<p>No, not this: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/1387/Events/1387/HalleBerry_Grani_384770_400.jpg.html?hint=nm0000932%5B/url%5D">http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/1387/Events/1387/HalleBerry_Grani_384770_400.jpg.html?hint=nm0000932</a> look.</p>
<p>More like...<a href="http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/12/70/23107012.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/12/70/23107012.jpg</a> ?</p>
<p>I can braid my hair just fine without flat ironing or perming it. And if you do straighten it it won't last as long because it can't hold without the curls.</p>
<p>kenshi,</p>
<p>I had my hair braided a few years ago, and I got a relaxer before doing it. It lasted it a pretty long time.</p>
<p>If you would like to keep your hair natural but easier to handle, try braids etc. They last very long, and you'll have the opportunity to put them in a variety of styles. </p>
<p>I would really recommend finding a salon or braider nearby your university that can handle the task of dealing with thick hair. That is what I had to do... And don't get into the habit of constantly perming your hair....it'll definitely kill it. Perms DO weaken your hair.</p>
<p>mz innocentz, thanks for posting this. I'm having the same dilemma and I will probably end up going with braids or a relaxer. My hair is natural right now and I'm terrified of what happen in if I do something drastically different with it.</p>
<p>Yeah, if you're 18, and haven't had a perm, I wouldn't do it either. For one, you'd have to find a GOOD hairdresser in a new area, which is very difficult. I'd never, ever let just anyone relax my hair. It would also be doubly more difficult if you're in an area with few african-americans, as many colleges are. </p>
<p>Have you ever tried a texturizer? It's like a very mild relaxer, and your hair will be easier to manage but not completely flattened and much less damaged than a relaxer. My younger sister got texturizers for a while, which looked very nice, but still required more daily care than a relaxer, but still much less than natural hair. You'll probably end up with wavy/curly hair depending on your hair type, which will look very pretty. You need to find the products and hairdresser that works for you, which will still take time. Make sure you get references from the hairdresser and talk to her/him about EXACTLY what you expect out of your treatment.</p>
<p>Here's a website that may be helpful- <a href="http://www.curlyhairsalon.com/texturizers.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.curlyhairsalon.com/texturizers.html</a></p>
<p>Hope you find what works for you!</p>
<p>Forget a perm. Natural is beautiful.</p>
<p>BALD is beautiful.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice you guys. </p>
<p>The only problem I have with wearing my hair naturally is that I can only wear it in an awkward ponytail, even when straightened. My hair is pretty long, with curly roots but straight(puffy) ends, so I can't have the afro look or wash n' wear curls</p>
<p>somehow my natural hair looks like a bad straightening job, even when its not straightened</p>
<p>i've tried medium braids and mini braids
tiny braids only last about a week in my hair, and the one time I got them done my hair kinda broke when I unbraided them (too tight?)
however, braids work fine in my sister's hair</p>
<p>i do braid my hair every night, though</p>
<p>I worry about this for my daughter. I factor in where she will go; will there be ethnic hairstylists? Will they want to deal with natural hair ( a lot don't); if you get a perm will you have the time and money for regualar touch ups. If you have not done it yet, and you can find someone where you are going who will help you find a low maintainance style, I say give it a shot. My daughter does not, but I SO wish she had her natural hair back. I got mine back in the 12th grade after visiting Howard University. I got a "twa" ( teeny weeny afro), and more recently two stranded twists.</p>
<p>hmm, well I suggest maybe trying a texturizer instead of a full-blown relaxer...</p>
<p>and if nothing else works, i guess you could get a relaxer. i've had one for almost as long as i can remember. like everyone said, the convenience of relaxers come with a price: they are damaging to your hair. my hair is pretty long, but only after careful maintenance. I get my hair professionally done every week. So, the economic and time commitment is pretty large.</p>
<p>When I was in college way back in the late 70's, a lot of the black girls on my campus opted for the TWAs (as shrinkrap put it :p), and they looked really good. I so wanted to go with that look because it would have been so liberating, so incredibly low maintenance. But I think your head has to be well shaped to support it. I tried it, and take it from me, it wasn't pretty. My dad use to have a co-worker who called him, "muppet-head". A very accurate description in my opinion. Well, guess who inherited his head type...?:o</p>
<p>just tie your hair back. keep it natural, and simple. it looks ok.</p>
<p>If anything, it's us guys who go to college in mostly white places who have the biggest problem. noone wants to see our hair in its natural state, lol.</p>
<p>mz innocentz, based on the info in your original and subsequent posts, I think a mild relaxer will probably make your hair fairly easy for you to manage while on campus. Dont assume relaxing your hair will damage it. I have been told by many AA hair stylists that braids are very damaging. Be sure to always use a good (salon type) conditioner each time you wash your hair. Dont wash your hair too often. If you braid (single) or twist your hair while it is still wet, it will be easier to mange and style once it has dried. Good Luck!</p>
<p>"If anything, it's us guys who go to college in mostly white places who have the biggest problem. noone wants to see our hair in its natural state, lol."</p>
<p>I know you're joking, but just in case someone believes this, I have had my hair natural for most of the last 40 years including when I attended and taught at mainstream colleges. I have had my hair in locs for about 6 years, and get lots of compliments on my hair. This includes compliments from men and women of all ages who aren't black (and yes, I get compliments, too, from black people). </p>
<p>I also have had my hair in braids and short and full naturals. </p>
<p>Braids did not damage my hair. What did damage my hair were relaxers and pressing. Braids can damage your hair if you allow the braider to braid too close to the scalp, which causes sores and causes the hair to fall out. However, such braiding is painful, and one would have to be masochistic to allow it.</p>
<p>I have a very thick head of extremely nappy hair. Having natural styles works best for me. I delight in not having to worry about swimming, being in the rain or humidity or finding beauty shops (including spending lots of time and bucks on my hair!).</p>
<p>I think that most people -- whatever their race -- look best when they style their hair in ways using its natural texture. It saddens me that decades after natural hairstyles became stylish for black women, young black women still are feeling that their natural hair is not acceptable, and they are still undergoing the torture of perms and hot combs to attain what they consider beauty.</p>
<p>allow me to clarify, northstarmom. </p>
<p>I meant strictly for black guys, as in uncut. I was highlighting the problem in relation to black males, where "tying your hair back" is not an option. I grew up in a city where there were barbershops specifically for african americans, and the college i'm going to has no barbershop. the problem is more complex then.</p>
<p>
We actually had this discussion in my African American studies class (taught by Evelyn Higginbotham and Henry Louis Gates) and the consensus all of the black girls came to was not they relaxed their hair because it is supposedly more beautiful, but because it was more convenient... I think natural hair is beautiful and great, but as a child, to keep my hair natural was impractical. I do not have the right head shape to wear my head in a TWA (my mom used to have one), and to put my hair into a pony-tail was very, very taxing. Relaxers have proven to be a much easier alternative. So, I think that a number of girls get their hair relaxed simply out of convenience.</p>
<p>Have you ever thought of doing kinky twist before? They're similar to braids but the hair is twisted instead of braided. I think it looks really nice... I actually learned how to do them myself so that once i got to school it wouldn't be so bad doing my hair.</p>
<p>You should try to go to natural websites and look for a hairstyle that you like
i.e: <a href="http://www.nappturality.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.nappturality.com/</a></p>
<p>Welcome M@rc!</p>
