The debate about natural hair vs relaxed hair has evolved for over a century, reflecting deep cultural and personal preference shifts. Each hairstyle choice carries its signature style and implications for self-image and identity.
Many women, including myself as an African American, have experienced the transition from relaxed to natural hair, seeking health and longevity for their locks. This shift isn’t just about beauty—it’s about reclaiming one’s self-image and embracing the challenges of each hair type. Whether maintaining virgin natural hair or opting for a relaxer, the decision is highly personal and influenced by various pros and cons.
What are the Major Differences between Natural Hair and Relaxed Hair? The Quick Answer
What is said to be Natural Hair?
Natural hair is the hair you are born with, growing directly from your scalp without any alteration to its texture or state. It’s free from chemical treatments such as relaxers and texturizers, which means it retains its original, unaltered curl pattern.
Whether curly, coily, kinky, or wavy, natural hair embraces all these textures, often requiring more moisture due to denser and tighter curls. Unlike treated styles, it’s typically healthier, as it avoids heat damage from straighteners and can revert to its natural state even if pressed, provided it hasn’t been damaged.
There are various classes of natural hair including:
2A: the hair possesses light waves with fine strands.
2B: having loose S-shaped waves with medium to thick hair.
2C: sharp S-shaped waves up to the roots with thick hair.
3A: loose, large, and defined curliness having fine hair
3B: floatable and springy curls with medium-thickness curls.
3C: Tightly coiled curls, the size of a pencil, extending to the root.
4A: hair approximately the size of a straw or even smaller with Dense, S-shaped coils.
4B: Extremely dense coils when styled capable of forming angular shapes
4C: velvety and tight coils
What is Relaxed Hair?
Relaxed hair refers to hair that has been chemically treated to permanently straighten its curls and coils. This procedure, known historically since the 1900s, uses hair relaxers—sometimes called creamy crack or chemical treatments—to transform the protein structure of each strand. The chemicals work by breaking down the disulfide bonds within the hair, effectively relaxing the strands and making them straight and easier to manage.
The effects of this treatment can last between six to 12 weeks, requiring a visit to the salon for upkeep. Perms and straighteners are often used in conjunction with relaxers to maintain the straight texture.
Is All Chemical Treatments Said to Be Relaxer?
Chemical treatments for hair are not always about relaxing the curls. Sodium hydroxide, commonly used in lye relaxers, can straighten even the densest coils but may lead to scalp irritation.
On the other hand, calcium hydroxide, a zero-lye option, is a gentle relaxer. It can alter various hair types without harshness, but often at the cost of leaving the hair damaged, dry, and brittle.
Another milder choice is ammonium thioglycolate, the gentlest formula for fine hair or looser curls. It’s kinder to hair health but its effects may not last as long. Whether choosing to maintain relaxed hair or keeping it natural, the risk of damage makes hair susceptible. To maintain the health of treated hair, using daily moisturizers, neutralizing, and sulfate-free shampoo is essential.
”Natural hair vs Relaxed hair” A Brief Overview
Deciding between natural and relaxed hair involves considering length, texture, and lifestyle. Transitioning from natural to relaxed presents challenges but also benefits; these types of hair have different structures and must be treated accordingly. Styling and wash days also vary significantly, reflecting your personal hairstyle preference and daily routine.
Hair Strength and Elasticity
Natural hair is structurally stronger and healthier than relaxed or texlaxed hair, even when both are well cared for. The inherent high level of elasticity in natural hair helps it fight breakage more effectively. Natural hair fibers also exhibit better volume, body, and bounce.
Relaxed hair, by contrast, becomes structurally weaker due to the relaxing process that breaks down protein in the hair fibers, leading to a weaker structure and increased risk of breakage. To mitigate this, it’s advisable not to relax the hair to 100% straightness—aiming for approximately 80% allows some elasticity to be left in the hair, helping retain more of its natural strength and elasticity.
Volume and Texture
Natural hair fibers are known for their better volume, body, and bounce compared to relaxed hair. When relaxed hair is over-processed, it often looks flat and lifeless and may feel weak and unhealthy. As it can appear thinner, there’s frequently a need for additional products to add volume and texture.
Scalp Health
natural hair generally maintains health with nourishing curly hair products and minimal heat exposure, leading it to be healthy and luscious. While in contrast if not applied caution Relaxed hair often suffers due to the use of relaxing chemicals, including lye-free formulas that can cause scalp sores, burns, and inflammation. This contributes to hair breakage and dry texture.
Overall Look
Natural hair has a beautiful and unique hair texture that stands out and feels vibrant. On the other hand, relaxed hair, when over-processed, can appear flat and lifeless, losing its natural look and feel. To avoid a limp appearance, it’s essential not to straighten it beyond 80% straight, ensuring the hair retains some body and movement.
Hair Shrinkage
When it comes to natural hair, many people notice that it shrinks significantly when it gets wet. This is because the hair’s natural texture coils tightly, making it look shorter than its actual length. While this shrinkage is completely normal.
On the other hand, relaxed hair or texlaxed hair experiences less shrinkage, as the chemical process reduces the natural curl pattern. This can make styling easier in some cases, but it also comes with varying degrees of maintenance to keep the hair healthy and versatile.
Both hair types require care, but natural hair may feel harder to manage because it tends to shrink and its sensitive to moisture.
