometimes more, and growing up you heard we aren't supposed to wash our hair this much etc

I couldn't agree more. I think that if women (all ethnicities and textures) took the time to really learn their ( and their daughters') hair, I mean really took the time to lean basic things about hair in general, and what naturally sprouts from their heads, all this easy/convenient talk would be a non existent talking point. Lots of time, we're spending time fighting against what our hair wants to/is meant to do, and spending a lot of time damaging it in the process.

In my opinion, the real nitty gritty of out hair issues is aesthetics. It just doesn't look like we want it to look. If we would all just admit that, a lot of debate about straight vs nappy would be silenced. Who can argue with anyone about what they want something to LOOK like? And with that in mind, I'll now pick up my 10 foot pole and distance myself from the "permies wanna be white" aspect of the discussion. That's a real circle jerk, right there.

I know relaxers are not for *my* hair, nor is heat styling. While highly textured and thick, my strands are very fine and I don't care what relaxer you can rattle off, it's still too harsh for *my* hair, and heat styling damages my hair just as badly. If I wanted some straight hair, I'd go buy some ( which is what I did in the past). Now my daughter, different story. Her hair is just as thick as mine, but textured differently, and it's coarse. There will be no relaxers in her hair until she can legally vote, and I doubt she'll bother then. However, I do allow her to straighten periodically, and her hair blows out like a dream; she looks like she stepped out of a Pantene commercial, but in both our opinions, her natural texture is way easier to manage. All she has to do is spritz her hair in the morning, put some product on her ends, shake her head and go on about her day.

At the end of the day, I favor natural hair regardless of texture, (and I don't consider regularly heat styled hair natural, but again, that's another circle jerkin' topic). I really don't care what another ADULT woman is doing to her hair, unless it looks obviously bad and/or unhealthy. I'm more concerned when I see a child, especially one who hasn't reached middle school age, with her hair already eaten away by relaxers, because her mother thinks is "easier to maintain"(this goes for little girls with tightly braided extensions, or extensions way past their expiration date).
Other than that, do what makes you feel and look good, but don't be an ostrich, ignoring easy to research facts about the damage we as a group seem to be all too willing to do to our hair.

 

[Lapis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShugAvery2001 I've been natural for 10 years plus and loc'd for the last 5 years. I LOVE my hair. That being said I have no problem with other women rocking perms weaves bald heads .. to me it's all about freedom of choice. If you like it I love it. My problem comes when people discriminate or "hate" on another because of their hair. and no one's exempt. in the loc'd community you're bound to catch judgment if your locs aren't tightly twisted (so your parts and scalp show) while myself.. I like a little thickness in my roots. go figure DO YOU!

Really?
My bil and his wife never tighten, and I don't do it much either, I can't be palm rolling every week

but then my roots rarely show in public anyway I have silk scarves that cover them most of the time wen I leave home

 

[Lauren1981]

good topin

i personally do it just because i like relaxers. i relax my hair on average about every 8 weeks or so. i don't wear weaves. i wore micros for about 3-4 years straight and i loved them but in '06 i started getting tired of them. mainly because the last couple of years of me wearing them i did it because i went and cut all the old perm out of my head. so i cut off like 5-6 inches and then wore the braids to grow that natural hair back out. plus i wanted to just look at and wash my own hair. also, i was dating this ugly ass man and he made a comment to me one day on the phone when i said i was getting sick of the braids and wanted to wear my own hair. he got all hype and was like "no! keep them. you need to keep them in your hair". i'm thinking "i don't NEED to do shit!". and it wasn't like he felt like i looked good with them it was that he was paranoid of what i looked like without long hair and with my real hair you know? that kind of opened my eyes to him... needless to say within the week the micros were in the trash along with him. lol!

