A Relaxed Black Woman's Natural Hair Care Dilemma

I've been introducing more natural and plastic-free products into my life lately, and tomorrow, I plan to go to Lush (my favorite natural, handmade cosmetics store) to purchase some shampoo and conditioner. After researching their site, I decided that the Curly Wavy shampoo and Jungle conditioner were the best options for Black hair. Only the conditioner comes in solid form (to satisfy my plastic-free goals), but one product out of two is better than nothing, right?

Did you know...?

If one in five people switched from liquid to solid shampoo, about 22 million plastic bottles would be saved from the landfill. (Source: Lush)

Anyway, it just occurred to me that having a relaxer doesn't really fall into my mission to be more natural. I mean, why would someone in search of natural hair care products willingly get their hair chemically processed every two months? And will using natural products in between salon visits really account for anything?

I know what you're thinking...why not just go natural, right? I've "gone natural" twice in my life (once in 2003 and again in 2006), and I don't think the third time will be the charm. When I had natural hair, it was cute in the beginning, but then I didn't know what to do with, and I couldn't afford to have someone else take care of my natural locks. Thinking back, it actually seems more time consuming to have natural hair, and time is something I simply don't have as a busy single mom.

My hair throughout the years (Spring 2004, Jan. 2007, Jan. 2010)

Having relaxed hair definitely fits my lifestyle better, and I enjoy how I look and feel more confident with longer, straight hair. (Spare me the social commentary, please. It is what it is.)

I suppose my dilemma is more about the scientific side of hair care. Will using natural hair care products be beneficial for my hair while I continue to get relaxers? Are there relaxers or relaxer-type products on the market made from natural ingredients? What are the best natural hair care options for Black hair, especially relaxed hair?

Please leave your thoughts and suggestions! I'm sure your comments will be helpful to many Black women out there!

2009 Plastic Free Accomplishments, By the Numbers...

With my mom visiting, my son's birthday party, a new addition to our home (our new puppy Leo), and a huge proposal due at work, it's no wonder I didn't get around to listing my 2010 plastic free goals and 2009 accomplishments. I'll save my goals for future postings, as I'll have a new one each month. But here are my accomplishments so far, by the numbers:

2009 Plastic Free Accomplishments

0 - plastic garbage bags in my kitchen (instead, I use a stainless steel garbage can with *yikes* a removable plastic liner...hey it's still better than using the bags!)

3 months (and counting) - months in which I have not purchased paper towels

6 - washable, reusable towels I purchased to replace paper towels

8 - cloth napkins I own (no more paper napkins!)

10+ - resusable grocery bags I own

36 - number of tampons in the box of Tampax with the biodegradable applicator (I switched to this brand from a Playtex version with a plastic applicator)

55/68 - day/evening temperatures my thermostat is set to for energy efficiency (and cost savings, too!)

There are also some things I accomplished that can't really be quantified, such as:

• Using powered dishwasher soap (packaged in a cardboard box) instead of dishwasher tabs - While I miss the ease of the dishwasher tabs, there really is no difference in how clean the dishes get. I also use the powered soap when I hand wash my dishes, and it works well...my only complaint is that this makes my hands so dry and rough...can anyone suggest where I can find a good pair of eco-friendly cleaning gloves?
• Using powered laundry detergent (packaged in a cardboard box) instead of liquid laundry soap in plastic bottles - Here's one decision I totally regret! When my family switched to liquid laundry soap in the late 1980s/early 1990s, I thought the days of seeing dandruff-like remnents of laundry detergent on my clothes were over. Boy was I wrong! The powered detergent/cardboard box sounds like a great idea, but unless someone can recommend an eco-friendly, affordable brand that doesn't leave detergent flakes behind, I'm going back to the liquid soap I trust and love.
• Using Bar Soap and Deoderant - This is one of my best decisions so far! Bar soap is way less expensive than body wash, and you don't have to keep buying poufs! I also believe it lasts longer, too! I'm also in love with the bar of deoderant I bought from Lush...I joke around and say I smell a little bit like nature, but I swear it's provided me the better protection than any other deoderant I've ever used.

Well, that's all I can think of right now, but I'd love to hear what others have done / plan to do as well. Please post a comment :)