Natural Hair Vs. Relaxed Hair: Which Takes Less Time?

I had relaxed hair for almost 20 years. I got my first relaxer when I was 12 at a beauty salon. Then my mother applied my relaxers using kits until I was 15 years-old. After that, I did my own touch ups or occasionally visited a beautician until I returned to my natural hair. During those years of having relaxed hair, I learned different grooming and styling techniques. In my 5 years of being natural I have also learned a lot about how to care for my hair. Here is my take on on which one is more time consuming.

Washing Your Hair
I have not found much difference between washing natural or relaxed hair, other than the products I use. I do wash more regularly now that my hair is natural. Many women only wash relaxed hair once a week because of all of the maintenance that is required after you wash your hair.

Styling Your Hair
Before I got a relaxer I thought that you got the chemicals and then your hair was straight from there on out. But I soon found out that applying the chemicals is just the first step. Once your hair is relaxed and you wash it then you have to blow dry it and then straighten it either with a curling iron or a flat iron. And you have to repeat this process every time that you wash your hair.

All of those steps have not been necessary since I went natural. I can wash and condition my hair in the shower, gently finger comb, and then be on my way. That method is called a Wash and Go. It is quick and only takes a few minutes out of my day in the morning. Other hair styles for natural hair do take more time. But technically, if you find the right products to use in your Wash and Go then you do not have to do other styles such as braiding or twisting your hair, unless you just want to. However, it is necessary to apply heat to freshly washed relaxed hair to get the desired effect.

Working with Dry Hair
If you hair is relaxed and it is not a wash day then styling can be completed quickly. You can roller set your hair at night or curl it quickly with a curling iron in the morning. If you have natural hair and style your hair using the Curlisto Method then you can just wear a silk bonnet or scarf at night and wear the hairstyle for a few days before needing to wash and style again. Or you could spritz the previous day's Wash and Go with some water to revitalize it.

Which is Better
It seems to me that on average both methods can be time consuming, or not, depending on how detailed you are with your hair. For me, I prefer my natural hair not because of how much or how little time it takes to take care of it. I stay natural because so much caution is needed when using relaxers.