i think it's just personal preference. i don't think we can judge those who wear it and for what. yes, i do think some females that I KNOW wear weaves and get relaxers for deeper reason pertaining more to race issues but not everyone does those things for those same reasons, ya know? i havent' worn any weave since i took those braids out back in '06 and have no urge to put any back in. mainly because that stuff was too high maintenance, even when i washed it, it just had this different smell to it, it shed a lot, sometimes i'd be out and a braid would fall out (that shit was actually funny to me. periodically i'd find one in my car or in the parking lot to my apartment), and i lived with my parents for a a big chunk of that time and i remember my dad telling me i was f*cking up his vacuum with all the shedding and whenever he vacuumed the air smelled like smoke and weed. ha!!
yeah, i've had enough of weaves. even though i feel a lot of women look good with it, there's just nothing alluring about it to me anymore.
but a mild relaxer??? yes. lol! i just like them and always will. when i stretch relaxers i get my hair blown out by my dominican lady. it's just what i like for me.

 

[Jackie O]

HOLLA to all my West African Sistahs here

my father is from Lagos, Nigeria.

my hair is rediculously thick. and I mean I guess you can consider it curly. I have no problem using the word nappy, because that's what it is lmao I kid you not, I have yet to see anyone with hair that has a similiar texture to mine, and it can be difficult to manage, especially daily. but it's beautiful in it's natural state and I wouldn't trade my hair for anything in the world! my hair is built Ford tough haha

p.s. to the young lady who's grandmother permed her hair at two, wow, I could never ever imagine, hair at that young so delicate, poor baby

 

[Lauren1981]

^^ ur eyes are gorgeous. totally off subject, i know. lol

 

[aizya]

I think that this "Good Hair" movie was done to make ALL women question the way they present themselves..and what they believe is true beauty. I don't think its fair to knock on natural OR relaxed hair. Chris Rock was not trying to say Natural-Good and relaxer=bad..he simply says to do what you want for YOU. We are different and have the choice to have different hairstyles. I personally have had a relaxer for a while now. I didn't get it very young..my mother managed my hair for as long as possible..I wore braids from before I could walk..lol..But soon..my mother couldn't put a comb through my hair..including the Hot comb..I haven't experienced chemical burns or loss of hair...In fact my hair has been growing long and thick. And a relaxer is more convient for ME..we all have different lives. A relaxer could be dangerous..but as long as my stylist knows what she's doing and my hair is still growing..i don't see what's the problem. I love that black women's hair is so versatile..we don't all have to be natural..Just because I have relaxer doesn't mean I hate my natural state..I just want my hair relaxed..Lots of people constantly dye their hair..and maybe its a little harmful..but they have a stylist that can apply it correctly..and it doesn't necessarily mean that they hate their natural color..We should use this as a first step in loving ourselves and each other NATURAL OR RELAXED! =) Good TOPIC =)

 

[AdrianUT]

I'm technically "natural" but I flat iron most of the time. My hair is thick, curly and soft and relaxers only break it off. As a child I had long thick curls (beyond waist length) until I was relaxed by my mother at a pretty young age. My mom didn't know how to deal with my hair as my sisters is fairly different (it stayed braided, could be controlled with grease) so about 8 or so I was relaxed and had shorter hair and even seriously damaged hair by the time I was 13 or so. Also my skin is very sensitive so my scalp was damaged from the chemicals. I began only washing, conditioning, and flat ironing/pressing my hair as a teen and this seems to be the only way I can successfully grow my hair long. I was relaxed 1 time again maybe 5-6 years ago and my hair just can't handle it. Growing out my hair and going natural was suck a challenge even though it was still straight, I was questioned often. People wanted to know why and how it's possible. I was even asked by one Aunt if I was a lesbian (which is ridiculous).

My sisters daughter is natural (she's 2) and I see my sisters frustration but, even when I give suggestions being that I do deal with my hair in it's natural state (which is similar), she seems so guarded and irritated at my suggestions.I fear she will relax her hair fairly young thinking of it as a time saver but, relaxing isn't a way for "care-free" hair maintanence it still takes work to look nice/ have healthy hair.

