6 Benefits to Wearing Your Hair Natural Instead of Relaxed

Styling Natural Hair is More Economical It’s no secret that many Black women spend much of their hard-earned money on maintaining their relaxed hair. Monthly or even biweekly trips to the salon can be very expensive, and relaxed hair must be maintained to minimize damage. After a woman decides to go natural, she will no longer need to visit a stylist as often as she did with relaxed hair, because it will be much easier to care for her own hair. You will hear some women say they would rather relax their hair because it is easier to maintain, but there are plenty of natural sisters with easy, wash-and-wear styles. Although there may be a learning curve for maintaining and styling natural hair, there are plenty of tutorials available. Before you know it, you will be rocking your natural hair with the best of them. Natural Hair Can Help Black People Regain Control of The Black Hair Care Industry Black hair care is a $9 billion industry while 30 percent to 34 percent of all hair products in the United States are purchased by Black women. Weaves, worn by women of all ethnicities but especially by Black women, account for 65 percent of hair-care revenue. The hair comes from a variety of sources: India, Asia, Russia, Brazil, Mongolia and Malaysia, and helps to build wealth for entrepreneurs from those countries. The number of Black women who said they don't use products to chemically relax or straighten their hair jumped to 36 percent in 2011, up from 26 percent in 2010, according to a report by Mintel, a consumer spending and market research firm. At the same time, sales of relaxer kits dropped 17 percent between 2006 and 2011, according to Mintel. With the natural hair movement growing, budding Black entrepreneurs can seize the opportunity to corner the natural hair care segment of themarket, while older, established companies run by other ethnicities play catch-up. Natural Hair Can Be Cared For Without Dangerous Chemicals Perms and relaxers contain similar ingredients to those found in Liquid Drano. The chemicals are bases, like Liquid Drano, and they dissolve the protein bonds that make Black hair curly - literally burning the scalp. It's not hard to imagine how unhealthy these chemicals are for women - as the toxins used to remove tough clogs from drainpipes are similar to those seeping into the pores of their scalps. Respiratory problems have also been associated with the use of perms and relaxers. Potassium hydroxide, also called potassium lye, is a very strong chemical and inhaling it can cause coughing, sneezing, and breathing problems. If exposed to for long periods, it is strong enough to cause lung damage. Ingesting potassium hydroxide can be equally damaging, resulting in burns to the mouth or throat, vomiting, severe stomach pain, diarrhea and even death. Women with natural hair bypass these dangerous and harsh chemicals and tend to care for their hair with products that contain more natural ingredients. Natural Hair is Healthier It has been proven that non-relaxed hair is stronger, extra durable, more nutrient-rich, sheds less and grows faster and with greater ease compared to relaxed hair. Relaxers eventually fry the hair and damage the roots, which can cause alopecia (baldness), hair breakage, scalp irritation, stunted hair growth, and even permanent hair loss. Research conducted in February 1994 by the Food and Drug Administration and the American Cancer Society found that Black women who had not used permanent hair relaxers showed decreased risk of all fatal cancers combined and urinary system cancers. Led by Lauren Wise of Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center, researchers found that the two- to three-times higher rate of fibroids among Black women may be linked to chemical exposure through scalp lesions and burns resulting from relaxers. In addition, women who got their first menstrual period before the age of 10 were also more likely to have uterine fibroids, and early menstruation may result from hair products Black girls are using, according to a separate 2011 study published in the Annals of Epidemiology. Natural Hair is More Versatile Unfortunately, some people mistakenly believe that natural hair has only a limited number of styling options; nothing could be further from the truth. There's no need for a natural woman to feel like she has to be trapped wearing one style. The great thing is, as natural Black hair grows, there are different style choices with each inch gained. While a small Afro may be one of few choices of half-inch-long hair, by the time it reaches 3 inches or more, style choices increase, including twists and coils. When a woman has natural hair, there is no need to chemically alter it to wear any hairstyle. She can wear braids, rock an Afro, straighten it or keep it kinky - the sky is the limit. Combats Society's Negative Stigma of Natural Black Hair "Natural hair has been a movement for several years. What we're seeing now is a confirmation that this is a lifestyle that is very important to a lot of women," says Cyntelia Abrams, marketing coordinator for Design Essentials, an Atlanta-based hair-care company that commissioned a 2010 study on the popularity of natural hair. Some see it as more than a movement, rather an awakening or an acceptance of the natural beauty of Black women and a rejection of the European concepts of what has been regarded as “beauty” for far too long. Sources: http://www.ebony.com http://news4usonline.com http://blackhair.about.com

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