Compare and Contrast Essay on Natural Hair vs Relaxed Hair

The question of which hair is the best to maintain has become common to most women, especially those who those who are concerned with the health of their hair. Natural hair refers to the one which is unaltered by chemical products (Banks, 2015). Such hair is natural in that it does not contain many chemicals and some ladies have argued that it has its advantages compared to relaxed hair(Gathers & Mahan, 2014). Maintenance of natural hair is not easy, and this is one of the reasons why most women go for relaxed hair. Relaxed hair refers to the one that contains relaxants and its seen as an option for boosting the natural appearance of a woman (Banks, 2015). This hair tends to compliment the face according to most arguments. In this essay, comparison will be made between natural and relaxed hair; and this contrast will draw out some of the main reasons why women prefer one over the other.

Natural hair is preferred in its natural state. Such hair contains curls or kinks because no chemicals are applied to it (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). In relaxed hair, a relaxant is used. This refers to any chemical that is used to relieve natural hair of the kinks. Women are different, and it's common to find some preferring natural hair while others are opting for relaxed hair (Banks, 2015). One of the comparisons that can be drawn between the two types of hair is the number of times required to wash them. With natural hair, one is required to wash it less frequently but condition it more often. This helps to maintain the curls in the hair. Relaxed hair, on the other hand, requires more washing so as to apply the relaxers, and remove chemical remains contained in such hair.

Growth rate is sometimes used to distinguish between relaxed hair and natural hair. Its also the strategy that is employed by most firms that deal with relaxant products to sell their products (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). Its argued that relaxed hair has a faster growth rate compared to natural hair. Those women who wear natural hair also claim that theirs grow faster than relaxed hair (Banks, 2015). However, the actual truth is the growth of hair depends on several factors such as, the health of an individual and care that is given to the hair (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). The growth of hair is determined by the certain vitamins and therefore, the food that a person consumes determines how fast her hair grows. Women with natural hair can maintain their hairs retention because they are not stressing it too much. Relaxed hair requires constant application of relaxants, and this tends to limit the rate of its growth (Banks, 2015). However, if a woman wearing relaxed hair gives it proper care such as proper conditioning, the hair can grow at the same speed as that of natural hair.

Hair thickness is the other comparison that can be noted between natural hair and relaxed hair. Due to the presence of more texture in the glands, natural hair tends to be thicker than relaxed hair (Banks, 2015). In general, follicles are responsible for determining hair thickness, and their presence in natural hair gives it more edge than relaxed hair. This makes it more favorable to some ladies who prefer thickness. The application of chemicals in relaxed hair tends to destroy glands that are found in the hair (Banks, 2015). To get rid of the curliness contained in natural hairs, the glands have to be removed and therefore, this causes relaxed hair to be thinner compared to natural hair.

The mere fact that relaxed hair is straight makes it more appropriate for most women because they can be able to, for example, wash it easily and apply more styles to it (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). With natural hair, the curls make it difficult to clean and use different styles. Detangling is therefore difficult for women with natural hair (Banks, 2015). The fact that relaxed hair is easier to style also means that it allows the use of combs at will unlike in the case of natural hair where the use of brushes has to be limited. Use of heat is also not appropriate for the maintenance of natural hair as this will lead to the removal of follicles in the hair (Banks, 2015).

One of the common practice in both natural and relaxed hair is the application of some products such as shampoo. As stated earlier, both kinds of hair require maintenance. Use of shampoo has several benefits in both natural and relaxed hair (Banks, 2015). The most notable benefit is that it prevents breakage of the hair by introducing moisture to it. Moisturized hair is soft and difficult to break since its not brittle (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). At the same time, glands, especially in natural hair are strengthened by the application of shampoo. An excellent example of natural hair that requires the use of shampoo to keep it moisturized is African American hair which is easy to notice due to the curls contained in such hair (Banks, 2015). Most African American women opt to maintain their natural hair, especially due to the curls that make it look attractive.

Women who go for natural hair argue that the presence of natural oils in it makes it stronger compared to relaxed hair. This is probably the most attractive thing about this type of hair (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). The fact that it's healthier means that it can last longer compared to relaxed hair and one is not required to spend much trying to maintain its appearance (Banks, 2015). The only requirement is proper maintenance and application of the appropriate products to ensure that it remains moisturized. It can, therefore, be argued that natural hair is cheaper than relaxed hair especially regarding maintenance. This acts as a benefit to those women who wear it, and the same fact gives them a reason to maintain natural hair for an extended period (Banks, 2015).

Weather conditions tend to affect natural hair more than relaxed hair. This is according to research, and its an argument that makes relaxed hair more preferable compared to natural hair. All women are faced with the effects of unfavorable weather conditions for their hair such as rain, and strong winds (Banks, 2015). Due to these circumstances, women opt to have relaxed hair. Application of relaxants makes it prone to some of these conditions, and therefore, daily maintenance is easier compared to natural hair (Banks, 2015). Its evident that once natural hair comes across, for example, rain, its easy for it to break after such interaction. It also tends to become hard despite the presence of natural oils in it (Banks, 2015). This is one of the reasons why its necessary for this kind of hair to be washed less frequently.

Relaxed hair is associated with some risks to women who wear it. With this sort of hair, its necessary for one to consistently use relaxers, which are chemicals that can harm other parts of the skin (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). Using relaxers exposes the rest of the body to these chemicals, and this can have adverse effects which affect the appearance of the victim. Such parts of the body that can be affected by these chemicals include eyes and the face. One of the things that most women value is their face (Banks, 2015). It, therefore, becomes disturbing once the use of relaxers affects the face of the user. Great caution is encouraged when applying these products for those women who prefer straight hair. The trouble can alternatively be avoided by maintaining natural hair, a fact that gives it an edge over relaxed hair (Banks, 2015).

So far, its evident that both natural and relaxed hair have pros and cons. This makes it difficult for some women to have a preference of one over the other. However, the most important thing for women is to maintain one kind of the two (Gathers & Mahan, 2014). Maintenance, in this case, refers to making a decision on whether to have natural hair or relaxed hair without confusing the two as this can damage the appearance of such hair (Banks, 2015). By understanding the benefits of each type, it becomes easy for most women to make a decision and therefore, its difficult to conclude that one is better than the other. The only conclusion that can be drawn from the comparison between natural and relaxed hair is that maintenance is the key towards having a desirable appearance of hair, whether natural or relaxed.

References

Banks, I. (2015). Hair matters: Beauty, power, and black women's consciousness. NYU Press.

Gathers, R. C., & Mahan, M. G. (2014). African American women, hair care, and health barriers. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 7(9), 26.