 

[Jackie O]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lauren1981 ^^ ur eyes are gorgeous. totally off subject, i know. lol

thank you so much hun

 

[shootout]

I hope I'm not out of place posting on this thread, and if I am, I'm sorry.
Despite being white (Irish and Polish), I have extremely thick and curly hair, bordering on nappy. Every woman in my family has thin, straight hair, so growing up my hair was never properly cared for. My mom flat-ironed my hair everyday between the ages of 3-10. At 10 she decided she was tired of wasting time on it everyday, so she got it relaxed. I put up with relaxers every 6 weeks for 3 years, until I was finally allowed to make my own decisions regarding my hair. I got it all chopped off and started over, and I've left it natural since (with an occasional flat-ironing if it's really out of control, but this is rare). To this day my hair feels like plastic. I have scars on my scalp and the tops of my ears from the constant flat-ironing.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is, while natural may not be the most convenient for some, without the proper care, relaxing takes its toll in the long run. So if you're going to relax, PLEASE care for your hair! I regret this everyday now.

 

[ShugAvery2001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shootout I hope I'm not out of place posting on this thread, and if I am, I'm sorry. Despite being white (Irish and Polish), I have extremely thick and curly hair, bordering on nappy. Every woman in my family has thin, straight hair, so growing up my hair was never properly cared for. My mom flat-ironed my hair everyday between the ages of 3-10. At 10 she decided she was tired of wasting time on it everyday, so she got it relaxed. I put up with relaxers every 6 weeks for 3 years, until I was finally allowed to make my own decisions regarding my hair. I got it all chopped off and started over, and I've left it natural since (with an occasional flat-ironing if it's really out of control, but this is rare). To this day my hair feels like plastic. I have scars on my scalp and the tops of my ears from the constant flat-ironing. I guess the point I'm trying to make is, while natural may not be the most convenient for some, without the proper care, relaxing takes its toll in the long run. So if you're going to relax, PLEASE care for your hair! I regret this everyday now.

Interesting perspective ... I think every ethnic racial group has it's own crazy standards women subject themselves too. I have alot of asian friends and some have actually had their eyelids done. We're all the same i tell ya

 

[MJsJesusjuice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazeno.8 1) A "perm" is justs a chemical tretment that alters the hair permenantly. A relaxer is a type of perm. 2) Yeah, I relax my hair and say it's more managable. Especially for my lifestyle (constantly doing research, barely time to keep up the way I look). It takes a whole lot more time for me deal with my hair when it's natural than when it's relaxed. I'm not going to say that I don't like the result of relaxed hair because that's not true. I like it, but I will also do things like put my hair in pincurls and braid it when it's wet to get curls back if I want. 3) My hair was straightened when I was little (with a hot comb, not relaxer). Still a form of altering the appearance of it. Sometimes it was for presentation, most of the times it was so that we could do our own hair without needing assistance from my mom (god forbid my uncle get to a head of hair, it was a survival skill to be able to do it ourselves). 4) If you're of the opinion that it's a woman's own choice, why do you care about why she does it? It's ok, to help someone make an informed decision about what they're going to do with their hair if they ask for help, but it seems that there are a whole lot of assumptions that come with it that are unfair to the other side. No one in my community who influenced my decision to take care of my hair a certain way talks about "good hair" vs "bad hair", so I don't even know where that's coming from. 5) Yes. I think that natural hair is as pretty as if not more interesting than straight hair. I have for years been fascinated with ways of representing the texture in visual art and have come somewhat close to a stylized version of it, but never been able to replicate it. I tend to find things that I can't replicate very beautiful in their complexity. If anything I am more concerned about concealing the natural color of my hair moreso than the natural texture.

Lots of hostility LOL...

Anyway, my issue is not with black women straightening their hair (and btw, I am aware of what amounts to a perm and so on.

).

My issue is with the denial of the psychological elements of black women thinking that straight hair=mangeability, beauty, fame, etc. I think many blk women are too afraid to deal with the real issue.

