Why I Chose to Relax After Three Years Natural

In 2010 I wanted to try something new and decided to go natural. I was rocking a pretty fierce "Halle Berry" cut and decided to shave what little hair I had off and start over as opposed to "transitioning". My hair flourished quickly and I went from a fade to a glorious afro in what seemed like no time at all.

Around my three year mark the excitement of being natural started to ware off. I was bored with my styling options and quite frankly tired of seeing 9 out of 10 girls rocking the same look. I started to feel like natural hair was way overrated so I took the plunge and went back to the cream and haven't looked back since.

Although I am no longer natural and will probably never go natural again I did learn some valuable lessons that I am taking with me on my relaxed journey:

1. Less is More: the less you do to your hair the more it will flourish. During my first two years as a natural my hair grew like a weed and I attribute that growth to little styling and lots of wash sessions.
2. Excessive styling/manipulation causes damage: after my two year mark I started noticing not only did I have split ends but split middles and single-strand knots galore! I was not using heat on my hair but I was constantly twisting and re-twisting. While relaxed I rarely experience split ends or damage of any kind even while using heat.
3. Natural hair is not more versatile: literally the only style I could wear was a twist-out due to the thickness of my hair. Roller sets didn't work, curlformers wouldn't hold,  and I couldn't get a ponytail holder around my hair to save my life!
4. I like my hair better when it is straight: with a relaxer my styling options are infinite (okay not really) - I can do flex rod sets, roller sets, curlformer sets, buns, ponytails, and even a twist out if I so choose.

The decision to go natural is one I do not regret but I am loving my texlaxed hair and the true versatility and ease it affords me.

Are you team relaxed or natural?