Is it normal - i'm a woman and i avoid hair styling, dying and extensions?

As the title says, I avoid doing really anything with my hair that most other women seem to do.

I hate putting heat anywhere near my hair: I don't straighten my hair, nor do I blow dry it. I don't use chemicals; I don't dye or perm it. I don't brush it, I use a widetooth comb and detangle it from the ends working upward to the scalp every morning.

I see women around me all the time with colored or bleached, straightened, really damaged hair and I don't understand why they torture it so much. It doesn't look good. I also know women who have gorgeous natural curl but sentence it to a fry session by the hair straightener or blow frier daily. What gives?

I almost never see women with naturally long or healthy hair anymore and I wonder if its because their hair is breaking off or shedding more because of all the damage. I've met girls who've gotten extensions because they couldn't grow it out because of how they treated it and after a certain point of time the extensions literally pulled out their hair and damaged it more.

I'm not sure if this is normal either, but I have this hatred toward extensions because they seem like an easy way to gain length without working for it. When I compliment a girl on her hair and I find out a lot of it is fake, I have a rising feeling of disappointment. And because extensions are so popular now, people almost always assume my curly hair that reaches past my waist isn't my own.

I wish society and other women didn't emphasize that a lot of hair styling is important for it to look good, and I resist these expectations by keeping it healthy and not doing anything to it. Is it normal?

Voting Results
71% Normal
Based on 59 votes (42 yes)
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Comments ( 21 )
  • It's good to see women like you who care about their natural beauty more than the attention of men, or women. I think there are a lot of expectations placed on women nowadays. They have to look flawless (huge boobs & nice ass) and desirable to the eye. It's sad but most societies are ruled by males.

    I think you're awesome and should keep your natural beauty. I truly wish that most girls lived like you.

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  • dom180

    I was with you right until you said that your hair goes past your waist.

    That said, natural beauty is always best, and I'd rather natural ugliness to artificial beauty sometimes.

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  • tentacleTherapist

    Well what I do beauty I do it because it makes me happy, I couldn't give a rat's ass about others. My hair is that of a black woman's hair - fuck the opposing, I have my hair straightened and flattened. I don't need an afro, dear.

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    • radiatelove

      i'm with you love. any beauty ritual i do is because it makes me feel happy and confident about the way i look, not to make others feel happy or good about how i look.

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    • afros r nice on some people... but i get wat ur saying... but ppl dont need to dye there hair all the time either lol.. im for natural beauty but im also for the person to feel happy n good bout themselves aswell!...

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      • tentacleTherapist

        Yep. Though I'll just do whatever I think makes me look good, not giving a fuck of what others think. Just makes life easier.

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  • hermione

    Bet you have great hair

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  • CheekyChihuahua

    I straighten my hair because curly hair is difficult to manage and very tangly. And other people (friends and family alike) think I look better with it, and I also think I look better with it. I don't dye/perm/relax/or wear extensions because I don't like those things very much. My hair is also past my waist. The only thing I hate about straightening and long hair is split ends, which I need to constantly be on the watch for. As long as you protect your hair when straightening it'll be fine.

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  • marissachan

    I'm totally with you on the extensions thing. I worked hard to grow my hair out past my arse and keep it healthy (while heat styling, thank you very much) and it's insulting when people just assume i just bought it like that.

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  • tentacleTherapist

    Actually I've moved to party wigs now for fun.

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  • jusssayin2

    When i saw the title of this i thought you were crazyyy.....but now i realize your one of few who actually do like their hair naturally...but dont you get bored with the same hairstyle.....

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    • I actually don't wear the same hairstyle every day. I wear it up (most commonly in a nautilus, rose, or sock bun, french braids or fishtail braid), half down-half up, or completely down. There are lots of youtube videos I've watched online for putting hair up in different ways than mentioned above that I use occasionally too. Hope this helps

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      • Juniper

        I don't do much with my hair either. Most I've done with it was cut bangs 7 years ago, and I cut it to shoulder length last year. I don't wear foundation very often either, despite having acne. I tried wearing some once, did a great job of it, and suddenly certain ppl at my school wanted to be friends. When I stopped wearing a few times, they stopped talking to me. So now my best friend at school is a girl with a limp and buckteeth, but she's more honest and has kept up with me for 2 years. She's not gay for me either.

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        • Juniper

          oh and I'm in college and ppl still act like that...I heard abt a girl who lost friends for not having real Uggs... :/

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  • Theadage

    Plus, it's tooo much trouble.

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    • tentacleTherapist

      Beauty takes work.

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  • alv1592

    Yep, I think it's normal. I always blow-dry and straighten, but I never dye my hair, although I recently coloured it black underneath. The top is still red though.

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  • Katywompus

    That's cool. I only dye my hair because I hate how dark its getting. I haven't used a brush or comb in over 9 years, so, ya

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    • bananaface

      What:O? How is that even possible?! Is your hair not completely tatty by now?

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      • Katywompus

        Hehehe I'm a dreadhead

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        • bananaface

          Oh:L That makes more sense haha:) That's really cool, I love dreads:D

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