I know it seems like a bait-and-switch to start a thread by saying I'm okay with whatever a woman wants to do and then project my own contradictory opinions, but so be it, I guess...

I understand about manageability from a relaxer but that only matters when you are constantly fussing with the way you look. I don't believe for one moment that relaxers are for the faint of heart and the lazy. Nope, I don't believe it!

I think my current style is VERY manageable. My sister parts my hair in sections all over and fingercoils my hair with water and an all-natural gel. I do this once every 3 weeks, sometimes four. I'm too low maintenance for a relaxer; there obviously is a myth that relaxers, hot combs, even curls--which I had--are low maintenance when they aren't.

What gauges low maintenance btw? How about manageability? My current style is both and then some.

I am not going to lie and say that I haven't "wondered" what it would be like to get my hair straightened. The last time my hair was straightened with heat was when I was in 4th grade. I thought my hair was shiny (already is when its in its natural state as well), bouncy, and gorgeous!

What I realized from that was a form of self-hatred: I felt more beautiful with straight hair then the twists that my mother usually did. I believe this is where the problem lies for many black women, but they are just afraid to admit the truth.

I am of the opinion that black women wear weaves and such becuase they think European hair is more beautiful. To each her own, I suppose? Well, I hope not!

If we stay on manageability, what is so wrong with having a style that shows the natural African texture? Why not locks, braids, coils, twists, braidouts, etc.? Why weaves, flat irons, and relaxers? I think the aforementioned black styles are jsut as good.

"Good hair" vs. "bad hair" as a phrase may seem outdated blazay blah, but where it is coming from--the term, that is--is from a higher consciousness in what I have experienced, and what is still a sad reality.

There is nothing wrong with diversity in black woman's hairstyles, but it is a sad thing that black women are so disconnected from their natural hair that htey cannot even deal with it without it being straightened first. No one else has that issue...

And why? Because the media images do not contain black women rocking natural textures and natural styles. Ironically enough, in TV ads black women only have natural styles; the unfortunate part is that these black women wearing the natural styles are mixed, biracial, etc. So what we have here is competing media messages about being beautiful a la "insert fair beauty du jour" and being natural.

It is an unfortunate thing that the local black beauty salon looks like the chemistry lab at my university. It shouldn't be that way.

Go ahead and straighten and relax, sista, but don't sit there and type that concealing your hair color is worst than concealing hair texture. Sorry, but LOL...

 

[shontay07108]

Um, I have plenty of my own hair. I have been getting a relaxer since around the age of ten or so. I have always worn my natural hair (w/o extensions) for most of my life, with few exceptions. That is until 4 years ago. I started wearing half wigs. it was just a funky experiment b/c I chopped my hair off and when it was in that awkward growing back phase, I wanted to play with other things.

I haven't looked back since. I love the way my extension looks on ME. That is beautiful to me. I wear curly ones, straight ones, with highlights and without. I am proud to be black and wearing a hairpiece has NOTHING to do with any European standard of beauty for me. i am tired of people looking at me and assuming that is why I wear my piece (when they find out it's a piece b/c people always think it's mine. I have no problem saying it's not). People assume I'm bald and that's why I wear it. WRONG! I wear it b/c I tried it and loved it.

If you want to rock you own hair that's relaxed or in it's natural state, that's up to you, but I am tired of being accused of being brainwashed by the media and society. It makes me angry. Don't push your idea of beauty on me and I will do the same.

There is a level of maintenance involved, but it's nothing I can't handle. I relax my own hair at home every 4 to 6 weeks. I keep my hair shiny and clean and my hairpiece takes 5 minutes to throw on. It's a routine that I like and that makes me look and feel the way I want. It's no different from me wearing my hair another way. We all have our cross to bear.

This is it for me and I will leave this topic. I stumbled upon it accidentally, but I couldn''t help but speak my mind b/c this irks me. I don't have any less of a soul b/c I rock "horse hair".

