Transitioning without BC'ing Support Thread

[prettyone23]

Not sure if this is a no-no (as I am a newbie to all this), but I use TCB softening/conditioning spray to help condition and soften my new growth so it is managable. It really does keep it soft and I have less breakage too.

It's been 10 weeks since my last relaxer...

 

[keriplz]

Just posting an update. It's been 9months since my last relaxer! My my have the months flown by.

I'm thinking about putting in a curly sew-in for a month, just to get my hands out of my hair. The urge to straighten is very strong.

 

[Diva_Esq]

Still hanging in though I can't say for how longer. I will be 8 months post on Wednesday.

I hear you! Itching to chop here. 9 months post tomorrow.

 

[sweetpuff]

I'm about 10 months post. nowhere near done.right now I have 2 braids on and when I'll go out today I'll wear my half wig. it takes my mind off my hair.
let's see how long I can hold up.
Oh and I try not to touch the blow-drier. I go from every week to every two weeks.

 

[Platinum]

I forgot to check in this past weekend. I'm 40 weeks post now. I'm SL unstretched and Collarbone length stretched. I can't believe my NG so thick. My hair is much thicker and healthier since I decided to transition. I was having major setbacks with relaxers. I don't plan to chop because I'm seeing progress and I hope to make APL by Dec 2010. Also, I'm back in Senegalese Twists again.

I also plan to purchase a better blowdryer and a maxiglide before I remove these twists just in case I want to rock straight styles for a while.

 

[beans4reezy]

46 Weeks post here. I am in my third week with my cornrows. Keeping my hair braided with synthetic hair seems to be the only way to keep my hair from snapping at the line of demarcation.

 

[LoveCraze]

Not sure if this is a no-no (as I am a newbie to all this), but I use TCB softening/conditioning spray to help condition and soften my new growth so it is managable. It really does keep it soft and I have less breakage too.

It's been 10 weeks since my last relaxer...

I think it's fine to use curl activators for your hair. I use them quite often. Just be careful not to use too much as it can weaken your hair to the point where it will break. But as long as it's working for you, then it's all good!

 

[Ltown]

I hear you! Itching to chop here. 9 months post tomorrow.

Just posting an update. It's been 9months since my last relaxer! My my have the months flown by.

I'm thinking about putting in a curly sew-in for a month, just to get my hands out of my hair. The urge to straighten is very strong.

Put that thought out your mind! You'll always get that when you are having bad hair day. If you chop early than plan you can go back
Relax, take a deep breath and keep transitioning as planned

 

[nakialovesshoes]

I hear you! Itching to chop here. 9 months post tomorrow.

Actually I'm not itching to chop. I'm itching to retouch my curl. I've been natural before & I've come to terms with why I decided not to remain natural. I will continue to post in this thread up until I stop transitioning, but reality is I will probably get my curl retouched in October.

 

[Smiley79]

Hey Ladies, happy to say that I'm still hanging in there...just been on a little hiatus. I took out my sew in on Friday and did a wash and DC (loved it!) and now I'm letting my hair chill out. I'm not gonna lie, my hair is still quite a handful now as I progress through the transitioning phase, so I am still a bit frustrated, however I;m glad to still be hanging in there so far and I just wanted to check in with my update. Happy Hair Growth to you ALL!!!!

 

[poookie]

i love the feeling i get when i wash my hair (after it's been flat ironed straight) & the curlies pop right back into place! it's because of that feeling right there that i know i could never go back to relaxing my hair

21 weeks post! & fine as wine. i could *so* go another 20 weeks no problem!

it's funny: i remember as a relaxed head thinking that i "needed" a perm after 6 weeks... & look at me now!

i'm having a bit of fun with color right now. tried to give myself violet highlights (didn't turn out so well ), & now i'm rocking a black cherry rinse. it'll be another month or so before i decide to straighten again though. i want to treat my hair to a ton of deep conditioning before my next straightening session.

& on a side note: i've been super lazy! i washed my hair yesterday & i've still got conditioner sitting on it i'll wash it out soon though!

