Toya's Hair Tips | Should I Get My Relaxer Back?

Should I get my relaxer back

I can't begin to tell you how many of my natural clients as me if they should go back to a relaxer or just flat out tell me that they don't want to be natural anymore. The truth of the matter is that I do not encourage my clients to go either way. Instead, I do encourage them to make the decision based on what will be the healthiest for their hair. My goal for all of my clients in my salon, as well as all of you reading this is for you to have healthier hair. Today's Toya's Hair Tip comes from the following question:

"I'm natural and thinking about getting my relaxer back. Is this a good idea?"

Read here first before going back to a relaxer

Here is my professional answer to this question. Again, I always lean toward the choice that is healthier for the hair. If you went from a relaxer to natural hair and have experienced less shedding, minimal breakage, and lots of growth then you should think about what made you go natural in the first place. If your hair has only seen positive results since you went natural then stay natural. If you had a relaxer and felt like your hair was damaged, then ask yourself why you would want to go back to that. If all you are going to do is fall back into your same habits that you had when you were complaining about how much you hated your relaxed hair then you should not go back.

The truth is that both natural hair and relaxed hair require work. Relaxed hair in my opinion is less work only because you don't have to do something to it daily. You still have to do other things to keep it healthy just like you would with natural hair. So it all comes down to if you are willing to do what is required to keep your hair healthy. If you want to go back to a relaxers again, are you willing to stretch them to at least sixteen weeks before getting your touch ups? Are you willing to let only a professional do your touch ups? Are you willing to give up having color? These are all questions that need to be carefully thought about and answered before you make your choice. Once you are willing to commit to doing what it takes to keep your hair healthy, then you can make the right decision for yourself.