LOL. Okay, just kidding. Doesn’t that sound crazy though? How many times have you gotten in a debate over texturizers when someone jumps in talking about the curl loosening effects of color, henna, or even hair products or braid outs?! When this happens, I kind of sit there with my head tilted to the side giving a hearty side eye. First off, let me say that I have NO PROBLEM with relaxers or texturizers WHATSOEVER. I think that some women like straight hair, and some women want a significantly looser curl pattern. That’s cool. However, I have seen some women tell a bit of a fib and don’t own up to the fact that they have a texturizer – you know, the women who have “natural hair” yet perm their roots so they can slick them down easier, or they just don’t mention it at all and swear up and down they got their hair to look like that from a magical product (cough cough, Miss Jessie’s). Now this, I take issue with. Why are you going to lie? Just say you have a texturizer, no one cares! One of my favorite hair idols, Jasika Nicole, has a texturizer. When I first found this out, admittedly, I was a little disappointed (only because I thought it was natural), but I got over it because her hair looks healthy and yummy. Love her!
The retort that henna/color can also loosen curl pattern is simply silly as well. Yes, these treatments can loosen texture, but it is often not significant and is not guaranteed (I have never seen a 4b go to a 3b from dye or henna). On the other hand, the purpose of relaxers and texturizers is to loosen the curl pattern. Like, you can’t get a texturizer without changing it. If you did, ask for your money back. Furthermore, I don’t see a lot of women lying about dyeing or henna’ing their hair (Well maybe covering greys? I dunno, I’ll let you know about that in 10 years or so.). The chemical reactions you get with these treatments are different from that of a relaxer/texturizer, so why do people even bring this up? Why do people bring up heat either? Heat can also loosen pattern, but am I going to tell a woman she is no longer natural because she straightens a few times a year? Not at all…Is curl loosening that much of an issue for people??
My personal take on curl loosening is…who cares? To be totally honest, shrinkage is a major pet peeve for most naturals, and we have spent so much time caring for our hair to grow it out, wouldn’t you want to show that (healthy) length? I’ve seen many tightly coiled ladies live and die by their braid outs b/c they want to show their 12 inches of hair rather than have it shrink up to a 2 inch afro. And they look fierce! But are they going to sit there and act like they didn’t do a braid out? No!
Back to my own personal motto – “Just don’t look to’ up,” whatever you do to your hair. Rock it, and be proud of your hair – relaxer, texturizer, color, style, anything. Remember, it is YOUR hair, not the world’s.
So what do you all think?