 

[blazeno.8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJsJesusjuice Lots of hostility LOL... Anyway, my issue is not with black women straightening their hair (and btw, I am aware of what amounts to a perm and so on. ). My issue is with the denial of the psychological elements of black women thinking that straight hair=mangeability, beauty, fame, etc. I think many blk women are too afraid to deal with the real issue. I know it seems like a bait-and-switch to start a thread by saying I'm okay with whatever a woman wants to do and then project my own contradictory opinions, but so be it, I guess... I understand about manageability from a relaxer but that only matters when you are constantly fussing with the way you look. I don't believe for one moment that relaxers are for the faint of heart and the lazy. Nope, I don't believe it! I think my current style is VERY manageable. My sister parts my hair in sections all over and fingercoils my hair with water and an all-natural gel. I do this once every 3 weeks, sometimes four. I'm too low maintenance for a relaxer; there obviously is a myth that relaxers, hot combs, even curls--which I had--are low maintenance when they aren't. What gauges low maintenance btw? How about manageability? My current style is both and then some. I am not going to lie and say that I haven't "wondered" what it would be like to get my hair straightened. The last time my hair was straightened with heat was when I was in 4th grade. I thought my hair was shiny (already is when its in its natural state as well), bouncy, and gorgeous! What I realized from that was a form of self-hatred: I felt more beautiful with straight hair then the twists that my mother usually did. I believe this is where the problem lies for many black women, but they are just afraid to admit the truth. I am of the opinion that black women wear weaves and such becuase they think European hair is more beautiful. To each her own, I suppose? Well, I hope not! If we stay on manageability, what is so wrong with having a style that shows the natural African texture? Why not locks, braids, coils, twists, braidouts, etc.? Why weaves, flat irons, and relaxers? I think the aforementioned black styles are jsut as good. "Good hair" vs. "bad hair" as a phrase may seem outdated blazay blah, but where it is coming from--the term, that is--is from a higher consciousness in what I have experienced, and what is still a sad reality. There is nothing wrong with diversity in black woman's hairstyles, but it is a sad thing that black women are so disconnected from their natural hair that htey cannot even deal with it without it being straightened first. No one else has that issue... And why? Because the media images do not contain black women rocking natural textures and natural styles. Ironically enough, in TV ads black women only have natural styles; the unfortunate part is that these black women wearing the natural styles are mixed, biracial, etc. So what we have here is competing media messages about being beautiful a la "insert fair beauty du jour" and being natural. It is an unfortunate thing that the local black beauty salon looks like the chemistry lab at my university. It shouldn't be that way. Go ahead and straighten and relax, sista, but don't sit there and type that concealing your hair color is worst than concealing hair texture. Sorry, but LOL...

Maybe if you sense hostility it comes from your attempt to teach me (and other people who straighten their hair) what I'm really thinking. I know what I think and don't need you to attempt to get me to come clean so to speak. Lol all you want, maybe it's because you just have difficulty coming to terms with the fact that not all people have some form of self hate behind their style choices. I think that if you read the post of some of the ladies above, you would see that your statement regarding ability to manage one's hair only after straightening being a woc issue is only part of the hair straightening story. This texture issue is something that transcends race.
Also, I never said that changing hair color is worse than changing texture. I just said I'm more concerned about it. I never put anything on a scale that values changing hair color as "better" or "worse" than changing the texture. I don't know how you got that meaning out of it.

 

[RiCh_N_PrEtTy]

Nothing wrong with Perming hair. At least to me. I've thought about going natural but... maybe in the future not right now.

 

[snkatha]

I live in kenya and we don't relax to fit in with european standards but because it's so humid and hot here that really a relaxer makes combing hair fast. I got my first relaxer when i was 14 after battling with my mom. I am not very good with hair, my natural hair is very soft and curly however i prefer to braid it and weave it. I hate combing hair and styling it so it's easier just shake and go

 

[Miss*Tress]

Hello, I'm new, but I just had to add my two cents worth: I spend far less time and money on my hair since growing out the relaxer and becoming natural. I have found the whole experience to be liberating.