Top 15 Reasons to Transition to Natural Hair

Whether it’s a good idea or not to transition to natural hair is a question a lot of people debate these days.

Personally, I had no concept of natural hair when I was a kid and relaxed my hair when I was 16 after only a few months of wearing cornrows to grow it out.

I despised the baptism by fire experience of the relaxer but my hair was so sleek and shiny. However, this romance didn’t last long.

As the years passed, I lost significant amounts of hair plus my hair became thinner and thinner.

15-Top-Reasons-to-Transition-to-Natural-Hair

It took a while but I finally arrived at the “done with relaxers” stage sometime in 2009 and just stopped relaxing.

If you’re still on the edge of the decision to go natural, perhaps these 15 reasons might tip you over to the natural side.

Top 15 Reasons to Transition from Relaxed to Natural Hair

1. Natural Hair is Versatile

Natural hair is extremely versatile and can be worn in multiple ways.

You can wear natural hair straight, wavy, curly, or kinky plus there are so many styles you can achieve on natural hair that you can’t on relaxed hair.

2. Better Health

Studies have shown that relaxers cause serious health issues such as respiratory problems and fibroids.

And there are also scalp burns that range from mild to more serious depending on how sensitive your scalp is.

3. Natural Hair is Healthier

Over a period of time, relaxers lead to thinner hair, breakage, split ends, frizziness, and dry hair.

These may be issues you’re struggling with right now. You won’t have to deal with these issues on the same scope when you’re natural.

4. Natural Hair Means Healthier Pockets

You are going to save a load of money once you start learning how to take care of your hair.

You’re no longer bound to weekly $75 – $100 (or more) visits to the salon depending on where you live.

Of course, you could descend into PJ (product junkie) world but we’ll talk about that in a different article.

5. Natural Hair Leads to a Healthier Scalp

The scalp burns caused by relaxers are horrible. This was the main thing that eventually sent me running from relaxers.

I would start quaking in my boots when the time for a retouch was around the corner.

No matter what type of relaxer I used or what I did to prepare my hair for a retouch, it still felt like someone setting fire to my scalp. 

Your scalp is healthier overall when you transition to natural hair.

6. Natural Hair is Fabulous

Natural hair is so fabulous and gives your face a whole new personality that just lights you up.

7. Large Community

There’s a large natural hair community to support you including Healthy Natural Hair Products, which continues to grow.

You’re not alone and there are so many resources online to help you on your natural hair journey.

Related Hair Care Resources

8. Natural Hair is Liberating

Letting your hair grow free and natural can be quite liberating.

You no longer feel forced to conform to society’s standards of beauty. There’s more than one way to be beautiful.

9. Natural Hair is Unique

Natural hair is very unique. We’re the only ones with this kind of texture. And not just the one texture. You have different kinds of textures.

I’m truly fascinated by my texture on every wash day – 3B, 3C, 4A, and 4B.

10. Fuller Hair with Lots of Body

Your hair will have more body and bounce compared to relaxed hair.

A lot of manipulation and products would be required to achieve the same look on relaxed hair. Even then, it doesn’t quite look the same. 

11. Awareness About Ingredients

After you transition to natural hair and start learning about products and ingredients, you’ll become an expert on the best for your hair.

Since you’re no longer chemically altering your hair, you’ll become more aware of what’s being applied to your hair and how it affects it.

Armed with this new awareness of ingredients, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about products and create a better hair care regimen.

12. Inspire the Younger Generation

When the younger generation sees women wearing their natural hair proudly, they are inspired to reject eurocentric and western standards of beauty.

They will love their hair with all the kinks, curls, and everything in-between right from when they are young.

13. You Look Younger with Natural Hair

Natural hair makes you look younger. All the women wearing their natural hair below are in their 50s.

Celebrities like Viola Davis, Esperanza Spalding, and Erykah Badu look forever young with their fabulous mass of curls.

14. Natural Hair Journey is Exciting

Hey, it’s your hair growing out of your head and you get to be acquainted with it for the first time in your life. The journey can be exciting and exhilarating.

15. Adventurous 

Natural hair lets you be a bit of a ninja. When curly, it’s shoulder-length or shorter depending on your hair length. 

The next week, you can wear it straight and look like a completely different person. I enjoy the look of confusion on people’s faces :).

Now, does all the above mean there’s no one with healthy relaxed hair on the planet? Of course not.

There are quite a few people with long healthy relaxed hair. However, they are not the majority.

The purpose of this article is to give you the main reasons why you may want to go natural if it’s something that’s been on your mind for a while.

If you do decide to go natural, it should be your own decision.

Don’t let anyone force you into it or make you feel guilty because you’re relaxed. It’s your hair, your journey and it should be all about you.

For resources to help you transition to natural hair, have a look at the Healthy Hair Care Series and the free resource library.

Why Did You Go Natural?

Readers share why they decided to go natural in the compilation below:-

“I went natural because I have been losing my hair for 3 months now. I will not put anything on my hair to color it. I am using natural oils on my hair and that has helped for the dry and split ends. I was thinking I would use henna for color when I get ready to color my hair. I have been reading a lot about using natural products on my hair,” – Lillian.

Loved the styling options, that’s why I went natural,” – Eboghomen

“I went natural because I started having reactions to relaxers and I have not regretted it at all. While I’m still trying to find the right products for me, I am getting better at styling. March 2019 will be 2 years,” – Nita

It’s incredible seeing what my hair looks like for the first time. I am so here for this journey,” – Toks

“I got tired of relaxing my hair and the breakage so I started researching and decided to go natural. It’s being a wonderful journey,” – Ade

“Liberation. I will never forget the day that it rained, and I was ok with my hair getting wet. I also will never forget how much fun I had on vacation because I was no longer afraid of the pool. Going natural has been liberating. It’s a life that many women of color were deprived of specifically before the Natural Hair movement,” – Doris

“I wanted to go natural because my hair has always been thin and I had perms for well over 30yrs. That was too long. It is hard for my hair to grow. I had my bigchop in December 2020 and going through Menopause was 5yrs now has not helped any. I try to do protective styles and while the protective style is in I apply Camille Rose Rejuva drops and use the gro grease that really helped my hair to start growing.  Unfortunately not as fast as I want considering what my hair has been through. I know that my hair is low porosity cause it does not sink. It floats on top of water. My biggest issue is finding a product to keep my hair moisturized…I can’t wait to achieve some length. I just have to pray about it  Thanks for allowing me to share. My hair is definitely thicker now then it has ever been,” – Donna.

Why did you go natural? Are you thinking of going natural? Share in the comments section. 

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