 

[wontonfm]

I'm just 6 months post! I did a rollerset and flatironed the roots over the weekend. I had quite a bit of breakage from the rollerset so next time I straighten (in a few weeks) I might have to use the blowdryer and see how that works out.

 

[LoveCraze]

Actually I'm not itching to chop. I'm itching to retouch my curl. I've been natural before & I've come to terms with why I decided not to remain natural. I will continue to post in this thread up until I stop transitioning, but reality is I will probably get my curl retouched in October.

Okay, what is retouching your curl may I ask? Do you mean a texturizer/texlax? What were your reasons for not wanting to remain natural? I'm only asking because perhaps some of use are or will be facing the same dilemmas. If you want you can send me a pm.

ETA: Ok I just saw your online album. Wow, this is nothing like the curls back in the day. LOL It looks really good! But question still remains, why did you not want to remain natural?

 

[♦K.O♦]

I will be 8 months the middle of feb.

I did a flexirod set on Sunday, and while my hair has a lot of shrinkage, it's cute, soft, and I dont have to mess with it.

 

[nakialovesshoes]

Okay, what is retouching your curl may I ask? Do you mean a texturizer/texlax? What were your reasons for not wanting to remain natural? I'm only asking because perhaps some of use are or will be facing the same dilemmas. If you want you can send me a pm.

ETA: Ok I just saw your online album. Wow, this is nothing like the curls back in the day. LOL It looks really good! But question still remains, why did you not want to remain natural?

The reason why I decided to get a curl was because I was tired of dealing with my multi-textured hair. I wanted a more uniform curl pattern throughout. When I was natural, it was hard to find the proper moisture balance in the section of my hair that is 4b - my crown. So if I wasn't spending hours shingling with the KCCC, I wasn't really pleased with my hair. And the SSKs were a nightmare. If I trimmed everytime I found one, I would've been bald. Then because of the SSKs I had to get a trim every time I straightened my hair so wearing my hair straight more often was out of the question.

Please know these are my issues with natural hair. I'm not trying to discourage anyone. Actually I still come to this thread b/c I'm hoping I'll find the inspiration to BKT in September & continue transitioning vs. touching up my curl.

On the flip side, when I look at my curl pics, I'm reminded of how much I loved that style & how natural it looked. So I don't know...

 

[LoveCraze]

The reason why I decided to get a curl was because I was tired of dealing with my multi-textured hair. I wanted a more uniform curl pattern throughout. When I was natural, it was hard to find the proper moisture balance in the section of my hair that is 4b - my crown. So if I wasn't spending hours shingling with the KCCC, I wasn't really pleased with my hair. And the SSKs were a nightmare. If I trimmed everytime I found one, I would've been bald. Then because of the SSKs I had to get a trim every time I straightened my hair so wearing my hair straight more often was out of the question.

Please know these are my issues with natural hair. I'm not trying to discourage anyone. Actually I still come to this thread b/c I'm hoping I'll find the inspiration to BKT in September & continue transitioning vs. touching up my curl.

On the flip side, when I look at my curl pics, I'm reminded of how much I loved that style & how natural it looked. So I don't know...

Well thanks so much for responding. I can see where you're coming from. I can imagine how frustrating it can be to try to get the different hair textures to blend. I believe I have a 4B crown as well. I'm hoping I will be able to find the right product or products to help enhance my hair so that it blends well. But IDK. I at least want to experience my hair in it's natural state at least once.
For your SSK's, were you doing a lot of wash and go's? I hear that this is when a lot of women experience the SSK's. Also did you set your hair at night by either braiding, twisting, banding or bantu knotting? It's my understanding that by keeping hair in a stretched state, that this also helps in decreasing the number of SSK's one gets.
Again thanks for your honesty!

 

[caligirl2385]

a little over 9months post. i've been in braids since jan1st... planning to keep them in until march

 

[WiseLotus]

I'm just 6 months post! I did a rollerset and flatironed the roots over the weekend. I had quite a bit of breakage from the rollerset so next time I straighten (in a few weeks) I might have to use the blowdryer and see how that works out.

I was 6 mos post this past Friday, and I did the exact same thing! But I will say my rollerset had much less breakage than the blowdrying, which I did around Christmas, and the rollerset results were much better. How did you do your rollerset?

