Natural textured hair like all hair types is made up of keratin,a protein also found in the skin that is produced by cells known as keratinocytes.
As these cells die,they move to the upper layer of the scalp while the living cells (found in hair follicles ) remain below. So, hair is typically elongated dead cells and healthy hair growth begins with healthy follicles.

Keratin is made up of amino acids held together by disulphide bonds formed by cysteine (an amino acid and keratin).The more the disulphide bonds, the curlier or kinkier the hair.

Relaxers work by breaking these bonds due to the high alkaline content. This high alkaline content can also damage the scalp which is like the soil from which the hair grows.

Natural Afro textured hair has a reputation for being the most difficult hair type to maintain because of its thick,tight, wiry curl pattern.
 However,it is the most fragile hair type which can break easily which is why natural hair may seem not to grow. Each twist and curl in the strand is a potential breaking point.
The highly porous nature of natural hair is due to raised cuticles (which is like the scales of a fish that forms the outer layer of the hair strand) which makes the hair vulnerable to water loss ( picture an open window).
Due to the wiry nature, it is difficult for oil from the scalp to get to the tips resulting to dryness making it difficult to comb through kinks.

Natural hair also has a high shrinkage of about 50%-75% of its real length. To combat this shrinkage, many resort to chemicals and heat to straighten the hair which leaves it susceptible to damage.
If you are determined to grow long Afro hair, it's best to avoid these.

There are more natural ways to straighten and soften natural hair.
These include:

1. Plaiting or twisting hair overnight.
 To do this, plait or twist wet or damp hair in sections and leave overnight to dry. When plaits/twists are taken out, the hair will be relatively stretched. Hair will continue to stretch as long as this process is repeated. Natural oils such as Shea butter, coconut oil, castor oil, olive oil and avocado oil are good for stretching hair. This is always my go to method for stretching my hair after washing.

2. Roller Setting.
To do this, roll thin sections of damp hair around a roller such as bendies and allow to dry. You could use a blow dryer on low setting to speed up drying. This method may not appeal to those with thicker hair though due to longer rolling and drying times.

3. Threading or banding hair.
 To do this, a cotton thread is wrapped around the entire length of sections of the hair and left overnight. Alternatively, elastic bands are placed on the hair from root to tip and equal distances from each other. The closer the bands,the more the stretch. This is a nice pretty method to stretch children's hair using colorful bands and threads. Just make sure it's not too tight at the roots. beadsbraidsbeyond.blogspot.com will give you more insight on banding.

4. A  natural sister brought to my notice the concept of using milk to soften or straighten natural hair.
I've never really thought of milk as a straightening product. My experience with milk is using yoghurt when my hair needs a protein treatment.
Well, out of curiousity, I googled this up and this is what I found.

- Using coconut milk and lime hair relaxer recipes is
said to be a natural way of relaxing your hair. Check out how here thirstyroots.com/coconut-milk-and-lime-hair-relaxer-recipes.html

-Milk.
 Before washing,on dry hair, spritz a mixture of equal parts milk and water onto hair and allow to sit for 20 mins. Comb through with a wide tooth comb and allow to dry. Shampoo and condition as usual.

-Castor oil.
 Massage castor oil into hair. Comb from root to tip with a wide tooth comb using a hair dryer on medium heat. I recommend this heat method because the castor oil acts as a heat protectant, you get a hot oil treatment and your hair stays straighter for longer ( about two weeks plus).

There you have it! You can rock your coil fro and a straightened hair too! Is natural hair a chameleon or what?!!! #datish. Do you know any other ways to straighten hair naturally?