Hairstyles to grow relaxed hair need to be cool and chic enough to allow you to look fabulous on daily basis, hassle free and, most importantly, hair-friendly enough to ensure that your natural hair stays undamaged. Oh, did I mention they also need to help you achieve your goal without The Big Chop? Yeah, growing out relaxed hair can be a tricky thing for sure…but styling doesn’t have to be! And with that said, here are a few interesting hairstyles for going natural to put you at ease and convince you that a too-scary-for-some Chop isn’t your only option:
Buns, chignons and even braided hairstyles are absolutely perfect for work, parties and special events! You get to be creative and decide how you want to play up the look using hair accessories but they are super fun if you’re a jewelry-person too as you can really afford to go all out and play with your statement pieces. Not bad, huh? And don’t worry about new hair and those teeny-tiny curls peaking out – it happen to all curly ladies and is nothing a bit of gel, hairspray or styling wax can’t solve! And these are way more than just hairstyles to grow relaxed hair…they also happen to be quite usual, regular hairstyles any woman would go for which means nobody will be able to tell that you’re growing out a relaxer! In case you don’t like to have a lot of products applied to your hair definitely opt for it in the first stages of the growing process. However, if you, like me, don’t have a problem with slapping on a coat of gel or hairspray to turn a bad hair day into a glam hair day, these will be an ace up your sleeve anytime.
With an “expiration date” or roughly two weeks on all natural hair and a staggering 4 to 8 weeks when synthetic length is added to the mix, braids definitely fall under the category of perfect hairstyles for going natural! Get a friend or a skilled family member to do these to you and you won’t have to spend a dime…unless you decide blending and braiding synthetic tresses into your own is a perfect way to rock volume and length you couldn’t get with a relaxer! Why not! Braids are just as versatile and style-able as unbraided hair…just much more fun!
Don’t hate me for what I’m about to say but growing out a relaxed will prove to be much easier (not to mention a whole lot faster) in case you decide to suck it up and sacrifice a bit of your length. It’s going to break off anyways as hair tends to be very fragile in that spot where two textures meet, but cutting it just a bit shorter may even prevent that from happening too soon! Layers are great for growing out chemically stressed hair as they allow you to keep the appearance of unchanged (or very slightly shorter) length even though there’s a lot of actual chopping involved. Give it a go! It saved my life a couple years ago, during my transition from bleached blonde to natural brunette.
Once your natural hair reaches a certain length caring for two different textures might be harder than you though. Luckily, you have knots and twists to help you create a perfect hairstyle to grow relaxed hair! You won’t have to tie it up or wear a style you don’t like. Simply knot or twist small sections of your wet, freshly washed hair and let it air dry or read a chapter of your fave book while sitting under a dryer. You’ll get tighter or looser curls (depending on how big your sections were) that really hold up great on both natural and chemically treated hair and the results often last more than a week!
In case your hair is really damaged and you’re worried about potential damage even when it comes to these hassle and heat free styles, you can always opt for keeping enough of your relaxed length to braid and have somebody else’s hair sewed in. Not the cheapest option out there, I know…but in case your lifestyle doesn’t come with a “free time to spend styling and experimenting” bonus, you might want to consider getting hair that’s not your own to dye and fry while keeping yours safely tucked underneath and conditioned properly. A weave means more than one hairstyle for going natural – it basically is a brand new canvas to paint on, not to mention one you can get rid of the moment you get a peep at your natural texture and length and decide it’s ready to be presented to the world.
Although curling your straight hair to match that natural growth is generally considered better and less damaging, you can choose to do it the other way around. It’s probably not one of the best hairstyles to grow relaxed hair or at least, not the most hassle free one but it is an option you’re totally allowed to go for once in a while. If done correctly and kept dry a blowout can hold up until the next wash which means you’ll have at least a few days to enjoy in this glamorous, sleek and elegant style.
Still looking for your perfect curly hairstyles to grow relaxed hair? Well, if you like those perfectly shaped coils in pretty much any size, you’d definitely want to give flexirods, curlformers or, for all of you frugal fashionistas, regular plastic straws! Depending on their size, flexirod and curlformers will help you get anything from a regal look to soft waves, while drinking straws seem to be a fantastic tool for getting those tiny curls that actually might look very much like your natural texture.
Do you have a favorite hairstyle for going natural and, if yes, which one is it? Haven’t tried them all? Well, by all means, do so! In order to find hairstyles to grow relaxed hair all the way and start discovering your new texture and all the wonderful things you can do with it, a bit of experimenting is necessary. But hey…with the right approach, that can be a fun thing!
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