 

[wontonfm]

I did my usual rollerset. Used lacio lacio and used macheriamour's rollersetting method. It could be that I needed to detangle more or that my hair was dry to begin with... i'm going to play around with it.

 

[onejamifan]

Almost 9 months post. Blew out and flat ironed over the weekend and my hair turned out a little crunchy I plan on DC and roller setting instead this coming weekend. Counting down until my mini-big chop in July (5 months left). Glad everyone is doing well.

 

[nikki2229]

Hello ladies,
I don't post here often but I do check in frequently.
I will be 15 months post this weekend and I torn between BC'ing this summer or making it to my two year mark in November and reevaluating it at that point.
I'm not having any real issues with my hair, just itching to BC I guess.
I did a mini chop a few months ago from APL to SL and it made a world of difference in how my hair felt.
Now, the back is completely natural and so is my bang area. But the crown has so much more to grow in order to catch up.

Sorry for my mini rant, HHG ladies.

 

[Imani]

My breakage/dryness has gotten better this week. I forget that with my hair texture I really have to go in and part my hair in sections to apply oils and moisturizers. just sprinkling a little product on my hands and running it thru quickly is not the business with my hair. I really have to get in there and work the product in.

Also my hair gets so dry and regular creamy moisturizers doesn't cut it. So this week I would go thru and spray it occasionally with my liquid leave in conditioner (by phytospecific; love the way it smells).

I still have little to no breakage at the demarcation line. it is usually the last few inches of my relaxed hair that is crispy and breaking.

 

[Platinum]

41 weeks post!

 

[Ltown]

Hello ladies,
I don't post here often but I do check in frequently.
I will be 15 months post this weekend and I torn between BC'ing this summer or making it to my two year mark in November and reevaluating it at that point.
I'm not having any real issues with my hair, just itching to BC I guess.
I did a mini chop a few months ago from APL to SL and it made a world of difference in how my hair felt.
Now, the back is completely natural and so is my bang area. But the crown has so much more to grow in order to catch up.

Sorry for my mini rant, HHG ladies.

15 months is great, I did little chop through and finish at 15 months in Jan leaving me at SL. My hair grew like yours I was all natural in the back when I did my last chop. I wanted enough to pin up is why I just finish.
How do you style your hair?

 

[Aggie]

I will try not to chop anymore hair off for a loooong while and so this support thread is an encouragement for me to stick with this goal.

 

[dicapr]

8 months post today! Last time I transitioned this is when I chopped. So now I am in uncharted territory. I kinda want to chop but I wont until I can get my hair into a puff. I am thinking that there may be some braids in my future. I haven't decided yet and I am still in the bun challenge that goes until March.

 

[RockCreak]

Hay yall!

My braids and I are still hangin in there. I've had them for almost a month and have about a 1/2 inch of NG. I'm trying to hold out til the end of this month before I have it redone again.

Oh! I'll be choppin another inch to... maybe!

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

18 weeks post today, and currently in braids....so far so good. I will be trying to keep my hair braided until my fiance's graduation in late May.

 

[Michelle Obama fan]

I am 18 months into my transitioning and I'm almost 90% natural. I haven't BC yet and I use braids as a protective style.

 

[hair4romheaven]

6 months post and today wash day
I finished about an hour ago. Notes to self don't keep corn rows in longer than 4 weeks.
So I found a regi that works for me
Once a month Coconut oil overnight, ORS scalp scrub in the morning, wash jason biotin poo, DC Dudleys DRC 28 protein, DC QH cholesterol mixed with aphogee moisturizing conditioner and coconut oil for about an hour and half. NTM leave in sat under dryer for 15 minutes. ALL OF THIS DONE WHILE STILL IN THE SAME CORNROWS. once 70% dry I take one braid out spray with taliah waajid moisturizer detangle add a little chi silk infusions and blow dry on cool using tension mention with my hand. that took for ever. My hair only lost about a dime size of shed hair. I am so excited!!!! I found staples and what method works for me as I am 6mths post.
ETA: I co wash once a week and DC once a week