Hair Style Variations
Natural hair offers a wide range of styling options, from traditional afros and playful twist-outs to protective styles like Bantu knots, braids, and cornrows. It can also be styled into temporary straightened styles such as silk presses, allowing it to revert to its kinky, coily, and curly state when washed.
Conversely, relaxed hair, especially when texlaxed, can mimic the appearance and features of natural hair but is generally styled in one style—straight. It offers a sleek, smooth look with very little to no heat, limiting the versatility compared to natural hair.
Hair Porosity
Natural hair often behaves like a dry sponge; it’s porous and absorbs moisturizers, oils, and conditioners eagerly. Think of it as having an open cuticle layer, which sucks up everything just like a wet sponge. On days when you put water on it, you might notice it absorbs rather than repels.
This is very different from relaxed hair, where the cuticle layer tends to be more closed. Here, water simply runs off the top, much like it would on a dry sponge. This can also lead to challenges with color and heat damage, as the hair is less able to absorb beneficial treatments effectively.
Susceptibility to Knots and Tangles
Natural hair, often shrunken and compacted, is highly susceptible to forming knots and tangles, including single-strand knots. This structure makes it prone to breakage during detangling.
In contrast, relaxed hair experiences less tangling and knotting due to the relaxing process that smooths out the kinks and bends in the natural hair fibers. This alteration helps reduce the risk of breakage and allows for easier manipulation, making it simpler to retain length and lessen the need to continually stretch the hair.
Detangling and Combing
Detangling and combing natural hair can be time-consuming but essential to reduce the risk of breaking. It should be done gently, only after the hair has been properly moisturized and detangled.
In contrast, relaxed hair is quicker to style and comb, needing less effort to stretch or apply heavy gels and products to achieve sleek edges or make coils and curls pop. however relaxed hair, with its retained texture and varying length, might still demand careful detangling.
Hair Growth Rate
When talking about natural hair and relaxed hair, many people believe the rumor that relaxed hair grows faster. However, the truth is that neither inherently has a faster growth rate; it all depends on genetics and how you maintain your hair.
For instance, relaxed hair can sometimes appear to grow more quickly because it’s straighter and easier to measure. On the other hand, natural curly hair might seem to grow slower due to shrinkage, but this is just an illusion.
The real key to enhancing hair growth lies in maintaining a healthy scalp and adopting good hair care habits. Relaxers can cause damage to the scalp, potentially affecting growth.
Cost Considerations
Managing relaxed hair often involves new applications every 12 weeks and choosing between at-home kits and professional treatments. While kits may be cheaper, they come with a risk of burns. Professional treatment costs can add up, making them more expensive over time.
In contrast, caring for natural hair usually involves some trial and error to find the right products, but typically, the overall price is cheaper than maintaining relaxed hair.
So, Which is Better: Relaxed Hair or Natural Hair?
Choosing between natural hair and relaxed hair depends on your personal needs and preferences. Natural hair is often structurally stronger and has greater elasticity to fight breakage, making it a healthier option for many. However, texlaxed hair and relaxed hair can also look stylish and meet your desired results with proper care.
There’s no right or wrong way to wear your hair—it’s about embracing your unique personality and the great qualities of your black hair, whether in its virgin state or relaxed state. Both types can thrive if you put in the work and effort required to match your desire and lifestyle.
Explore Your Beauty with TwistyTreasure
Choosing the right hairstyle is all about what suits your hair health and personal choice. At Twisty Treasure, our experienced hair stylist helps you decide whether to embrace your natural hair or go for relaxed hair, ensuring your style remains healthy and luscious.
For those with a crunched schedule who love straight locks, relaxed hair might be a good fit. But if you prefer natural curls, our team recommends curly hair products to prevent heat-damaged hair while keeping it affordable and enhancing your natural beauty. Whatever you choose, we ensure you leave with a style that lets your hair shine.
FAQs
What Are the Disadvantages of Relaxing Hair?
Using hair relaxers can lead to extreme dryness, brittleness, and hair breakage due to the inability of hair to maintain moisture. In severe cases, adverse results like permanent hair loss, chemical burns, bald patches, and scalp infections may occur, making proper care essential to minimize damage.
Which Grows Faster: Natural or Relaxed Hair?
Hair grows at the same rate, whether it’s relaxed or natural. However, natural hair often appears to grow longer because naturals tend to retain length better unless there’s chemical damage from relaxers that affects growth.
Can Relaxed Hair Still Be Healthy?
Yes! Of course—relaxed hair can stay healthy if it’s properly taken care of and properly maintained. Like natural hair, your real hair needs regular care to prevent break and damage, whether it’s in its natural state, relaxed, or even a wig.
Can Relaxed Hair Still Grow?
Yes, relaxed hair can keep growing and stay thick and healthy with proper aftercare. After going through a traumatic process, your new hair needs extra attention to maintain its longevity and relaxed look. Be cognizant of your diet and make an effort to prevent future damage for the best results.
Dive into the world of curls with Farah, a celebrated curly hair expert whose passion and expertise have transformed her into a beacon for those seeking to embrace their natural hair texture. With a vibrant career spanning over a decade, Farah has dedicated herself to the science and art of curly hair, making her an authoritative voice in this niche. Her deep understanding of curly hair’s unique needs and challenges allows her to craft personalized care routines and styles that not only enhance the natural beauty of curls but also promote hair health.